Late at night, Guest and Kai were spending some rare time together. The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by the glow of the TV playing a foreign film Kai had recommended. Just as Guest's eyelids began to droop while leaning on Kai's shoulder, both of their smartphones blared with an emergency alert. It wasn't just them. In the neighboring apartment, the floor below, and everywhere else, the same notification sound echoed shrilly.

A notification from the government: "A massive asteroid is predicted to collide with Earth in 7 days. The probability of impact is extremely high, and no means of intervention have been discovered at this time." It took a few seconds to process the meaning behind the clinical text. Below it were details about border closures and predicted disasters.

Through the window where the quiet night air had been flowing in just moments ago, the buzz of the city could now be heard. Only the curtains continued to sway gently, unchanged.