One week later at 11:46 PM. Ha-eun waits before Elevator B pretending not to wait. The clock and floor sign are visible.

The elevator opens. The stranger is already inside at the back corner, phone dark, as if he expected her.

Second Tuesday. Ha-eun carries two canned coffees from a lobby machine with fictional label LumenDesk Coffee.

Another Tuesday. The elevator descends smoothly. Ha-eun speaks with more bite now.

Fourth Tuesday. The elevator mirror frames Ha-eun like a confession booth. The stranger is visible only as a quiet presence at the edge.

The stranger refuses to comfort her in expected ways. His answer makes the elevator feel older than the building.

A later Tuesday ride. Visual hints of the stranger's outside life appear, but he offers no explanation.

Another Tuesday at 11:47 PM. Elevator doors open. The stranger enters with a split lip, fresh blood the only strong accent.

Ha-eun chooses not to ask. She reaches into her tote for a plain white handkerchief with a blue stitched corner.

Ha-eun steps into his space and presses the handkerchief to his split lip. He flinches for the first time.

The elevator reaches the lobby. For the first time, the stranger leaves before Ha-eun does, keeping the handkerchief pressed to his mouth.

The elevator doors close. Ha-eun looks down; he has returned the handkerchief at the last instant, now marked with blood.