Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Beautiful, roadside views.

Close-knit community with a culture like no other.

No malls, theme parks, museums or stadiums within a 100-mile radius.

Endless greenery, open water and only one road connecting the island to the rest of the country.

Welcome to Enti Island.

***

"If I'm being completely honest," Haein sighed, hauling her suitcase through the front door. "I don't understand why you had to choose a shithole like Enti Island to move to when I've been dying to go to Jeju island since I was like, what, eight?"

Smacking her upside the head, her mother walked past her, holding a suitcase in her other hand. She leaned it against one of the couches in the living room and stretched her tired limbs, preparing to give another lecture to her grouchy daughter. "Listen, potty mouth. Enti Island has some of the most remarkable research facilities in Korea. Your father and I were moved here as part of our job, it was out of our hands. Now are you going to continue complaining? Or will you help us move our stuff into the house?"

Haein rolled her eyes and carried on moving things into the house. Like many life lessons, change wasn't a topic taught in school but something that happened autonomously, out of anyone's control. In her instance, the change was moving hundreds of miles away from her friends and family for her parent's profession, to an island that is barely considered part of the country. Furthermore, the idea of moving to a new school and making new friends seemed to drain her the more and more she thought about it. At the ripe age of seventeen, Haein had been thrusted into the current of change and was not strong enough to swim to shore.

A few hours later, Haein and her mother drove into town to buy a new uniform for the new school. On the way, they caught a glimpse of the school: a complete contrast to the entire island. Consisting of several tall, glass buildings, an entire football stadium and rolling parks, the Decelis research academy was a sophisticated, public high school open to anyone who lived in the small island, in addition to wealthier pupils who could afford transport every morning. Its modern infrastructure sat right next to the century old town centre, towering over it by several stories.

However, Haein's peripheral vision zoned in on one of the boys who supposedly attended said school. He sat at a bench next to a stack of textbooks, wearing a pricey set of headphones. Everything about his presence seemed captivating, from his fluffy black hair to his softened expressions from being immersed into his studies. If Haein could look away, she would have captured the moment on her phone, yet she didn't want to risk missing a single moment of him.

As soon as he was out of her peripheral vision, she retreated back into her shell and groaned. Even if beautiful people existed at this school, they were people she didn't know and people who wouldn't spare a glance at her. For all she knew, the academy was filled to the brim with pompous pricks who spend every other weekend with dad's credit card and their half-baked friend groups. The thoughts only continued to stir, forming a pit in her stomach.

Sooner or later, Haein and her mother got to the town centre and parked in the only car park. They walked over to the nearest store that sold school uniform and strolled inside, greeting the store owner. Hung on every single rack in the store was the Decelis uniform: a black blazer with the academy logo embroidered on the side, red tie, white blouse and grey skirt. Decent, Haein thought as she began browsing for her size.

On the other side of the store, she just managed to hear a conversation between a son and his distressed mother:

"How many uniforms did you go through last year?"

"I don't know... Maybe eight?"

"These clothes aren't cheap, you know. Next time you think of leaving jagged rips into your shirt, pants and blazer, you'll be walking into school with nothing on, you hear me?"

"Yes, mother."

Eight sets of uniform. Jagged rips. How inconspicuous, Haein mouthed to herself as she took some uniform off the rack to try it on. She stepped into the booth and hung the clothes on the door. Once she put on the uniform, she decided to take a photo of herself to post to her socials. She captioned it with "Shopping for my new prison fit xx" without a second thought and stepped out of the booth to show her mother. Instead her eyes were fixated on the guy she heard earlier, who was about to head to the booth adjacent to hers. He was a brunet with much darker brown eyes. Judging from his sharp facial features, he couldn't have been much younger than she was.

Surprisingly, he acknowledged her existence, greeting her. He bowed, smiled and began some small talk. "Hey, you go to Decelis too? I don't think I've seen you around before."

Haein nodded, "I start in the coming week since I'm new here. I'm guessing you already attend it, since you're on your ninth set of uniform, aha..."

"Oh, didn't know you overheard that," he nervously laughed, shrugging off the comment and extending a hand, "I'm Yuma by the way, eleventh grade. What's your name?"

Returning the handshake, she hesitantly replied, "Haein. I'm starting in the twelfth grade."

"Nice to meet you, Haein. I hope to see you around school next week," smiling, he walked into the booth and closed the door. Haein sighed and walked to her mother who examined the uniform. Once everything was fine, Haein went back to the changing rooms and changed out of the uniform so she could pay for them. She didn't talk to Yuma after their last interaction but she silently hoped he'd be there on her first day.

On her way home, the boy that sat on the bench had since left, much to Haein's dismay. There were no other beautiful students to gawk at and the slow gnawing feeling in her stomach began to return. For the rest of the day, she couldn't shake the constant state of dread that took over when she tried to do anything. It weighed her down and threatened to drown her whenever she had to look at the uniform. Only this time, social interaction wasn't the only thing flooding her short term memory. Eight sets of uniform. Jagged rips. What could be going on in that school that would allow such a thing to occur?

She slept early that night, pondering her fate as she slowly slipped out of consciousness.

***

Haein stared deep into the mirror, as if to examine her own imperceptible soul. Concluding her examination, she sighed, at least glad the uniform looked nice. There were only thirty minutes leading up to her first day and only then had the dreadful feeling of permanence set in. Her new life was about to start, and she had done nothing to prepare herself for it. Minutes later, her mother called her downstairs for first day pictures and breakfast. She ran down the stairs, scoffed down some instant ramen and posed for two pictures at the front door before setting off for real. However, they needed to set of slightly earlier that morning to attend a school tour and retrieve her timetable.

Staring at the newly paved driveway by their car, Haein took a deep breath and entered in the front seat. Truthfully, she was happy about her parents' new found success but everything about attending the new school, meeting new people and leaving her old life behind had felt as though years were taken off of her life. It was like a domesticated dog being released into the wild - she wasn't made for this.

However, on the journey there she had stolen a glimpse at the boy she had stared at the week before as he was walking to school. He's even more perfect when he's in motion, Haein's mind wondered as her mother turned into the school's parking lot which was remarkably larger than the one in the village town. Not only were there hundreds of empty spaces but there were also four helipads and an entire dock for yachts and other boats. Surrounding the parking lot was a precisely cut hedge and some colourful flowers. It was as if she was walking 100 years into the future just by stepping out of the car.

"I'll walk you into the main office but you'll have to take the tour on your own, that alright with you?" Her mother asked once she stepped out of the car.

"Sure," forcing a smile, Haein hauled her backpack onto her shoulders, beginning the walk into the main entrance.

Upon entering the building, she observed the wide empty space that was the main office. It was comparable to the front window at a car dealership. The floor was made of polished marble and there was absolutely nothing furnishing the reception but the main desk in the centre of the room. Stood at the desk was a tall woman with long dark hair, facing the two. An unfaltering, uncanny smile was plastered on her face. As the two walked closer to her, her features looked even more peculiar: porcelain skin; perfectly proportioned face and blinding white teeth that seemed to reflect the natural lighting in the room.

The office lady bowed to greet them, the smile unwavering. "Welcome to the Decelis research academy for the most prestigious students in the country! How may I help you on this fine day?"

Haein's mother spoke first. "Hello, my daughter is new here. Her name is Kim Haein and she's starting in the twelfth grade."

"Kim Haein?" She began typing at the speed of sound, "ah, I see. Please wait a moment as I print off your timetable."

As the office lady walked into the next room, Haein exhaled the breath she'd been holding for the last minute. "Yikes, who woke up and turned Siri into a person?"

Before her mother could retaliate, the office lady had already returned with the printed time table. She placed the timetable on the desk and began to explain how the school day worked. The school day started from 8am and ended at 3:30pm, consisting of five one-hour classes. Haein had been too preoccupied to take in any other information provided by the bot-like assistant, not even during the exhausting tour of the mile-wide establishment. Before she knew it, she had already been dragged to her first class: fine art.

From the moment she entered the classroom, her brain felt clouded with outside information, unable to focus on anything else. Even the voice of her art teacher introducing her to the class was muffled and nonsensical. However, all stood still when her eyes zoned in on him. The nameless boy she had seen whilst shopping for the school uniform. It had been captivating looking at him from afar, yet up close he seemed almost too perfect, as if the mona lisa stepped out the painting and interacted with the world. Her delusions had already begun to take form when the sound of her name took her out of her imagination.

"Haein, please sit on the back row next to Sunoo. He'll fill you in on our class expectations and the assignment due in a week."

Haein's eye line followed the point of the teacher's finger to that very same boy she had her eyes on. In one swift motion, all of her child-like fantasies popped like a balloon and she knew she'd embarrass herself if she let them continue any further. She sat quietly next to the boy who smiled at her company. He held out a hand and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Sunoo, Kim Sunoo. I take it you are Haein, the new student?"

In her attempt to smile, Haein grimaced, taking Sunoo's hand in her own. "Yes, I am. Mind my awkwardness, you seem very hands- sweet. Very sweet. I'm not the best at people talking, haha..."

Haein slapped herself mentally. You literally can't do anything right, but could you at least talk like a normal person? Stupid Haein, stupid Haein, stupid Haein.

"Oh it's no problem!" Sunoo's smile grew wider as he loosened his grip on the handshake and opened his planner. "Basically, our teacher has some very strict expectations that we need to follow or else we could be marked down a whole grade. Every assignment needs to be handed in on time, completed in full, to the best of our ability. Every piece you make this year counts toward the grade you get at the end of the year. By any means necessary, do not hand in work late. Even if it looks terrible, you'll have other opportunities to make better pieces."

