ban chan

A normal day off.

A rarity for you.

At twenty-two, life has long ceased to be carefree. School, work, household chores, meetings, and endless to-do lists on your phone.

But today, for the first time in a long time, you woke up without an alarm clock.

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, the refrigerator hummed quietly in the kitchen. No work. No classes. No urgent matters.

So after breakfast you decided to do some rearranging.

I've been wanting to change something for a long time: move the sofa, swap the table and chair, and at the same time get rid of the huge chest of drawers that took up half the room.

You rested your hands on the wooden surface.

• Well, come on...

The chest of drawers didn't even move.

After the second try, you were about to search the internet for ways to move heavy furniture when your phone vibrated.

Unknown number.

You opened the message.

"Are you really going to carry this chest of drawers yourself? It's heavy."

You frowned.

Someone must have dialed the wrong number. Or decided to play a joke.

But the smile disappeared when you looked at the dresser again.

You actually tried to move it.

The phone vibrated again.

• Don't look back like that. I'm not in the house.

A chill ran down my spine.

You quickly looked around the apartment.

Empty.

Then you went to the window and looked out into the yard, the parking lot and the neighboring houses.

Nothing.

You were about to block the number when a new message arrived:

"And if you want to block me, then block me. I have a lot of accounts. Don't worry, we'll still have time to talk."

You froze.

The heart started beating faster.

And almost immediately the last message arrived:

— By the way, the black dress you bought yesterday really suits you. I liked it. Especially when you twirled around in it in front of the mirror.