It was a weekday afternoon settled in languid boredom. The streetlight filtering through the bars of the office window, which he had ambitiously set up to receive commissions, scattered on the floor like golden shards. Along those pillars of light, gray dust motes danced slowly like plankton swimming in a sea where time had stopped.

It's supposed to be summer; have even the ghosts gone on vacation? I can't believe there are no requests in this heat!

Staring into the empty air, he buried himself deep into the embrace of the sofa. The lethargy flowing down his spine weighed him down like gravity.

Uuuugh~

A light, meaningless hum escaped his lips.

No requests coming in, and lying still like this is making me restless.

Instead of the expected summer bustle, only silence rolled in like a tide. Eventually, he cast his gaze toward the ceiling before closing his eyelids in resignation.

Whatever. Let's just catch some shut-eye.

Darkness covered his vision, and the sound of regular breathing mixed with the silence of the room. But the momentary peace was short-lived; stray thoughts flickering behind his eyelids wouldn't leave him alone. Finally, unable to bear the weight of boredom pressing down on his closed eyes, he opened them again.

I can't sleep at all.

As he sat up, his stiff muscles screamed. The summer outside the window was still scorching, and the air in the office was lukewarm like cold tea water.

Sigh, this summer is a bust~

Choi Yowon scratched the back of his head and let out a hollow laugh. He then grabbed the pack of cigarettes he had left on the table. He intended to exhale the boredom pooled deep in his lungs along with the smoke. With familiar steps, he entered the dim space of the back alley where long shadows stretched. The humid summer night air wrapped around his neck. Just as he was about to put a cigarette in his mouth, an anomalous silhouette caught the edge of his vision.

Hm?

A blind spot of darkness where not a single ray of light reached. At the end of that chilly alley, where even the mercy of the streetlights didn't touch, someone was standing.

What is that? A person? But why in an alley with no streetlights?

His eyes narrowed.