Yemir’s shout made the young woman stop.
"Hm? Is something wrong?"
Her voice was soft and calm.
A black cloth covered her eyes, while her hair was carefully wrapped beneath a scarf. Her simple clothes and composed manner gave her a quiet, almost refined presence.
Yemir rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I-I’m sorry for stopping you."
"There’s an open manhole right ahead."
The young woman raised her white cane and tapped the ground.
Tap... tap...
A hollow metallic sound came from the opening nearby.
"Oh..."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Thank you. I didn’t notice it."
Yemir hesitated.
Should he help her ?
...What if she didn’t want his help?
After a moment, he gathered his courage.
"If you don’t mind..."
"I can help you get across."
The young woman smiled warmly.
"That would be nice."
Yemir carefully took hold near the handle of her cane and guided her around the open manhole.
As they walked, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
She can’t see the world...
Yet she doesn’t even let the world see her.
Her eyes were covered.
Even her hair was hidden beneath the scarf.
What an unusual girl.
The traffic signal changed.
"Oh," the young woman said.
"Did the light change?"
"Can we cross now?"
Yemir looked toward the road.
The signal was green.
"Yes."
He paused.
"I’ll help you across."
He began walking a little faster.
"Ah..."
The girl immediately spoke.
"Could you slow down a little?"
"I’m not very good at walking that quickly."
Yemir stopped at once.
"O-Oh..."
"Sorry."
"I didn’t realize."
There was something different about her.
He couldn’t explain it.
Why am I even thinking about this?
They crossed the road together.
Once they reached the other side, Yemir released the cane.
"...We’re here."
The young woman smiled.
"I’ve already troubled you enough."
"And you’re carrying an umbrella too."
Yemir waved his hand.
"It’s nothing."
Then he asked,
"Where are you going?"
"Oh? Me?"
"Yes."
"I work at a Radio Audio Studio."
"I’m a voice artist."
A peaceful smile appeared on her face.
"My eyes can’t see people..."
"So I try to reach them through my voice instead."
Yemir was silent for a moment.
"...I see."
"Then..."
"Have a nice day."
He gave her a small nod.
"You too."
With a gentle smile, the girl continued along the sidewalk, tapping her white cane against the ground.
Tap... tap... tap...
Yemir quietly watched her disappear into the distance.
He had met plenty of people before.
But there was something about this girl that stayed in his mind.
Blind... yet so calm.
He shook the thought away.
Why am I thinking about her this much?
Campus
Yemir eventually arrived at campus.
The classroom was already filled with lively chatter.
He took his usual seat toward the back and stared at the whiteboard with a slight frown.
"...I still don’t get it"
He sighed quietly.
Behind him and beside him, several girls were whispering.
"He looks even better today."
"I dreamed about him last night..."
"If only he’d look at me once."
Soft giggles spread through the classroom.
"Quiet."
The teacher’s voice instantly silenced everyone.
The students straightened in their seats.
The teacher continued the lecture, explaining how birds navigated through the air and interacted with their surroundings.
After a while, he looked around the room.
Then he pointed at one student.
"You."
The boy scratched his head.
"What animal can navigate without relying on sight?"
The boy hesitated.
"Without sight?"
"Um..."
"An owl?"
The teacher sighed.
"No."
"Stand up."
Laughter immediately erupted throughout the classroom.
The teacher smiled faintly and turned toward the back row.
"Yemir."
"Can you answer?"
Yemir slowly stood.
For a brief moment...
The image of the mysterious blind girl appeared in his mind.
"...A bat."
"They use echolocation to navigate."
"They emit ultrasonic sound waves and interpret the echoes to understand their surroundings."
The classroom went quiet.
"Wow."
"He answered immediately."
Several girls looked at him with renewed interest.
Yemir simply sat down.
The girl.
Why did I suddenly think of her?
Vini leaned toward him from the side.
"Psst."
"Look behind your chair."
Yemir turned around.
Several folded pieces of paper were scattered across his desk.
"Love notes."
"The girls threw them over when you weren’t paying attention."
Yemir stared at the notes for a moment.
Then he calmly picked them all up and handed them to Vini.
"...Here."
Vini blinked.
"Huh?"
"Keep them."
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
Lunch Break
As soon as the lunch bell rang—
Several boys gathered around Yemir.
