That evening, when I left school, traffic was heavy.
My feet dragged across the rain-soaked pavement stones, and I watched the thinning crowd of the street.
People in a hurry, children running from place to place, and sometimes—maybe I'm just telling myself this to cope—happy families passing right in front of me like scenes from a movie.A little girl in a pink dress biting into her cotton candy was the very image of innocence.I wished I had an umbrella. If I did, I'd hold it up toward the sky and just gaze upward.Watching the droplets cling to the nylon fabric, I might remember that I existed—even if I were going home, a part of me would still long to stay out in the open.
My steps weren't bringing me closer to home, they were taking me farther from myself.With a heavy heart, I checked the time. It was four in the afternoon.Children just leaving school were now climbing into cars and disappearing.
As soon as I thought of school, I remembered the movie ticket in my pocket.
A flash of those gray eyes passed before mine.In those pupils, where uncertainty and justice intertwined, a light flickered that reached me even from meters away.The rain kept falling. My hair was soaked. Everything felt like it was blending into everything else.
There was something familiar in those eyes.But I had never seen him before... or at least I couldn't remember."The second option's unlikely," I told myself. "I don't even know him.And if I had seen him before—if he knew me—I'd definitely remember. I have a good memory for faces."
Suddenly, I bumped into someone. I was wet, and naturally, the person grumbled about watching where I was going.I apologized, grabbed the straps of my bag, and kept walking in the rain.
Part of my mind was calculating what would happen if I got home late tonight.Ayaz had said he'd wait for me. Maybe something I said had hurt him.Even one of his sentences carried enough weight to leave you breathless.My feet, without permission, began leading me toward the familiar cinema downtown.My heart grew heavier, my fear deepened.It was the fear of uncertainty, and of my father's looming shadow.
Like threading a needle, I tried to lift my thoughts and place them gently on the dusty shelves of my mind.
Everything was more real than I imagined.These bright streets.These colorful cars.Phone booths.Homeless people.Begging children.And drifting clouds overhead.
Buildings pushing out from side alleys.And my loneliness.The sensation of walking around with a smoky storm inside my head.
My legs insisted on crossing the street. I didn't resist—I just followed.It was a bad time to cross. A car screeched to a halt, and the driver hurled a curse loud enough for me to hear.
I thought about how rude people could be. How big the world really was.
As I looked around at this massive world that I never quite fit into, all my disappointments fell at my feet.Now I was stepping off the sidewalk, waddling past the traffic lights.There would be no turning back from this road.
A voice inside told me it was still early—I had four hours left.But I also knew something else:If I didn't go now, I'd never leave the house again.The exhaustion in my legs and arms would be overtaken by my father's raised hand and inflated pride.
Everything would turn into something unbearable, unacceptable, impossible to grow used to.
As I kept walking, I felt, without a doubt, that I was doing the right thing.
I passed buildings, stores, vendor stalls.Rain finally stopped.
I was drenched. I couldn't stand around like this much longer.Why hadn't I just gone home?
What was I even doing here?
I started trembling.Like a shivering kitten, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my school jacket and kept walking.
I felt my old-model phone vibrate. The screen lit up. A message from an unknown number.
"It's Ayaz. The rain stopped so suddenly. Kind of nice, isn't it?"
He must've found my number from the class group chat.Frowning, I unlocked my phone, tapped the message app, and quickly saved the number.
Would I reply?
I didn't know. I just stood there.
When I noticed I was blocking people's way, I stepped aside.
Ayaz's message kept circling my mind.I felt the urge to respond.I pulled out my phone again and walked—shivering—through the iron fence of a newly built park nearby.Children's screams filled the air.The benches were soaked.Water dripped from the branches.The ground beneath my feet was wet and slippery.The smell of fresh grass mixed with the moisture, filling every corner of the park.
I took a deep breath of that scent.My mind quieted.
The message replayed in my mind.For the first time, someone in class had talked to me.Someone like me. A loser. A nobody. A worthless target.
Was I really worthless?
Everything blurred together.
Can you believe it?I couldn't even reply.I didn't even have an honest answer for myself.
From between the shattered charcoal clouds, a glowing yellow sun broke through.Like a sign to keep hoping—despite everything.It shone over my eyes.
I raised my hands to my forehead to shield them.Unaware that the sunlight would dry my soaked clothes in mere minutes.
Fifteen minutes later, it felt like a miracle.
I smiled, brightly.I forgot home.Forgot my father.Forgot the bullies.
But I couldn't forget him.I couldn't forget Ayaz.
He felt like someone unforgettable.In fact, if I'm being honest—maybe I had never even started forgetting him.
That thought was ridiculous.
But in his voice, the moment he saw me, there was a warmth I hadn't felt in a long time—an immediate, inexplicable embrace.And in the darkening gray of his eyes, I saw something more:A deep, unspoken anger toward what had been done to me.
That desire to save me, coming from someone who didn't even know me, was filled with a fresh kind of compassion.