Sighing, Haein smiled and took her sketchbook out of her bag. "Well, thank you for the introduction. I guess I'll get to work then."

The hour flew by, marking the beginning of the next class of the day. Before Haein could leave, Sunoo had grabbed her wrist, a light shade of rosy pink dusting his cheeks. "I was wondering whether you'd like to hang with me at lunch, by the massive oak tree. My friends will be there too, if you don't mind."

Feeling flattered was an understatement. She had unironically begun planning her future with this man as he stood by her, waiting for her answer. Confidently, Haein smirked, "I'd love to."

After Haein's third lesson of the day, she resisted the urge to skip towards the massive oak tree in the middle of the field. It was one thing that someone as unreal as Sunoo wanted to be her friend, but she had no idea what kind of company she'd be around. Even if his friends were as ethereal as he was, it still meant that she had to dig for all the social skills in her arsenal to prevent embarrassing herself. Upon arrival, she found Sunoo with six other guys sitting around a picnic table. Sunoo greeted her with another bright smile and moved up so she had space to sit.

"Guys, this is Haein. She's a new student in my art class."

To Haein's surprise, her arrival had not sparked nearly as much joy in everyone else compared to Sunoo. Still, they introduced themselves to her. Their names were Lee Heeseung, Park Jeongseong or Jay, Sim Jaeyun or Jake, Park Sunghoon, Yang Jungwon and Nishimura Riki or Niki for short. The first four had already graduated from Decelis high school and were now enrolled in the Decelis' University sector, studying genetics. Sunoo was her age, Jungwon was a year younger and Niki was two years younger.

"It's very nice to meet you all," Haein attempted to smile again, failing. "By the way, I had no idea this high school was tied to a university. Are you all planning on attending?"

"As if we have a choice-" Niki answered, being nudged harshly by Jungwon.

"Pardon his manners, but yes. The three of us, Sunoo Hyung, Niki and I, are all going to attend the University here," Jungwon answered, not seeming too pleased by the information. Noticing this, Heeseung, the eldest, spoke up.

"The truth is," He paused, everyone hanging onto his words with baited breath, "Decelis wasn't our first choice. However, since we enrolled in the high school, tuition is completely free."

Haein's eyes widened. "How does that even work? You guys must be rolling in money."

"Yeah, but we pay in other ways," Jay muttered, loud enough for Haein to here. He was also nudged by both Heeseung and Jake at the same time. "With good grades."

The conversation continued like this for the remainder of the lunch period. For the rest of the day, Haein could not shake the awkwardness of that first meeting. It seemed as though an invisible cloud of tension hung in the air at all times. Besides the elephant in the room, the guys seemed nice enough.

Once school ended, Haein observed her surroundings as an ambulance and police cars rolled into the parking lot. She ignored it as she began the walk back to her house. Once she arrived, she ran straight to her bedroom and opened her phone. She scrolled through endless media until her parents got home, pretty late into the night. That was when she had seen the notification for news in her area. It read, in bold capital letters, a sentence that shook her to her very core:

BREAKING NEWS: DEAD, MUTILATED BODY SPOTTED OUTSIDE OF DECELIS RESEARCH ACADEMY.

Chapter Text

"𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝛐𝐝𝐲 𝐥𝛐𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝛐𝐭 𝛐𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝛐𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝚨𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝛐𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐢 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐔𝚴𝐆 𝚮𝚨𝚴𝚩𝐈𝚴, 𝐚𝐠𝐞 21."

Haein stood in the doorway, limbs trembling from simultaneous stress and anxiety. To her, getting out of bed was a task in itself, but to walk alone to school after someone was murdered there felt wrong in every possible way. Approximately 5 minutes before that moment, she begged her mother to send her to school, but the car was currently in the repair shop for a flat tire. Nonetheless, Haein still wanted her mother to walk to school with her. She would have done anything to prevent herself from being alone.

Walking down the stairs to the front door, her mother put on her work bag and jacket, slipping on her shoes. She sighed in dismay, "I know what happened must be stressful, but you're already 17 years old. Aren't you old enough to walk to school by yourself?"

"You can't put an age on anxiety, mother," Haein frowned, looking out onto the eerily empty, quiet street. Her mother appeared next to her and placed a kiss on the top of her head, rubbing the area in calming circles.

"I know, I'll walk with you then. But I'll be at work all day, so you'll have to walk home, is that alright?" She said, stepping out of the house. Haein nodded politely and followed her, locking the door behind her.

Two minutes away from the school's entrance, Haein's mother split from her to walk to work, leaving Haein by herself. She decided to suck up her anxiety, speed walking to where she needed to be to prevent the anxiousness seeping back in. However, whilst swimming in thoughts, she overheard a conversation between two students in a secluded place by the bushes surrounding the school.

"I can't live like this anymore!"

Hearing this, Haein moved slightly closer to the bushes to hear them better. Normally, she wouldn't have stuck around in their business; yet, anything would have relieved her anxiety in that moment.

"But we can't afford to stop. I have my reasons, and your mother needs that surgery."

'Surgery?' She thought, but nevertheless she carried on listening.

"I know I need the fucking money, but I didn't ask for this. I never wanted any of this."

"K..." Out of the bushes, a tall student ran towards the entrance, the other student following closely behind him. She wanted to follow them and hear more, but homeroom started soon and she'd end up late if she stayed here any longer. Sighing, she walked into school to start her second day.

***

Throughout first and second period, Haein could barely listen. Her anxiety about the recent murder had dulled but the conversation she had recently eavesdropped began preoccupying much of the headspace she needed to complete any school work. In conclusion, she did nothing in class but worry.

'Money. Surgery. Can't afford to stop. What the fuck is happening in this school?'

"Haein!" A voice in the distance called to her and she turned around. She could recognise his face very slightly, but she couldn't recollect any memory of ever meeting him. Once he was in front of her, he smiled and waved, introducing himself. "It's Yuma, do you remember me from the department store?"

"Yuma?" She remembered. "Oh Yuma! I never got to see you yesterday, how are you?" Haein formed a coherent expression this time around, instead of a grimace or a glare. He responded with a sigh; he said he didn't feel great. Students were still required to attend classes even after a student had been murdered just outside the building. It sprouted a sense of collective agitation which flooded the halls of the school. The most peculiar thing was the lack of coverage on the death of a student by the school. To the school's many staff, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Changing the topic, Haein mentioned the conversation she heard earlier, asking whether Yuma knew someone called 'K'. He replied vaguely saying, "we're close friends, but I'm not entirely sure if what you're worrying about is anything to do with the school. The school is practically picture perfect, if that makes you feel any better."

"Yeah, it definitely does," she pursed her lips, resisting a sigh. She knew there was something up with what she heard, so she tried digging for more answers.

At break time, she located the oak tree where Sunoo and his friends usually hung out. Seemingly, the air felt heavier than it did the day before. It must be the murder Haein thought, as she proceeded to the bench with caution. She plastered a grin on her face and greeted them enthusiastically. "Hey guys, feeling alright?"

Simultaneously, they all shook their head. In seconds, all of the effort Haein put in to reduce her anxiety was in vain as all the intrusive thoughts returned. She sat in the empty spot on the table and attempted to change the topic. At one point, she tried every phrase in the book: she queried about the nice weather; she asked them about extracurriculars and they all went disturbingly silent; she tried to talk about anything else to change the topic, but nothing changed. In desperation, she mentioned the conversation she heard before school.

"By any chance, have any of you heard of someone with the name or nickname, K?"

All seven of them looked at her, scarily in sync. Some of them looked angry and others looked worried or startled.

Ni-ki responded, "we do. Let me just say most of us aren’t on good terms with him or his group. They're sat on the other side of the field."

The other 6 members nodded in agreement. Haein's curiosity had spiked at the moment and she nonchalantly kept pestering for more answers. "Do you guys know what his deal is? I overheard him saying some shady stuff which doesn't really sound normal, especially after someone-" she whispered the last words, "-died here."

Sunoo sat up and looked Haein in the eye. "Don't worry about him. He's a student in the University sector taking the same course as Heeseung, Jay, Jake and Sunghoon. That's it. If you've heard anything else, just ignore it. You don't even know him."

As much as Haein believed in that statement, her curiosity didn't fade. Instead she nodded politely but quietly convinced herself that in order to put an end to her racing thoughts, she had to speak to this student, K. Her plan was to eventually catch him in the corridors by himself so she could have a word with him.

Ultimately, this plan was doomed to fail. She had been sat staring at a blank sketchbook page for ten minutes thinking of other ways to pin his location. One way included stalking him on social media, which was too much effort. A second way was worming her way into his friend group, which was weird and also too much effort. Snapping her out of her thoughts was her teacher, who had called out her name.

"Haein, can you please hand in these slips to the front office for me, please? Only if you know where it is," he asked politely. Haein acted under instinct. She nodded in reply and left the classroom with the slips of paper, quietly reciting the halls she needed to pass through in order to find the front office again.

The corridors in the school were empty and colourless. Uselessly, the ceiling was two stories high and the hallways miles wide. The interior design of the entire infrastructure could be compared to the inside of a hospital. It looked like a blank canvas waiting for an artist to paint all over it. In fact, the only furnishings in the entire corridor were bins and plain white lockers that lined each wall. Each one looked as if it was recently installed, or as if it hadn't been used at all, which was the case for most of them. It had been expected due to the scarce nature of the island and its inhabitants.

