"Chibi?"
I knocked first.
Then I hit the door with my fist.
Then harder.
Something was wrong.
I could feel it crawling under my skin, sinking its teeth into my nerves.
"Chibi? Open the door."
She always opens in seconds—minutes, at most.
But now… it had been thirty minutes of me knocking, shouting, calling, losing my mind.
Why isn't she answering?
I called her again. It rang. No response.
I called again. Again. Again.
My voice cracked as I slammed my palm against the door.
"Chibi!"
My throat burned. My hands stung.
My heartbeat was pounding against my ribs like it was trying to break out.
I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe.
Screw this.
My fingers—shaking and unsteady—pulled out the emergency key from my pocket.
I almost dropped it twice before finally forcing it into the lock.
"I'm coming in," I warned, voice barely holding together. "Chibi, I'm coming in."
The door swung open with a soft click.
The cold, hollow air inside punched me straight in the chest.
I rushed in immediately.
"Chibi?"
Bedroom—empty.
Bathroom—empty.
Kitchen—empty.
Balcony—empty.
I checked behind the curtains, under the table, even inside her wardrobe—places she couldn't possibly hide, but my brain wasn't listening.
"No. No, no, no—"
My breathing turned sharp, ragged.
I dragged my hands into my hair and pulled—hard.
"WHERE ARE YOU?!"
My voice echoed back at me from every wall, mocking me.
I grabbed her phone charger. Her notebook. Her mug.
Everything normal. Everything untouched.
I called her again—my hand trembling uncontrollably.
Call failed.
Call failed.
Call failed.
My strength gave out and I collapsed onto the couch.
My eyes moved around the apartment…
and a cold chill crawled down my spine.
The couch.
The hallway.
Her desk.
Her shelf.
All exactly the same as this morning.
Too perfect.
Too untouched.
This wasn't normal.
She's not—
No.
No.
I needed to stop assuming.
I forced a deep breath, tried to calm myself, and went straight to the building's security room to check the CCTV footage.
While the guard pulled up the camera feed, all I could hear was my heartbeat pounding inside my skull.
There I was on the screen—leaving her apartment this morning.
I stepped closer, eyes locked on the monitor.
Ten minutes after I left, three guys in black appeared.
They knocked on her door.
She opened.
They forced their way inside and shut the door.
"No…"
My chest tightened. Breath slipping.
But I had to keep watching.
Fifteen minutes later, in the footage, Chibi walked out of her apartment with those three guys.
Willingly!?
"...Why?"