The more I thought about it, the slower my steps became.I wandered past trees with green and pale green leaves, their stalks wheat-colored, watching children play in innocent joy.Eventually, I turned toward the park's iron-barred exit.It reminded me of the gate to a cemetery, and I shivered.
My mother's death breathed down my neck like a living shadow.Right behind that came the sting of my father's beatings—still etched into my skin.When I stepped through the gate and checked the time again, it was already seven.
I hadn't replied to Ayaz's message.What could I even say?I didn't feel worthy of something so simple.Maybe staying silent was best. Maybe I shouldn't let him be friends with someone like me.
But I couldn't go back.
I was going to watch that movie tonight.
Hadn't I already risked everything just by not going home?Even if I got beaten... yes, maybe I had already gotten what I needed.
I passed through narrow alleyways, neon signs advertising thermometers, and a poster announcing a singer's upcoming concert.The large cinema building, covered in blue-tinted glass, began to appear in the distance.Its exterior was a darker navy. Tinted—nothing visible inside.My pace quickened. I climbed the stairs alongside the crowd and entered through the revolving doors.I was finally dry. For that, I was grateful to God.
A massive movie poster in front of me read:"A Score is Identity, and Love is Identity Drift."
This was the film I'd come to see.
I held the ticket in my hands, scanning the signs to find the right theater.The numbers blurred in front of my eyes like horse race results.The more I failed to find it, the more anxious I became.I wandered in circles, growing more and more panicked.
I didn't want to ask the staff for help.It felt like the whole world—just like the school, just like home—was ready to hurt me again.
Like it wanted to hurt me.
My breathing grew fast and shallow when a soft voice spoke from my left."Seriously? I didn't think you'd come."
I gasped and spun around.It was Ayaz.That gentle, kind voice was unmistakable.But there was a hint of surprise behind it.
"I came... If you didn't think I would, why did you talk like I would?" I asked, trembling.
"You should've known I'd wait," he said.
He wore an off-white shirt that matched his eyes, topped with a dark gray sweater.His loose beige pants completed the look.I realized quickly that this was his style.I could bet my life on it.
"I came because…" I started. "Because…"
He didn't take his eyes off me."Yes?"
I froze, completely lost for words."You were curious about the movie," he offered.
He ignored my answer and gently asked,"You didn't reply to my message?"
Then he smiled—soft, reassuring."It's okay. I'll keep texting you.If you want, that is.Don't you?It's good to use the digital age to our advantage.Friends check in on each other."
I lifted my head from where it had drooped, checking my watch for an excuse."The movie's about to start," I muttered.
"Ah," he said, but didn't seem too bothered by my deflection.
Just then, a sound like a circuit breaker snapping echoed through the building.
It stabbed my ears like a scream.
Everything went dark.
The darkness I feared had been waiting—eager—to stab me through the chest.
For a moment, I was paralyzed.I should've heard people screaming—but there was no sound.Nothing.Everything sank into motionless silence.
"Ayaz…" I whispered, fumbling for my phone. But my hands weren't cooperating.
Total darkness.
"Ayaz, are you here?" My voice trembled.The way images slipped past me like soap bubbles was unbearable.
I couldn't feel his presence anymore.
Panic setting in, I finally pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight.The moment the beam flickered on, I felt like I was going to vomit.
What?
There were no faces.
Where had everyone gone?
I was sweating, breathing erratically.My brain felt like it had short-circuited—broken beyond repair.
"Ayaz!" I screamed.My voice echoed through the empty walls.
"Hey!" Tears streamed from my eyes.
What was happening here?
I shined the light onto my ticket, checking the number, then stumbled toward one of the dark corridor doors.
No one was there.
But just moments ago, people were all around us.
Now they were gone.Like the shadows of ghosts.
I was about to shut the door when the theater screen suddenly lit up.
In neon blue letters, it read:
"All holograms have been erased. Now it's just the two of us.Want to play again and win the life you actually deserve?"
My eyes widened with fear.Play again?Holograms?
I felt sick.
Were all those people... illusions?
My chest convulsed as if something were about to explode from within.The door slammed behind me with a bang.
I was completely alone in a massive cinema.Strangely, my knees gave out.I couldn't move.
I didn't dare test the locked door.
Was that bandage Ayaz put on me... was that fake, too?
Was that cold touch just part of the illusion?
No.No, I couldn't believe everything was a hologram.Not even the fists of my father.
In that tiny moment, everything suddenly felt absurd.Like I was dreaming inside real life—or worse, living something real inside a dream.
"N-no," I murmured, clenching my fists.
My blood surged like a fighter preparing for battle.
Had I been here before?
The screen had said "again."
Then a butterfly claw appeared, and time rewound itself.
Butterfly Claw.
The name.The image.I recognized it.Everything sank into silence.
Ayaz had said our secret phrase:"I'll wait for you."
The bullies.The pulled tooth.The perfect golf shot.Even my grandmother—with that gentle smile that softened my father's cruelty.Her warm eyes. Her soft, silk-like hair, despite her age.
