Prologue

　　It was a cruel dream, one where her lover strangled the life from her.

　　"Do I have to kill you just to wake from this goddamned dream?" Hyeonjae Do’s large hand was wrapped around Muhee Han’s slender neck. Despite the horrifying circumstances, his warmth was so intoxicating that a soft smile touched her lips.

　　At the sight of it, his stoic mask cracked, his features twisting with displeasure.

　　"Even if you die in this dream, the real you won’t die, will she?"

　　"No," she confirmed. "So it’s the only way out."

　　It was a curse, a gift from a Devil. The pain of death, she knew, would be exquisitely vivid. As Muhee quietly closed her eyes, Hyeonjae bit down hard on his lip, a faint curse escaping them.

　　His grip on her neck tightened as he pulled her toward him. She was startled by the sudden, suffocating closeness, and then his lips were on hers. It was a rough, devouring kiss, so unlike his usual temperament. Or perhaps this was the raw, untamed side of him he had always kept hidden.

　　He nipped her lower lip in a gentle reprimand, and she flinched. He pulled back.

　　This time, as if to soothe her, he pressed his lips lightly against hers again, his voice a low whisper.

　　"You tremble over something this trivial, yet you ask me to kill you without batting an eye?"

　　It was a cruel dream, yes, but it was also deliriously sweet. Here, she could see Hyeonjae’s face unveiled, painted with an undisguised worry and affection for her.

　　"You’re an expert at breaking hearts, even in your sleep," he muttered, his lips pressing firmly against hers one last time.

　　Muhee had always wished to wake from her dreams quickly. This time, however, she closed her eyes and prayed this one would last just a little longer.

* * *

　　November 17, 01:11 a.m.

　　A light flickered outside the front door. There was no knock.

　　She covered her mouth, staring at the peephole. After a moment, the light went out. Is it over? The instant she allowed herself to exhale, the light flashed on again. But there was no shadow. Besides, no one would ever visit at this ungodly hour.

　　November 17, 05:44 a.m.

　　In the end, she hadn’t slept a wink. She had stared at the front door with bloodshot eyes, terrified that the presence outside would slip in the moment she let her guard down. The sun was finally beginning to rise, bringing an end to the oppressively long winter night. She breathed a sigh of relief at the brightening sky and slowly rose to her feet.

　　The presence outside always went silent at dawn.

　　She stood and glanced at the window, then stumbled back and sank to the floor with a strangled gasp.

　　A pair of red eyes stared back at her.

　　Something was hanging upside down from the window of her fifteenth-floor apartment, peering inside.

　　November 17, 06:57 a.m.

　　The world outside was bright now. Her body was stiff and frozen from sitting on the cold floor for so long. Muhee could only tremble, paralyzed.

　　The eyes outside had stared at her, unblinking, before finally vanishing.

　　They never came inside. They just appeared from time to time—whether to remind her of their presence or to check if she was still alive, she didn’t know. She was a prisoner in her own home, held captive by them.

　　Beings that were not human. Most would call them ghosts.

　　But why were they tormenting her?

　　"Fuck… you goddamn bastards," she cursed under her breath.

　　She’d heard obsessive men were all the rage these days, but was it even sane for a ghost to be obsessed with a human? Only when her apartment was flooded with sunlight did Muhee finally break, her sorrow erupting in heart-wrenching sobs.

　　This story is set in a fictionalized version of the Republic of Korea.