The streetlights flickered on one by one, casting long shadows across the sidewalk.
Minjae suddenly stopped walking.
Minjae:"…Guys."
That single word alone was suspicious. This really felt like a trap.
Taemin:"If you stole something again, I'm not running."
Minjae:"No, I would never steal. I'm too amazing for that. Look."
Hyunwoo followed his gaze.
Mina stood a few steps ahead, crouched beside the curb. Her backpack rested against a lamppost as she stared intensely at… something.
Hyunwoo (thinking):Oh no.Is she about to fall again?Is this a sequel?
They slowed instinctively.
Jisoo squinted."She looks… serious."
Sora tilted his head."She's talking to the ground. She obviously forgot her medication. We should ignore the mentally ill."
Hyunwoo's brain immediately supplied several explanations, all unhelpful.
Hyunwoo (thinking):Option one: she dropped something.Option two: she's lost her mind.Option three: something deeply abnormal is happening, and I'm about to be emotionally invested.
Mina reached out—slowly—and tapped the pavement.
The pavement… moved.
Hyunwoo froze.
Hyunwoo (thinking):…Wait. What?
A small black cat emerged from beneath a parked car, blinking up at her like it had been summoned.
Minjae gasped dramatically."She's a cat whisperer."
Taemin:"Don't be stupid. She's obviously a cat herself."
Hyunwoo:"No. Guys. She is obviously a witch. This is important."
Mina smiled—soft, genuine—and the cat brushed against her leg before trotting away.
She stood up, turned—
And locked eyes with Hyunwoo.
This time, it wasn't fleeting.It wasn't accidental.
It was direct.
Hyunwoo's brain:She's definitely going to curse me.Not that I'd hate that so much.Who knows how it feels to be cursed?
Mina blinked once… then waved.
A small wave. Hesitant. Like she wasn't sure if she should.
Minjae elbowed Hyunwoo so hard his soul briefly exited his body.
Minjae (hissing):"SHE WAVED. SHE WAVED. She is definitely going to hunt us down."
Taemin:"Wow. He's actually speechless."
Jisoo:"Take a picture. It won't happen again."
Hyunwoo raised his hand.
It was the least confident wave in recorded history.
Mina smiled wider—then turned and jogged off down the street.
Silence.
Minjae:"…I'm naming your future children."
Hyunwoo:"I need all of you to be quiet while I replay that moment for the rest of my life."
Sora adjusted his glasses, watching the street Mina disappeared into.
Sora:"You know… that wasn't clumsy.And just so you know, you're a creep…who's happy about someone waving at him."
Hyunwoo's smile faded just a little.
Hyunwoo (thinking):Nope.
And for the first time, the thought hit him clearly—
Maybe Mina was—
And maybe… he'd been observing the wrong things.
The streetlight flickered again.
Somewhere down the road, a cat screeched.
Hyunwoo swallowed.
Hyunwoo (thinking):…Huh.That's new.
Minjae:"Poor guy. He long lost his sanity."