From the corner of Haein's peripheral vision, she noticed the smallest streak of red on one of the lockers. It would have been barely noticeable from afar, but her eyes locked in on the stain and she walked towards it, examining it. She wondered what it could have been: paint or blood? That was when she heard the squeaking of someone's shoes and a tall, slender figure walked past her. It had been the same student she saw walking out of the bushes: it was K. In her shock, her lips muttered his name, barely above a whisper.

She was still heard.

His head whipped to her immediately and he veered her way, a hostile look in his eyes. He had almost closed the gap between both of them when his hand slammed the locker behind her. Sternly, he spat, "What."

As shocked as Haein was by the gesture, she calmly responded by ducking under his arms and attempted to have a rational conversation with him. "This may sound very awkward, and a little bit stalker-ish, but I overheard you talking with one of your friends... before school. And my name is Haein, Kim Haein, by the way. Not that you asked."

To her surprise, K's expression switched to less infuriated and more anxious. He queried, "what exactly did you hear?"

Haein replied. "Well, I guess I didn't hear much, except the fact that you're strapped for money and are clearly worried by something out of your control. If it makes you feel better saying what it is, I'm all ears."

Groaning in frustration, K turned away from her and rubbed his nose bridge with his thumb and index finger. He whispered, as if he was pained.

"You don't want to know."

***

At the end of the school day, Haein spotted Sunoo and the rest of the guys in the hallway before she was about to head home. She knew how her conversation with the guys ended during break and wanted to remedy it by hanging out again. Whilst they were all chatting about lessons and other non-related topics, Haein chimed in, smiling. "Does anyone wanna hang out by the park, right now? We don't have to stay for long, and it's only a ten minute walk from school."

Gratefully, Ni-ki smiled and nodded eagerly. However, Heeseung pushed him aside and shook his head. "No. None of us are free on Fridays."

"None of you?" She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Nope," Heeseung pursed his lips. After his comment, they all turned away from her and walked back into the school, leaving her in her thoughts.

'Maybe it's an extracurricular club, or an extra class,' Haein thought, as she left school with even more questions than she had answers. Although this school's tense atmosphere felt unbearable to stay in, she knew eventually that something had to give. She would find her answers soon.

Chapter Text

The following Monday, Haein had not heard from any of the guys over the weekend. It felt normal considering she had no way of contacting them, or vice versa. She figured she could at least see them all at break and lunch. Keeping the guys in her thoughts, she walked into her first class of the day, fine art.

Sunoo spotted Haein from across the room and waved as she sat down next to him. Haein hoped he'd be happier to see her, but by the look of the dark circles under his eyes, hunched back and messy hair, he did not look happy to see anyone. Smiling at him, Haein examined him further, seeing his neck drenched in sweat. Maybe he ran to school, she thought. Yet, there was no way his current condition would have allowed him to do that. Hesitantly, she placed the back of her hand against his forehead, Sunoo immediately swatting it away. Haein had already felt what she needed to.

"You have a fever?" Haein almost exclaimed, Sunoo turning away from her. "What are you still doing here? You should be at home!"

"Haein, I am fine. Frankly, this has nothing to do with you," he muttered, almost slurring his words. Sighing, he put on the best smile he could and tried to reciprocate the smile Haein had given her earlier. He may have tried his best, but his expression told her everything.

"Could I at least get you some water? It's the least I can do for you."

Sunoo nodded weakly. Seeing this, Haein walked to the water fountain and filled up a polystyrene cup with the clear liquid. All the while, the pit at the bottom of her stomach kept getting heavier.

***

Once break started, Haein decided to look more upbeat to bring up the mood, even though her other attempts of this failed severely. She approached the table with a bright smile, only to be greeted by four of the original seven guys. Only Sunoo, Heeseung, Ni-ki and Jungwon were sat there, and they all looked exactly the same - ill.

"Guys, what's wrong with you all?" Haein asked, but was met with cold indifference.

"Nothing's wrong, I don't know what you're talking about," Heeseung muttered, practically holding his head above the table. For four stubborn guys, they weren't doing a great job of convincing anyone they were okay.

Haein sighed, cautiously sitting down next to the four of them. "Look, I don't know what happened over the weekend, but that doesn't change the fact that you're all still here when you all look way too sick to be awake."

"I reckon it's just a bug going around," Jungwon stretched his aching limbs, chugging down a half litre bottle of water in one sitting. "Everything will be fine in a few days, I promise."

To no one's surprise, Haein was still not convinced. She excused herself to go to the bathroom, her failed attempts of initiating conversation weighing over her head. Inside the building, she examined the hallways once more. The blinding white walls reflected the rays of sunlight coming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Blank. However, on the door of the women's bathroom, a multicoloured flyer decorated the blankness of the entire school. It advertised an after school volunteering activity to help in the research sector of the school:

"!!𝚮𝐄𝐋𝚸 𝐖𝚨𝚴𝐓𝐄𝐃!!

Do your bit and volunteer to help fundraise for the school!

Just an hour of your time once a week, nothing more.

If you would like to join, please inform the front office.

Thank you!"

No date, no time, limited information. As vague as it was, it couldn't hurt to try out. Haein had yet to join any after school clubs, and volunteering would look great on a resume. Taking the flyer, she entered the bathroom without a second thought.

***

Once lunch started, Haein looked around the field to see where else she could sit. As much as she enjoyed the guys' company, which wasn't a whole lot, she should make other friends whilst she was there. That was when she spotted Yuma sitting with a group of guys in a shaded spot on the grass. They seemed friendly, although one guy stood out to Haein: it was K. Haein knew K was close friends with Yuma so her train of thought led her to believe that if she became great friends with Yuma and his friends, K would forget his first interaction with Haein.

Noticing her staring, Yuma waved enthusiastically and motioned for her to come to their table. She walked over there, wary of whether his other friends would approve of her. However, once she arrived, she noticed there weren't nearly as many guys here as there was on the first day. Only five guys were around, but she swore she saw at least nine.

"Guys, this is Haein. I met her at the uniform store a week before school started," Yuma introduced her to the rest of the guys. "Haein, this is Taki, K, Harua and Maki. Unfortunately, not all of us are here to meet you, they had business elsewhere."

As sceptical as she was, Haein waved to all of them. "It's very nice to meet you all. Taki, Harua, Maki-" she paused for a second as she briefly held eye contact with K, "-K... I hope I'm not being intrusive on your group. I was looking to make more friends."

"That's alright," the boy called Taki half-smiled, "we're always welcome to have more company. I'm sure Fuma, EJ, Nicholas and Jo would be glad to meet you as well."

Subconsciously, Haein began to connect imaginary dots. 'Two groups who aren't on good terms. Members from both groups suddenly missing. They must have gotten into a fight over the weekend!' Feeling satisfied with her find, she kept her mouth shut, knowing whatever happened between them was none of her business. Instead, she sat down with them and began eating her lunch.

Throughout the lunch period, they talked about shows they've seen, places they've been to and the usual stuff you talk about when you get to know someone. From talking with them for twenty minutes, she found out that Taki and Maki loved dancing. Harua's favourite food was gukbap, Yuma one day wanted to start a clothing line since he loved sewing and K, who was surprisingly friendly, loved running. In one day, she found out more about this singular group of people than she thought she ever would. It gave her the slightest bit of hope that her friendship could progress with Sunoo and his friends.

During one of the conversations, the topic of extracurricular activities came up. None of them did much, but Haein mentioned the flyer she saw earlier. She told them she was interested in doing it but had no idea what she had to do to join. Taki's ears perked up when she mentioned the flyer. "Oh hey, I volunteer here too."

K elbowed him in the ribs. When the silence prevailed for a few seconds, K apologised. "Sorry about that. Why don't we change the subject?"

Haein internally panicked, wondering what kept going wrong when she tried making friends. She decided not to mention anything about volunteering to any of them for the rest of lunch. Connecting more dots, she figured not to mention the volunteering to the other group as well. Something told her that they'd most likely react in a similar way.

***

Leaving her last class with a heavy heart, Haein began to feel hopeless. She had tried to make friends in her first days and kept failing miserably. If she could count her achievements and progress with either group, she wouldn't make it past one hand. Nevertheless, she grinned and bore it. After a few months, people would forget she was the "new girl" without any friends. She then took the flyer out of her hand and read it once more, deciding for sure that she would do some volunteering for the school.

'It wouldn't hurt to do something with myself,' she thought as she began counting the hallways before she found the front office. In fact, she was so focused counting the hall that she had not seen the man walking straight towards her. They ended up crashing into each other, falling to the ground. Haein had dropped her flyer as well, and when her head looked over to see who was with her, she saw a familiar face.

"Heeseung?" Her eyes widened, getting up off the floor and bowing apologetically. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!"

He didn't say a word, for his eyes were fixed on the paper on the floor. Seconds later, his gaze moved to Haein and he picked up the flyer on the floor, scrunching it in one hand. He appeared as though he was about to yell, but instead opted to keep his voice down. "Where. Did. You. Get. This."

"Found it on the bathroom door, is there anything wrong with that?" Haein questioned, reaching out to take it off of him. He moved it further away from her, his grip tightening so hard that his fingers pierced the paper. Furrowing her eyebrows, Haein reached for Heeseung's wrist and attempted to pry the flyer out of his hands. "Hey! You're tearing it apart!"

