Morning. In front of the vending machine.
The coffee cup was only half-filled.A dropped paper cup, liquid pooling inside.It wasn't anything special. It had been like this yesterday too.
But today…
[Current choice: Survival probability 61%Route change recommended.]
The words didn't just appear—they pierced through his mind like a feeling.It wasn't visible, but he could clearly sense it.
He ignored it.
He grabbed the paper cup again and pressed the button.Thud. Another cup fell.
At that moment, a sharp pain rang out behind his left ear.The machine exploded with a "bang" and something inside cracked. A shard of glass flew out.
He instinctively ducked.His body moved before his mind even registered what was happening.
The shard lodged into the metal trash can beside the machine.At eye level with him.
Coffee spilled, and a slight tremor remained in his palm.
"...What was that?"
No one had seen it.
Lunch Time. In the dining room.
"Mr. Dalshik."
Kang Hyunsoo sat next to him, with no warning and no expression.
"Could you take care of the front entrance patrol?""I'll handle the mechanical room."
The words appeared again.
[Warning: 87% survival probability.Cause unknown. Route change recommended.]
"Sorry, I'll handle that area."
Kang Hyunsoo nodded slightly.
"Of course, Mr. Dalshik. You always choose that route."
"What does that mean?"
"You're still alive, aren't you?"
His words trailed off as he turned away.Dalshik stared at him without saying a word.
The Security Room.
"Again?"
"There was one that fell off last month."
"Is the railing still the same?"
The sound of tongues clicking, cups clinking, indifferent conversation.Some were drinking coffee, others smoking cigarettes.
Accidents weren't special here.Death was treated like just another part of the routine.
Only Dalshik—he felt something was off.
"Calculated death, and I'm the one who managed to avoid it."
That night. Dalshik opened the security room's CCTV backup server.
He checked the accident time period. Entrance area. From 14:17 to 14:19.
The screen froze. 2 minutes. No video. 0KB.
Was it an error? He checked from another angle.
It was empty. No one was in the spot where Yoonseok should've been. His own passing time was the same.
It was strange. He clearly remembered passing by that spot. Yoonseok leaning against the iron door, and himself walking by him. The memory of their eyes meeting was still vivid.
But there was nothing on the screen. Neither of them.
At the bottom, the log filename appeared.'BLANK_03.MP4'
It wasn't a missing record. It was a processed trace.His fingertips grew cold. He felt a gaze on his back.
That night. In the office.
He sat at his desk and opened the used phone. He started writing in the notepad.
[June 15, 2025]
The message has appeared more than three times.
-Visual absence / Sensory perception
-Action interference detected
-Results consistent with reality
-Survival route determined
[Hypotheses]
1.The sender is not external.
2.Possibility of a watcher.
3.Becoming clearer as it repeats.
4.The choices presented are biased.
5.No possibility of control.
He paused his hand.
[Special Notes]
-The footage of the accident area was completely deleted.
-No record of Yoonseok or Dalshik himself.
-Kang Hyunsoo was missing from the vending machine conversation scene.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.His mind felt blank.
'Who, and why… is this being erased in this way?'
Dawn. On the rooftop.
Kang Hyunsoo was smoking a cigarette.Dalshik silently stood next to him.
Neither of them spoke.Only a soft breeze blew, and the smell of cigarette smoke lingered.
"Good morning… Mr. Dalshik."
Dalshik looked up at the sky instead of answering.It was still night, but the eastern sky was faintly brightening.
"You chose to stay alive, didn't you?"
The words. That same sentence again.Even after it was spoken, the meaning lingered.
"Yeah, for now, that's the right choice."
And quietly,"…For now."
A moment of silence.
Dalshik slowly turned his gaze, following the cigarette smoke.His eyes didn't meet Kang Hyunsoo's, but somehow—he felt that Kang Hyunsoo was still watching him.
Then, for the first time in a while, he heard the sound of a ticking clock.Dalshik wasn't wearing a wristwatch.Neither was Kang Hyunsoo.
"…"
He didn't ask.He instinctively knew that it wasn't a question he could get an answer to.
Dalshik quietly, slowly lifted the corners of his mouth.There was no sincerity in it.At that moment, it was just the best he could do.
The night air grew colder.