The Black Book (1)
"...Huh? Are you listening?"
"...Yeah?"
Consciousness floats up to the surface, like waking from a dream. Eunha blinked at Eunbangul's voice from across the table, her eyes heavy like she'd just woken up.
...Did I doze off from exhaustion? Yesterday was the same—her mental state was a mess.
"...Yeah."
"Great! So you weren't listening."
Blearily taking in her surroundings, the peaceful cafe scenery came into view. Lights that didn't flicker. Weather that wasn't dark. Air that wasn't cold. Across the table sat a girl twitching her snow-white rabbit ears. The glass windows were spotless, letting in a clear view of the cars streaming down the road.
Eunbangul, scanning Eunha's complexion, perked up her rabbit ears with a face full of worry.
"You look extra tired today. Want a lap pillow?"
"You got thighs to lie on?"
"I'm just short—my lower body's solid, you know~?"
Exchanging silly banter with Eunbangul, Eunha rubbed her chilly nape. It was slick with cold sweat, like after a nightmare. She reached for her coffee to soothe her rattled nerves, but spotting her hands trembling like aspen leaves, she quietly hid them under the table.
Watching this, Eunbangul leaned forward, bringing her face close to Eunha's.
"...You sure you're okay? Did someone at the promotion exam say something? Like, 'Faking fitness with that skill, but takes over 30 seconds for 100m, zero sit-ups or push-ups, total loser who always fails promotion'?"
"You are such a..."
Facts laced with concern always cleared the mind. It worked somewhat—the trembling gradually subsided. Thinking this shock therapy was pretty effective, Eunha casually sipped her coffee as if nothing was wrong.
...But she couldn't shake off that lingering unease entirely, so she kept glancing toward the cafe entrance whenever it was quiet.
After that, it was just idle chit-chat. A Rift Zone collapsed abroad and monsters reached the city center; some idol's dating an A-rank hunter... Gossip from the cafe TV ticked away the minutes like a clock hand.
By the time she noticed, it was already pointing to 6 p.m. Around this hour, that inexplicable anxiety from earlier had mostly faded.
Good mood changer. Time to head home? Gotta treat Eunbangul to something tasty later.
Eunha drained the last of her caramel macchiato and stood. She washed the empty cup, slotted it into the dishwasher, and habitually scanned the cafe for anything needing tidying.
Eunbangul soon finished clearing the tables and grabbed her handbag from the kitchen counter, approaching Eunha. Eunha gave the bright-eyed girl trotting over a lazy smile.
Promotion exam? Water under the bridge. Don't sweat it. And that meaningless nightmare? Forget it quick.
Right now, what mattered most to Eunha was how cute Eunbangul was... and what to make for dinner side dishes. Fried egg with soy sauce mixed into rice would do.
"Let's go~... Huh? Never seen that book before?"
"Huh?"
And then it happened. Just as they were about to turn off the lights and leave the cafe, Eunbangul—with her snow-white rabbit ears perked—pointed at something.
Eunha flinched. That inexplicable anxiety surged.
She followed the girl's finger. There, on the table where they'd just been sitting, lay a lone Black Book.
...It definitely hadn't been there moments ago.
A chill raced up her spine. The pain from yesterday's car accident, the nightmare of the Black Person—they froze Eunha's body solid.
Thump. Thump.
Like waking from a brief dream... her mind creaked.
Things she'd dismissed as deja vu or dreams now tormented her as inescapable reality.
"Hmm... been reading books? You're always just doing useless workouts. Didn't expect that from you."
"Eunbangul, hold on."
While Eunha hesitated, the girl approached the table without a care and picked up the Black Book.
Does she even know what that is? Touching it like that?
Forgetting her fear, Eunha rushed over.
"Huh? Why?"
"Not mine. What if something bad happens from touching it?"
"Really?... Maybe a customer left it?"
Snatching the Black Book from the girl like it was hers, Eunha examined it. Thick black cover, no title. Bigger and heavier than most textbooks—heavy enough that even with her strength, holding it was a chore.
She set it on the table and cautiously opened it. Inside was pitch black. Flipping pages yielded no text, no illustrations. Just black. All the more unsettling.
What is this? Too big for a notebook... Not black paper with black ink either. What the hell?
Eunbangul, peering over, seemed to realize it wasn't ordinary. She pressed down on her beret, lost in thought. Her petite frame swayed like rabbit grass, her white ears twitching under the hat.
"Hmm... Stick it in the lost and found then. Owner'll come get it eventually."
"...Could you? Thanks, Eunbangul."
"No biggie~."
No clear answer after pondering, so they decided to stash the Black Book in the lost and found. As the girl said, the owner would claim it... hopefully.
Turning from the book's ominous vibe, Eunha left the cafe with Eunbangul and headed home.
....
"...Delivery? Fast."
And upon returning home, the Black Book from the cafe greeted her on the living room table.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We put it in the lost and found together... why's it here?"
Flopping onto the living room sofa, Eunha rubbed her forehead, staring down at the Black Book on the table.
Her head throbbed. How the hell...?
....
A few minutes earlier.
After stashing the suddenly appeared Black Book in the lost and found, she'd hitched a ride with Eunbangul back to the apartment. A five-minute walk from the Fox and Rabbit Cafe, but time with Eunbangul was fun, so she gladly accepted.
Once home, she gave Eunbangul thankful hugs until the girl was satisfied, bid her "see you tomorrow," and waved goodbye.
She kept waving until the girl's car vanished from sight. Drives well with those short limbs, she thought, entering the Saetbyeol Apartment.
Exhausted. Yesterday's horrific nightmare lingered. Eunha sighed deeply, looking up at the building.
Saetbyeol Apartment—in pricey Eunchun-gu, a cheap 9-story monthly rental. Corridor-style with multiple units per floor; no complex, just the one building. Still, it had parking, a guard post, a convenience store and bus stop right out front. A few blocks away: park, monorail terminal, commercial district.
Prime land for a single building—owner must've sold their soul for the plot. Yet rent was affordable for a cafe worker flunking monthly hunter promotions. Eunha had doubted at first, but introduced directly by regular Banharin—no agency—so she shrugged it off.
...Anyway, not the point.
As usual, she took the elevator to the 9th floor, unlocked her '904' door, and stepped in. That's when she spotted the Black Book smack on the living room table.
"Haa..."
Snapping from the flashback, Eunha sighed loud enough to shake the room.
Obviously, she'd never bought or placed such a book. It was the exact one from the cafe. Why was the lost-and-found item here? Eunbangul wouldn't prank her... so the book grew legs and followed?
Chills prickled her back. She didn't want to touch it. Her body shook like she'd always been this cowardly; her breath quickened like post-sprint, narrowing her vision.
Eunha soothed her pounding heart and tapped the table.
Going nuts. No haunted junk in modern times. Hunter artifact?... Eat first.
How long did she agonize? Rubbing her throbbing temples, Eunha rose from the sofa.
Pretend it's not there. Think tomorrow. Toss it in the trash on the way to work, or burn it if needed.
Positive spin: the book's here, so Eunbangul's safe. Ignoring the Black Book on the table, Eunha headed to the kitchen.