Broken Code

Part 8

A few days passed, and thoughts of "bugSi49" gradually began to fade. I buried myself in work, tackling my to-do list, chatting with colleagues over coffee, and slipping back into my usual rhythm. But just as the sunflower began to blur into the background of my mind, another message from "bugSi49" popped up on my screen in the middle of the workday.

This time, the tone was light and straightforward: a friendly greeting followed by an unexpected question:

"Hi! Do you enjoy outdoor sports?"

On the surface, it was a harmless query, but something about it caught my attention. Only moments earlier, I'd been discussing just that with my colleagues in the break area. We'd been talking about an upcoming sports festival in the park, where professional athletes would be giving demonstrations, and everyone could have a go at activities ranging from running to rock climbing. The conversation had been lively, with someone joking that we "office-dwellers" wouldn't last half an hour of physical exertion. It sounded like a fun idea, though I wasn't sure if I'd actually attend.

The timing of "bugSi49"'s question felt oddly perfect. Yet, when I thought back to our earlier chat, I couldn't recall everyone who had joined the discussion. The break area is always bustling, with people flitting in and out, grabbing coffee and throwing in a comment or two before disappearing. Perhaps this person had been there, quietly listening, without saying much. Or had they simply stumbled upon the topic, given how much it was circulating in the office lately?

I decided to respond cautiously:

"Hi! Yeah, I think it could be fun. I'm curious to try rock climbing. What about you?"

As I hit send, a flicker of nervous excitement bubbled up. I couldn't quite pin down where this was leading, but the exchange felt too coincidental to be entirely random. Something about it hinted at a deeper thread waiting to be unravelled.