That afternoon, the atmosphere at the cemetery was overcast, mirroring Niki's feelings as he stood silently, staring at the grave before him.
"Jungwon, I hope you can rest in peace," Niki whispered.
He placed a bouquet of flowers on Jungwon's grave. His mind drifted back to the past—to the time he had argued with his best friend.
"Ghosts don't exist. You should really stop reading horror stories like that," Jungwon said irritably.
"If ghosts don't exist, then why are there paranormal investigators and ghost-hunting shows?" Niki argued.
"That's all staged. Just entertainment for the audience."
"Then what about people who get possessed?"
"There's no such thing. It's either acting, or they have an undiagnosed mental condition."
"I think ghosts are real."
"Whatever. There's no point arguing—you'll never believe me anyway," Jungwon replied, glaring at Niki. Niki only responded with a relaxed grin.
"Did you hear about the mysterious case at the house near the forest?"
"Oh, the deaths from a few months ago? Yeah, I know," Jungwon said.
"They say the house is haunted now, since the owner died under mysterious circumstances."
"Ugh, I was taking this seriously, and now you're bringing up ghosts again," Jungwon complained.
"You said ghosts don't exist, right? What if we test our courage and go there?"
"No way. I'd rather investigate the cause of death than do something pointless like that."
"Are you scared?"
"Yes. I'm scared of running into criminals. Going to an abandoned house at night without knowing the area? That's dangerous."
Niki nodded. "You're right. It's easier to run into bad people than ghosts."
"If you want to go alone, go ahead. I won't stop you."
"Forget it. Let's go with your idea instead."
"What idea?"
"The homeowner died mysteriously. We can investigate the cause of death to see whether he's really haunting the place or not."
"If it's that, I'm in."
Niki wiped away his tears. The memory was too painful. A notification sound pulled him back to the present—it was a message from Jay.
Jay:
Where are you now?
Niki replied quickly, saying he was at his friend Junghwan's house working on assignments and would probably come home late.
"Jay… he's probably still worried about what happened yesterday."
Niki hesitated. Was Jay still devastated by Jungwon's death? He knew Jay cared deeply about Jungwon, but… after all, they were only stepbrothers. So was the harmonious relationship they always showed truly genuine?
"Their relationship feels suspicious."
With mixed emotions, Niki pulled up the hood of his jacket and walked away from the cemetery.
***********
Niki stood in front of an old house at the edge of the forest. The sound of snapping branches and distant birds created an eerie atmosphere. He pushed the door open and stepped inside cautiously.
The dim afternoon light filtering through the windows wasn't enough, so he turned on his phone's flashlight.
Surprisingly, the house was extremely clean and tidy—no dust, no cobwebs.
"How can an empty house be this neat?"
The front area was tightly locked, yet the electricity was still on. Niki flipped the light switch, and the room lit up brightly.
"Did someone already buy this place? But if it's still empty, who's paying for the electricity? As far as I know, power in this district isn't free."
His suspicion grew stronger. As he explored deeper, his eyes caught sight of a photograph tucked behind a cabinet.
The photo showed two teenagers with their arms around each other, smiling at the camera.
"T-This… that's Jeongin, the owner of this house who passed away. And the other one—"
Niki's words were cut off as a sharp object struck him from behind.
"Argh—!"
He collapsed to the floor, his body writhing in pain. With effort, he turned his head and saw a hooded figure trembling while holding a knife.
"He… he's still alive," the figure muttered in fear.
Another hooded figure suddenly appeared.
"I-I can't do this," said the one who had attacked Niki.
"I knew you'd struggle with it," the other replied coldly. "I didn't want to get my hands dirty myself… but fine."
He crouched down, turned Niki's weakened body over, and delivered another brutal blow. Niki coughed weakly, his strength fading.
"Finish it. Don't leave anything behind. Burn it if you have to," he said flatly to his partner before leaving the scene.