Tears rolled from my eyes like heavy beads.My breath turned to knives, cutting through the silence.
When the butterfly claw disappeared, the memories slipped away with it.
"I don't believe this!" I suddenly screamed.
Pain burst from my chest.I collapsed to the floor as if my body couldn't hold me up any longer.
My life flashed before my eyes.Like I had died—or was about to.
How could I have been here before?
A new message appeared with a loud click.The neon colors stung my eyes, etched into my dark skin.It read:
"All you have to do is earn points.Believe it or not, this is the truth.Or are you such a coward that you'd rather stay in your crushed little life?"
I trembled all over.A cramp twisted my ankle and lower leg.
"What if I refuse?" I whispered.
"Who said you had the right to refuse?""Even if you did, someone like you—someone so broken—would never ignore a sliver of hope."
The message felt like it had been programmed not just to reach my brain...but to pierce it.
"W-what kind of game is this?" I asked, the words trembling off my lips.
The screen darkened, and orange text appeared:
"Now we're really talking. Game rules incoming…"
A robotic voice echoed, as if coming from speakers hidden in the shadows:
"You already know. You just can't remember.
Because you got a little too lost in the hologram you mistook for reality, and you forgot the promise you made to us.
Everything will fall into place, in time."
As the voice paused, static briefly cut in.
I stayed on my knees, crying, my legs aching.
I felt helpless.
Utterly alone.
I couldn't process what I'd learned or what had happened to me.
"The game is based on predicting the future.
Each match, you'll face a different opponent—except the first.
The first match is designed for you to confront yourself.
You'll see.
Now, let's move on to the standard rounds.
The goal is to gain traits by predicting future outcomes, according to each challenge's setup and rules.
Examples: Find the Lost One, Which Hole Will the Ball Drop Into, The Fastest-Fading Candles in Heaven…
At the start of each game, the rules are explained.
There's one primary motto:
'All or Nothing.'
The probabilities are ranked from lowest to highest.
Cards are placed accordingly.
If there are five possible outcomes and you make a single mistake in the order—you score zero.
Only the player who matches all cards correctly is considered the winner.
The winner gains—or loses—a specified trait."
"Trait?" I asked. "What does that mean?"
"To build a new life, you must acquire traits.
Each trait corresponds to a personality or physical attribute:
Courage, strength, beauty, appearance, success, ambition, focus, freedom, foresight, confidence, discipline…
The winner of the match is the one who earns the trait at stake."
A chill shot through me. My skin prickled.
Then I asked the one thing I'd feared most from the beginning.
"What if I lose?"
"If you lose, you stay in this cinema until you win."
"B-but!" I shouted—but my voice faltered and died.
"Any other questions?" the voice snapped coldly.
With my cheeks burning, I managed to ask,
"Why me?"
"You made a promise to return to us.
Don't you remember?" it said, with a taunting edge.
The fire on my cheeks turned to ice, shattered, and fell.
The robotic voice gave no pause to reflect.
All I could hear was the thudding of my own heart.
"Shall we begin?" it asked, as if none of it mattered.
Once again, I felt unseen, unheard by the world.
Had I really made a promise to return here?
My blood boiled.
Indecision anchored itself in my body.
I couldn't even breathe.
My heart didn't fit inside my chest.
Nausea crept in.
If I accepted and won… my life would change completely.
But could I win?
My lips trembled. I sealed them tight.
I thought of my dreams—the ones that always came true.
Of my uncanny ability to predict my father's next outburst before it even happened.
Could I rely on those instincts in these games?
A voice inside me screamed.
Like a mouse seeing a beam of light—it was overjoyed.
And terrified.
Winning and losing.
The two fear-filled faces of fate.
Like gambling everything you are.
I took a deep breath.
Weighed it all, one last time.
If there was no way out, I had no choice but to play.
"Yes!" I shouted. "Okay."
I nodded sharply, tucked my hair behind my ear.
"I'll play."
I had no other choice, did I?
As the words left my mouth, the screen blacked out. The text vanished.
A blinding light poured down over me from above.
I felt time bending around me—warping like a torn lining.
A sharp wind blew.
The voices vanished.
My blood raced.
I was afraid.
I tried to clench my fists, but my fingers slackened.
Fear clung to me like a second skin.
Silence.
Only my own ragged breaths echoed.
Everything collapsed into everything else.
The world.
Space.
Time.
Then I saw it:
A glowing peach-colored light.
My eyes narrowed.
The sound swelled from faint to loud.
Human silhouettes flickered across the light.
They blocked its path.
Panic surged.
Suddenly, I felt the ground beneath me again.
I saw the gray toes of my Converse shoes.
Everything was coming into focus.
The blur faded.
I felt my memory had been wiped.
Everything… was wrong.
I—I was on a stage.
Facing forward.
People filled the seats, staring at the stage lit by overhead spotlights.
I gasped and looked ahead.
A face I'd never seen before stared back at me.
And just like that—
A weight sank into my heart.
W-where... was I?