At exactly 8:17 a.m., the man at table seven said:
"You're going to drop that cup in three seconds."
Mira blinked.
"What?"
"Three."
The café was half full. Soft music played overhead. Morning sunlight filtered through the windows.
"Two."
She frowned, adjusting her grip on the ceramic mug.
"One."
Her fingers slipped.
The cup shattered against the floor.
Silence fell between them.
Mira stared at the broken porcelain.
Then slowly, she looked back at him.
The man smiled politely.
"I told you."
He looked ordinary.
Mid-twenties. Dark coat. No wedding ring. Calm posture. Unremarkable face.
That made it worse.
"Lucky guess," she said.
"Not luck." He stirred his untouched coffee. "You'll receive a phone call in forty seconds. It will be your brother."
Her stomach tightened.
"My brother is in Busan."
"Yes."
She checked her phone anyway.
"Thirty seconds."
Her pulse began to rise.
"You're insane."
"Twenty."
The café door opened behind him. A woman walked in carrying a red umbrella.
"Ten."
Mira's phone vibrated.
She froze.
The name on the screen:
Min-Jae.
Her brother.
The man across from her tilted his head slightly.
"Answer it."
She did.
Her brother's voice came through, breathless.
"Mira, don't panic, but there's been an accident—"
Her blood ran cold.
The man leaned back in his chair.
When she slowly lowered the phone, her hands were shaking.
"How?" she whispered.
He studied her face carefully, as if measuring something invisible.
"You're going to ask me if I can see the future," he said. "The answer is no."
"Then what is this?"
"I remember it."
"Remember what?"
"Tomorrow."
The café suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
"That's not possible," she said.
He nodded once.
"I agree."
Outside, a truck sped past the intersection.
The man's eyes shifted toward the window.
"It's about to hit a cyclist in five seconds."
Mira turned instinctively.
Four.
Three.
Two—
The sound of metal colliding with metal exploded through the street.
Gasps filled the café.
Mira slowly turned back to him.
He didn't look surprised.
He looked tired.
"Who are you?" she asked.
The man hesitated.
Then he said something that made her stomach drop.
"Tomorrow, you're going to die."
And this time—
There was no smile.