“The Past Doesn’t Knock—it Walks in”

The banging on Annie’s door wasn’t gentle. It was urgent, wild—like someone was trying to wake the dead. Which, considering Annie had been asleep for nearly two days, wasn’t far off.

She rolled out of bed in a daze, blanket wrapped around her like a makeshift burrito. The huge wooden cottage—her grandfather’s gift—echoed with the pounding. Annie, half-asleep and fully confused, cracked open the door.

Billy stood there, grinning like an idiot. Beside him? A group of unfamiliar but suspiciously Billy-adjacent guys. And way out on the beach, Hayat was yelling, “Come on, Annie! Let’s go!”

“Wait—what’s going on?” she croaked, voice still sleepy.

Before she could process anything, two of the guys—one definitely Billy’s friend, the other probably just enthusiastic—grabbed her shoulders.

“Hey! Guys, no—what are you doing?!”

Billy snatched her left arm, the other guy took the right. They started walking.

“No, no, no! You are not doing this—guys?! Billy?!”

But they were already halfway down the wooden path stretching over the sea. The waves below shimmered cold and merciless under the morning sun.

“Seriously, you’re not—this is a joke, right?!”

Billy glanced at her, half teasing, half hurt. “Where were you? It was my birthday last night. I haven’t seen you for a week, Annie.”

Her eyes widened. “What day is it?”

“It’s Thursday, Annie.”

She blinked. “I slept… for two days?”

He raised an eyebrow, arms still hooked in hers. “Apparently. You hibernating now?”

Annie’s expression shifted from confusion to low-key panic. “Billy… wait—I can’t go into the water. I really can’t.”

Billy paused. “Wait—what?”

Too late. A silent nod between the guys and splash. Annie hit the sea.

Cold. Too cold.

The phobia hit her like a slap. Her eyes clamped shut. The deep water pulled at her limbs. She flailed—weakly. Her breath was slipping.

“Annie!” Hayat’s voice, panicked. Then a splash—she jumped in. But she wasn’t strong enough.

Billy’s face changed the second he realized—this wasn’t just drama. This was real. He dove in.

Together, they pulled her out—gasping, wet, silent.

Hayat rubbed her back gently. “It’s okay. Breathe.”

Billy tried to speak, but she cut him down with a single look—icy, unreadable. She got up, dripping, walked barefoot through the sand, and slammed her cottage door shut.

Inside, she washed away the salt and the fear. Changed into something oddly comforting—her teddy bear hoodie and black cargo pants. She peeked outside. No one. They were… gone?

Of course. She should’ve known. People leave. They always leave.

———————

The banging had stopped, but the echo lingered.

Annie had walked back into her cottage, soaked and silent, leaving Hayat and Billy behind on the sand. She didn’t slam the door out of anger. She slammed it to hold herself together.

They stayed outside for ten minutes. Just standing there, looking worried—like they knew they’d gone too far. But Annie didn’t open the door.

When the knock came again, it wasn’t frantic—it was composed. She opened the door to a man in a sleek three-piece suit, holding a tablet in one hand and a coffee in the other. He looked more like someone who should be negotiating property deals than standing on a beach.

“Are you the owner of this house, ma’am?” he asked, professional but polite.

Annie nodded. “Yes.”

He explained they were here for a one-day MV shoot, and the location matched what their coordinator booked. Then, with a bit of hesitance, he asked if he could sit down for a moment—just to catch a breath. “The sun’s hot, but the wind’s gone cold,” he said, glancing at the waves. The surface shimmered gold, but Annie knew how cold the sea was underneath.

She looked past him and noticed the group behind—five young men, styled to perfection, faces brushed into flawless symmetry, all dressed in layered outfits despite the weather. They had the usual idol look—heavy black eyeliner, pale skin, hair dyed with intention. In Seoul, this wasn’t unusual. Still, it felt surreal seeing them here. Like a screen had bled into her real world.

The manager looked at her and offered her the coffee with a small gesture. “You look cold.”

She hesitated—still guarded, —but nodded slowly. “Okay. Just give me ten minutes.”

Inside, she moved quickly. Turned on her robotic vacuum, fluffed pillows, rearranged the couch throws, lit the soft lamp in the corner. She dragged the summer dust into something resembling comfort. In five minutes, the cold, messy space became warm and inviting.

When she opened the door to let them in, she froze.

She knew that face.

Not just as a stranger or a celebrity lookalike. Not even as a passerby..,

He was him.

Her ex.

They’d only dated for two weeks. A short, strange, fast-burning thing. She had sworn she’d never see him again after he ended it. Said she deserved better than someone who would eventually leave.

Yet here he was, standing in her doorway, hair dyed ash-gray, dressed in layered black. No mask. No shield.

Their eyes locked.

He looked… frozen. His expression unreadable—part apologetic, part confused. He seemed to wonder if she would yell, or walk away, or maybe just pretend he didn’t exist.

But Annie didn’t think about the sea. She didn’t think about Billy or Hayat or the panic that had just wrecked her morning.

All she saw were the fourteen days she couldn’t get back. All she felt was the silence he left behind.

She took a quiet breath, then turned to the manager and stepped aside. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

They moved a few steps away, just enough that the others couldn’t hear.

She pulled out her phone, handed it to him with the contact page open. “Here. My number. Call me when you’re done.”

The manager blinked. “Are you not staying?”

“I have work,” she said flatly.

She didn’t.

But she had to leave.

The manager looked her over a bit suspiciously. She wasn’t going anywhere far. But he didn’t ask questions. Just nodded.

She knew they weren’t the type to steal anything. They were from a big company. Respectful. Professional.

She walked away without another word, trying not to glance back.