The Rules of Cafe Neapolitan
Lee Sia's head snapped forward as if yanked by a string.
What is that? What the hell is that thing? What even—
The friend whose name she didn't know.
No—was it even a friend to begin with?
Thinking about it now, the face was far too unfamiliar. As if she were seeing it for the first time today. Someone whose name and face she didn't know couldn't possibly be a friend. And if that someone wore a face this grotesque—even more so!
A ghost? That has to be a ghost, right?
There was no other way to put it. It was the kind of face you'd only ever hear about in the red-mask urban legends from childhood. How could a person's mouth tear open that far?
"Sia, what's wrong? You look like you've seen something you shouldn't."
"Ah—n-nothing."
The voice that reached her was perfectly ordinary. Just like someone who'd been chatting outside only moments ago. But she couldn't bring herself to look back. If she did, she wouldn't last.
"Yeah? I thought something was up. Come on, let's head inside."
It kept urging her. As if they needed to go down even a single second sooner.
She didn't want to. She absolutely did not want to go in. Having to descend into a place this gloomy with something that wasn't human right behind her? It was a miracle she hadn't fainted already. But she couldn't turn around and leave either. That would mean facing that thing head-on again.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Lee Sia had no choice but to go down. Forcing her finely trembling feet to steady themselves, she stepped down one stair at a time.
"Exciting, right?"
Breath tickled her ear. It must have brought its face right up beside hers. Goosebumps prickled all over her skin.
"Y-yeah."
Just how far did these stairs go? It felt like she'd been descending for over five minutes already. And they still hadn't arrived.
She was scared. So scared she felt like she might lose consciousness at any moment. But she absolutely couldn't let that happen. The terror of what would happen if she fainted was worse than the fear she felt right now. Better to reach the café as fast as possible. It was supposed to be a popular place—there would be other customers.
Lee Sia's steps quickened.
We're here!
Moving at a speed closer to tumbling down than walking, a small sign reading Cafe Neapolitan came into view ahead. Without hesitation, Lee Sia reached out and yanked open the door beside it.
"So what are we doing today?"
"It's Christmas, so how about shopping? Buy whatever you want. Oppa'll get it for you."
"Right? That bastard's the worst, isn't he? Who the hell dumps someone on Christmas Eve?"
"The vibe in here is nice. No wonder it's a hot spot."
"Let's take a picture. This is so pretty."
The gloom vanished at once, replaced by a lively racket of voices.
"Not bad, right?"
The thing spoke from behind her. Lee Sia nodded without turning around.
"Yeah. Completely different from what I imagined."
She breathed a quiet sigh of relief inwardly.
"Shall we sit over there?"
"Y-yeah."
True to the number of reviews, business was booming—only one table remained free. Lee Sia headed toward it.
"I'm gonna hit the bathroom real quick. Pick out what you want."
Thankfully, the thing didn't come with her and headed for the restroom. She sneaked a glance back at its retreating figure. Long straight hair falling to its waist, clothes dressed up prettily. Anyone looking would say it was human.
Did I see wrong?
It was so ordinary she could hardly believe it had a face with a torn mouth.
And no one else is reacting either.
Maybe she'd just gotten scared alone and imagined it. But—
No. No way.
That was definitely wrong. Forget the face—no matter how hard she thought, she had no idea who it was. She didn't have a friend like that.
I should run, even now…
With it in the bathroom, this was her chance. Just as she was about to turn her body—
"Oh, right!"
It clapped its hands and turned back toward Lee Sia.
Whip—!
Unable to look at the face, Lee Sia snapped her head back to its original position and sat in the empty seat.
"Order me a jelly tea!"
"R-right."
A strange gaze tickled the back of her head. That was when she realized.
It's not going to the bathroom at all.
It was only pretending—planning to watch her. She didn't know why. At the very least, it couldn't be for anything good. It was a guess, but she was sure she wasn't wrong. That conviction hit hard.
Lee Sia clutched her trembling hands and tried to pull herself together.
