Kala was sitting on top of the small shed on the rooftop, leaning back on both hands while closing his eyes, letting the wind brush gently against his face. Just as he was enjoying the quiet moment, something suddenly hit him in the face.
"Damn—"
Kala opened his eyes and turned. A wrapped piece of bread lay not far from his hand. He stared at it strangely, then shifted his gaze to Gantha, who was looking at him with his usual blank expression.
The red-haired boy climbed up, and Kala reached out to help him. After that, they sat side by side on the roof.
"The others already know you're an esper. It's fine if you wanna explain everything in more detail," said Gantha.
"I'm not ready yet. For now, you're still the only person I trust," Kala replied before taking a bite of the bread.
"Sunoo covered my eyes with that red cloth again… the same one that made me sweat back at the villa," Kala continued.
"He didn't tell you anything about the villa," Gantha said as he casually pulled out a cigarette.
"He told me to never come back to the villa. I thought maybe we disturbed them, so I tried giving an offering as an apology, but I was wrong. He wanted me," Kala said.
"So what happened in the warehouse? I doubt Sunoo kidnapped you without doing anything," Gantha asked.
"He chased me with a weapon. But when I hid, I found Asta's jacket," Kala said.
"Asta? How do you know it was his jacket?" Gantha asked.
"Because I gave it to him. I was worried about him, so I went looking. But instead, I ran into Sunoo again. He said he knew me from the past—as an orphan who was buried alive. And after he finished talking, he stabbed my neck with a syringe. Luckily, I woke up fast, even though some of the sleeping drug still got into my system. After that, I kept running from that bastard," Kala explained.
"And then you found us?" Gantha asked.
"No. I think Sunoo was still chasing me, because I ran into him again. And shit—Asta's jacket got left behind while I was running. Sunoo showed up wearing it. I snapped and demanded to know where Asta was. He only laughed and told me to think from another point of view. After that, my head hurt even more. I ran, and finally, I found you guys," Kala said.
Gantha took a drag from his cigarette, listening closely. His mind drifted to the thing he had been meaning to discuss with Kala before the boy disappeared.
"An orphanage? I found that Skyline was the name of an orphanage that vanished years ago," he finally said.
"Vanished? I thought it was replaced with the villa," Kala said.
"The villa was built on empty land. Not on top of a demolished orphanage," Gantha corrected.
"So the orphanage… vanished? What does that mean?" Kala asked.
"That's the mystery. It's possible you or Sunoo really came from that orphanage," Gantha replied.
"So I'm a reincarnation? But if that's true, why don't I remember anything while Sunoo does? He seems to remember a lot. He only told me that in the past, I died first and tried to take him with me. And that I gave him and his siblings clues about what happened at the orphanage," Kala said.
"The answer's obvious. Sunoo isn't a reincarnation like you. He's the actual Sunoo from the past," Gantha said.
"Then why is he terrorizing us now? He said I was the kid buried alive," Kala muttered.
"You think he'd feel sorry for you?" Gantha scoffed.
"Not really. And that was the past me anyway. But… the orphanage and me being buried alive had to be for a reason, right?" Kala asked.
"That orphanage disappearing mysteriously is suspicious as hell," Gantha said.
"Like… someone made it disappear on purpose?" Kala asked.
"I'm not sure I'd go that far," Gantha replied.
They both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. It felt like a mountain of mysteries had suddenly appeared, disturbing the peaceful life they once knew.
"By the way, the terror hasn't stopped," Gantha added.
Kala gave a bitter smile. "And I still don't know why Sunoo or Lyo are terrorizing us."
~~~~~~~~
Kyungmin: I'm already at your house. Hurry up.
Kala: on my way, thanks Kyung.
Kala was walking home when the text arrived. Kyungmin was still worried about him, even though Kala kept saying he was fine. Kyungmin insisted on staying at Kala's place for a day, because Kala kept trying to shoo him away.
Kala pocketed his phone, noting that Kyungmin hadn't replied again. Soon after, someone called out while wrapping an arm around him from behind.
"Oi, voodoo."
Kala reflexively looked to the side, expression blank.
"What do you want, red cat," Kala shot back.
"You're so dramatic, jeez," Gantha snorted.
"Whatever," Kala replied.
"You staying over at your friend's again?" Gantha asked.
"No. My friend's the one sleeping over," Kala said.
"I thought no one was home," Gantha muttered.
"Failed robbery again," Kala said.
Before long, their steps brought them into Kala's yard.
Click.
Kala opened the door and walked into the living room. He already knew someone was inside from the sound of the TV.
"Been long?"
Kyungmin looked back at him. "Not really. I went to get food earlier, but… I think it's not enough."
Kala immediately knew what Kyungmin meant. "This cat isn't staying the night. He has money—let him be independent and order online."
"You said you don't like having someone stay over because you don't wanna feed them," Gantha teased.
"That statement has expired," Kala replied flatly.
The three of them sat on the sofa, watching a movie together.
"Bro, the plot is wild," Kyungmin commented.
"It's alright," Kala said.
"The plot itself is kinda meh, but the twist is pretty good," Gantha added.
Kala turned to him, stunned for a moment. "Plot twist…"
"That's what I'm saying. I didn't expect the story to go in that direction," Kyungmin said.
"Uh, guys, I'm going to the bathroom," Kala said.
"Okay, don't get lost again," Kyungmin joked.
Gantha knew Kala had just thought of something strange again, but he stayed quiet as the boy left.
In the kitchen, Kala filled a glass with water and drank it, exhaling slowly as he tried to calm himself down.
"Why do you only wanna look from one side? You think I kidnapped your friend here? Hm? What if the truth… is different?"
"Who's manipulating you? I only said… people can change. No matter how long you've been friends, that doesn't guarantee they stay the same."
Sunoo's words kept echoing in Kala's head ever since Gantha said "plot twist."
"Another side… plot twist? I always think positively about my friends."
Kala bit at his nails, anxiety gnawing at him.
"Asta and Melvin were supposed to face misfortune, but only one of them did…"
He paced around before taking another drink.
"You think I kidnapped your friend? Hm? What if the truth… is different?"
"He wasn't kidnapped… but the opposite? He's working with Sunoo? No. No way."
Kala shook his head vigorously, trying to push the dark thought away.
"Damn it. I can't believe a demon."