Light rain fell over the city.
Yellow street lights stretched across the wet road, breaking into soft reflections that moved with the wind. Somewhere between those lights stood a boy — Arin.
Most people would not notice him.
And maybe that was the problem.
Arin stood near the window of his small room, watching the rain slide slowly down the glass. His room looked simple. A single bed. A wooden desk. Books stacked in uneven piles like they had been opened too many times and never finished.
On the wall, a round clock ticked quietly.
Tick…Tick…Tick…
He looked tired.
Not the kind of tired that sleep could fix — but the kind that stayed behind the eyes, heavy and silent.
If someone had asked him what was wrong, he probably would have said, "Nothing."
Because even he did not know where the feeling came from.
His phone screen lit up.
Class Group:"Don't forget the test tomorrow."
Arin stared at the message, then locked the screen without replying.
Outside, a car passed slowly through the rain. The sound faded quickly, leaving only silence behind.
He opened a notebook.
Read two lines.
Closed it again.
The ticking sound felt louder tonight.
Tick…Tick…Tick…
Arin looked at the clock.
11:58 PM.
A strange calm filled the room.
He moved closer to the window. The air felt colder, though nothing had changed outside.
11:59.
His chest felt tight.
He didn't know why he was waiting — only that something always happened at this time.
The second hand reached twelve.
Tick.
For a moment, the room felt… still.
The clock stopped.
Arin blinked.
"…Did it just freeze?"
He stepped closer.
The hand moved again.
Tick.
Everything looked normal.
He let out a small breath and shook his head.
"Just tired," he told himself.
He turned off the light and lay down.
Rain sounds slowly filled the silence.
His eyes closed.
A street without people.
Cold air.
Arin opened his eyes.
He was standing somewhere else.
Tall buildings surrounded him. The sky above had no stars, only a pale glow coming from a distant clock tower.
12:00.
The same time.
The same feeling.
He had seen this place before — in pieces, in dreams that never stayed long enough to understand.
"This again…" he whispered.
He walked forward.
Each step echoed softly.
Tick…Tick…Tick…
The sound grew louder as he moved closer to the tower.
Lights flickered above him.
Something moved across a rooftop.
Arin stopped.
"…Hello?"
No answer.
Only the quiet wind.
Suddenly, the clock hands began to move backward.
11:59.11:58.
His breath slowed.
"That's not possible…"
A faint voice reached him.
"…You're late…"
He turned quickly.
No one stood behind him.
Cracks spread across the ground like thin lines of glass.
The air shook.
Everything blurred.
And Arin fell.
He woke up suddenly.
Morning light filled his room.
The clock showed 7:15 AM.
He sat up slowly, breathing hard.
"…Just a dream," he said.
But the feeling did not leave.
School felt loud.
Voices everywhere. Chairs moving. Friends laughing.
Arin sat near the back, listening more than speaking.
Riku dropped into the seat beside him.
"You look half dead," Riku said. "Did you even sleep?"
"A little," Arin replied.
His eyes moved to the classroom clock again.
Tick…Tick…
Normal.
Yet something inside him felt different — like a quiet warning waiting for night to return.
Evening came quickly.
The sky turned dark again.
Arin returned home and dropped his bag near the desk.
The room felt colder tonight.
He watched the clock.
11:58 PM.
The air felt heavy.
11:59.
The ticking slowed.
12:00.
The lights flickered.
His phone turned on by itself.
A black notification appeared.
No name.
No icon.
Only words.
"Are you ready tonight?"
Arin's breath stopped.
The message disappeared.
The clock froze again.
Silence filled the room.
A whisper came from behind him.
"…Don't look back."
Arin slowly began to turn—