One of them grinned.
"Hey."
"Want to play chess?"
Yemir shook his head.
"...No. I’m good."
Another boy laughed.
"What?"
"Afraid of losing?"
Before the teasing could continue, Vini stepped forward.
"If you want to challenge him..."
"Then stop talking and play."
The boys laughed.
"So he’s accepting?"
Yemir sighed.
"...Fine."
Within minutes, half the class had gathered around the chessboard.
Even several girls came over to watch.
Across the board sat Uno.
He quietly adjusted a small wireless earpiece hidden beneath his hair.
Somewhere else, a live video feed displayed the same chessboard.
Uno’s older brother—the National Chess Champion—was watching the match remotely.
"Uno."
"Move the knight first."
Uno followed the instruction perfectly.
The game continued.
Move after move.
The champion carefully analyzed every position through the live feed.
Meanwhile, Yemir sat calmly with his chin resting against one hand.
His eyes briefly moved toward Uno’s ear.
A wireless earpiece...
He’s receiving assistance?
A faint smile touched Yemir’s lips.
Interesting.
The girls watching the game whispered among themselves.
"He’s so good..."
"I don’t even understand what’s happening."
Nearly fifteen minutes passed.
The champion finally smiled.
"I’ ve got him "
"His queen is trapped"
"The moment he moves it..."
"My Knight will give cheak."
Uno struggled to hide his smile.
Victory was only one move away.
Yemir quietly stared at the board.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Then—
He smiled.
Instead of moving his queen...
He slowly moved his knight to a seemingly meaningless square.
"...Check."
The champion’s expression changed.
"...Wait."
His eyes widened.
"No..."
Every escape square was covered.
The king had nowhere to go.
His expression slowly collapsed.
"...Checkmate."
Silence.
The video call suddenly disconnected.
Uno stared at the board.
"...I lost?"
The classroom exploded.
"WOOOO!"
"YEMIR WON!"
"That was amazing!"
Several girls gathered around him.
Yemir calmly packed his bag as if nothing had happened.
"...I’m hungry."
He simply walked toward the cafeteria, completely ignoring the noise behind him.
Evening
The sun had begun to set.
Golden light spread across the streets as Irin finished her shift and started walking home.
Her white cane tapped softly against the sidewalk.
Tap... tap... tap...
High above the rooftops—
A pair of blood-red eyes silently followed her every movement.
Irin had no idea she was being watched.
She suddenly stopped.
"...?"
A sweet smell drifted through the air.
Nearby stood a small candy stall.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"One strawberry lollipop, please."
"That’ll be fifty cents."
She paid, unwrapped the candy, and continued walking.
The sweet flavor lingered as her cane continued tapping against the pavement.
Tap...
Suck...
Tap...
A few minutes later, her cane accidentally brushed against a beggar woman’s bowl.
Irin immediately turned her head.
"...I’m sorry."
The woman quietly asked for help.
"Could you spare something?"
"Of course."
"I can give you a few dollars."
She placed the money into the woman’s bowl.
"Here."
"May the Almighty bless you."
Irin smiled softly.
"Thank you."
A few minutes later, she entered a narrow alley leading toward her home.
Then she heard laughter.
One voice.
Then another.
Then several more.
The sounds slowly drew closer.
Irin stopped.
A man laughed.
"We usually don’t bother girls like you."
"But..."
His voice changed as he studied her.
"Being blind..."
"And yet you’re walking around alone."
Another man cracked his knuckles.
"Enough talking."
"Grab her."
"Then put her in the van."
Surprisingly, Irin didn’t panic.
She simply sighed.
"...I’m blind."
"So..."
"Please don’t come too close."
"If something happens to you..."
"...I might not even realize it."
The men burst into laughter.
"What?"
"You think you’re threatening us?"
Irin slowly raised her white cane.
Instead of holding it vertically, she gripped it with both hands.
Horizontally.
Click.
A hidden mechanism unlocked inside the cane.
The laughter continued.
"Hahaha!"
"What the hell is that?"
"A toy?"
Irin’s lips curved into a calm smile.
The men didn’t notice the change in her expression.
They were still laughing.
Until—
Shing!
A hidden blade slid from inside the cane.
The alley fell silent.