EPISODE 41 — "The Door That Must Not Be Opened"

EPISODE 41 — "The Door That Must Not Be Opened"
“You always eat breakfast alone like this?”
Rae sat across the dining table, her eyes staring at the toast on her plate without really seeing it.

Steam rose slowly from her jasmine tea in a white porcelain cup. In front of her, Kenny sat calmly as usual, scooping soft-boiled eggs with slow, precise movements.
“I used to,” Kenny replied without looking up. “But now you’re here, Rae.”

Rae didn’t answer. She just picked up the toast, took a small bite, then put it back. The taste wasn’t bad. But nothing really stayed on her tongue when her mind was wandering too far.

The sound of a spoon touching a plate rang in the quiet room. A soft but clear sound in a space that felt too neat, too clean, too... controlled.
No birdsong. No creaking wood. Just a modern silence that felt foreign.

Kenny looked up. “Rae… If you want, we can change the menu tomorrow.”

Rae nodded slightly, but didn’t feel like replying. She was more interested in what wasn’t being said.
“This house…” she thought. “Why doesn’t it feel like it used to?”

“You’re free to look around the house, Rae,” Kenny said suddenly. His voice was light, as if he was just talking about the weather. “But… there are a few rooms I hope you won’t enter.”

Rae turned to him. Her brow furrowed a little. “Huh? Why?”
Kenny gave a little smile, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. “Because not everything needs to be seen.”

Then silence again. But this time, the silence hung in the air like fog, hiding something beneath it.
Rae didn’t reply. She only glanced toward the long hallway to the left. She had passed it briefly yesterday. Nothing seemed strange. It was just dark and quiet.

But now… it felt like it was calling to her.



Daylight came without a sound.
Sunlight reflected off the tall windows, lighting up the shiny marble floor like the surface of a lake.

Kenny was in his working room, talking on the phone, his voice low and calm. Rae stood outside, pretending to read a book in the living room, but her eyes kept glancing toward the same hallway.

She stepped forward slowly. One, two… three steps. No sound. The thick carpet swallowed everything.

One door at the end of the hallway caught her eye. Its wood was different. Older. Its doorknob was made of brass, unlike the modern metal knobs on the other doors.
Rae moved closer. She touched the knob gently, then turned it.

Locked…

Suddenly, a voice came from a hidden speaker in the ceiling:
“Access restricted.”

The lights above flickered once. Softly. But enough to make Rae take half a step back. Her heart pounded.
“What was that just now? The house’s security system? Or… a warning from Kenny? This house is really different now since we left for the penthouse.”

She stood in front of the door for a few more seconds. No other sound. Only her own shadow faintly reflected on the doorknob.



“You’re curious, aren’t you?”
Kenny was already sitting in the main room when Rae returned. It was like he already knew where she had gone, even without asking.

Rae stood in the doorway, her shoulders tense.
“If I’m allowed to go anywhere,” she said, “why is one room locked?”

Kenny looked at her. His gaze was calm, almost like a patient teacher.
“Because you’re not ready to know everything about me.”

Rae lifted her chin a little. “So you still think I’m weak?”
“I think you’re too strong,” Kenny replied softly, “to be hurt by things that don’t matter.”

Rae wanted to be angry. But those words… they made sense. And that made her even more upset.



Their room on the second floor felt brighter than usual.
But it wasn’t the sunlight.

Something was different....

In the corner of the room, near the wardrobe, now stood a tall mirror.
Not an ordinary mirror.

Its frame was thin, almost invisible. The surface too clean, too perfect—
As if it wasn’t really a mirror, but a pair of eyes in disguise.

Rae stood in front of it.
Staring at her reflection.

But a strange feeling slowly crept in....
Like someone was watching her from the other side of the glass.

She reached out and touched it.
Cold.

“What are you trying to hide from me, Kenny Blackwood?”

Her voice was soft.
Only she could hear it.



Midnight....

Rae woke up.
Not from a dream. Not from a loud noise.

Just... something felt off.
Click....

Her eyes snapped open. Her heart instantly alert.

No sound followed.
But her body tensed, like something was calling her in silence.

She sat up slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the dark.
The room was quiet, but not calm. There was something out there.

She pulled the blanket aside.....

Her feet touched the floor. Cold.
It made her shiver.

She stood carefully and walked toward the bedroom door.

The hallway outside was dim.
The wall lamps cast long shadows that moved with her steps.

Rae held her breath as the floor creaked gently beneath her.
She knew she should go back to sleep.

But something inside her said no.
Something was pulling her forward.

Her eyes locked onto one point:
The door at the end of the hallway.

Earlier that day, it was tightly locked.
Now... it was open.

Just a little. A small gap.
But enough to make Rae’s heart feel like it was being squeezed.

'Why was it open?'
'Who opened it?'

She moved closer...
Each step felt like she was challenging something invisible.

Her body felt both light and heavy.
As her fingers touched the door, they trembled.

She didn’t know why, but she felt like.....
There was something waiting for her inside.

Something she couldn’t explain with reason.
She pushed slowly.

'Screeech...'

The gap widened.
The room was dark, but there was sound from within.

Music....
Classical music.
A soft piano melody, like a whisper from far away.

Rae froze.
Her heart beat fast...

Not out of fear, but from the sudden rush of questions:

“Why is there music?”
“Who’s playing it?”
“Am I dreaming?”
“Is this real?”

She stepped in halfway, but her body still stood at the door.
Then....

Footsteps. Slow. Like someone walking on wooden floors...
But the rhythm was uneven.

Like it wasn’t coming from just one direction.
Rae gripped the edge of the door.

Her fingers were cold.
Her whole body shaking.

But she couldn’t step back.
It was like the room had a pull stronger than her fear.

Second by second passed.
She swallowed.Painfully.

Her throat was dry. Her breath short.
The door was now fully open.

Darkness.
Music.
Shadows.

Then suddenly, A voice. Close. Too close....
Right behind her ear.

“You’re not asleep?”

Rae’s body went numb. She turned quickly.
Her eyes widened....

It felt like her blood stopped flowing.
Her mouth opened slightly,

But no words came out.

Only broken breath. And a pair of eyes...
Looking straight at her.

To be continued...