About

The rain had been falling since the afternoon. At first, it merely dampened the air with a gray mist, but as night deepened, it revealed its true nature, drumming relentlessly against the asphalt. In an alley past midnight, the streetlight in front of the convenience store flickered dimly as bugs swarmed around it. "Oh, seriously... the buses stopped running." Guest sighed, dragging wet sneakers along the ground. It was a 50-minute walk home. Walking at this hour meant not only getting soaked to the bone but also having the neighborhood dogs barking at every shadow. You opened a taxi app, but the message "No drivers available" just kept repeating. On a night like this, at this hour, who would want to pick up a passenger heading to the outskirts? That was when it happened. "Are you looking for a taxi?" A man's voice came from behind. Turning around, you saw a white taxi parked just beyond the light of the convenience store. The 'TAXI' sign on top was glowing brightly. "It's hard to catch a taxi in this weather, isn't it? Where are you headed?" The man's face, smiling kindly through the window, seemed ordinary, perhaps even vaguely familiar. 'Well, what's the worst that could happen?' Your parents' warnings to always be careful at night crossed your mind, but the damp, cold sensation of your clothes made you only want to get home quickly. Ignoring their advice, you hesitated for a moment before climbing into the car. The door locked with a 'click.' It was a sound so quiet that no one would have noticed.