"Once you cross the line, you'll be wishing you'd listen when you meet your demise"

Leo's hands trembled as he scanned the final message on his phone—a terse email from his employer informing him that his position had been terminated effective immediately. The words seemed to blur together, but the meaning was clear: he was fired, and the company had no intention of paying him the wages he was owed. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the screen, the reality of his situation crashing over him like a tidal wave.

The message was an unceremonious end to his job, but it wasn't just the loss of income that struck him—it was the complete absence of compensation. He had worked tirelessly, often sacrificing sleep and personal time, and now he was left with nothing. The mounting bills, the rent overdue, and the incessant pressure from the loan sharks who had been breathing down his neck for weeks all came crashing down on him. He had taken out loans to cover his expenses, but with his job gone, he was unable to make the payments.

Desperation clawed at him. He could hear their voices in his head—the threats, the menacing promises of what would happen if he didn't pay up soon. Their relentless pursuit had turned his life into a nightmare, and now, without his salary, the situation had become untenable. He felt trapped in a dark abyss with no way out.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he paced back and forth in his small apartment. The walls seemed to close in on him, and the shadows from the dim light seemed to dance with malicious intent. His phone buzzed incessantly, each notification a grim reminder of his dire situation. He had tried to call friends and family, but the crushing weight of shame and the fear of dragging them into his mess had left him alone, isolated in his misery.

With a heavy sigh, he turned off his phone, the silence that followed only amplifying the noise in his mind. He had to find somewhere to go, somewhere safe, even if just for a few hours. The loan sharks were closing in, their threats becoming more aggressive with each passing day. They had already found him once, breaking into his apartment and scaring him half to death. He couldn't face them again, not now, not in this state.

In a moment of desperation, he grabbed a small bag and threw in a few essentials—some clothes, a flashlight, and a bottle of water. Without a second thought, he headed out of his apartment, the chill of the night air biting at his skin as he moved quickly through the deserted streets.

He knew of an old storage house on the edge of town. It was a place he had passed by many times, a decrepit building that had long since fallen out of use. The idea of hiding there was both comforting and terrifying. It was isolated, far enough from the city center that it might offer some respite from the relentless pursuit of the loan sharks.

He arrived at the storage house, the building looming in the darkness like a ghost from the past. Its faded paint and broken windows seemed to offer a semblance of security, a false sense of safety from the turmoil that had overtaken his life. Leo hesitated for a moment, his heart racing as he approached the heavy metal door. The building creaked ominously as he forced it open and slipped inside.

The interior was just as he had remembered—dusty, dark, and filled with the remnants of forgotten times. The shadows seemed to close in around him as he stumbled through the space, finding a corner that felt a little less exposed. He sat down, his back against the cold wall, and took a deep breath.

The silence of the storage house was heavy, almost palpable. As Leo sat in the shadows, the weight of his situation began to overwhelm him. His tears started to flow uncontrollably, each sob wracking his body as the reality of his despair hit him hard. He buried his face in his hands, crying for the loss of his job, the mounting debts, and the crushing loneliness. The walls of the storage house seemed to close in on him, amplifying his sense of isolation.

CHAPTER 4 | THE SILENT GUIDES

[yoona is narrating...]

As the dust began to settle, an unsettling sight emerged. A man and a woman on a battered motorcycle appeared from the swirling cloud. They were heavily armed, their weapons clinking ominously with each movement. Their expressions were eerily blank, and their eyes hidden behind dark goggles and face coverings.

My instincts screamed danger. The motorcycle, adorned with scavenged gear and tools, looked both formidable and intimidating.

Were they here to harm me? Was this part of the game's cruel design?

I took a wary step back, my mind racing. The man, his face partially concealed, shouted over the noise of the bike's engine, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "We're not here to hurt you. Just stay calm."

His lack of expression sent a shiver down my spine. The woman beside him, her face obscured by a wide-brimmed hat, stared at me with an unsettling, unblinking gaze.

