In the darkness, a girl lies on the ground, her consciousness blurred. She wears a white long dress, the hemline cut in an irregular pattern. On this uneven hem, the designer has adorned it with many small pale pink flowers, adding a touch of unique elegance.
She slightly furrowed her brows, her fingers gently moving. After her eyes rolled a couple of times under her eyelids, she slowly opened them.
As soon as she opened her eyes, the first thing that came into view was an expanse of pitch-black space. There was not a trace of light around her, and the silence was so complete that not even the faintest sound of wind could be heard.
Panic surged through her instantly. She stood up in a rush, but having just regained consciousness, the sudden movement made her dizzy, and she nearly collapsed back to the ground.
Lowering her body, she struggled to steady herself, forcing her balance to return. Once her head cleared a little, she slowly straightened up again.
"Where... am I?" she asked in a daze.
Suddenly, a beam of light shone down from above, so bright that the girl instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.
Then, a deep, magnetic male voice broke the overwhelming silence of the space.
"You're awake?"
Hearing an unfamiliar man's voice so suddenly, the girl tensed up in an instant, her body recoiling in fear.
She shrank back, slowly taking a step in retreat, her eyes filled with terror as she stared at the man standing before her, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person," the man said with a smile.
Although he said that, the girl felt even more uneasy. Facing a complete stranger who remained so calm and composed only heightened her sense of alarm. And that faint smile constantly lingering at the corners of his mouth—there was something unsettling about it, something that made her feel even more on edge.
"Who are you?" the girl asked. Though fear gripped her, in the face of such a tense situation, she could only force herself to stay calm and act composed.
The man smiled lightly and said, "I'm merely a guide. This place is the boundary between the world of the living and the world after death. The fact that you're here means..."
He paused, his smile fading into a solemn expression.
"...you're already dead."
The girl stared at him in disbelief, her eyes widening.
"W-What did you just say?"
The man responded with another faint smile, but this time, it carried a trace of pity.
"It's normal that you can't remember. Most people are the same—they lose a small part of their memory just before death. Maybe it all happened too quickly for your brain to process, or perhaps… people choose to forget."
She didn't want to believe it. She tried to force herself to remember what happened before she got here, but no matter how hard she tried, her mind remained blank.
Could it be… just as he said, I… am already dead?
Seeing the girl still struggling to recall something, the man could tell she wasn't getting anywhere. So, he cut in and said, "Alright, we can talk about everything else later. For now, I need you to make a choice: will you stay in the human world, or go to the place your soul is meant to be?"
The girl stared at him in disbelief and asked, " I get to choose?"
The man, no longer wanting to drag things out, let his smile fade and spoke in a firm tone. "Let's not waste time. I'll give you ten seconds to decide. If you don't choose within that time, I'll take it as your decision to move on to the afterlife."
With that, he immediately began to count down.
"Ten... nine..."
"Wait!"
The girl tried to stop the man from continuing the countdown, but he didn't pause for even a second. His expression remained stern as he silently pressed on.
"Eight... seven..."
She had no time to think.
Why was she here?
Why had she suddenly encountered this strange, unfamiliar man?
Why was everything around her shrouded in darkness?
Why was he suddenly told she was dead?
Why was she being forced to make such an absurd choice—stay in the human world or move on to the afterlife?
She didn't understand! None of it made sense!
"Three... two..."
Her mind was in complete chaos, desperately trying to make sense of it all, but the time she had left was down to less than three seconds.
What should she do?
"One."
"I'll stay!"
They spoke the words almost in unison.
"I'll stay…" the girl said, her voice laced with something close to despair.
The man shot her a cold glance before his signature smile slowly returned.
"Then congratulations, you may stay. I'll send you back now. Please, close your eyes."
Though her mind was still full of questions, she had come this far—she had no choice but to obey.
Clenching her fists tightly, she shut her eyes uneasily. A few seconds later, she began to hear the faint sound of wind, and somewhere in the distance, the chirping of insects.
She slowly opened her eyes—and was met with the sight of an enormous house. It was a night. The house was lavishly decorated, the interior shimmering through the windows. She stood in a courtyard where the ground wasn't plain concrete or grass, but a floor entirely paved with gleaming ceramic tiles.
To her right, beside a fence, was a small fish pond, its edge lined with palm-sized pebbles. Next to the pond was a narrow path glowing with soft blue light. At the end of that path sat two hanging chairs woven from wooden vines, and between them, a small glass tea table designed for leisurely relaxation.
As the girl stood there, mesmerized by the scene, that deep, magnetic male voice echoed once more. She couldn't see him, but the voice slipped into her ears as if carried by the wind.
"Let me give you a warning—do not interfere with anything in the human world. Otherwise, the price you'll pay will be severe."
The girl didn't quite understand, but since he had said she was already dead, and that she couldn't get involved in the human world anymore, she could at least accept that.
What she couldn't accept, though, was not knowing why she had died, why she had ended up in that strange place, and why she was now here.
She wanted answers—but there was no one left to give them.