Think. Think.
Who—or what—that thing was. When she had started being with it. And why she had come here. To know that, she had to recall her memories. But nothing came to mind. As if a thick fog filled her head, everything was hazy.
Why can't I remember?!
As she clawed at her hair with confused eyes—
"Huh?"
Something entered her vision. At first she thought it was a menu. The kind of stylish handwritten paper menu you'd expect in a café like this. But it wasn't. What was written on the paper wasn't a menu—it was something else.
"…Rules?"
To be precise, it was titled 10 Rules for the Safe Enjoyment of Cafe Neapolitan.
"What the hell is this."
Instinctively, she read it.
Lee Sia's face went deathly pale. Every single rule felt unnervingly wrong. As if something terrible would happen if she broke even one of them. But the bigger problem was elsewhere.
Rule 2.
Lee Sia had already violated one of these rules. The seat she was sitting in was the most secluded spot in the entire café.
And come to think of it, the music the café was playing was strange too. No—it wasn't even music.
It's like… screaming…
Why hadn't she noticed until now? That was someone's scream. Not the kind of scream you let out from surprise or excitement, either. The kind of agony—yes, the kind of sound you'd make while your living flesh was being torn away and your fingernails were being ripped out.
The moment she recognized it, her whole body started to shake.
W-what do I do?
She had clearly wandered into somewhere wrong.
Mom…
She wanted her mother—whose face she couldn't even remember.
Just then, she felt someone approaching. It wasn't the thing that had gone to the bathroom.
"Are you ready to order?"
A staff member. Tall, with a handsome face. Anyone would call him a good-looking guy, but none of that registered in Lee Sia's eyes. Even so, she couldn't ignore him. The rules clearly stated that without ordering, you couldn't leave the café. To get out of this place, she had no choice but to order a menu item.
She checked the menu the employee handed her. Just as the rules said, there were menu items written in red, complete with descriptions.
The chilling signature drink of Cafe Neapolitan. A deep crimson latte with blood-red foam swirling on top. The first sip spreads the sweet flavors of raspberry and pomegranate, but soon a strange iron taste fills the mouth. A small heart-shaped dark chocolate sits atop the drink for visual impact.
A smoothie of mixed green and brown, with chunky fruit pulp reminiscent of rotting flesh. One sip brings a rotting sweetness along with the unique texture of chewing Mr. James.
Inside the clear tea, jelly worms that look alive wriggle about. With every sip, it creates the illusion that the worms are moving in your mouth.
Just thinking about them was enough to make the names and descriptions disgusting and revolting. Who on earth were menus like these even for? Looking at the rules, they clearly weren't meant for ordinary customers.
And among them, her eyes snagged on the Jelly Tea Swarming with Worms. That was the drink it had asked her to order. It was the only menu item with "jelly tea" in the name.
Lee Sia swallowed dryly and opened her mouth.
"…One iced americano and one j-jelly tea, please."
"Jelly tea. Are you certain?"
"Y-yes. Yes."
She nodded, trembling. The staff member stared at Lee Sia for a long moment. It was a bizarre gaze. Uncomfortable enough to make her skin crawl. Normally she would have complained and asked what he thought he was doing, but she couldn't manage anything of the sort. Despite the noisy bustle of the café interior, a chill kept settling deeper into Lee Sia's chest.
"Order received. We'll bring it to your table when it's ready."
Thankfully, the staff member said nothing more and turned away.
Is this even okay?
The rules had clearly said not to order the red-text menus. But the thing that had gone to the bathroom wasn't a normal person, so… maybe it was fine? Everything was a mess of confusion.
I need to drink it and get out of here fast.
Before it came back. The moment the iced americano arrived, she would down it in one shot and bolt straight out the door.
Just as she made that resolve—
Creeeak—.
The bone-chilling screech of a rusted hinge cut through the air. The bathroom door was opening. And the self-proclaimed friend with the torn mouth walked out, wiping her hands.
"Did you order mine?"
