Rei got dressed, pulling on a pair of jeans and a pink shirt stamped with "Outstanding" in bold, hot pink letters.
The penthouse was quiet—too quiet. Minji was at the salon, and Rei had nothing to do. After a moment of pacing, he called her. She didn't hesitate, just told him to go shopping and use her card.
That was enough.
Rei stood in front of the mirror one last time, giving himself a quick once-over before grabbing a white tote bag and his phone. Then he slipped out of the house, a quiet excitement bubbling under his steps.
He was still scared—but not enough to stop himself. Not anymore.
In the elevator, he leaned back against the wall, exhaling softly. "That re-creation was useless," he muttered under his breath.
The elevator hummed softly as it descended, each passing floor lighting up in a slow, steady rhythm. Rei watched the numbers blink down, his reflection faintly staring back at him from the mirrored walls.
For a second, it didn't feel like him.
Then the doors slid open.
The lobby was bright, polished, and alive in a way the penthouse never was. People moved in and out, voices overlapping, heels clicking, phones ringing. It hit him all at once—noise, movement, life.
Rei hesitated.
Just for a second.
His grip tightened slightly around the straps of his tote bag, but then he stepped forward anyway.
Outside, the air was warm, brushing against his skin as if welcoming him back. Cars passed, sunlight bounced off glass buildings, and the world carried on like it always had—like nothing had changed.
Like he hadn't changed.
Rei let out a quiet breath, something loosening in his chest.
"Shopping, huh…" he murmured, glancing down at his phone, Minji's words still fresh in his mind.
It felt normal.
Too normal.
And maybe that was the strangest part.
Still, he started walking.
No destination in mind. No plan. Just… forward.
Because standing still had never done him any good.
The streets pulled him in before he could think too much about it.
Rei drifted past glass storefronts and polished entrances, drawn instead to the smaller shops lining the sidewalks—colorful signs, open doors, music spilling out onto the pavement. The kind of places that felt alive.
A row of street stalls caught his attention.
Fabric canopies stretched overhead, casting soft shade over tables crowded with trinkets, handmade jewelry, and clothes that swayed gently in the breeze. Someone was bargaining loudly in the corner, while another vendor called out prices with a practiced smile.
Rei slowed down.
This… felt right.
He stopped at a stall lined with bracelets, fingers brushing over cool metal and woven threads. Without thinking, he picked one up—simple, a little uneven, but nice. Real.
"Good choice," the vendor said with a grin.
Rei blinked, then gave a small, awkward smile back before setting it down again. "I'm just looking."
And for once, he meant it.
He moved on, drawn next by the smell of something warm and sweet drifting through the air. A small food cart stood just ahead, steam rising in soft curls as the vendor flipped something on a hot plate.
Rei hovered for a second, watching.
"You want?" the man asked, already halfway through preparing one.
Rei hesitated—then nodded.
A minute later, he was holding something warm in his hands, the heat seeping into his fingers. He took a cautious bite.
And paused.
His eyes widened just a little.
It was good. Really good.
He loved the messiness of it."I wonder what this is…" he murmured, tilting his head as he examined it, half-talking to himself again.
Whatever it was, he didn't question it further.
He paid for it without hesitation, a quiet sort of happiness settling in his chest as he stepped away from the stall, still finishing the last bite.
The streets stretched on, busy and alive, pulling him deeper in.
Rei had never really been to Middle City before.
And even now, walking through it, it felt… different.
Not unfamiliar—but distant, like something he was only just stepping into for the first time.
Because before this—before now—he'd never had the freedom to.
Even when the doors weren't locked, something else had always held him back.
A feeling.
Subtle, constant.
Like eyes on him.
Like no matter where he went, someone was always watching.
Rei slowed slightly, the thought brushing past his mind again as he glanced over his shoulder.
Nothing.
Just people. Noise. Life.
Still…The feeling lingered.
Rei shook it off, exhaling lightly as he turned back to the street. He adjusted the tote bag on his shoulder and kept walking, weaving through the crowd, letting the noise swallow the thought before it could settle.
A few steps later—
He bumped into someone.
Not hard, just enough to jolt him slightly.
"Oh—sorry," Rei started, instinctively stepping back.
The person barely paused.
A hood was pulled low, shadowing their face, movements quick—too quick to catch anything clearly. They muttered something under their breath, not quite an apology, not quite anything at all, before brushing past him and disappearing into the crowd.
Rei frowned faintly, turning halfway as if to call after them.
But they were already gone.
"…Weird."
He looked down, smoothing out his shirt absentmindedly—
And stilled.
There was something in his hand.
A small, folded piece of paper.
Rei blinked.
"…What?"
He didn't remember picking it up.
Slowly, almost cautiously, he unfolded it.
The paper was plain. No markings, no signature—just a single line written in neat, deliberate handwriting:
If you want to know the truth, meet me at XXX at 6:00 PM tomorrow.
Rei's breath caught.
For a second, the noise around him dulled again, like someone had turned the world down a notch.
"The truth…?" he whispered.
His grip tightened slightly on the paper, eyes scanning the words again as if they might change the second time.
A hundred thoughts rushed in at once.
Truth about what?
About him?About his past?About—
Rei swallowed.
His gaze flicked up, scanning the crowd instinctively.
People moved as they always had—laughing, talking, passing by without a second glance.
No one stood out.
No hooded figure. No lingering presence.
Nothing.
And yet—
That same feeling crept back in, sharper this time.
Like this wasn't random.
Like it had been waiting for him.
Rei looked back down at the note, fingers pressing into the thin paper.
Tomorrow.
6:00 PM.
He'll go.
He will.
He has to.
To Be Continued.... ....