Far away from the cheerful atmosphere surrounding Wanna's house, an entirely different silence rested over Juson's home. Hiori, the maid, arrived at the front gate carrying her small cloth bag, expecting to begin her usual afternoon duties. She paused outside the locked entrance and called out softly, "Yokina... Juson..." Her voice drifted through the quiet street before disappearing without an answer. She waited another moment, listening carefully, but the house remained completely still.
Assuming the family had gone somewhere unexpectedly, she let out a quiet sigh and turned around, intending to return home. She had barely taken a few steps when an uneasy feeling settled over her. The street, which only moments earlier had carried the ordinary sounds of the neighbourhood, suddenly felt unnaturally silent. Even the distant chirping of birds seemed to have vanished. Then a faint humming sound brushed against her ears. It was almost impossible to distinguish, low enough to be mistaken for imagination, yet persistent enough to make her stop walking. Slowly, she turned back toward the gate and peered through the narrow spaces between the metal bars, searching the empty courtyard for the source of the strange sound.
Nothing appeared unusual. The front yard stood exactly as it always had, motionless beneath the afternoon light. After a few seconds, a gentle breeze finally stirred the leaves gathered near the entrance, and Hiori forced herself to believe that the strange humming had been nothing more than the wind. "It must be the wind..." she whispered, trying to calm herself. Yet despite convincing her mind, her body refused to obey. She remained rooted to the spot, her eyes fixed upon the silent house while an invisible weight settled over the air. Then, without warning, a vast shadow slowly stretched across her back, swallowing the sunlight around her.
Every instinct inside her screamed that something stood behind her. Her breathing stopped. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag as she gathered enough courage to turn around. The moment she did, a terrified scream tore from her throat with every ounce of strength she possessed. The sound echoed through the empty street before the scene faded into darkness.
Elsewhere, the atmosphere could not have been more different. The front door of Wanna's house opened gently, and she stepped outside carrying her little daughter in her arms. A broad smile immediately spread across her face as she saw the visitors waiting at the entrance. "Oh, Yokina! Welcome," she greeted warmly before smiling at Juson and little Herik as well. She stepped aside to invite them inside, and one by one they entered the house, with Juson crossing the doorway last.
The moment his foot touched the floor inside, a faint sensation crept over him. The house looked completely ordinary. The furniture stood neatly arranged, the walls were clean, and nothing seemed out of place. Yet something within the atmosphere felt subtly wrong. It was not visible. It was not audible. It simply existed, pressing quietly against his instincts. Unable to explain the feeling, Juson ignored it and continued inside while Wanna gently placed her daughter into a small wooden cot standing near the living room.
Only a few moments later, another door opened farther inside the house. Hakiten stepped out calmly before quietly locking the room behind him. He greeted Juson and Yokina politely and invited everyone to take a seat on the sofa. Once they had settled down, Wanna excused herself to prepare refreshments, and Yokina immediately followed her into the kitchen, leaving Herik sitting beside Juson. As the women disappeared from sight, an unusual silence settled over the living room.
The steady ticking of the wall clock became strangely prominent. Juson found himself glancing repeatedly toward Hakiten, not because of anything he had done, but because his face awakened a strange feeling of familiarity. It was not the familiarity of having met someone before. It felt deeper than that, like a memory buried beneath countless forgotten thoughts. Hakiten eventually noticed the prolonged stare and smiled faintly. "You've been quiet since you came here," he observed. Juson leaned back slightly before replying, "What do you want to talk about?" Hakiten considered the question for a moment before suggesting college life. Juson answered with a small smile.
"That's already over." Hakiten almost laughed before his expression gradually became thoughtful. Looking toward the steadily ticking clock, he spoke more quietly. "Do you ever get the feeling... that your mind leaves certain things behind on purpose? Some memories are heavier than people think." His words settled heavily inside the room. Juson couldn't explain why they unsettled him so deeply. It wasn't fear. It was recognition without memory, and somehow that felt far more disturbing.