"I wonder how Mom, Chloe, and Fifi are doing right now…" the girl thought to herself.
Suddenly, the sound of barking came from behind her.
Startled, she turned around to see a massive golden retriever snarling and barking fiercely at her, baring its teeth.
Though she wasn't usually afraid of dogs, the sheer size of this one—paired with its aggressive expression—made her instinctively uneasy. She took a few steps back, quietly.
"I... I mean no harm. Please don't misunderstand. I... I..."
Just as she was absurdly trying to figure out how to explain to a dog why she was there, the large gate behind her suddenly creaked open. A woman dressed like a housekeeper stepped out, holding a leash in her hand.
"Blaze," she called out, her tone tinged with reproach as she looked at the massive golden retriever.
Upon hearing the woman's voice, the dog's expression softened slightly, though its sharp teeth were still partially bared. One look was enough to tell this wasn't a dog to be messed with.
"Blaze, quiet. Madam just fell asleep. Keep your voice down."
As she spoke, the housekeeper approached Blaze, fastening the leash around its neck. She then tugged on the other end, guiding the dog back toward the house.
But despite her pulling, Blaze refused to budge. Its eyes stayed fixed on the girl, letting out a low, angry growl.
Noticing Blaze's unusual behavior—its unblinking gaze and tense growls—the housekeeper turned to look in the same direction. Yet there was nothing there. What on earth was it barking at?
She dismissed the thought and gave the leash another tug, her voice lower and firmer this time as she scolded, "Blaze!"
Sensing the command in her tone, Blaze finally backed down, teeth retreating as it obediently followed the housekeeper into the house.
Once the door shut behind them, the girl remained frozen in place, staring blankly for a long while.
"So… that dog could see me—but no one else can?"
As unbelievable as it seemed, she thought back to what the man had said—she was already dead. So it made sense that people couldn't see her. As for the dog, well, didn't people always say animals had a sixth sense? It wasn't entirely surprising that it could see her.
"Then… where am I supposed to go now? Why did that man send me here?"
She couldn't make sense of it. But it seemed that from now on, the only thing she could do was explore on her own—find the answers by herself.
She decided to go inside the house and take a look. But she didn't have a key.
So… how was she going to get in?
Just as she was struggling with what to do, she suddenly realized—her hand, which had reached for the doorknob, had passed right through it. Even more shocking, the part of her hand that touched the knob had turned semi-transparent.
"What…?"
In disbelief, she took a bold step forward—and sure enough, she passed straight through the door and into the house!
"I actually got in!" she shouted internally.
A rush of excitement surged through her as she quickly scanned her surroundings. The interior was magnificent—elegant and refined. The living room alone was nearly the size of half a football field, adorned mostly with ceramics, glass, and crystal decorations.
But what caught her eye most was the grand chandelier hanging in the very center of the room.
"It's beautiful," she whispered in awe.
Soon, she noticed that the housekeeper had already settled the dog and was now carrying a cup of hot milk and a small bowl of fruit, heading upstairs.
With nothing else to do and driven by curiosity, the girl followed her up the stairs.
Compared to the extravagant first floor, the second floor had a much simpler, cozier style. Perhaps because it was primarily made up of bedrooms, the decor leaned toward minimalism and comfort.
At the far end of the hallway, the housekeeper stopped in front of a corner room and knocked gently on the door.
"Come in," a weak male voice replied from inside.
Without hesitation, the housekeeper pushed open the door and stepped in. The girl followed closely behind, eager to see what was going on.
Inside, the lighting was dim and warm, a soft yellow glow filling the room with a gentle ambiance.
The housekeeper paid no attention to anything else and walked straight to the bedside, placing the hot milk and fruit on a small table nearby. Then she leaned slightly toward the boy, whose eyes had been closed the entire time, and said gently, "Young Master, your milk and fruit are ready. Rest a little longer, and you'll feel better soon."
The boy responded with a faint "mm," and the housekeeper quietly exited the room.
Now, only the girl and the boy lying in bed remained.
From a distance, she could already see how pale his face was, his lips completely devoid of color. Out of curiosity, she walked slowly to his side, gazing down at the boy, who seemed gravely ill.
Suddenly, the boy's eyes fluttered open weakly, and his gaze landed right on hers. The girl froze, stunned by the deep connection in his eyes, and found herself staring back at his handsome but deathly pale face.
After a long moment, the boy abruptly snapped back to reality in panic.
"Ah!"
He scrambled backward in fear, even jumping out of bed and using it as a barrier between them. Then, pointing at her, he shouted, "Who are you?!"
Perhaps because he got up too quickly, he wobbled slightly but quickly steadied himself. His entire posture had shifted into alertness.
"You…"
The girl stared at him in disbelief. She was sure—his eyes were looking directly at her.
"You…" her eyes welled with tears, her voice trembling as she asked, "You can see me?"
The boy stepped back, frightened but trying to stay calm. "What nonsense are you talking about? Who are you? How did you get in? What do you want?"
"He… he really can see me!" the girl thought, stunned.