Heeseung then grabbed her wrist tightly, Haein attempting to worm her way out of his grip. It felt almost impossible. His hand was so tight around her wrist that it almost hurt. Exclaiming, she yelled at him to get off of her, so Heeseung dropped the torn flyer, stepping on it. Haein was disgusted by the action, and Heeseung's grip loosened, letting her wrist go. "What the fuck, Heeseung. Who do you think you-"

"You were going to volunteer at the school, weren't you?" Heeseung's voice grew louder by the second.

"Yeah, so what?" Haein yelled back, pushing him away from her. What she got back was a frustrated groan as Heeseung tried to calm himself down.

"I don't know what you plan on doing at this school. But whatever you do, do not volunteer here," looking at her right in the eye, his breathing was rapid, his own eyes very slightly watery.

"And is there any good reason why I shouldn't? I feel like you, and you especially, have had a problem with me ever since you met me. Yet, you seem to be perfectly fine berating me once I do one thing for myself? Do you even like me?" Haein could barely stop herself from yelling as he pushed Heeseung away from her, about to leave him. Before she could, Heeseung placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed.

"I'm sorry, don't leave," Heeseung's voice was a lot calmer at this point. "Sunoo likes having you around, so I'll try to be more friendly from now one. I'll also tell the other guys that. But please, listen to me this once. You don't want to get involved with the school, okay?"

Haein was still resistant to listen to him. She tried pushing for answers another time, asking him, "could you at least tell me why? That's all I want to know."

"No," he bluntly told her. It may have infuriated her how she was kept in the dark, but at least she knew that Sunoo and his friends liked her company. That was enough for her.

Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms and turned to face him again. "Fine, I won't. But I expect apologies from everyone the next day."

"Okay, okay. Thank you for listening to me," Haein saw Heeseung smile for the first time that day. Yet, the foreboding feeling she encountered never left her. No matter what it was, how big or small, she would find out the truth about this school.

Chapter Text

Stood at the entrance to the field, Haein squinted at both of the groups of boys, counting heads. She began with Sunoo's group: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Full house. Turning to the opposite side of the field, she started counting again: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight... Only eight. One seemed to be missing.

Out of nowhere, Haein's knees and palms met the ground as someone pushed her over. She winced in pain, noting the cuts and scrapes that formed on her skin. Looking up she noticed the tardy, ninth member of Yuma's group. However, he did not seem too well.

Haein got up and dusted off her grassy knees. She then faced the man and tapped his shoulder, cautiously. "Is everything alright, K?"

No response. Instead, he eyed her up and down silently, walking away from her without another word. If it hadn't been for the deep, prominent eyebags, the dark circles under his eyes, the bloody cuts around his chapped lips and the half bled through plaster on his neck, Haein would not have let this go. Like most days at this school, she grinned and bore it, walking back over to Sunoo and - hopefully - her new friends. Truth be told, she was expecting some great news.

Hiding her joy, she sat silently by Sunoo and glared at all seven of the members. Heeseung had been the one to talk first. "Haein, I would like to apologise for how I've treated you over the few days you've been here."

Haein's face did not budge. She watched in quiet satisfaction as Heeseung's face became stricken with panic and as he nudged Jay and Jake simultaneously to say something else. Jake smiled awkwardly and motioned to speak. "Uuhh, I didn't talk to you much, but Heeseung told us you'd like to get to know us more. I'll start. I'm actually Australian, I have a dog called Layla and my favourite word is yoi."

"Yoi," Jungwon repeated, the whole table turning to stare at him. He mouthed the word 'what?' as he twiddled his thumbs on his lap.

From the corner of Haein's eye, she saw Niki half-raise his hands as if he needed permission to speak. Nevertheless, he smiled brightly when she took notice of him. "I like drawing Shin Chan. And my favourite food is bungeoppang. You know that bread that's shaped like a fish?"

"I always make it for him when he visits my apartment," Jay added on. "I love cooking, especially when it's for these guys."

Sunghoon giggled, vigorously rubbing Jay's head at the comment. "Wah, you're so cheesy. Between you and me, Haein, Jay burns a lot more dishes than he cares to admit."

"Hey!" Jay's jaw tightened as he shoved Sunghoon so hard he almost fell out of his seat. This earned an uproar of laughter from the rest of the group, Haein included. The rest of break seemed like a breath of fresh air compared to the last few times she hung out with them. She learned how much Jungwon loved dancing, more about Sunoo and his artistic aspirations and that Heeseung had the ability to not act like a total prick for more than ten minutes. She had been pleasantly surprised by their hospitality.

In spite of that, there was still an answer she could not shake from them no matter what. Truth be told that she was still hung up about how four of them were incredibly ill yesterday and judging by their appearances in the current moment, not much had changed besides their attitudes. They may not have shown their pain, but at times their voices sounded hoarse, their eyes drooped and their postures gave everything away. She knew she wouldn't get any coherent reason as to why they were this way, but she asked irrespective of the response she'd get.

"Guys, if you don't mind me asking, why are you all..." She trailed off before she could finish.

"Ill? Exhausted? Mentally and physically speaking?" Sunoo finished. "Well, to put it shortly, we were all hanging out one day and-"

Sunghoon threw a scrunched up piece of paper at Sunoo's face, groaning. "Why would Haein want to know why we're all on death's door?"

"Wait! I mean..." Haein countered, keeping her curiosity to a minimum. "I'd like to know why... Why you're all ill, or look ill, that is."

Sunoo met her gaze and cleared his throat. "As I was saying-" he glared at Sunghoon, "-We were hanging out on Friday and came down with a pretty bad cold. That's it."

Haein's expression remained unphased, so he carried on. "Oh come on, I'm pretty sure it's just a minor illness. It's as harmless as the one you'd get after a flu vaccination."

"And this happened on Friday?" Haein gathered her thoughts, "didn't Heeseung say you guys were never free on Fridays?"

Immediately, the uneasiness that had left the air came back at once as all the guys stared at her with blank, yet shocked, expressions. Heeseung had been the one to break the silence, clearing his throat and showing a toothy smile. "Yes, I definitely did say that, and despite what Sunoo just clarified for us-" he stared silent daggers in Sunoo's direction, "-That fact has not changed. However, we were planning on hanging out again, this Sunday. It would be nice if you were... also there?"

"Really? I'd love to!" Haein practically yelled in excitement. The previously tense atmosphere surrounding the table suddenly disappeared, the seven boys sighing in relief.

***
'Cosine rule, sine rule, double angle, numbers and letters... I'm definitely failing math.'

Quietly reciting math from the previous lesson, albeit failing to do so, Haein sped walk down the hallway towards the ladies' restroom before heading to the field for lunch. On her way, she encountered Yuma, K and a third person she didn't recognise. She greeted them all warmly, but K looked just as terrible as he did earlier that morning.

"Hi, Haein," Yuma smiled, motioning over to the other guy who Haein had yet to meet. "This is EJ, by the way. He wasn't here yesterday, as I said, but he was looking forward to meeting you."

Extending out a hand, EJ greeted Haein, introducing himself. "I'm EJ and I'm currently studying genetics in the university sector."

"Genetics, huh," Haein remembered how half of the other group of guys were also taking the same course. 'Must be popular,' she shrugged it off without a second thought. Instead, her eyes veered to the man who was barely able to keep himself stood up straight. Something seemed very wrong. "Is he alright?"

"Why don't you ask me to my fucking face!" K yelled, about to pounce on the startled girl. His eyes were seconds from being bloodshot red and a barely noticeable stream of foam was trickling out of the side of his mouth. If he had been a wild animal, he would have definitely bared his teeth at her. EJ and Yuma pulled him back, laughing nervously.

"Don't worry about him, Haein. We're taking care of it," Yuma smiled, directing K to the men's restroom. Aggravated, K shrugged off their grip and glared at all of them.

"Don't fucking touch me," K warned, about to grab Haein by the neck before both of the guys blocked the way.

Haein frowned, more saddened than frightened at his current condition. "K, please. I just wanted to help you."

"Forget it," he broke free of their grasps and stormed into the men's restroom nearby. To Haein's surprise, the boys did not follow him inside but quietly stood outside of the door, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

'Something is up with that dude...'

***

"My dearest Yudai,

I wanted to let you know that I love you with all of my heart.

My dearest boy... All I have ever wanted was to care for you, see you grow into a man from the baby I once knew.

But my time draws near. The heart in which I kept all of my love for you is failing and soon I will not be able to love anyone, or anything, anymore.

This may be my last chance to express the pride it gave me to be your mother. My future marathon runner, my son, my Yudai. I'd hate to throw that all away, but I'm left without a choice.

In my last days, please live your life. Go to college, pursue your dreams and don't spare a thought about me. The money it takes to fix my broken body is not worth it if your life is ruined because of it.

This is my last request as your mother.

Goodbye."

My. Dearest. Yudai.

K had read the letter over a thousand times and every time he saw those words, his eyes welled up with tears. His eyes would skim over the words, "My dearest Yudai," and he'd hear her all over again: the sound of his mother's voice, not the beeping of the life support that kept her on the borderline of death.

The more he read it, the more the characters seemed to turn nonsensical, the words muddled and the phrases incoherent. He took notice of the dried tear stains that smudged the ink, the new ones he was creating as he read it through once more. My dearest Yudai. And the ink smudged further, creating a dark stream of tear-soaked ink that ran down the side of the page.

For the last ten minutes, he had been sat on the ground, completely and utterly helpless. He shakily rose to his feet and faced his wretched appearance in the mirror: the bags under his eyes, the dark circles that mocked him and the bandage on his neck soaked with blood. Each feature a reminder of the betrayal of his mother's dying wishes.

And it was too late to turn back.

