***
(1st floor.)
First Floor – Motel Lobby
A few minutes later, Doyeon stood at the front desk.
"Uh… did I already pay?" he asked awkwardly.
The middle-aged woman behind the counter adjusted her glasses and glanced down at the computer.
"Yes, sir. You paid last night."
"Oh."
Doyeon nodded.
"Thanks."
Without another word, he turned and pushed open the motel door.
***
(Outside)
Outside, the rain had already stopped. Morning sunlight spilled across the small motel parking lot, turning the wet asphalt into a dull mirror that reflected the pale sky above.
For the first time since leaving the room, Doyeon actually paused long enough to look around. The quiet felt strangely normal— too normal. And then his eyes lowered to the ground.
His stomach dropped.
Black goo was spread across parts of the pavement like spilled oil, thick and uneven, clinging to the cracks in the asphalt.
It looked almost alive, dark and sticky in the morning light, as if it had slowly crawled there during the night.
Doyeon stared at it for a moment before letting out a dry, humorless laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "…Yeah," he muttered quietly to himself, his voice thin with unease. "Of course, I finally noticed this… things."
He tried to ignore it and stepped carefully toward his car.
Squish.
The sound came the moment his shoe landed directly in the sludge.
Doyeon froze.
(Fuck… isn't this 1/4 chance…)
The sticky substance clung to the sole of his shoe— and at the exact same moment, something cold and weightless settled on his shoulder.
His entire body locked in place.
Slowly— very slowly, he turned his head.
A hand rested there.
It was long and thin, the fingers stretched unnaturally as if they had been pulled like a melted wax.
The entire thing was made of shifting black shadow, its surface writhing faintly like a smoke trapped under the skin.
Doyeon's breathing became shallow.
"Not again," he whispered.
His throat felt tight as he forced himself to turn the rest of the way around.
And then he saw it.
A face hovered only inches behind him.
The creature's eyes were wide and perfectly round, staring down at him without blinking.
Its mouth stretched into a massive grin that tore across its face from ear to ear, far too large for anything human. The smile didn't move, didn't twitch, it was simply there, frozen.
Doyeon's entire body began to shake.
Cold sweat slid down the back of his neck while his pulse gushed violently inside his ears.
It's real.
It's really here.
The thing leaned closer.
Its shadow fingers tightened slightly on his shoulder, its grin widening as though savoring the fear radiating off him.
But Doyeon forced his legs to move.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He stepped toward his car, each movement stiff and deliberate, as if any sudden motion might provoke the thing clinging to him.
The creature followed effortlessly, its head tilting slightly while that impossible smile remained carved into its face.
Doyeon's hands trembled as he reached the back seat and pulled the door open.
Inside lay a small pouch necklace.
It was simple— almost un-impressive. Hand-knitted with thick thread, the tiny cloth bag tied to a cord worn from years of use.
But Doyeon grabbed it anyway.
In one quick motion, he slipped the cord over his neck.
The reaction was instant.
The shadow hand jerked away violently as if burned.
Behind him, the creature recoiled with a silent, twisting motion. Its grin warped for a moment as its body slid backward several steps, retreating from him like a smoke being pushed away by an invisible wind.
Doyeon slowly turned around, his chest still rising and falling unevenly, eyes locked on the thing that had just been inches from his face.
The black figure crawled backward across the asphalt, dragging its limbs awkwardly before melting back into the puddle of black sludge on the ground.
The parking lot fell silent again.
Doyeon stood there for several seconds, breathing heavily.
His legs felt weak, hands were still shaking.
Slowly, he looked down at the small pouch resting against his chest.
"Right," he murmured.
His fingers wrapped around it tightly.
(Now… that I think about it… why didn't I use this last night…?)
He frowned slightly.
(Actually… I'm kind of glad I didn't.)
A memory surfaced in his mind.
Ha-eun leaning against him.
Her head resting on his arm.
(She felt warm…)
His brows furrowed deeper.
(But also cold.)
He exhaled slowly.
(That's probably why it never crossed my mind.)
His gaze drifted toward the motel building behind him.
"I've been seeing ghosts since I was a kid," he muttered quietly.
"Real ones."
Evil, someone with grudges… I usually help them but… yea, anyways… some kind that followed people, and one that needed help.
But Ha-eun…
Doyeon looked down at his hand.
He could still remember the feeling of her fingers holding his.
"She was different."
"Well…" he muttered to himself, "I'm pretty much broke right now, so… let's not think about all this for the moment."
He stared blankly through the windshield for a few seconds.
"Yeah," he added quietly, exhaling through his nose. "I should probably just go home."
His fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel as another thought crossed his mind.
"At least… for now."
A faint, tired smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I kinda miss my mom, actually."
For a moment he hesitated before starting the engine.
"The only reason I stopped living with her in the first place…" he continued under his breath, "was because of this stupid ghost thing."
The engine rumbled to life.
Doyeon rested his forehead briefly against the steering wheel, his voice dropping to a quieter murmur.
"Whenever I see someone who's… unfortunate… someone who died badly…" he said slowly, trying to put the thought into words. "Something always ends up following me."
He closed his eyes for a second.
"Or bothering me."
With another sigh, he finally straightened up and shifted the car into gear.
The tires rolled slowly across the damp asphalt as he pulled out of the motel parking lot and drove away.