A tired-looking man stood quietly at the bus stop. Or rather, he had no choice but to wait.
It wasn't as if he had anything left to do… not anymore.
Just hours ago, the unfortunate man had been abruptly terminated from his job—unjustly, no less.
His coworker had set him up.
She was the type who avoided responsibility at all costs, pushing her workload onto others while skillfully manipulating situations to her advantage. Despite her laziness, she somehow always managed to stay in the boss's good graces, reaping the rewards without putting in the effort.
Naturally, something about it had always felt off to him, and he had started paying closer attention.
But he hadn't expected to uncover what he did.
The reason the boss favored her so much… was because they were having an affair.
That man was married, with two children waiting for him at home. And yet, behind closed doors, he was entangled with his own junior employee.
"…Heh."
A dry, hollow laugh slipped from the man's lips.
What a joke.
When he had first realized the truth, he had been furious and gisgusted. Not just at them, but at the entire situation. The favoritism, the unfair treatment, the way everything suddenly made sense.
So he did what anyone with a shred of integrity would do.
He reported them.
But that single act was what had sealed his fate.
It was quite unfortunate.
More than that, the weather forecast team had apparently made a minor miscalculation; the drizzle that had begun as a mere nuisance had now turned into a relentless downpour. Which meant he had no way of getting home without waiting for the bus, unless he felt like arriving completely soaked.
And that would be a problem.
His washing machine had recently decided to stop working. His TV subscription had expired. And speaking of things piling up… wasn't his rent already three months overdue?
This was the story of Kim Gi-hun, 27 years old male, and formerly employed, or rather, employed.
"...Such misfortune."
But what could he do?
It wasn't his fault his life had turned out this way.
Or at least… that was what he told himself.
GrimCity had always been advertised as an artificial paradise — a place where opportunity was endless, where anyone with enough effort could carve out a future for themselves.
A city of light.
A city of promise.
A city where dreams were supposed to come true.
"…What a load of crap."
Standing beneath the dim glow of a flickering streetlamp, soaked in the cold aftermath of reality, Kim Gi-hun could only laugh bitterly at the lie he had once believed.
"Oi. Do you mind keeping your voice down? I can't listen to this because of your damn muttering."
"Huh?"
Just then, an annoyed voice stabbed into his ears.
Kim Gi-hun snapped back to reality as he turned toward the source.
Sitting at the far end of the bus stop bench was a young male he hadn't noticed before.
Or perhaps… he simply hadn't been there a moment ago.
The green-haried male sat with one leg crossed over the other, posture relaxed, almost too relaxed for someone caught in a downpour. Not a single drop of rain seemed to touch his skin.
"…Since when were you there? I'm certain you weren't there prior?"
"Because your eyesight is shitty, I have to kiss your ass? By the way, you talk too much. Aren't you ashamed? Turn down the volume!"
"You…"
Kim Gi-hun's expression twisted.
The irritation that had been quietly simmering beneath the surface finally found its outlet.
"…Who the hell do you think you are?"
First his job, then the rain. And now—this?
"A stranger shows up out of nowhere and starts running her mouth like she owns the place?"
The green-haried male didn't even flinch despite his harsh tone. If anything, he looked… even more bored. It was like someone watching a boring TV show only to pass the time.
"Wow, he's angry. Whatever shall I do~"
"…Don't mock me."
"I'm not mocking you. I'm observing what I see."
"…Tch. Then observe this; mind your fucking business."
"Mmm… nope."
"…What?"
"I said no. You were being loud. I told you to be quiet. That is my business."
"Are you actually insane? Because to me, it seems like you have a few screws loose upstairs."
"Who knows?"
The green-haired man shrugged lightly.
"Though even insanity sounds preferable to being you."
"What is that supposed to mean? What the hell do you know, you stupid brat?! Aren't you supposed to be sucking on your mom's tits or something."
"First of all, 'stupid brat' isn't my name. Is assigning random nicknames one of your defining traits? Secondly… what exactly do you mean when mentioning the last part? I genuinely don't understand you 'humans' sometimes. Your behavior is… too damn peculiar."
He frowned faintly, as if truly trying to process it. Then, just as casually, he continued:
"As for what I know, I certainly know that you just lost your job because of something you weren't supposed to see. Back then, if you hadn't poked your nose in other people's affairs, wouldn't you still have your job? How unfortunate. But I suppose that's what happens when you fail to 'mind your own business.'"
"Wh—what…?"
Gi-hun's voice trembled.
"How do you know that…? Are you some kind of spy?"
"A spy?"
The green-haired man looked a bit astonished.
"…Now I'm certain you think far too highly of yourself. Naturally, I have no interest in you and you're so painfully boring that I can piece together most of your life just by looking at you. Do you think you're super cool or something? Huh... what are you doing?"
At some point, Kim Gi-hun had started backing away. A look of raw, unfiltered fear etched across his face.
It was as though he had seen an incomprehensible terror.
He hadn't told anyone about what had happened, and it had only been a few hours since his contract was terminated, so logically, no one could have known… yet this strange knew.
How?
Something didn't add up.
The unsettling feeling of being out of place grew heavier as Kim Gi-hun stumbled backward.
His eyes swept across the streets, and what he saw only deepened his unease. The city was eerily silent. There was no distant chatter, there was no noise produced by moving vehicles, nor footsteps echoing off the wet pavement.
Just complete stillness.
Like looking at the world through a distorted lens.
[Hold up… why are you backing away?]
"Stay back! Don't c—come any closer!"
[Oh my. Could it be that you're afraid of this little old me? Hehe. What a cute expression you're making.]
"W-what the hell are you?"
[Hmm. That's the question. What am this little old me?]
The green-haired figure rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as if genuinely contemplating the answer. After a brief pause, he spoke again:
[Truth be told, I don't have the answer to that question. It hasn't been long since I came to be, since I realized that I am myself and exist as myself. However…]
A dark, twisted smile spread across his face.
[...I do love the taste of stories.]