K's pupils pulsed, dilating and constricting, blurring his vision and incapacitating him. Foam gathered in the back of his throat, triggering his gag reflex and he projectile vomited directly into the sink. He clenched his stomach as he collapsed onto his knees again, feeling around the room for something to grab onto as he resisted throwing up a second time.

Following the vomit was a piercing pain in his jaw that coerced a stifled scream from his lungs. He cradled his aching face in his hands as he retreated into a foetus position on the ground, crying into the hard, bathroom floor.

More than anything, his impulse was to run, to forget and to escape. Yet, his mission remained clear. Pay for the surgery and forget this ever happened. Pay for the surgery and forget this ever happened. Pay for the surgery and forget this ever happened... pay for the surgery... The words replayed in his head as he slowly rocked himself to sleep, sprawled on the bathroom floor.

***

Homeroom occurred twice during the school day: once in the morning and once at the end of the day. Whenever Haein sat in homeroom, she noticed Heeseung sat a few rows in front of her, but she never spoke to him, and vice versa. She feared if she started right then, it would feel too awkward.

Whilst they were silently revising, Heeseung rubbed his mouth with the side of his finger and a warm, red liquid streamed along the back of his hand and onto the floor. He noticed immediately, asking the teacher if he could excuse himself. Swiftly, he left without another word and a trail of blood in his wake.

Haein being nosy, she excused herself once Heeseung left the room to see what was up with him. She did not have a good track record with him in the school hallways but still followed through anyway. On her way to the bathroom, she walked into an opening door: the door of the men's restroom. Right at the scene of the crime stood Heeseung, mouth agape and blood stained canines greeting Haein as she got up off the floor.

"Heeseung, don't be alarmed but I think someone filed your teeth in your sleep," Haein inquired, Heeseung hiding his mouth immediately, face turning rosy in embarrassment.

"Oh my God, you weren't supposed to see that!" He exclaimed, sounds muffled due to his hands covering his face. In defeat, he put his hands down and sighed. "I was planning on going to... a convention this month."

"And?"

"And..." Heeseung pursed his lips, "I tried my fake vampire veneers during lunch because they looked so cool and now... they won't come off. I ended up cutting my fingers on them and now I'm doing the walk of shame to the nurses office, right after I clean the blood stain on my shirt that I just noticed."

"Oh, right," Haein replied, not knowing what to do with such information. She stood there and gawked at his 'Veneers' before he walked back into the bathroom to wash up. Of all the things it could have been, this definitely wasn't one she'd ever imagined. Haein chuckled to herself and made her way back to homeroom, even though she had never made it to the women's restroom.

Chapter Text

"So none of you guys have ever hung out with a girl before?" Heeseung said whilst interrogating the group. The seven boys were sitting on a grassy clearing in the park a few miles from the school. Surprisingly enough, the weather granted them with clear skies and rays of sunshine that could be seen for miles. They had chosen the perfect day to invite Haein over for a visit, but others had their queries.

"We aren't exactly flirts, Heeseung," Jay sighed. Jake, who had been sitting adjacent to Jay on the grass, laughed to himself.

Under his breath, he muttered, "I beg to differ." Jay elbowed Jake in the side and he fell into the dirt. Groaning, he spat out grass and soil, wiping his tongue profusely.

Startling all of them, Sunoo sharply closed a compact mirror and fanned his face. He faced everyone with anxious eyes. "Do I look alright? I want to make a good impression. Do you think she accepted our apology? We treated her like shit, last week."

"And we still are treating her like shit, but what choice do we have?" Niki threw a paper aeroplane at the sky and winced when Jungwon flicked him on the forehead. He apologised shortly after.

Groaning, Sunghoon opened a book he brought with him and covered his face to block out the sun. He then laid back onto the grass until his upper half was submerged in the shade. "Did we have to choose such a sunny day? I'm gonna end up so dark by the time I get home."

"And God forbid you tan two shades darker," Sunoo countered, sticking his tongue out as Sunghoon sat up once more. "Besides, she already loves our company. Why else would she hang out with us every lunch, right?"

Hearing the sound of a closing car door, the boys' heads whipped towards Haein who had arrived before them. When she arrived, Sunoo stood up and wrapped his arms around her. She returned the gesture, feeling his radiating warmth against her own body. Resistant to pull away, she dropped her arms and proceeded to greet the rest of the guys who swiftly greeted her back. She then sat cross-legged on the grass as Heeseung outlined the agenda for the day ahead: they usually started the day walking around the park, admiring the scenery; they then hired pedal boats, went fishing or ate ice cream and ended the day chilling in a secluded area, listening to music.

"Sounds perfect," said Haein. Simultaneously, they all got up off the ground and started on their usual walking route. Haein followed after them but Sunoo grabbed her wrist before she could move. "Sunoo?" she asked.

"Please, walk with me?"

***

Half an hour into the walk, Haein spent all of her time with Sunoo. More specifically, she spent all her time looking at Sunoo. She had observed the beauty of the grass and fields alongside the group but no wonders of nature compared to his soft, unique features. Particularly the way his eyes disappeared when he smiled, the sass in his side eye and his adorable dimples. Aside from his looks, Haein began to appreciate Sunoo's captivating way of talking, especially during his many anecdotes.

"So when they tried to charge me extra for the meal I just whipped out one of these-" he grinned, "-and they gave me a discount instead. It's a privilege to be this beautiful."

Haein chuckled, playing with strands in her pony tail. She said, "I think it's your confidence they can't see past. Even the most beautiful person in the world wouldn't get shit if they were too stunned to speak."

"Oh come on, don't tell me you've never done the same," he inquired and looked at Haein's sheepish expression. She shook her head, avoiding his eyes. "You're wasting that face, Haein."

Roaring in laughter, Haein shoved Sunoo's shoulder. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Before he could reply, the rest of the group stopped in their tracks at a clearing by the water. They temporarily broke off into smaller groups to either sit, throw rocks or feed the ducks. In quiet disappointment, Haein chose to rest her legs and sat by the lake to stroke the water. Sunoo crouched next to her, mimicking her movements. She turned to him, taken aback. "Are you copying me?"

He chuckled, flicking a stream of water into her face. "You tell me."

"Hey, that's cold!" Haein flinched as she wiped the water off her cheeks. In retaliation, she smacked the water, creating a significantly larger splash of water that soaked through Sunoo's trousers.

"Oh, you are so dead."

Haein dodged Sunoo's next attack, jumped off the ground and ran in the opposite direction. Looking over her shoulder, Sunoo chased after her and gradually closed the gap between them. Haein's eyes were fixed on the him when she body slammed against someone else, falling to the ground. Slightly dizzy, they helped her off the ground and wiped the dirt off of her back. He said, "you should be more careful, Haein."

She had accidently crashed into Heeseung. Bowing deeply, she apologised, "sorry! Sunoo was chasing me and I didn't see..."

Catching up to her, Sunoo appeared by Haein's side and outstretched his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she stays in line. Clearly, there's not enough water in her face."

"Sunoo!" Haein yelped as he dragged her back into the water. A few other members were standing around the area during their next splash fest. She flicked some water in a random direction which hit, not Sunoo, but Jungwon and Niki.

"You did not," Jungwon grabbed the water with both of his hands and sent a wave towards Sunoo and Haein. What followed was a rapid back and forth of splashing water which ended in soaked clothes and running from aggravated geese. After a while, the fighting died down and they sat sprawled on the floor to dry off in the sun.

***

"Two waffle cones of mint chocolate chip ice cream, please!"

After everyone was dry, the group split off to do various activities around the park. Jake, Sunghoon, Niki and Jungwon rented some equipment to fish in the lake. Jay and Heeseung hired a motor boat to use for the hour. This left Sunoo and Haein, who stopped by the café to buy ice cream. They took their cones and sat on a bench, by the water fountain.

"Say, I had no idea you liked mint-choco ice cream," Sunoo said, licking the melted ice cream off the side of the cone.

"It's my favourite!" Haein exclaimed. "Why do you ask?"

"No one else in the group likes it more than I do. Not until you anyway."

Sunoo looked over at Haein, holding the eye contact. Examining his features again, Haein struggled to keep their eyes locked for much longer. She hesitantly broke the contact and licked her ice cream. Subconsciously, she shuffled closer to him, which he reciprocated. At this point, their shoulders touching, Sunoo looked over at her again and sighed. "I could live off of this stuff. We should buy a whole tub to share with the group!"

"Didn't you just say we were the only two who liked the flavour?" Haein questioned. Sunoo slumped in his seat, resting his head on Haein's shoulder. She flinched at the sudden contact but melted once she felt the unique warmth of his body again.

"Then it'll be just for us to share then."

Haein cackled, her nose accidentally burying itself in her ice cream cone. She pulled away in embarrassment and reached for a tissue in her bag to wipe off the mess. About to clean herself, Sunoo snatched the tissues out her hands and wiped it for her, accidentally getting his own ice cream all over the side of his jumper sleeve. He leaned back into the bench and moved his hand away from her face, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"So," Haein fiddled with her hair, "we should go clean up."

"Good idea."

***

The evening rolled around before they knew it and the group sat around a picnic table. They watched the sky as it turned several shades purple, pink and orange. Clouds began to reach overhead and gather in front of the sun, dampening its harsh rays. Basking in the last rays of sun for the day, Jungwon played some relaxing beats on his phone and moved with the music. The group watched him silently, for his moves were hypnotic.