The motorcycle came to a halt, and the two of them dismounted with mechanical precision. The woman, her tone as emotionless as her expression, spoke. "You appear to be lost. This city is a maze of secrets. What brings you here?"

I struggled to find my voice, feeling a surge of unease. "I'm searching for answers. My sister went missing, and I think this place might hold some clues."

The man's expression remained unchanged. "Many seek answers here, but this city demands understanding. Its paths are not easily navigated."

The woman continued in a similarly cryptic tone. "The city reveals what it wishes to reveal. Seek and you may find, but remember—what you seek may not be what you expect."

The lack of emotion in their voices and their cryptic riddles only heightened my anxiety. Were they part of the game's twisted design, or were they simply another layer of this nightmarish world?

The man motioned for me to follow, his movements precise and devoid of any discernible warmth. "Follow us. The city is vast and treacherous. We will guide you, but heed our words well."

As I climbed onto the back of the motorcycle, the dust settled around us, leaving an oppressive stillness in its wake. The cityscape stretched out before me, a grim labyrinth of decaying buildings and abandoned streets. The strange, expressionless guides led the way, their riddles and mechanical manner only deepening the mystery.

With every turn and twist, the city seemed to close in around us, its emptiness almost suffocating. The air was thick with a sense of foreboding, and the cryptic warnings of my guides echoed in my mind. Each step felt like a plunge into the unknown, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being drawn deeper into a nightmarish game where the rules were as elusive as the answers I sought.

As the motorcycle roared through the desolate streets, I clung to the hope that these emotionless guides might lead me to some revelation, even as their presence only heightened my sense of dread. This was just another step in my relentless search for Yoojung, and I had no choice but to follow their lead into the heart of this grim and enigmatic city.

The oppressive silence of the city was punctuated only by the rumbling of the motorcycle and the occasional clinking of the weapons strapped to the riders. The man and woman, their faces obscured and their expressions void of any discernible emotion, guided me through the maze-like streets. My mind was a whirlwind of questions, each one more desperate than the last.

"Where are Sameer and Leo?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the noise of the bike. "Do you know anything about them?"

The man's grip on the handlebars remained steady, his gaze focused ahead. He offered no response, his face an unreadable mask. The woman beside him showed no sign of having heard me, her eyes hidden behind dark goggles that reflected the dim light of the city.

"Is there any information about my sister?" I pressed on, my anxiety rising with each unanswered question. "What is this game? Why are we here?"

Again, there was no answer. Their silence was unnerving, more so because of their complete lack of reaction to my pleas. It was as if my questions were swallowed by the vast emptiness of the city, their expressions unchanged and their focus solely on navigating the desolate streets.

The city's towering ruins and abandoned structures seemed to close in around us, the shadows lengthening as the sun dipped lower in the sky. Every corner we turned, every alley we passed, only deepened my sense of isolation and fear. The silence of my guides was maddening, their stoic demeanor adding to the surreal nature of our journey.

Eventually, the motorcycle slowed to a halt in the middle of a wide, desolate street. The man and woman dismounted with their usual mechanical precision, and the bike's engine fell silent. The air was thick with an unsettling stillness.

The woman, her voice as cold and impersonal as ever, spoke for the first time since our departure. "This is where we leave you."

I stared at her, confused and desperate. "What do you mean? Where are you going?"

The man, his face still an impenetrable mask, finally spoke. "May the odds be ever in your favor."

Before I could react, they turned and walked away, their movements eerily synchronized. In an instant, they vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the echo of their cryptic farewell.

I was left standing alone in the middle of the empty street, the oppressive silence now deafening. The city, with its decaying buildings and shadows, seemed to close in around me. My heart raced as I tried to make sense of their departure and what it meant for my search.

The motorcycle and its riders were gone, and the street lay empty before me. The strange farewell and their sudden disappearance left me with a gnawing sense of dread. 

What were they hinting at? What was the next step in this twisted game?