The atmosphere at the cemetery that evening was overcast, mirroring the somber feelings inside Nero as he stood silently before the grave.
"Joan, I hope you've found peace," Nero whispered.
He gently placed a bouquet of flowers on Joan's grave. His thoughts drifted back to the past—to the time he had argued with his best friend.
"Ghosts aren't real. You should stop reading horror stories like this," Joan had said irritably.
"If ghosts aren't real, then why are there paranormal experts and ghost-hunting shows?" Nero countered.
"They're all staged. Just entertainment for the audience."
"Then what about people who get possessed?"
"There's no such thing. It's either acting, or those people have undiagnosed mental illnesses."
"Well, I believe ghosts exist," Nero replied.
"Ugh, believe whatever you want. No point arguing—you're not gonna change your mind anyway," Joan had muttered, glaring at him. Nero had simply grinned in return.
"You know there was a mysterious case at a house near the forest?" Nero asked.
"Oh, the death case from a few months ago? Yeah, I know about it," Joan responded.
"They say the place is haunted now because the owner died under mysterious circumstances."
"Ugh, I was trying to take this seriously, and you bring up ghosts again," Joan complained.
"You said ghosts aren't real, right? Then how about we go test that theory ourselves?"
"No way. I'd rather investigate the cause of death than do something that pointless."
"Are you scared?"
"Yeah. I'm scared of getting mugged. Showing up at a deserted house in the middle of the night without knowing the situation? That's just stupid."
Nero nodded. "You're right. It's easier to run into bad people than ghosts."
"If you want to go alone, be my guest. I won't stop you."
"No thanks. Let's go with your idea instead."
"My idea?"
"Yeah, the house owner died mysteriously. We can try to find out what really caused it—see if there's any truth to the haunting."
"That, I'll join."
Nero wiped a tear from his eye. That memory cut deep. A notification sound from his phone pulled him back to the present—it was a message from Jio.
Jio: Where are you, Nero?
Nero quickly replied that he was at his friend Junghwan's place, working on schoolwork, and might be home late.
"Jio… seems like he's still worried about what happened."
He paused, wondering—was Jio still grieving Joan's death? Nero knew how much Jio had cared about her, but after all, they were only step-siblings. So was that close relationship they always showed in public even real?
"Their relationship always seemed a little… suspicious."
With a heavy heart, Nero pulled his hoodie over his head and walked away from the cemetery.
*****
Some time later…
Nero stood in front of an old house at the edge of the forest. The sound of snapping twigs and eerie bird calls set a chilling tone as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The dim afternoon light filtering through the windows wasn't enough, so he turned on his phone's flashlight.
To his surprise, the interior was neat and clean—no dust, no cobwebs.
"How can a deserted house look this well-kept?"
Even the front gate had been locked, yet the electricity was still working. Nero flipped a switch, and the lights came on brightly.
"Maybe someone bought the place? But if it's still vacant, who's paying for the electricity? It's not free in this district…"
Growing more suspicious, he wandered further into the house. Something caught his eye behind a cabinet—a photo.
It showed two teenagers, arms around each other, smiling warmly at the camera.
"Th-that's Jeongin, the owner who died… and the other one—"
His words were cut off as a sharp, flat object suddenly stabbed into his back.
"Argh—!"
Nero collapsed to the floor, pain surging through him. He turned his head slightly, spotting a cloaked figure trembling while clutching a knife.
"H-he's still alive…" the figure muttered in panic.
Another cloaked figure entered the scene.
"I-I can't do it," said the first one, clearly shaken.
"I knew you'd choke," the second muttered, annoyed. "I didn't want to get my hands dirty, but I guess I have no choice."
Crouching beside Nero's limp body, the second figure flipped him over and drove the knife deep into his stomach. Blood spilled from Nero's mouth.
"Finish him. No trace. Burn him if you have to," the figure ordered coldly, before turning and leaving the house.