On the other side table, Sunoo used his set of colouring pencils to replicate the sunset. He noted the uniquely shaped clouds, and blended the several shades together with ease. His focused stare caught Haein's attention, and she observed the boy as he worked. Occasionally, Sunoo would smile at his sketchbook as he exchanged glances between the paper and the sky to capture the image in his mind. Haein surveyed his several habits: when he stuck his tongue in his cheek, pouted and ran a tongue over his teeth. Eventually, a picture of the beautiful sunset took form.

Sunoo finally noticed Haein's stare and passed the sketchbook over to her. He said, "art is the one thing that keeps me calm. I can always count on drawing to lift my spirits up."

Haein met his eyes once again. They sparkled under the low light of the overhead street lamps. "That sentence was almost as beautiful as your drawing."

Taking back his sketchbook, Sunoo repositioned his posture so he faced her completely. He took out his pencil and began a new sketch on a separate page. "In fact, whenever I feel agitated, or alone," he paused, examining Haein's face for a second, "I sit down and draw a picture of something... beautiful."

Looking over at his drawing, Haein saw a cartoonish sketch of a girl with a long pony tail, round eyes and ice cream on her nose. Sunoo added more texture to the hair and then turned the sketchbook around to show her. Haein was enthralled at how quick he created the sketch, so enthralled that she forgot to compliment his drawing of her.

Taking out another pencil, Haein mimicked his previous gestures and turned to face him. She pretended to examine his face and drew it, although she could have replicated his face with her eyes closed. Putting pen to paper, she got to work and soon a sketch of a face that resembled Sunoo was on the page.

One of the other group members turned around, noticing the drawing. One by one they all sat and looked at Sunoo's various works, including the portraits of him and Haein. Jungwon rolled a pencil towards Sunoo and smiled cutely. "Please draw me too!"

The requests came at lightning speed and Sunoo barely kept up. He settled with drawing a mini portrait of everyone on the same page as the picture of Haein and him, which resulted in a pencil drawing of all eight of them together. Ripping the page out of the book, Sunoo signed the drawing and gave it to Haein.

"You should have this, Haein. So you'll remember the good times you have with us, always," Haein took the drawing, still mesmerised at its complexity given the time he took to sketch it. She quietly thanked him and carefully placed the paper in her bag so it wouldn't wrinkle.

To end the day, they all laid down on the grass and gazed at the stars. They let their minds wander and escape the harsh realities of living in this plane of existence. As one, they forgot their woes and burdens, letting them all drop like flies; although, the peaceful bliss did not last forever. Eventually, Haein's mother pulled into the park and Haein got up to leave the guys. She said her farewells to them one by one and soon the guys began to scurry home.

It had been the perfect day.

Chapter Text

A month had passed and nothing new had occurred at the school. Besides the murder of a student and the lack of coverage on said student, the month came and went like any other. One of the notable events that happened during the month included Kim Haein's 18th birthday at the park, and she had invited her new group of friends. She spent the day walking, boating and eating mint chocolate chip ice cream with Sunoo. Ever since that first outing, Haein and Sunoo had spent a lot of time with each other, both in and out of school. They frequently texted and video called whilst they studied or worked on art pieces.

Then came the school's annual History festival. Haein, oblivious to the event, asked the group about it. They said that it was a designated day every year where the school celebrates the advances in the school's technology, research and infrastructure. It was initially made as a fund raiser but it soon became an island-wide event where one could eat delicious food, scream on carnival rides and experience non-stop entertainment the whole night. However, this particular festival was happening during a lunar eclipse.

"A lunar eclipse? I've never seen one before. They must be so beautiful," Haein said, taking a handful out of a small bag of chocolates. Sunoo, who sat next to her, took one and rolled his eyes, popping the snack into his mouth.

"Trust me, they aren't all that."

Scoffing, Haein flicked him on the forehead and ate another chocolate. "And have you ever seen one, Mr Know-it-all?"

"I mean... No, I haven't."

Haein laughed and threw away the now empty bag of snacks. She pondered about the eclipse in silence as she watched the rest of the group conversate. The moon was beautiful in itself, she knew that much, but she had never seen a full lunar eclipse in person. Shutting her eyes, she imagined the sun slowly setting from view and the moon growing more clear in the night sky. It would gleam red as earth gradually blocked the sunlight from reaching the moon. She'd never had an excuse to observe a lunar eclipse and the idea that one would be occurring had been exciting enough for her. She was also ecstatic to see it with her new group of friends - one of them more than others.

"So at the festival, what are your plans?" Haein proposed.

Silence.

For the first time in weeks, her question had been met with complete nothingness. No one responded for half a minute until Heeseung broke into a coughing fit, after choking on his water. Haein could see him trying to form a sentence but he hesitated. He almost looked conflicted to tell her anything.

"We're helping out at a booth," he finally said and the whole group released an inaudible sigh at once. "Of course, only near the beginning of the festival. We'll be able to hang out still, if that's what you're wondering."

Haein nodded in response. She had not known the guys for long, but the short silence after her question felt too tense to be normal. Maybe they had hesitated to tell her for personal reasons. She could not expect too much from guys who have known her for barely two months. Nonetheless, she still believed they were good friends with her. Although, the silence stung a little bit.

Sunoo outstretched his arm to hug Haein, gently rubbing the side of her arm. He turned to her with a smile. Haein secretly loved whenever Sunoo looked at her, since she had an excuse to admire him up close. He said, "don't worry about it. We'll hang out loads once we're done, I promise."

Haein had almost believed his statement when she stopped herself. It surprised her. He had not said anything too forward or malicious, so why did she feel that way? Suppressing the thought, she smiled and nodded, leaning her head on Sunoo's shoulder. "At least I'll get to see the eclipse with you all."

She felt Sunoo tense under her head. Similarly, the rest of the group replicated their previous silence. Remarkable, Haein thought as she sighed. "Is there anything wrong with the eclipse or are you guys hiding something from me?"

"Nonono, don't get us wrong," Jake responded this time, vigorously shaking his head. "We just uh might be too busy... At the booth."

"But you said you were only there for the beginning of the festival."

All heads turned to Jake and the guys looked daggers at him. Gulping, Jake elaborated. "The research committee might want us during the event. They said they wanted to take pictures of the eclipse. And uh, we were gonna help. Yes, help."

Haein bit the inside of her cheek. "And all of you are needed?"

"I'LL WATCH WITH YOU," Ni-ki yelled. Haein arched a brow as she pulled away from Sunoo. "I'm not helping at the booth much, so I can see the eclipse with you. Everyone else is stuck helping though, we're sorry about that."

"Right."

Haein's instincts had proven true as she suppressed the intrusive thoughts threatening to eat away at her psyche. She pursed her lips and nodded, forcing herself to not question it any further. Over time she learned to not expect clear answers from them since she was met with the same, cold indifference.

Biting down on her lip, she mentally told herself she'd have a good time anyway, with or without their company. She then attempted to make a promise herself that she would try to enjoy the festival...

And she failed.

***

"Welcome to the research booth. How can I help you."

Heeseung deadpanned, silently hoping he would be let go soon. His customer, Jay, listened to his greeting and rubbed his temples.

"You need to sound more enthusiastic or else they'll just keep you here," stated Jay as he made his way behind the counter to the inside of the booth. As much as it killed him to stay in the same place whilst the festivities raged on, he knew what was waiting for him when he got out. Fun, that is.

Not many people approached the booth, for obvious reasons. During the period that the group were waiting for customers, Heeseung observed the fields decorated in school-themed bunting and rows upon rows of stalls selling food and merchandise. Surrounding the carnival grounds was a beautiful woodland packed densely with tall, full pine trees that made it impossible to see the other side. Over top, the gleaming sun shone, provoking sweat drops to form on Heeseung's forehead.

By the stall selling ice cream cones, Heeseung saw Haein paying for a scoop of mint-chocolate. He noticed the way she fidgeted with the ends of her hair as she thanked the cashier and the way her eyes beamed when she took the first bite. He also smiled as her teeth retracted from the ice cream because it was too cold. After a while, Heeseung grew aware of the way her hair shone under the sun and the times her cheeks met her eyes when she smiled. He watched as she joyfully took in the view of the city from the field in which the festival was held. Haein looked-

"Excuse me, can you please tell me more about this volunteering thing. I'd like to get my son involved," an impatient customer had stopped in front of the distracted Heeseung. He instantly came to his senses, stalling before he answered. He bit down on his lurching despair that threatened to make his eyes sting with tears... and smiled.

The hour passed slowly, but surely. The group was finally let go from volunteering at the booth to go and enjoy the festivities. From his peripheral vision, Heeseung found Haein sitting at a bench and ran towards her, stopping when he noticed Sunoo had got there first. At that point, he slowed his pace and walked to them with the rest of the group. His eyes fixated on Sunoo as he sat next to Haein and held her hand. A part of him didn't know what to feel about the action and he shook the thought out of his head. It was a ridiculous thought anyway.

"We should get corndogs! Haein, let's buy those potato ones with cheese," Sunoo said, Haein beaming just as much as Sunoo was. Without a word, the two ran towards the stall and waited in line. Heeseung sat on the bench with the others, prying his eyes off of them and joining the conversation with the others.

***

Eight O'clock struck. It was an hour before the eclipse was scheduled to happen. Just before, a performance was held by the dance club at one of the stalls. They had set up a stage for the group of performers which included both Ni-ki and Jungwon, so Haein sat in to watch both of them. For half an hour, they danced multiple covers of famous KPOP songs as well as original choreographed danced. Jungwon mentioned earlier to Haein that he had choreographed the dance himself which was fairly impressive.