"Hakiten!" Wanna called from the kitchen, breaking the silence. Hakiten immediately stood up and walked over to the cot, gently lifting his daughter before placing her carefully into Juson's arms. "Hold her for a minute." Juson nodded and accepted the child without hesitation. Almost instantly, something changed. The little girl's body stiffened unnaturally in his hands, her breathing becoming uneven as tiny beads of sweat appeared across her forehead within seconds. She looked frightened, though nothing visible had happened. Juson frowned, uncertain whether he had held her incorrectly, but before he could react further, Herik quietly turned his attention toward the baby. He stared at her silently for several moments before looking away again without saying a word.
At that moment, Wanna and Yokina returned carrying a tray of cookies while Hakiten followed behind with several glasses of juice. As soon as Wanna took her daughter back into her arms, she noticed the child's condition. "She's warm..." she murmured with concern before gently rocking her. The tray was placed upon the table, and everyone gradually settled into casual conversation while enjoying the refreshments.
The conversation flowed naturally, yet Hakiten's behaviour slowly began attracting Juson's attention once again. Every few moments, his eyes drifted toward the wall clock. Then they shifted to the locked room behind him before returning to the clock. Again. And again. Juson noticed every glance but chose not to interrupt. Meanwhile, Herik quietly climbed down from the sofa and began walking toward the locked door.
Before the boy had even reached it, Hakiten reacted with surprising speed. He immediately stood up, hurried across the room, lifted Herik into his arms and gently carried him back. "Not there," he said quickly. Wanna laughed softly at the overreaction. "Let him explore the house." Hakiten forced a smile that never truly reached his eyes. "Next time," he replied. "When he grows a little older." His response only deepened Juson's curiosity.
After a brief silence, Juson casually asked what kind of work Hakiten was doing these days. Hakiten hesitated before admitting that he had joined a supermarket as a cashier. Yokina looked genuinely surprised. "Even after completing your science degree?" Hakiten merely nodded, and the conversation gradually shifted toward memories of their college days.
"Do you remember," Yokina asked with a nostalgic smile, "the day all five of us went on that picnic after graduation?" Hakiten nodded almost immediately. "And that strange man who suddenly appeared in the park?" she continued. "The one with the mark on his neck and cheek?" She turned toward Juson before asking quietly, "What happened to him?"
Juson's expression became serious. "He died." Silence immediately followed. Yokina stared at him in surprise. "You never told me that." Juson lowered his eyes briefly before answering. "When we hear about someone's death... even if we aren't emotionally attached to them, our minds keep thinking about it. I didn't want your mental health to be disturbed." No one responded. Before the silence could become uncomfortable, a loud thunderclap rolled across the sky outside.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the window, where dark clouds had begun swallowing the afternoon sunlight while cold wind swept through the trees. Juson quietly suggested that they should leave before the weather worsened, but Wanna immediately shook her head. She insisted they stay the night instead, explaining that travelling in such weather would be unsafe. Yokina eventually agreed, although she asked Juson to return home briefly to check everything before coming back. "Call me once you reach," she reminded him.
A short while later, Juson walked outside toward the car. Before he could open the driver's door, Herik followed behind him and quietly announced that he wanted to come as well. "No," Juson answered without turning around, expecting the boy to give up. Instead, Herik remained standing exactly where he was. Hakiten stepped outside and smiled faintly. "Take him with you," he suggested. "He wants to stay with his father."
Before Juson could object again, Hakiten gently picked Herik up and placed him inside the back seat. Almost at that very moment, the thunder ceased, although the dark clouds still hung heavily across the sky. Hakiten looked upward before smiling strangely. "Looks like... even the weather wants Herik to stay with you."
Juson glanced at him for only a brief second. "Thanks," he replied, the sarcasm in his voice barely concealed. He started the engine, and within moments the car disappeared down the road. Hakiten remained standing outside until it vanished completely from sight. Only then did he slowly turn back toward the house. A faint smirk gradually appeared across his face as he walked inside and quietly closed the door behind him.