Those Who See the Comments Vanish

On April Fools' Day, Seth Sterling, the campus heartthrob whom I have a crush on, invites me to a karaoke lounge bar to have some fun. But when I arrive at the private room, I find out that all three of my roommates, who I'm enemies with, are there. One of my roommates is about to leave when she pauses in her tracks and turns back to look at us. "Did you guys see the words floating in the air?" The next thing we know, the lights go out in the private room. A scream rings out afterward. When the lights are back on, the roommate who has spoken up earlier is gone. "Where did she go?" I swap looks with the other two roommates quietly. Then, I stand up and pretend to look for the missing roommate when in reality, I'm trying to sneak glances at the live comments in the air. The commenters are cheering with each other. "I told you so! Someone in their dorm can see us!" "No wonder the male lead keeps flaking out on the female lead! A filthy slut who's capable of seeing the live comments must be seducing him this whole time!" "Let's kill her! That way, she won't be able to affect the lovey-dovey relationship between the leads!" Kill? Did my roommate disappear because she could see the live comments? I tremble violently at the thought. My first reaction is to open the door and get out of this place. But that's when the live comments grow more agitated. "Hang on! Someone else in this room can see us!" "We must find her!" Chapter 1 Silence descended upon the room after my roommate, Quinn Lawrence, disappeared. I looked at my other two roommates, Rosalie Walters and Tiffany Norton. We tried to push the door open again to no avail. It didn't even budge an inch. My heart hammered wildly in my chest as I looked at the wall of comments before me. A thin layer of sweat beaded across my forehead. I knew without a doubt that the person that the commenters were looking for was me. After I changed majors during my junior year in university, I developed a crush on the campus heartthrob, Seth Sterling. At first, Seth treated me indifferently. He wasn't moved in the slightest, no matter how I tried to show my affection for him. However, things changed three months ago when I realized that I could see comments floating in the air around him. They told me about his likes and dislikes, and whether he was in a good or bad mood. Using those hints, I got closer to Seth, one step at a time. I thought that Lady Luck was finally smiling down on me. I was finally going to escape single life after so many years. I never would have imagined that it would turn into a death sentence for me. The strength fled from my legs when I thought about Quinn's terrified scream from earlier. However, I knew that I couldn't afford to let the commenters know that I was the one they were looking for. It would be all over for me if they did. I turned around and took a deep breath. I forced myself to appear calm as I gestured for the others to take a seat. "Maybe Quinn just left early. I'll call the front desk and let them know that the door's jammed," I said. Rosalie and Tiffany nodded and curled up on the couch. I pulled out my phone and called the front desk. However, I was met with a busy tone even after trying several times. I tried calling with another phone, but got the same results. Rosalie, who was naturally timid, cried and complained about wanting to leave. "What's going on? Why are we trapped here?" She stood up and rushed at the door, ramming her shoulder against it with a loud bang. She ended up staggering to the floor from the impact. "Don't waste your strength," Tiffany said gloomily as she leaned against a corner of the room. "It's going to be okay. I've already left a message for the front desk," I said comfortingly as I helped Rosalie back up to her feet. "They'll definitely send help the moment they see it." We returned to the couch and waited to be rescued. Countless comments scrolled past above our heads. It seemed that the commenters were getting impatient. "One of them must be able to see the comments. Who could it be?" "Stay calm. We just have to test them one by one. We'll definitely find out who it is." "Whoever it is will certainly let the cat out of the bag once they take action." I stared at the fruit platter on the coffee table, not daring to move an inch. A long time passed before Tiffany suddenly asked, "What are the two of you doing here?" The room was illuminated only by ambient light, casting our surroundings in a faint blue glow. The tense atmosphere seemed to lighten a little after Tiffany spoke. Rosalie was the closest to her, so she answered her question first. "My club is hosting a gathering here, but I ended up running into the three of you when I arrived. What about you?" Rosalie and Tiffany looked at me. "My best friend just went through a bad breakup. We agreed to meet here so I can accompany her." My heart plummeted into my gut just as the words left my lips. I had made a grave mistake. I couldn't afford to lie, since the commenters had impersonated Seth to send me the message. As expected, the room was plunged into darkness again. A flood of comments appeared in the darkness, scrolling past at breakneck speed. "They gave themselves away! They must be able to see the comments!" "Everyone was invited here by 'Seth', so why did they lie?" "Hurry and get rid of these two bitches!" Chapter 2 My body shook violently as my eyes widened, and a chill slowly crawled up my spine. I was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to scream in terror, but I forced myself to stay composed. I couldn't afford to panic. Fumbling through the darkness, I managed to grab my phone from my bag. "To be honest with you, Seth also invited me. But I rejected him since we're not close." Fortunately, in the past, I would always use my alternate number and pretend to be my best friend to text Seth before we met up. After all, we weren't officially together yet, and I didn't want anyone to find out that we were flirting with each other. The confusion in the comments was clear as they floated by. "Is she really not close to Seth? Why do I remember seeing her before?" "Forget it. We'll just keep her alive for now to be safe." "After all, the entire story will fall apart if we accidentally kill an innocent passerby." The chill behind my back faded away. