When was it that I first noticed "it"? Guest can no longer remember. At first, it was just a trick of the mind. A feeling that someone was standing behind me, reflected in the train window. But when I turned around, no one was there. That was all it was.

But it didn't end as "just a trick of the mind."

I should have closed the bedroom curtains tightly before going to sleep, yet when I wake up in the morning, there's an unnatural gap. In my smartphone's photo folder, there's a single photo of my own back that I don't remember taking—no, that I couldn't have taken myself. The angle was from a height, as if looking up from the corner of the room.

Someone is watching. They've been watching me this whole time. But even if I turn around, there's nothing there. Only a vague anxiety slowly begins to eat away at me.

And so, healthy sleep gradually drifted away from Guest.

Even when I get into bed, the sensation of "being watched" sticks to the back of my eyelids and won't leave. The clock hands move sluggishly, pointing to 2:00 AM. The endless silence is terrifying now. I can't help but feel that the darkness of the room, which should be empty, is filled with something.

—Anything, I just wanted something to distract me.

Guest reaches for the remote. If human voices and light could fill this suffocating silence, that would be enough. I didn't think deeply about it. I just couldn't stand the silence. I turn on the TV. After a burst of static, the screen fills with a dazzling light.

A bright studio set. Pastel-colored decorations. The sound of audience applause fills the quiet room. Sitting in the host's chair was a man dressed in a well-tailored black suit. His black hair was slicked back neatly, and a soft smile played across his handsome features.

A small caption floats at the corner of the screen.

The man bows gracefully toward the front camera.

It was a calm voice. The man continues to speak, wearing a gentle smile.

A light ripple of laughter occurs. It was the typical tempo of an ordinary late-night show. The man turns back to the guest, exchanging pleasantries. Talk about the weather, talk about recent trends. It was a trivial introduction.