I can't believe I actually managed to convince my mom to let me stay in this apartment.
Well, it's not like I did it alone—my father helped me. In exchange, I have to report what I've been doing every single day, which is… exhausting and, honestly, kind of annoying.
Come to think of it… I haven't really introduced myself, have I? My name is Jairen. Jairen Kaelith.
I'm sixteen. I started living alone a year ago because this apartment is close to my school. Convincing my mom to let me move out wasn't easy—it was full of twists and turns, and I still remember her worried frown the day she finally agreed.
My room hadn't changed much while I was in the hospital. Papers were scattered across the desk, notebooks piled high, sketches crowding every surface. But something felt… different.
Some of the sketches of her—the girl I had drawn countless times—weren't exactly how I remembered them. One had her standing in the corner of a street I'd visited last month. Another showed her by the old bridge near the park, the one I'd only passed through once. At first, I frowned. Maybe I'd drawn it that way and forgotten. Or maybe… my mother had moved or rearranged things while I was in the hospital.
I shook my head and tried to focus on other things. I was tired, after all. I'd think about it later.
"Oh, right… my phone." I remembered my mother had put it safely inside my case.
I dug through my things and pulled it out. The screen was still cracked from the stabbing accident, lines spider-webbing across it. I traced one of the cracks with my finger absentmindedly.
Speaking of the accident… the police said they already found the attacker after some investigation. Apparently, he had mistaken me for someone who had stolen his girlfriend last month and wanted revenge. Cliche.
"This phone can't stay like this," I muttered.
Might as well get it fixed… I didn't really have anything else to do today.
---
"Can it still be fixed, boss?" I asked, handing over the phone.
The boss looked up from his workbench, squinting. "The LCD was hit pretty hard. The opener won't work. How about I fix every bit of damage your phone has taken for $300?"
$300? I checked my wallet. Perfect—I had exactly $300.
"That's so expensive… could you lower it to $200?"
"Are you scamming me? You scoundrel… $270. Deal or no deal?"
"$250, boss. Don't be so stingy."
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fine, fine. I'll do it. You're my last customer for today anyway."
Hee~ this kid's too naive. Original price was just $220, the boss muttered under his breath.
Fifty dollars less? Not bad. The boss is generous, I thought, tucking my wallet back into my pocket.
---
Thirty minutes later.
"Your phone really did take a beating… but I've fixed it now." The boss's eyes were dim as I reached out to take it.
"By the way… your wallpaper. Is that your girl? You've got a beauty there, I must say. Cherish her, kid. When I was your age, I actually…" The boss kept rambling, but my attention wasn't on him.
"Boss, what do you mean? My wallpaper is just a sketch… a drawing."
The boss rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say. Now get out—I still have to close my store for today."
My mouth couldn't help but twitch. "Boss, you're so commanding… is this why you only have a few customers coming here?"
The boss nonchalantly looked away. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. And I have plenty of customers, you rascal."
"Hee~ yeah, right. Goodbye, boss. Thanks for being generous," I said as I turned around.
"Hey, wait. Give me your phone for a moment."
"Eh, wh—"
"Don't ask too many questions," he said, grabbing my phone. He fiddled with the case for a moment, then handed it back. "Now go away."
The boss hurriedly pushed me out and closed his shop.
"Boss… he's really a strange person," I muttered as I looked at the closed door, then turned my attention to my phone.
I turned it on. The battery showed 0%.
"Hey, I'm sure it was about 37% before… forget it. I should go buy groceries first; it's already five in the afternoon."
---
An hour later, I returned home after picking up some groceries.
"Now, plug in my charger, charge my phone, and let it boot fully."
I stood and stretched. "Finally, done."
Hmm…? On the other side of my desk, a photo frame stood there—one I was certain hadn't been in my apartment before.
"I don't have any photo frames here… hmm? Who's that girl standing beside me?" I walked closer to the frame.
Cling.
My phone vibrated, and my attention was stolen. I picked it up, ready to finally play a game. The lock screen now displayed a photo of a girl—her face slightly turned away, obscured in shadow, yet beautiful enough to be unmistakable at first glance.
Wait… a beautiful face? A photo? Huh?
The phone screen suddenly changed. An incoming call appeared. My hand trembled, and my eyes widened instinctively.
"F-Fiona?"
B-but how? How is this possible? Could it be… Mom? Or Dad?
Frown. I thought. I never expected Mom or Dad to prank me after seeing what I wrote in my diary…
I sighed and answered.
"Mom, stop the nons—"
"Moshi Moshi, Ren, how are you? I've been trying to reach you these past few days."
Her voice… I couldn't quite describe it. Soft, yet with a depth that made it feel almost unreal—like a gentle echo lingering in my chest.
"Ren, do you know? I was so worried when I heard about you from Aunt. I heard that you were stabbed."
This wasn't possible. People don't step out of sketches. Unless I was losing my mind.
Perhaps it's some kind of hacker messing with me right now?
Sweat ran down my forehead.
"Are you feeling okay now? How is your wound? Are you still alive? Did you become mute? How's your throat…"
I—is she really who I think she is? But… how is this possible? She was just a fragment of my imagination… something fictional shouldn't exist, right?
My hand holding the phone trembled uncontrollably.
"Oops, it seems it was your abdomen that was stabbed, right? Hmm…? You've been awfully silent, Ren. What's wrong?"
Okay, Jairen, calm down. Ask her a question first.
"Y-… W-who are you?"
Yep, I stuttered. WHO THE HELL can stay calm in this situation?
"Ren, are you still on painkillers?"
"…"
"Wait, are you… like in some kind of amnesia scenario I've seen in novels?!"
"Wait… this actually is bad. No, super bad. Bye, Ren. I gotta talk to Aunt about this… I'm leaving the state and transferring schools."
The line went dead. The dial tone buzzed softly in my ear. I didn't lower the phone.
S-she's not real, right? It must be some voice changer trick, like in those videos I've seen.
Wait… that old boss. I remembered he fiddled with something in my case. Did he do this to me?
I hurriedly opened my case and saw a small piece of paper with $30 beside it.
My eyes lit up as I read it: "Kid, phone fixing those days is only $220. Don't get scammed again."
My eyes dimmed slightly, then lit up again at the extra $30.
"S-so it wasn't a prank by him?"
---
Albums… the gallery.
My eyes widened. I hurriedly opened the gallery on my phone, scrolling through the photos.
There were pictures of myself—places I had visited, moments from my childhood, even a photo of me as a newborn. Then… a photo of me at five, playing in the mud with a girl.
A GIRL.
Other photos… she appeared in them too. Moments I had no memory of, yet there she was—blended seamlessly into my life.
My stomach sank. Some kind of hacker? Could someone have created all this—photos, voice recordings… even hired someone to mimic her voice? But that's impossible even i myself don't know her voice at all.