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I didn't even have the time to wipe my sweat when Rosalie suddenly shrieked. It didn't take long before a deathly silence descended upon the room. The lights were switched on again, revealing the empty spot between Tiffany and me. There was a slight indent on the couch where Rosalie had been sitting. It was still warm when I touched it. Rosalie's body heat hadn't even dissipated yet. Tiffany and I exchanged fearful glances. "Where's Rosalie?" Tiffany asked. Rosalie had disappeared from right under our noses. My teeth began to chatter as a wave of despair washed over me. The commenters were actually capable of making us disappear into thin air! Tiffany seemed to think of something, and the color drained from her face. Her voice was trembling as she asked, "Why did Rosalie disappear immediately after you asked your question, Clara?" I was stunned. There was a loud buzzing noise in my ears. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" Both of us were stunned the moment the words left my lips. When I glanced at the comments, I noticed that the commenters were ridiculing us. "They're so stupid. We're responsible for what's happening, of course." "It's no wonder that they're just side characters. Even their intelligence is lacking." It was only then that I realized the commenters were much more cunning than I had imagined. A pained smile stretched across my lips as I looked at Tiffany. "My ears must have been playing tricks on me. Or perhaps… someone else is pulling the strings." Tiffany's lips quivered, but she didn't say a word. The comments sounded smug. "We must have gotten rid of all of them by now." "We can let these two live since they can't see the comments." "They're just side characters. They won't get in the way of the male lead's and female lead's relationship." As expected, the last comment had just floated by when the door clicked open. The light from the hallway spilled into the room. It was so bright that it hurt my eyes, but an overwhelming sense of safety washed over me when I saw it. I was nearly moved to the point of tears. Throwing all caution to the wind, Tiffany and I grabbed our bags and rushed toward the door. However, we had just taken a single step when a strong gust of wind blew down the hallway. In the next second, the door slammed shut. Red comments scrolled past, filling my vision. "No! Something's not right! Someone can still see the comments!" "We have to catch them! We can't let them escape!" Chapter 3 The door was sealed again, trapping Tiffany and me in the room. I texted everyone that I could, begging them for help. I sent distress messages on WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Twitter. I even posted a cry for help on Facebook. However, no one responded even after an hour had passed. Tiffany also pulled out her phone and tried to call for help, but the results were the same. We exchanged glances but didn't say a word. Instead, we just quietly sat on the couch. Truth be told, the situation that we were stuck in was a little ridiculous. There were four of us in our dorm, but we had been stuck in a cold war for the past year because of Seth. All four of us liked him. We even fought over him in the past, but he kept us at arm's length. He replied to all our messages but rejected all our attempts to ask him on a date. He accepted all our gifts but refused to spare us even another glance. I had only managed to get closer to him after I began seeing the comments three months ago, using the hints to my advantage. It was also then that the atmosphere in the dorm became even more strained. It was the first time in a long time that Tiffany and I were sitting opposite one another. The ambient lights were dim, adding to the eerie air in the room. To prevent the comments from leading us astray again, I stood up, wanting to turn on the lights. I had just taken a step forward when several comments appeared in my line of sight. "Don't turn on the lights." "The lights will explode if you turn them on." I halted my footsteps, but I quickly realized that the comments were trying to trick me. I took a deep breath and continued making my way toward the door. However, as if to prove the commenters weren't lying, the overhead lights began swaying. I didn't even lift my head. Pretending to be confused, I asked, "Where's the wind coming from?" Comments floated by my vision again. "Looks like she really can't see us. She definitely would have shrank back." "I guess we can let her off the hook." "Oh, that's right. I wonder if she knows that only the switch on the right is working. The others are all broken." I silently breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps I could escape the commenters' challenge unscathed this time. I lifted my hand. My fingers were seconds away from touching the switch when Tiffany's voice suddenly resounded from behind me. "Wait." I