Cho Sa-rang walked home with heavy steps, her school bag hanging loosely from one shoulder.

The entire trip back was spent replaying the same questions in her head.

The red numbers.

The arrows.

The fractions.

No matter how hard she thought about them, nothing made sense.

As she turned into a quieter street, a sudden shout caught her attention.

"Let go of me!"

"You think you're innocent?!"

Sa-rang froze.

A small crowd had begun gathering around two men arguing near a convenience store. Curiosity got the better of her, and she stepped closer.

The moment she looked at them, she saw it.

Above both of their heads were the same red numbers she had been seeing all day.

But this time, something was different.

The numbers were rising.

Slowly.

Steadily.

As if invisible water were filling a measuring cup.

Beside the numbers, the strange fractions were increasing as well.

And the arrow connecting the two men...

Sa-rang's breath caught.

The thick red arrow grew even thicker before gradually breaking apart into a dense dotted line, so heavy it almost looked solid.

The hatred between them was practically visible.

Then one of the men pointed furiously at the other.

"I hate you!"

The second man immediately shot back.

"Good! Because I hate you too!"

The moment the words left their mouths, the red values ticked upward again.

Sa-rang's eyes widened.

A cold realization washed over her.

"Hate..."

Her voice came out as barely a whisper.

The arrows...

The numbers...

They all represented hatred.

The red arrow showed hatred between people.

The numbers showed how much hatred someone had accumulated.

And the fraction...

It was the total amount of hatred they would receive throughout their lifetime.

A chill raced down her spine.

If that was true...

Then...

Her thoughts immediately flew to Choi Joo-kyung.

The enormous arrow.

The impossibly thick line.

The terrifyingly high number hovering above her head.

Sa-rang felt her stomach drop.

"No..."

That couldn't be right.

Joo-kyung was her best friend.

The person who had been beside her for years.

The person who knew her better than anyone.

The person she trusted most.

So why...

Why was the arrow between them so thick?

Why was the number so high?

How many people hated her?

And more importantly—

How much did Joo-kyung hate her?

The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

By the time she arrived home, she felt numb.

She mechanically greeted her parents, ate dinner without really tasting it, and dragged herself to her room.

The red numbers still floated before her eyes whenever she blinked.

"No," she muttered, dropping onto her bed.

"This is ridiculous."

She pulled a pillow over her face.

Maybe she was still suffering from the concussion.

Maybe it was stress.

Maybe she was imagining everything.

If she slept, surely it would all disappear by tomorrow.

And Joo-kyung...

Surely Joo-kyung didn't hate her.

There had to be another explanation.

There had to be.

Determined to distract herself, Sa-rang reached for her phone.

Almost instantly, her mood brightened.

The final chapter of the season for her favorite web novel had just been released.

For weeks, she'd been counting down the days.

At last, she would find out how the story ended.

Her earlier worries temporarily forgotten, she eagerly opened the chapter and began reading.

What she didn't notice was the faint movement in the darkest corner of her room.

A shadow silently detached itself from the wall.

For a brief moment, a pair of glowing eyes lingered on her.

Then, with soundless steps, the figure crossed the room.

Something small was carefully placed on her bedside table.

The shadow turned toward the window.

And vanished into the night.

Completely unaware, Sa-rang remained engrossed in her novel, laughing and gasping at the finale.

The mysterious item sat quietly beside her bed.

Waiting.