Once the performance was over, Haein checked the time on her phone constantly, hoping the eclipse would arrive sooner. Yet, it felt as though time slowed down every time she picked up her phone and her frustration grew the more excited she got.

"I've been waiting for this all day and it still hasn't come out yet. I've already walked around this damn place several times and there's still an hour left. What else is there to do?" Haein sulked.

"Only an hour?" Sunoo said, eyes widened. He gathered the rest of the group and informed them as well. Haein watched carefully as their eyes filled with solemnity and they began walking back to their stall. Before he went, Sunoo turned to face Haein and smiled. "I'll see you soon, okay? Don't have too much fun without me!"

As he caught up with the rest of the members, Haein turned away from them and looked at the sky. Then she looked at her phone. Time had barely moved. Groaning, she shoved the phone into her back pocket and buried her face in her hands. She stayed that way for a while, then moved her hands away from her face, meeting the gaze of an excited Niki who was staring straight at her. She tilted her head. "Niki, why are you staring at me?"

"Because... just because?" He shrugged, sitting next to her. "Why do you look so sad?"

Haein tried to deny it, but part of her felt quite negative to the group leaving her in the middle of the festival. "It's just... I wish I could see the eclipse with the guys, you know? I thought I was closer to them, but apparently I'm not."

Surprised, Niki awkwardly patted her on the back in attempts to reassure her. "No, you got us wrong! We just have a few uhm, let's call them obligations to the school. It's not because we don't like you. In fact, you're the only person besides our circle of friends that has ever bothered to talk to us. We were friends throughout high school, but we're not exactly involved with anyone else. That makes you special!"

As down as she was, the kind comments from Niki brightened her spirits. He may not have given her the reason they were away, but she felt more reassured in the relationship she had with them. She felt as though she could enjoy the night once more, knowing this information. She turned to Niki with a genuine grin.

"Is there anything else we can do tonight?" She asked, resisting the urge to check her phone again.

"We haven't been on all the rides yet. We can ride the carousel!" Niki pointed to the carousel that was in the centre of the entire festival. Haein looked over at the ride and sighed.

"A carousel? What are you, 5?" She laughed, her wrist suddenly being dragged towards the century-old contraption. "Niki, what are you doing!"

"We're gonna have some fun before the eclipse!" He yelled, the two getting in line for the carousel.

For the next hour, the two ran from one ride to the next, screaming and laughing as the movements made their stomachs jolt. The distraction made time fly and in no time, they were witnessing the main event of the night: the lunar eclipse. Haein and Niki sat down on some stools by a stall and looked up at the night sky. As clear as day, the two observed the moon glowing a deep shade of red from its original white. Haein could briefly make out the moon's greyish craters and its orange undertones if she squinted. She excitedly took out her phone to film it, though it looked tiny on her camera.

To her side, she noticed Niki with a hand to his stomach, the other hand to his mouth. His breathing became rapid and he dry heaved silently. Putting her phone down, Haein turned to him and rubbed his back. "Hey, are you alright? You don't look too well."

"I'm-" Niki gagged, wiping his mouth and letting out a long breath. He sat up straight and turned to Haein. "I'm totally, definitely fine. I think I just ate a bad corndog, or something."

"Well, you don't look it."

Haein dug into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water, handing it over to him. She also took out a box of paracetamol and gave it to him as well. "Take two of these and drink a lot of water. I'd rather not have the guys come back and see you so ill."

Silently, Niki took the water bottle and downed it, along with the medicine. He mouthed a thank you and rubbed his stomach in slow, calming circles. However, the calmness was interrupted by the sound of sirens. Three police cars pulled up to the scene at once, along with an ambulance. Police officers and paramedics began surveying the scene, working quickly. Curious, Haein got up to get a closer look. She could already hear people yelling, crying and snapping photos of the ordeal going down. One person's cries caught her attention.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM. GET OFF OF HIM. K!"

K...

Her head snapped towards a pair of police officers hauling K onto the front of a police car, restraining his wrists behind his back. Under their grip, he thrashed against them, desperate to break free of his handcuffs. He was then thrown into the back seat of a police car, where he began headbutting the windows. She could barely comprehend the situation when she overheard others speculating besides her.

"I heard he murdered someone..."

"I did as well. You know that kid in art class, Kim Sunoo?"

Kim Sunoo.

Sunoo.

Fuck.

As if on cue, a stretcher rolled out of the thick woodlands with someone strapped to it. His arms, legs and torso were covered in deep, gaping wounds welling up with blood. His clothes were soaked red, eyes blood shot and more of the warm red liquid came streaming out of his mouth as he coughed, and coughed. Haein watched as he dipped in and out of consciousness, getting a good look at his face.

No.

NO.

At that moment, she froze in stasis. She dropped her phone. Her hands trembled uncontrollably. They rose to her mouth as she began dry heaving, a cold sweat trickling down her neck. Her eyes threatened to well up with tears, but none came out.

She found herself running, and running, and running. Running until her lungs burst into flame and her legs throbbed with pain. She had no idea where she was going until she ran into Taki. Gasping for breath, Haein dropped to her knees and sobbed, hands scratching at her chest and neck. Taki dropped to her level, gently caressing her arms.

"Haein, you're gonna be fine. Just take some deep breaths for me."

"NO," She yelled, her voice a croaked screech. She could barely breathe as her throat closed up, the trembling intensifying. "They t-took K and S-Sunoo is... He's... HE'S... SUNOO IS-"

"Haein, Haein, look at me! Okay? Look at me. You're gonna be fine," Taki kept caressing her arms, trying not to hyperventilate himself.

"I j-just want t-t-to know what h-happened to him," She sobbed continuously. "I s-saw him on a... and I- He- Sunoo-"

Thwack.

Taki had struck her in the neck.

Chapter Text

Looking both ways, Heeseung stepped into the thick woodlands surrounding the festival. Behind were the other members, Jay, Sunghoon, Jake, Sunoo and Jungwon. Making sure no one else was looking, they ran past the trees for ten until the festival was out of sight. They had reached a grassy clearing once they stopped, the moon in full view. However, they were not alone.

"Heeseung," K said, sat amongst some of his friends, EJ, Fuma and Nicholas. K stood up off the floor and walked towards Heeseung, chucking a duffel bag into his arms. Heeseung quickly dropped the bag onto the floor beside him and opened it, removing its contents: several, heavy-duty chains with cuffs on the ends alongside their respective keys and extra padlocks.

"Where'd you get these?" Heeseung inquired as he began to pass the chains to everyone.

"School."

Questioning no further, the groups walked to separate trees and began looping the chain around the back and securing the cuffs to their ankles. Jungwon, who had not chained himself to a tree, walked over to Heeseung and helped secure his restraints. Heeseung turned to him, sullen.

"Stay far from us, but still in our line of sight. I have no idea what's going to happen tonight, but in case anything goes wrong, I need to know I can count on you," he said, clasping his hand around Jungwon's wrist. Jungwon felt the grip tightened the longer the silence between them prevailed.

"I know what I need to do. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Jungwon half-smiled, letting him go and walking back into the woods towards the festival.

Silence.

The group sat in complete, deafening silence, for they were preoccupied by the gradually darkening sky. Each of them monitored the position of the moon as it slowly filled with a blood-shade of red. They stared in eagerness, excited yet mortified. The anticipation of it all caused their muscles to tighten, agonisingly.

Until the moon became completely red.

In an instant, they all doubled over in pain, nails digging into the ground. Their limbs began to pulsate and swell, stiffening their range of movement. Some who could not handle the throbbing pain started to throw up onto the grass. The vomit contained several, large blood clots. In their own filth, they writhed in pain, yet stayed almost completely silent through it all. No one could know they were there.

Mere minutes passed and their silent grunts and squirms elevated to stifled cries of agony. Sunoo had grabbed a fistful of his hair as he sobbed into the grass. He could feel every individual muscle in his body contract and relax continuously and hear the blood rushing past his ears. Constant stabbing pains hit him at every possible spot on his body with every contraction of his muscles.

On the opposite side of the clearing, K glared at Sunoo, growing erratic from the pain. His limbs swelled even further to the point where rips formed in his shirt and pants. Despite the pain clouding his vision and mind, his eyes never left Sunoo's. Foam began forming in his mouth and he stumbled into all fours, choking out, "You're all dead."

His voice sounded unreal, as though he'd been possessed by another. He tried pouncing at them but struggled against the restraints. The once sturdy trees began swaying to K's will as he tried to escape them. Reluctantly, Heeseung looked up to him, unfortunately meeting K's death-filled stare.

"What-" he coughed up blood, "-the fuck are you t-talking about?"

"I smell her on ALL of you, " K seethed, his head rapidly moving between Heeseung, Sunoo, Jay, Sunghoon and Jake. He then returned his gaze of daggers to Sunoo, who was now returning the mutual stare of disgust back to him. "Especially you."

Pounding the ground with one fist, Sunghoon dry heaved and sat up onto his knees. He weakly yelled, "cut... the... b-bullshit, K."

Infuriated, K pounced again, and again, the force of his pounces adding extra stress to his restraints. Eventually, an ear-splitting crack in the tree caught the attention of everyone there. A strong wave of adrenaline wavered over them all. With all of the strength they could muster, they backed away from him. Heeseung's eyes widened fearfully as he ignored the burning of his lungs to scream. "K, YOU'RE BREAKING YOUR RESTRAINTS."

Split, after split, after split. The tree was about to collapse at any second. At least... that was what everyone thought.

