Chapter 1
Heavy rain poured outside the coffee shop.
Thunder echoed across the dark evening sky while warm yellow lights glowed softly inside the café. A few customers sat quietly in the corners, sipping coffee as old jazz music played faintly in the background.
Near the window, three young women sat around a small wooden table.
Winny stood behind the counter wearing her waitress uniform — red shirt, black apron, hair tied neatly. Her tired eyes and pale face revealed months of sleepless nights.
Lilly watched her carefully while stirring her coffee.
Lilly :“You can’t keep living like this, Winny.”
Winny forced a weak smile but said nothing.
Stella leaned forward gently.
Stella : “Your mom called me yesterday.”
Winny slowly looked up.
Stella “She’s worried about you.” “You barely eat… you barely sleep…”
Lilly crossed her arms.
Lilly “And Christina said you’ve been messing up customer orders all week.”
Winny lowered her eyes quietly.
Stella “If this wasn’t your family café, someone would’ve fired you already.”
Rain struck harder against the windows.
Winny stared outside at the empty road.
Winny (softly) “I’m trying…”
The girls remained silent.
Winny “I come here every day hoping work will distract me.” “But sometimes…”
She paused.
“My mind just goes blank.”
Thunder rumbled across the sky.
Stella “It’s been six months already…”
Winny’s fingers tightened around the coffee cup.
Winny “People keep saying that like I’m supposed to feel better.”
The mood around the table became heavy.
Lilly “No one expected the accident.”
Winny looked away immediately.
Winny “He called me that night…”
The rain outside suddenly intensified.
Winny “I didn’t see the call until later.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
Winny “When I tried calling back…”
“…his phone was already unreachable.”
Silence filled the café.
Even the jazz music felt distant now.
Winny (slowly) “Sometimes I still wonder…”
“What he wanted to say before he died.”
Nobody answered.
Then—
A sudden flash of lightning illuminated the café.
Winny froze.
Across the street, beneath the heavy rain, stood a tall woman dressed completely in black.
Motionless.
Her face hidden beneath a dark veil.
Watching.
Thunder exploded loudly.
Winny blinked.
The woman disappeared.
Lilly “Winny?”
Winny snapped back nervously.
Winny “Huh…? Sorry.”
Lilly exchanged a worried look with Stella.
Lilly “You seriously need a break from this place.”
Stella suddenly straightened slightly.
Stella “Actually… my boyfriend wants to visit his grandmother’s village.”
Lilly “A vacation?”
Stella “Not exactly.”
Her expression slowly darkened.
Stella “His grandmother passed away recently.”
The mood shifted again.
Stella “Before dying, she made him promise to return to her village…”
“…and complete a ritual for her.”
Winny frowned.
Winny “What kind of ritual?”
Stella “He doesn’t know completely.”
Lilly “He’s never been there before?”
Stella shook her head slowly.
Stella “No.” “Neither he nor his parents have ever visited the village.”
Lilly looked confused.
Lilly “Then how does he know about it?”
Thunder echoed softly outside.
Stella glanced toward the rain-covered window.
Stella “His grandmother came from a very respected family there.” “But she fell in love with a doctor from outside the village.”
Winny “And her family opposed the marriage?”
Stella nodded.
Stella “They ran away together after getting married.” “She never returned after that.”
The café suddenly felt colder.
Even the customers seemed quieter somehow.
Stella “The only reason my boyfriend knows about the village is because his grandmother used to tell him stories when he was little.”
Lilly leaned forward curiously and asked
“So what’s this mysterious village called?”
Stella hesitated briefly.
Then softly—
its “Velmora.”
The instant the name left her lips—
BOOM!
A violent thunderstrike shook the entire café.
The lights flickered rapidly.
Coffee cups rattled on the table.
Several customers looked around nervously.
Winny flinched.
Outside the window—
That same black-clothed woman stood across the street again.
Motionless.
Watching directly at her.
Lightning flashed once more.
The woman vanished.
Silence filled the café.
Lilly laughed nervously “Okay… that was creepy.”
But Winny continued staring outside.
Something about the name Velmora felt strangely familiar.
Then—
The café lights suddenly went out completely.
Darkness.
Only the sound of rain remained.
Winny’s breathing became heavier.
From somewhere behind her…
A faint whisper echoed through the darkness.
“Winnnny…”
Her eyes widened.
The lights instantly returned.
Everyone looked around in confusion.
But nobody else seemed to hear it.
Stella “So?” “Are you coming with us?”
Winny slowly turned back toward the rain-covered window.
The street outside was now completely empty.
But deep inside…
Something felt terribly wrong.
And yet—
For the first time in months—
She wanted to escape.
Winny (softly) “…Okay.”
Thunder cracked loudly across the night sky.
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