CHAPTER 1 — We Thought It Was A Nightmare

Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. Beep..

Just heard the alarm sound coming from a digital watch with a frame thickness of up to 6mm. This watch with a strap made of stainless steel and polished in a subtle rose gold layer that gives an elegant impression, complete with a strap width of up to 100mm, which wraps around a woman's left wrist.

"It's 12:30 p.m." Murmured the owner of the digital watch with a thin and minimalist design, when her eyes saw the time with numeric text displayed on the LCD of her watch. "Then now is the right time to pamper my stomach!" she said more clearly, accompanied by an excited expression.

Seeing that it was already lunch time, the woman wearing a small and thin square digital watch and her casual winter clothes immediately rushed out of her private studio. Not to forget, this girl also grabbed her sunglasses and car keys before finally leaving her private studio in her apartment.

Dalmi drove her car alone while driving through the busy winter roads but still running smoothly. It didn't take long for Dalmi to arrive and stop at a fast food place to eat to soothe her rumbling stomach after writing drama scripts since morning.

As soon as she arrived at a fast food restaurant called Mishil, this woman with sunglasses immediately took her place in the right corner of the restaurant. A few minutes after Dalmi sat at the table with number 8, a woman came up to her. Apparently, this woman is Dalmi's friend and owner of Mishil Restaurant.

"Even today, you came here still with those sunglasses?!" She was annoyed when she frankly received orders from Dalmi — a girl who rarely looked at people with the naked eye. Dalmi always wore sunglasses, even though it was night and she was in the room. The sunglasses never moved from Dalmi's face, except when she was sleeping.

The words of Dalmi's best friend since High School, made the corners of Dalmi's lips lift up to curve perfectly. Dalmi gave a thin but still sweet smile to Haewon. "What else can we do—"

Before Dalmi had time to finish speaking, suddenly a man with a mask covering almost half of his face came from behind and took off the dark glasses Dalmi was wearing. From this method, it was clear that the man was also annoyed with Dalmi. According to him, the sunglasses made Dalmi's appearance look more rugged — not at all friendly and polite.

"Hey!! I've told you many times, take off those glasses! They'll be even more scared of you!" said the man. "How can people from a great production house cooperate with a girl with sunglasses like you?!" he continued curtly.

Dalmi snorted weakly as she dropped her face and gaze. She then closed her eyes to protect her vision. "Gyungsoo, I'm scarier if I don't wear these glasses. You already know that, right?" Dalmi replied.

Hearing that, Gyungsoo massaged his temples briefly. He then knelt down and grabbed Dalmi's chin. "Look at me!" said Gyungsoo — Dalmi's best friend since Kindergarten. "Please, try to be braver Dalmi. Really, how long are you going to hide behind these glasses?!" the man asked in a softer voice than a few minutes earlier.

"Well!" Dalmi gave up. "I'll take off these glasses. But... I still won't look at anyone," explained the girl who relied on her sunglasses to stay sane. Next, this girl's right hand grabbed her sunglasses from Gyungsoo's grip.

Gyungsoo then took a deep breath. "Dalmi, you can disguise your sight with your bangs. That way, you won't see it easily." Gyungsoo looked at Dalmi who was feeling nervous. "Calm down Dalmi," he said. "Now, you can complete your order." This man then stood up and sat opposite Dalmi. After that, he signaled to Haewon to immediately take Dalmi's order.

Haewon who didn't understand the reason why Dalmi wore sunglasses every day, then nodded obediently to Gyungsoo. "What's your order for today, Dalmi?" asked the woman with short black hair.

"One barbecue hamburger and black soda. That's all Haewon," replied the talented playwright. "How about you?" Dalmi then asked Gyungsoo who sat opposite him.

"As usual, a cup of Iced Americano." Gyungsoo smiled at Haewon, before the woman left before him and Dalmi to prepare their orders.

"Okay, I've received your orders and immediately prepared everything. Wait a moment," replied Haewon. And then, she stepped away from table number 8 — leaving Gyungsoo and Dalmi there.

After Haewon left in front of him, Dalmi dared to look at Haewon's back which was getting further and further away from her sight. However, after only a few steps Haewon left Dalmi and Gyungsoo, suddenly Dalmi saw a dark shadow appear behind Haewon and followed her to the kitchen. This made Dalmi surprised. Because of that, Dalmi rushed up from her seat and ran after Haewon.

"Hey!! Where are you going?!" Gyungsoo asked from his seat.

