“Who is it?” The red haired girl mumbled as she observed the window carefully. It was still 5 in the evening, Nayeon never visited her this early.

Mina then waited for another sign, but nothing came. She slowly opened her window and observed her balcony. There’s no one around her house, no trace of anyone visiting her.

“Nayeon?” She called, feeling unsure. She waited for a while, but there was no response.

After making sure no one was around one more time, Mina closed the window and sighed. Maybe it’s just the wind, though she was pretty sure there was someone there before. She shrugged, there had been a lot of weird things happening around her anyway, it was nothing surprising.

She walked back to bed and decided to just wait for the night to come.

…

Mina bit her lips, she moved her legs impatiently while she was looking at the clock. It was already midnight, but Nayeon hadn’t showed up yet. It was weird, since the girl never missed a night without seeing Nayeon on her balcony, knocking softly on her window.

It was different that night. She waited and waited on her bed, watching the clock ticking, moving its arms, but Nayeon never showed up, no matter how long Mina waited. She had school the next day, and it was already 3 in the morning. She waited for a little longer, but there was no sign of someone on her balcony. Was it Nayeon this evening? But Nayeon never knocked that harsh and she never visited her that early. Was she busy? But she always made time to visit her, even if it’s only for a while.

Mina groaned as she lay on her bed, covering her face with the blanket. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping to get a blink of sleep for school tomorrow. She felt somehow odd because she is used to see that particular girl before she slept. Now that she didn’t see her, she felt something was missing.

She might not admit it, but she had been pretty infatuated with Nayeon’s presence. Though she saw her as a nuisance when she didn’t want to stop visiting her at first, but now she felt like she couldn’t miss a night without seeing her smile and hearing her soft voice.

Mina sighed, “I’m in deep trouble”

…

The next morning, Mina felt a sort of emptiness when she woke up. Her alarm rang longer than it used to and she slammed it harder than she used to. She then got up, getting ready for school in her extremely foul mood. Call her childish, but she couldn’t really think straight that morning.

After she was done with everything, she came out of her house.

She frowned when she saw a huge crowd forming outside the house next to her. It was a really unusual sight, since her neighborhood was usually quiet, especially in the morning. She woke up from her deep thought when one of her neighbor, she forgot the woman’s name, tapped her shoulder. The tall woman was staring at her worriedly, “are you okay Mina?” she asked.

Mina stared at her in confusion, “yes I am…” she mumbled, “what happened?”

“You haven’t heard yet?” The woman widened her eyes, “ about the girl that is living beside your house?”

Ah, that boyish shot haired girl who liked to ride her skateboard around the neighborhood. Mina didn’t know her well, but she had talked once to her before, her name is Jungyeon, she was a year older than her. She lived with her parents, but they often went outside the town and left her alone.

“What about Jungyeon?” She asked curiously.

The woman seemed a little hesitant, “Junyeon was killed” she whispered.

Mina’s eyes almost went out of her socket, she stared at the woman in disbelief. “Wh-what?”

“Jungyeon was murdered around midnight” The woman gave her a sympathetic look. “She was stabbed and she passed away from loss of blood” she explained.

“Midnight” Mina gulped. She felt became dry as she froze in place.

“May her soul rest in peace. You should go to school Mina, you’re running late” The woman reminded before she left to joined the crowd that was getting bigger.

Mina could only stare in disbelief. Her lips trembled in fear.

Impossible.

…

“You look down today” The red haired girl looked up from her desk to found Momo, looking at her worriedly as she spoke in Japanese. Mina smiled weakly, “I’m okay” she mumbled quietly, almost inaudible.

“Really? You don’t seem okay though” Momo shrugged, “you can tell me, if you want” she sat on an empty chair beside her.

Hirai Momo was a Japanese like her that lived around her neighborhood too. She was the first person Mina had ever talked to when she transferred to this school. Both of them would talk in Japanese when they were left alone. Mina was never that close to Momo and she didn’t really know much about her family and stuff, but she once spent her early year of high school with Momo. They didn’t really talk much nowadays, Momo was always alone and Mina had her other friends with her. She didn’t know what made Momo approached her like this, because it had been probably almost a year since they had a proper conversation.

And Mina didn’t know why she decided to ask an advice from someone she had just talked after a year.

“What if the person you trust so much, the one you meet almost two hours everyday, is accused of killing someone?” Mina stared at Momo’s big eyes that were also staring at her.

“Is accused?” Momo raised her eyebrows, “if there’s no evidence and that person has a solid alibi, then it doesn’t matter right?”

“She doesn’t” Mina mumbled, “she doesn’t have an alibi and the worst part is I have a small evidence”

“Small evidence?”

“Here is the thing” Mina sighed, she turned her body to Momo, “I have a friend. She visited me everyday at midnight since two or three months ago. She always came even if she was busy, she would still spare me a few minutes of her time just to check on me and to make sure I’m okay.

Then one night, she didn’t come. No matter how long I waited, she never came. And the next day I woke up, the girl living beside my house got murdered, it was said, she was murdered around midnight when she used to come”

Mina took a deep breath to calm herself, she felt confused and stressed out. “What should I do?”

