~1~

Sunggyu stepped out of the bus and stretched his sore arms, yawning with his mouth open. It was another tiring day for him now that he’d found a new job. He was employed as a shop assistant at an electrical company near the train station. The wage was enough for him to live a decent life and he could stay in the cozy building instead of standing outside in the cold—his previous job was a promoter so he had to talk non-stop and distribute fliers to the pedestrians.

 His new job was simple; all he did was waiting and talking when customers asked him questions. It didn’t require a lot of energy but somehow just by sitting and waiting could still make him feel tired. Maybe because he didn’t move that much. It made him feel sore all over his body.

Grimacing at the arctic weather, he scurried towards the entrance of his apartment and unlocked the front door. When he turned the doorknob, he heard a strange sound coming from the living room. He creased his forehead in confusion. He was the only person living in the apartment. Who was making that sound in the living room?

The moment he reached the living room, he yelped in surprise and cursed when he saw a boy in black suit sitting on the couch near the window—bouncing a basketball up and down the floor. The boy whose hair was a shade of blue turned his head towards Sunggyu and stopped bouncing the ball. Then he took out a black letter from the pocket of his suit and handed it to Sunggyu.

“Who are you? How did you break into my apartment?” Sunggyu shot him a demanding look.

“You can call me Zelo,” the boy answered in a toneless voice. He reached out his hand once more and held the black letter closer to the older guy.

“What’s this?” Sunggyu asked as he tore open the envelope. Zelo didn’t answer him so he turned his attention to the letter.

Greetings,

 Mr. Kim Sunggyu, it is a pleasure to be able to let you read this letter. This letter is given to you to inform you that you’ve been chosen to participate in a quest with six other gentlemen who will be waiting for your arrival at M train station tomorrow before dawn. Your participation is an obligatory so it is a wise choice to abide the information that is given to you. In case you’re not willing to participate, you will be given the chance to experience something you’ve never imagined before.

The letter ended just like that. There was no signature or the name of the sender. Sunggyu shifted his gaze from the letter to Zelo but the boy was no longer standing before him. He’d disappeared without a trace.

Sunggyu scratched his head and exhaled loudly.

“Is this some kind of prank?”