Chapter 8: Don’t Open Doors Carelessly
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Yu Sheng stepped into the small kitchen, closing the door behind him with a soft click. He reached for the vent hood switch, and the loud, steady hum that filled the room helped calm his racing heart.
It was like the thin wooden door and the machine’s constant drone formed a shield between him and the unsettling world beyond. For a moment, he could pretend he was somewhere else. Not in Boundary City, with its strange streets and dark corners, but back in his real home. Somewhere that felt safe and familiar.
The house he lived in now was nothing like the one he had left behind. But in this kitchen, he had tried to recreate a sense of his old life. He arranged everything just as he remembered—down to the smallest details.
Every day, when he cooked, he let himself pretend. He imagined he hadn’t opened that front door that fateful morning, stepping into a different world. Sometimes, if he kept himself busy enough, he could almost believe that if he looked up, he’d see his old street through the window—bathed in the warm, orange light of evening, the apartment buildings glowing in the sunset.
But when he did look up, reality would crash back down. There were no familiar apartment buildings here—just a barren space, dotted with old, squat houses and a tangle of utility poles. The sky, once a comforting sight, was either painfully bright or oppressively dark—never the peaceful twilight he longed for.
Yu Sheng sighed, pulling down the blinds to shut out the bleak view.
He set to work, sorting through the vegetables, washing them under the cold tap, then heating the wok. The sizzle of oil as he fried scallions brought a sense of routine, of normalcy. Meanwhile, the faint sound of a television show drifted in from the other room. It felt strange, even though it shouldn’t have. Despite all its oddities, this city still had its own news channels, TV shows, and even phones. In fact, a lot of what he’d learned about Boundary City came from watching TV and scrolling through news feeds on his phone.
“Yu Sheng! The TV’s too quiet! Turn it up for me, will you?”
The loud voice startled him, almost making him spill the wok’s contents. He had forgotten about Irene.
Before, when he cooked, it was always quiet.
“Hold on, I’ll turn it up in a sec!” he called back, not bothering to hide his irritation. He muttered under his breath, “She’s really made herself at home…”
But after a moment, he found himself smiling despite it all. The noise, at least, brought some life into the house. He hadn’t realized how lonely the quiet had been.
Soon, he emerged from the kitchen with steaming dishes in hand. He placed them on the table, turned up the TV volume a bit, and sat down opposite Irene’s painting. He didn’t care much for watching TV while eating, but the background noise kept the room from feeling too empty. He smiled, knowing Irene could only see from her spot in the painting—not competing with him for a better view.
In the painting, Irene sat with her teddy bear, her eyes flickering between the TV and the dishes on the table. She muttered, “Quite the feast…”
“Just some home cooking,” Yu Sheng replied casually. “I like to cook.”
“Hmm.” Irene nodded, turning her attention back to the TV. But after a few minutes, she fidgeted as Yu Sheng began eating. She leaned forward, casting longing glances at the food. Finally, unable to hold back, she huffed, “So, are you just going to eat without offering me anything?”
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow, waving his chopsticks at the painting. “Want a bite?”
Irene shot him a glare but quickly lowered her head, sulking.
“Alright, alright. Just for show,” Yu Sheng sighed, feeling a bit guilty. He got up, fetched an empty bowl, scooped some food into it, and placed it in front of the painting. “There. You can at least enjoy the smell. I’ll finish it later anyway.”
Irene studied the bowl, then gave a satisfied nod, moving closer to the frame’s edge. Her face took up almost half the painting as she gazed at him earnestly. “That’ll do. Thanks. You’re quite thoughtful, you know.”
Yu Sheng shrugged, taking another bite. But as he looked up again, something about the scene unsettled him. Irene didn’t notice his discomfort. She kept watching him, puzzled by his silence. “What are you staring at?”
Yu Sheng quickly looked down, focusing on his food before glancing back at the painting.
There was the dark frame, the shadowy background, Irene’s wide-eyed face, and the bowl of food placed solemnly in front of her.
It looked disturbingly like a memorial portrait, complete with an offering.
The muscles in Yu Sheng’s face twitched, but he kept his thoughts to himself—not out of kindness, but because Irene had a sharp tongue when she wanted. He knew better than to provoke her.
So, instead, he focused on his meal, pretending nothing was wrong. Under Irene’s puzzled gaze, he kept his head down, avoiding the unsettling image of the painting, where the girl looked too much like a memorial portrait with the offering bowl still there.
It felt like eating at a funeral.
When he finally finished, Yu Sheng wiped his mouth and hurried to clear the bowls and dishes away from her painting. He tossed them into the kitchen sink, deciding to let them soak overnight. His back was sore, and the idea of scrubbing dishes made his muscles ache.
While he could avoid washing up, he couldn’t skip taking out the trash. In this weather, the kitchen garbage would stink if left overnight. Grimacing, Yu Sheng gathered the trash, grabbed the bag, and headed toward the door.
Irene, still watching TV, looked up curiously. “Hey, where are you going so late?”
“Do I need to report to you every time I leave my own house?” he shot back, though without real heat. He lifted the trash bag as proof. “Just taking out the garbage.”
“Oh, well, come back quickly,” she said, her eyes back on the screen. “This house is so big, and I get scared being alone. What if a thief breaks in…”
Yu Sheng rolled his eyes. In a house like this, if a thief walked in and saw a ghostly figure moving in a painting, they’d probably be the ones calling the police. But he didn’t have the heart to say it out loud.
Shaking his head, he muttered as he walked to the door. He changed into his outdoor shoes, reached for the handle, and paused.
He applied a little pressure and twisted the knob.
For a moment, he was reminded of that morning two months ago—when everything had changed. It had been just another ordinary day, or so he thought. He had opened his front door, stepped outside, and walked straight into a vast, strange city he had never seen before. Since then, he hadn’t been able to go back.
The memory made him hesitate, but he shrugged it off with a wry smile. Nothing like that would happen again, he told himself, pushing the door open.
The crisp snap of a twig underfoot shattered the silence. A cold wind slapped him, carrying the foul stench of decay. Yu Sheng shivered, his brain taking a few seconds to process what was happening.
He wasn’t standing in front of his home anymore.
Around him were crumbling stones, broken bricks, and the remnants of an abandoned place. In the distance, beyond a twisted forest, dark mountains loomed against the night sky—silent sentinels towering over the valley, casting heavy shadows.
Yu Sheng stood frozen, barely daring to breathe. Slowly, he turned to look behind him.
What he saw made his stomach drop.
Where his house had been, there was now only rubble, bricks scattered across the ground. The remains of a temple lay in ruins—its doorframe broken and crooked, with half a door still hanging by a rusty hinge. From within the ruins came a low, mournful wail, carried by the wind through the cracks in the stones.
Yu Sheng’s eyes widened. “Where… am I?”
He didn’t need anyone to tell him. The truth hit him like a cold slap.
He’d done it again.
By opening the door, he had crossed into another strange place. But this time, it was worse.
Boundary City had been eerie, but it was still a city—a place with people, streets, and some sense of order. But here? Here, he was in the middle of nowhere. Wilderness ahead, crumbling ruins behind.
He glanced around, taking in the thick forest and the towering mountains. If this place wasn’t crawling with bandits or beasts, it would be wasting its gloomy atmosphere.
And all he had to protect himself was a bag of kitchen garbage.
Yu Sheng cursed under his breath. He felt a surge of frustration, knowing he was utterly unprepared for whatever was about to happen.
Just as his thoughts spiraled, a voice rang in his head.
“Yu Sheng! The TV’s lost signal! When are you coming back?”