Dalmi stopped her steps. And then she turned to face Gyungsoo and said, "I want to see Haewon!" After that, without waiting for a reply from Gyungsoo and with hasty steps, Dalmi went to the kitchen area. While Gyungsoo looked at Dalmi's back with a confused expression.

~~~

As soon as Dalmi was in the kitchen area of ​​Mishil Restaurant, she immediately looked for Haewon's whereabouts. Her eyes was busy sweeping every side to the corner of the cooking room, while continuing to walk down the quite large area of ​​the restaurant kitchen. "Excuse me, have you seen Haewon?" Dalmi asked one of the servants who passed her.

"Miss Haewon? Oh, she's there," the male waiter pointed at the fast-food coke machine in the back right corner of the kitchen.

And then, Dalmi followed the male servant's gaze. And sure enough, Dalmi saw Haewon arranging soda drinks on the tray along with a cup of Iced Americano Gyungsoo ordered. "Ah.. There.. Alright! Thank you," replied Dalmi in a friendly and polite manner while covering her eyes with her palms. So that made the male servant in front of her look at her strangely.

The male servant then nodded his head then left in front of Dalmi. While Dalmi immediately approached Haewon. "Hey!! Haewon!" Dalmi pulled Haewon's right arm while glancing at the dark shadow behind Haewon.

"Euh!! What's wrong Dalmi? What brought you to come here?" Haewon looked at Dalmi with her eyebrows knit together, while Dalmi actually looked choked up in front of Haewon after her eyes not only saw the dark clouds behind Haweon, but also saw a set of numbers clearly drawn on Haewon's right arm. "Hey! Dalmi, what's wrong?! Why are you silent?! Are you sick?" Haweon, who was worried about Dalmi's unusual attitude, then shook Dalmi's body quickly.

"Hm..." Dalmi looked confused when she wanted to express her presence in the Mishil Restaurant kitchen area. "Hm.. Well Haewon, I met you because I wanted to know, what are you going to do after this?" Dalmi asked haltingly.

Haewon is getting confused by Dalmi's attitude. "After this? Of course I have a lot of work to do Dalmi. I have to serve the customers and take their orders —"

"After that?!" Dalmi interrupted Haewon's speech quickly.

"Maybe take out the trash and then check the food supplies in the storage room," Haewon replied firmly.

Dalmi was seen twisting the hem of her shirt while biting her lower lip when she heard Haewon speak. "Haewon, can't you share those tasks with the others? I mean, I want to spend my time here, kinda longer than usual. And I want you to accompany me," Dalmi asked without telling Haewon the truth.

"Alright! I don't think it's a bad idea Dalmi. We haven't spent time together even if it's just for coffee, right?" Haewon happily accepted Dalmi's invitation. "Then you can wait for me out front. I'll prepare your hamburger first," said Haewon.

"Can I accompany you here?" Dalmi's question suddenly made Haewon wonder and then giggled for a moment.

"No Dalmi. I mean, it's not that you can't accompany me here. But you're a customer of this restaurant now. So you better take your seat. And let me work for you." Haewon spoke calmly. "No need to worry, Dalmi. I won't be long. Go!" she ordered.

With a heavy heart, Dalmi nodded obediently to Haewon's orders. And then she walked away from Haewon and returned to her place, meanwhile Haewon immediately got up from the fast food coke machine to another table to make barbecue hamburger for Dalmi.

Unfortunately, Haewon's steps towards the table just stopped. Misfortune happened to Haewon in just a minute. This woman was lying unconscious after she had fatally slipped on the slippery floor of the restaurant kitchen.

As a result of this incident, Haewon not only suffered injuries to the tailbone and spine. But she also had very serious bleeding in the head. This bleeding on Haweon's head is what ultimately took Haewon's life.

~~~

"Gosh!!! No! No way!!! There's no way Haewon is dead!!! That's not true!!!" Gyungsoo who was sitting behind the wheel was seen rubbing his face in frustration after he found out Haewon died even before arriving at the hospital.

While Gyungsoo continued to babble as if he couldn't believe what had happened to Haewon, beside him, Dalmi seemed to be speechless as they were on their way back from the funeral home to Dalmi's apartment that night. In this silence, Dalmi seems to be busy blaming herself because she didn't try harder to save Haewon's life.

"Even though myself can clearly see the dark shadow and the remaining time of Haewon's life, Gyungsoo. But... I can't save Haewon. I can't change her destiny," said Dalmi while crying. She also felt annoyed and regretful when she told him about her best friend, Haewon, who had died.

~~~