paused. "Forget it. Don't turn on the lights," she said softly but clearly. "The darkness gives me a sense of security." I didn't know why she had suddenly said those words, but when I snapped back to my senses and looked down at my hand, I finally understood what was going on. My back became drenched with sweat. My finger was leaning to the right, just inches from touching the switch. I had nearly fallen for the commenter's trap. It turned out that Tiffany could also see the comments! My heart skipped a beat when the thought flashed through my mind. However, I wasn't able to ponder over my realization before Tiffany made her way over to my side. She grabbed a stool that was tucked into a corner and raised it in the air. "We can't just wait around like this. I'm going to break the door down." The door swung open seconds before the stool smashed against it. Seth was breathing heavily as he stood outside. He frowned deeply as he looked between Tiffany and me, asking, "Are you guys alright?" Chapter 4 "Let's talk inside," Seth said, not giving Tiffany and me a chance to speak. He maneuvered his body to the side and slipped into the room before hastily closing the door behind him. The commenters were utterly flabbergasted. "What's going on? What's the male lead doing here?" "We're running out of time! Hurry! We have to find the person who can see the comments and get rid of them now!" "We can't control the male lead, after all. We only have one chance!" Seth turned around. He pinned us with a serious look before asking, "Do you see words floating in the air?" Tiffany and I shook our heads. Seth sighed in relief, his shoulders sagging. "That's good." A flood of comments filled my vision the moment the words left his lips. "The male lead can see us? How does he know about the comments?" "If he can see us, I hope you live a happy life with our dear female lead." "Don't fall for these bitches' lies!" "They're trying to seduce you. They just want to ruin your relationship with the female lead!" I pretended not to see the comments and kept my eyes trained on Seth. His expression didn't change at all. "What are you talking about—" Tiffany was interrupted before she could finish her sentence. The massive screen in the room suddenly lit up as music began to play. Pink bubbles began to appear around the comments. "If I remember correctly, this is the female lead's favorite song." "I think the male lead was planning to confess to the female lead today!" "I love them as a couple so much! Did he intentionally drop by to decorate the room?" The comments continued to fawn over Seth and the so-called female lead's sweet relationship. Seth was momentarily stunned. Meanwhile, Tiffany began trembling in the darkness. Her eyes slowly reddened as she stared at the screen. She suddenly shot to her feet and slapped Seth hard across the face. I tried to stop her, but failed to grab her. "Why did you invite us here if you were going to play her favorite song? Did you intend to humiliate us?" Tiffany demanded as tears streamed down her face. "Do you only see us as toys that you could discard as you pleased?" My heart skipped a beat. Things had taken a turn for the worse. Tiffany had revealed to the commenters that she could see them. As expected, the lights were extinguished a second later. Tiffany's scream echoed in the room. By the time the lights were switched on again, she had disappeared. Seth stood rooted to the spot with a confused expression. "W-Where did she go?" My body was shaking. "I don't know," I answered, digging my nails into my palms. "It's not safe here. We have to leave now!" I rushed over to the door and tried to shove it open, but it didn't even budge an inch. It was jammed just like before. Seth approached me and pulled me away from the door. He stood before me and planted a hand on my shoulder before murmuring in a hushed voice, "Don't be scared." He looked down at me before continuing, "Truth be told, there's something that I've been wanting to tell you. The person I love the most is you." He sounded extremely earnest as he stared into my eyes. Countless comments filled my vision. "Has he lost his mind? Isn't he supposed to live a happy life with the female lead?" "What underhanded tactic did this bitch use to charm him to this extent?" "Hurry and test her! I don't believe for a second that she can't see the comments!" My heart felt as if it had been encased in a block of ice. Truth be told, I had already learned the truth from the comments. Although Seth was already a couple with the female lead, he continued flirting with me, Quinn, Rosalie, and Tiffany. However, I knew that I couldn't let him find out that I was aware of the truth. After all, I still had to rely on him to escape the room since he was the only one who could open the door. My lashes quivered as I looked down. "Is that true?" I asked shakily. "Can you open the door?" My eyes were reddened when I looked up at him. "I want to leave this place with you." Seth was briefly stunned before a smile broke across his face. He let go of me and grabbed the door handle. I held my breath. My heart felt as if it was going to hammer out of my chest. Seth gestured for me to leave the room first when he opened the door. I rushed out of the room like a maniac. The lights in the hallway were shining brightly. I felt as if I had just been given another chance at life. However, excruciating pain exploded at the back of my head before I could take another breath. I crumpled to the floor and saw Seth looking down at me from the tip of his nose. "Drop the act, Clara Forester. I know that you can see the comments."