Momo kept silent. She watched as Mina buried her face on her palms in confusion. The usually calm and collected Mina that she knew disappeared, only insecurity and pressure were left.

“Do you know who she is? Maybe you could call her-“

“No!” Mina raised her voice a little, earning a surprise look from Momo. “I mean, no… I don’t have her number” she mumbled.

“But you said she visited you every night for months” Momo tilted her head.

“I don’t know Momo” Mina sighed, “I’m so confused”

Momo patted the girl’s shoulder, “just follow your heart, sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing when it revolves around the people you care about. But sometimes, we have to think twice about it. Not just for others’ sake, it’s for your own sake too” she smiled.

Mina could only stare at the blonde in front of her without uttering a word.

There was a long silence between them before the bell broke it. “I have to leave now” Momo stood up, “see you later” she smiled, waving her hand while walking out the class.

Mina replied the gesture before she fell into her deep thoughts again.

“I didn’t know you’re close to her, she’s always alone and there are a lot of rumors about her……” Jihyo, one of her friends and classmates said as she sat beside her.

The silent girl ignored and blocked her friend’s words out as she fell even deeper into her thoughts. I have to do something.

…

The night came. Mina was determined. She was going to wait until Nayeon showed up, no matter how long it would take. If she didn’t, she had already promised herself to report her to the police.

A few hours had passed and midnight came. Even though Mina doubted her, part of her still believed that Nayeon was not that kind of person and part of her still wanted to meet her, to see her smile and to hear her melodic voice again. She didn’t know what she was supposed to felt around Nayeon, should she feel scared? Happy? Angry? Pleased? Or what?

Mina was lost in her thoughts until a familiar knock took her back to reality.

She almost broke her neck as she turned her head quickly to the window and found a shadow she had been waiting for all night long since yesterday. She felt her heart beat faster, but why? She didn’t know. She didn’t know whether she felt scared or excited to meet her.

Nevertheless, she quickly opened her window and found the same Nayeon who was wearing her usual black clothes from head to toe. Mina saw her in a different light now, but it didn’t stop her from being happy when she saw the smile on her face.

“Nayeon” Mina said before the girl could say any words. Because if she called her name, she knew her courage to ask her would crumble down.

Nayeon was quite surprised, since Mina never spoke first when they met. It had always been Nayeon who greeted her first or talk to her first. “Yeah?” she answered.

“Please answer my question honestly” Mina stared at Nayeon’s curious eyes. “Where did you go yesterday night?”

“Oh right! I’m sorry I didn’t visit you yesterday, I’m really sorry…” Nayeon grinned, not noticing the serious look on Mina’s face. “I had a really bad and busy day yesterday, I had just finished all my work this morning”

“Yesterday, Jungyeon, the girl next door, was murdered” Mina gulped, “at midnight… when you didn’t come…”

Nayeon chuckled, “no Mina, I thought I had sa-“

“Really?” Nayeon closed when she saw Mina raised her voice, she was being dead serious, and she was obviously bothered and concerned by it. She could see the uncertainness, distrust, and doubt in her eyes as they bored into Nayeon’s soul, making her feel intimidated.

Nayeon sighed, “I really was busy yesterday. I’m not a killer Mina” she said. “Why would I visit you every night if I was the killer? It would make me easier to find, you could call the police whenever, and I won’t have anything to say about it.”

Mina was still not convinced. “Maybe you could visit me to gain sympathy. Maybe if you were the killer, if you got me to trust you, you could use me to protect you from the police”

“Mina” Nayeon gripped the girl’s shoulder. “I am not the killer, Mina-yah” she sighed, “I visit you every night because I like you” she confessed, sounding a little hurt from the things Mina said about her, “I know I’m just a stranger who suddenly came out of nowhere on your balcony. I honestly didn’t expect to meet you either, but the moment I left, I had the urge to come back again.”

The red haired girl blushed at the confession but at the same time she felt guilty because of what she had said. “I’m sorry for what I said…” she mumbled, avoiding Nayeon’s eyes.

Nayeon smiled, “it’s alright, I mean, I wouldn’t trust random people who appeared on my balcony eaither” she shrugged, “but when all of this murder case is solved, I will get my answer, alright?”

Mina chuckled with her cheeks red. “Oh, by the way, I know you said you were busy all day, but did you knock on my window at probably 5 in the evening?” she raised her eyebrows.

Nayeon furrowed her eyebrows, “What? There was someone knocking on your window?”

“Yeah, It was rather a harsh knock” Mina caught a glimpse of Nayeon’s eyes wandering around the balcony like she was searching for something, before she stared at her again.

“I didn’t” Nayeon stared at her worriedly, “and anyway, I really can’t stay long tonight, I have to go now” she said in hurry.

Mina nodded. “See you tomorrow” she smiled.

“See you tomorrow” Nayeon patted the girl’s hair before she jumped off the balcony like what she always did.

Mina could only stare at the distance and fell in her deep thoughts again.

Nayeon…are you telling the truth?