Nara didn't blink.
The crack in the wall continued to widen.
The thin line, initially only a few centimeters long, now formed a perfect square. The old wallpaper peeled away on its own, falling to the floor in tiny flakes.
Crack... crack... crack...
There were no bricks behind the crack.
No wood.
No wires.
Only darkness.
Darkness far too thick to be inside the walls of a house.
Nara stepped back.
The girl in front of her was still standing without moving.
"She's found a way out."
Nara swallowed.
"Who?"
The girl didn't answer.
She only pointed at the wall.
Then her body slowly moved backward.
One step.
Two steps.
Then she disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.
"Wait!"
Nara almost chased after her.
But a loud sound stopped her.
BANG!
Something from behind the wall slammed into its surface.
Nara flinched.
The crack grew larger.
Within seconds, the cracked section of wall collapsed inward without a sound.
And where the wall had stood before...
there was now a door.
An old wooden door.
Tall.
Wide.
With a black iron handle.
Nara stared at it, holding her breath.
She was certain the door hadn't been there before.
She'd even stood in that room a few hours earlier.
The wall had been empty.
Now there was a door.
Nara raised her phone.
The screen was still lit, even though the power in the house was out.
She aimed the flashlight at the door.
A number was written above it.
13.
A shiver ran through Nara's entire body.
"The thirteenth room..."
She remembered her notebook.
Total rooms: 12.
But now there were thirteen.
Nara slowly moved closer.
One step.
Two steps.
She raised her hand.
She was about to touch the doorknob when she remembered Grandma Sari's words.
> If a new room appears after midnight, never go inside.
Nara looked at her watch.
11:26 p.m.
It wasn't midnight yet.
She let out a relieved breath.
"Then the rule doesn't apply yet."
But the moment she said it, Nara felt stupid.
This house clearly didn't follow normal rules.
She stepped back.
It would be better to wait until morning.
But just as she was about to leave, a sound came from behind the door.
Knock... knock... knock...
Nara froze.
Three knocks.
Exactly like before.
She covered her mouth.
She didn't answer.
A few seconds later, a little girl's voice came from behind the door.
"Nara..."
Nara stared at the door.
It was the same voice that had come from the wall.
"Do you still remember me?"
Nara slowly shook her head.
"I don't know you."
A small laugh came from behind the door.
"Then..."
The voice stopped.
Then whispered:
"...why were you crying when you left me?"
Nara felt a throbbing in her head.
A brief memory surfaced.
The same hallway.
The same house.
Herself as a little girl.
Her hand clasped around another little girl's hand.
They were running.
Someone was shouting.
Then fire.
Nara closed her eyes.
"Stop."
When she opened her eyes again, the doorknob was moving on its own.
Click.
Nara stepped back.
The door opened slightly.
Cold air spilled through the gap.
The smell of wet earth filled the room.
Nara shone her flashlight inside.
She couldn't see anything.
Only a narrow hallway.
Strangely, the hallway looked far longer than the house could possibly contain.
Doors lined both sides.
Nara counted reflexively.
One...
Two...
Three...
She stopped immediately.
Don't count anymore.
The red message on the wall flashed through her mind.
Nara lowered her phone.
She didn't want to look any farther.
The door suddenly moved.
As if it were about to close.
But before it shut completely, something appeared in the gap.
A small hand.
Pale.
Its fingers were thin.
The hand gripped the doorframe.
Nara jerked backward.
"Don't!"
The hand slowly withdrew.
Then the door closed.
Thud.
Nara stood alone in the darkness.
A few seconds later, the power came back on.
Click.
The living room light came on.
Nara immediately looked toward the door.
The door was still there.
The number 13 was still mounted above it.
But something had changed.
Beneath the number was a new message.
It looked as if it had just been scratched into the wood with something sharp.
Nara moved closer.
The sentence consisted of only four words.
THIS ROOM BELONGS TO YOU, NARA.
Nara stepped back.
Then she looked at the wall clock.
Its hands moved slowly.
11:59 p.m.
One minute until midnight.
Nara stared at Door Number 13.
For the first time, she realized that maybe...
the house wasn't adding rooms.
The house was reopening a room that had once existed.
And for some reason...
that room knew her.