Morning didn't feel like morning.
It felt like—
a new beginning.
A dangerous one.
The room felt cold.
Calm.
Silent.
For a brief second, everything felt strangely peaceful.
Then—
"MEOW—!"
My cat.
Zen.
Curled up right beside me.
His bright eyes stared directly at me as his tail flicked lazily against the blanket beneath us.
Alive.
Warm.
Real.
Unlike last night.
My hands recklessly cupped Zen's head immediately, fingers sinking softly into his warm fur as if I needed to make sure he was real.
Alive.
Here.
Not another memory.
I scanned my room carefully, making sure nobody else was there.
Not even him.
A quiet sigh of relief escaped me before I could stop it.
Slowly, I closed my eyes again—
recalling the unexpected events from midnight.
He was here—
In my room.
Last night.
Kai.
The name echoed endlessly inside my mind.
Familiar.
Wrong.
Dangerous.
Finally, I opened my eyes and slowly got to my feet.
I made my way towards the bathroom—
desperate for a long, cold shower.
Even in this weather.
The moment I stepped inside, every event… every single moment since New Year Night started feeling strange again.
The black spot.
The men dressed in black.
The stranger.
Wolves.
The forest.
Every single day had become a puzzle—
one I couldn't solve no matter how hard I tried.
Ever since New Year Night.
I didn't even bother removing my clothes before twisting the shower tap open.
SHRRR—
Ice-cold water immediately poured down over me, soaking through the fabric within seconds.
But strangely—
I didn't feel cold at all.
I only felt warm.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Strange.
Yet comforting.
Water dripped endlessly from my hair and clothes while the noise of the shower drowned out every thought inside my head.
For the first time since last night—
silence.
I stayed there for more than an hour.
Motionless beneath the water.
Letting it wash over me again and again as if it could somehow clear the chaos inside my mind.
Eventually, I turned the shower off before drying myself slowly with a towel—
except for my hair.
Wet.
Cold.
Water still dripping from the dark strands like rain refusing to stop.