Chapter 0: Beginning

The part-time job was excruciatingly long today.

Nothing special happened since morning, so why did the day drag on so slowly?

Customers were annoying when they came, and it was boring when they didn’t.

The human mind is truly a paradox.

Still, I thought the walk home would relieve some of the fatigue.

But the moment I stepped out of the convenience store, my whole body felt heavy.

My legs, which had been fine until a moment ago, felt like they were sticking to the ground with each step.

“…….”

I let out a long sigh.

Maybe it’s because it’s winter, but the cold air touched my neck.

The tingling sensation at the tip of my nose seemed to wake me up a bit.

I dragged my feet forward.

The dark alleyway was familiar.

It’s the path I always take on my way home from work.

At the end of this path is my home.

And in my home is my bed.

The end of the day, lying on a warm blanket, fiddling with my phone until I fall asleep.

It was the end of an ordinary day, but just thinking about it made me feel good.

But, strangely, the road was a bit quiet today.

It’s not usually a crowded street, but there were no car sounds, nor any voices heard from afar.

I looked back just in case.

There was nothing.

“Just my imagination?”

I tried to dismiss it casually with a soliloquy, but something felt off.

I briefly looked away.

My eyes hurt, so I just closed them tightly and slowly opened them again.

But when I looked up…………… What is this?

Suddenly, my surroundings had transformed into an unfamiliar landscape.

Before me was a narrow, long hallway.

The walls were yellowish, and the fluorescent lights flickered faintly.

A buzzing sound echoed in my ears.

I don’t even know where the sound is coming from.

I looked down at my feet and saw a worn-out carpet.

It was covered in dust.

I took a slow, deep breath.

The smell was also strange for some reason.

It was a mix of old dust, mold, and something more unpleasant, stinging my nose.

“Huh?”

Naturally, a low exclamation escaped my lips.

I was just in the alleyway a moment ago.

Where did the path I was walking on go?

I stood there blankly for a moment.

I felt dizzy.

I slowly looked around.

No matter where I looked, I couldn’t see the end.

It was as if this hallway stretched on endlessly.

“Ugh.”

The surroundings were strangely quiet, and the space seemed to repeat endlessly.

The wallpaper was a faint beige with a yellowish tint, as if a once-bright color had faded over time.

The strange smell emanating from the wallpaper and the low vibrating sound from the ceiling stirred up my anxiety.

“This seems familiar…………”

The surroundings looked like something I’d seen somewhere.

It resembled the ‘that place’ that had recently become a hot topic on the internet.

“Backrooms?”

The small voice echoed in the hallway.

As soon as the word left my mouth, I got goosebumps.

The place that was talked about like a joke was really in front of my eyes.

Confused, I shook my head and took a step.

But the way I walked was strange.

Every time my feet touched the ground, the soft carpet felt incredibly unfamiliar.

Feeling that something was wrong, I looked down at my feet.

And I was stunned.

“What…………?”

It was small.

Too small.

It wasn’t just my feet; even my toes were short and round.

Instinctively, I raised my hands to check.

It was the same.

My fingers were cute like a child’s, and my palms looked small and soft.

I slowly turned my hands over and clenched and unclenched them.

What is this?

My heart started pounding.

“Don’t tell me……………”

With trembling hands, I grabbed my hair and looked down.

Instead of short black hair, soft, long hair wrapped around my fingers.

Only then did I realize.

It wasn’t just this space that was wrong.

“No way?!”

I slowly scanned my body from head to toe.

My clothes were also strange.

Instead of the worn-out padded jacket and jeans I was wearing, there was a girl’s dress and a small outer garment that I had never seen before.

“What is this………… Really, what?”

My voice was also strange.

I could definitely hear my voice, but it was strangely clear and high-pitched.

I leaned against the wall and slowly exhaled.

“Calm down………… If I calm down…….”

As expected, it was impossible to calm down.

The unfamiliar space in front of me, and my unfamiliar appearance.

My mind went blank at the fact that all of this was really happening.

“What on earth…

……

is going on?”

A frail voice scattered in the hallway.

No one answered my question, but the buzzing sound of the fluorescent lights made the silence eerie.

February 1, 2025.

Day 0 in an unidentified space.

My heart is still beating fast.

I feel like I need to organize my thoughts somehow, so I’m going to try writing a diary using the notebook I brought for my part-time job.

First of all, I don’t know where this is.

I fell into this strange place as soon as my part-time job ended.

All around me are old wallpaper, the smell of dust, and an endless hallway.

It seems familiar, yet it’s so unfamiliar.

My body is also strange.

I’ve turned into a child.

I don’t know why this happened, where this is, or anything.

I want to go home.