In an instant, the padlocks securing him to the tree snapped in half, releasing K from his restraints. He immediately aimed for Sunoo who barely saw him coming. K jumped on top of him, restraining Sunoo's weak wrists to the floor. The foam formulating in K's mouth dripped down his chin and spilled onto the sides of Sunoo's face. Sunoo flinched, screaming once he felt something pierce his skin and enter his flesh.

Panic struck amongst the group who were either too in pain or too frightened to take any action. Heeseung watched in horror as K's fingernails developed into fully grown claws which were buried into Sunoo's wrists. Had Heeseung's throat not been completely shredded, he would have yelled out for help, for Jungwon, for anyone. Yet, all he could do was watch.

Watch as K's claws swiped across Sunoo's torso.

Watch the wounds well up with pools of blood.

Watch as Sunoo fought with every ounce of energy to stay awake despite the pain.

Watch as Jungwon ran from the abyss of the pine trees and rammed his elbow into K's neck.

"SUNOO!" He screamed, quickly releasing Sunoo from his restraints and picking him up into his arms. K was left unconscious, temporarily stunned from the blow. The blood gushing out of Sunoo's wounds began soaking up Jungwon's shirt and dripped down the side of his forearms. Nevertheless, Jungwon sprinted out of the forest to get back to the festival as quickly as possible. Very quickly, he could feel the fatigue build up in his calves and the breath being stolen from his lungs. But he couldn't stop. He couldn't leave Sunoo to bleed out.

Eventually, Jungwon made it back to the booth, where a few of the staff members were congregated. He stumbled to them, panting. "Please... Save him."

The staff acted immediately and took the body from Jungwon. They added pressure to the several wounds across his body but blood continued to squirt out of every crevice. One of the staff called an ambulance whilst the others tried to keep the poor boy awake.

"They'll be a few minutes, but we aren't sure if he'll make it," the staff said to Jungwon, who was collapsed on a chair.

At that moment he felt helpless. There was nothing he could say or do that would change anything. Just sitting there dealing with the sorrow, felt terrible. Until he remembered who was waiting in the forest.

"Shit," Jungwon muttered as he ran out of the booth and towards the forest. K wouldn't be stunned for long and he had to do something. Frantically, he picked up his phone and dialled the number for the police. He listened closely to the rustling of leaves to figure out how much time he had left.

"Police, what is your emergency?"

"There's a..." Jungwon hesitated, not knowing what to say. "A monster in the forest! It looks human but I found it mauling my friend. Please help us!"

"What is your location? We will send help right away."

After telling them all the details, Jungwon waited in anticipation for K to come out of the forest. He silently hoped he had not called the police too late as the rustling of the branches grew louder.

***

"Haein!" Niki yelled after her, as he began running towards her. Before he could catch up, he found her phone on the grass and picked it up. At that moment, he realised the severity of the situation. For a while, all he could do was stand there. He watched as one of his closest friends, wrapped in bandages and gauze, desperately held onto his life. The colour in Sunoo's eyes was quickly fading as even more blood puddled in the stretcher and onto the grass. Every so often, Niki would catch him spasm in place hinting at the horror that Sunoo was still awake.

At the same time, Niki's eyes were preoccupied with the several police cars parked near the entrance of the festival. In one particular car, a person was thrashing against the window, leaving condensation and blood to pool and drip down the side of it. From where he was standing, he could vaguely hear them screaming, even amidst the sounds of sirens and people conversating.

He then turned to Haein's general direction and spotted her sprawled on the floor next to Taki. Looking between the three, he chose to help Haein, concluding that the staff and the doctors would be of more help to Sunoo than he would. Walking towards them, he forced the emotions from resurfacing, the grip around Haein's phone tightening with every breath. When he got there, he crouched next to Taki and stared at the unconscious body in front of them.

"Did you kill her?" Niki said, nonchalantly.

"Obviously not," Taki remarked, pressing the back of his hand to Haein's forehead. "But this was necessary."

"How is it necessary to knock someone out? You know what, never mind. Everything is too much right now and we can't just leave her here amongst-" Niki gestured to the ambulances and polices cars, "-this."

Taki rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Then what do you propose we do? Do you by any chance know where she lives?"

"Well..." Niki stood up, dusted his knees off and said, "we live close by and sometimes I see her enter her house, but that doesn't mean I was following her or stalking her!"

They stared at each other for a second.

"I won't ask."

Together, they both picked up Haein's unconscious body. One of her arms was around Niki's shoulder and the other arm was on Taki's shoulder. Cautiously, they made their way out of the festival and towards her house, leaving the scene of the crime.

Chapter Text

BREAKING NEWS: Decelis Research Academy Sends Students Home for a Week After a Severe Accident During the Decelis History Festival.

"Haein, get up," Niki said, in front of the door to Haein's bedroom. On the other side, Haein groaned, throwing a plushie at the door and smothering herself with the blanket.

For the last week, Haein had not left the house. Other than the times she used the bathroom or go downstairs to eat food, she did not leave her room at all. The only people she saw during the break were her parents and Taki and Niki who had both volunteered to help her during the hard time. They brought her snacks, talked with her and attempted to complete some of her art coursework but failed miserably. Even after the week was over, Haein did not feel stable enough to want to leave her room and see sunlight for the first time in several days.

"Leave me alone, Niki."

Niki sighed. He then opened his bag and took out a bag of her favourite chocolates. Internally cringing, he put on his cutest voice and rattled the bag. "I have a surprise waiting for you, but only if you get up~"

Within a few minutes, Haein was out of bed, fully dressed and opening the door. She quickly snatched the bag off Niki and marched into the bathroom, eyes adjusting to the light of the hallway. As surprised as Niki was, he smiled quietly then made his way to the living room to wait for her. After a while, Taki also came to her house, with yet another bag of snacks. Niki laughed at the sight, saying, "I see she's very easily persuaded."

"I second that," Taki smiled, sitting on the couch next to Niki. Haein came downstairs shortly after, excitedly grasping to the snack. She picked up her lunch and schoolbag then slumped down on the couch next to them. Nudging her in the shoulder, Taki jokingly glared at her. "I don't even get a hello?"

Haein looked over at him then straightened her clothes. "Oh, nice to see you, Taki. How are-" She eyed the second bag of snacks in Taki's hands. "Are those..."

"Yes, but only if you leave the house today," Taki said, snatching the snacks away from her hands. With a sorrowful expression, she stood up from the couch and walked towards the front door, the other guys following behind her. Before she left the house, she told her parents she was leaving and then stepped outside.

Sun.

Haein shielded her eyes in agony as she barely adjusted to the blinding light. She yelped as she buried her eyes into the nearest guy's shoulder, the guy being Niki. "I. Can't. See," She grated.

Feeling bad for her, Niki passed her a pair of sunglasses he had in his bag and she slapped them onto her face, hissing in relief. Niki and Taki laughed, watching her try to walk in a straight line. In the end, Niki grabbed her forearm so she could stabilise herself. "Wow, you've really been reduced to a high-maintenance pet at this point."

"Shut up, Niki," she said, tripping over herself as she scolded him. Both of them burst into laughter a second time.

During the walk to school, they tried to not mention the elephant in the room... and failed. In fact, it became the only thing any of them could think and talk about. There had been too many questions for them not to. Despite Niki being close to Sunoo, he had not been updated at all in the last week regarding his condition and the condition of the rest of the group. In addition, Taki had not heard a word about K's arrest since it happened. No news coverage, no notice released by the school. Just like the murder on Haein's first day, it seemed as though everything was being silenced by the school.

"Honestly, you'd think someone would leak any information about this, about Sunoo and K, about anything that happened!" Haein yelled, angrily chewing on the bag of chocolates.

"We're just as clueless as you are, and I've known Sunoo even before I got into high school," Niki said, still holding onto Haein's forearm. She may have been walking entirely normally after a few minutes, but he couldn't bring himself to let go so soon.

"I'm sure nothing'll be amiss. I still think Sunoo's in the hospital," Taki shared a glance with Haein and coughed, "recovering, I'll bet. There's no way he'd recover in such a short time."

"Haein?"

There at the entrance of the school, a ghost stood, smiling at all of them. It held its arms out, gesturing a hug. Nothing looked amiss. No scars, no blood, no wavering in its voice and, most suspiciously, no visible pain. Impossibly, Sunoo stood there before the three, looking as fit as he did the day before the festival. To Haein, it was the healthiest he had ever looked in front of him.

As tears built up in her eyes, Haein ran over to him and crushed him in a hug. She quickly retracted, not wanting to hurt him. Caressing his face, she cried, "y-you're alright! But what about your scars, do they hurt? Oh my fucking God, Sunoo. I thought you died!"

Sunoo laughed. "Died? What are you talking about? I've just been at school doing art coursework."

Looking visibly confused, Haein looked him in the eye, examining each of his features closely. He uncannily looked exactly the same as he'd always looked. "But... I saw you. I saw you bleed, I saw you on that stretcher as you were dragged into an ambulance and I saw-"

"Haein," Sunoo interrupted her and rubbed her shoulders consolingly. "Look at me. Do I look dead to you?"

As dumfounded as she was, Haein had desired for things to return to normal more than anything and there it was, served to her on a silver platter. All her worries for that last week were calmed almost instantly, and she wasn't going to let go of that to obtain a harsh truth that would hurt a lot more.

"I'm glad you're okay, Sunoo. I don't know what I was saying earlier," Haein smiled, linking arms with Sunoo. They both walked into school together for their first class. However, Niki and Taki stared at each other, dumbfounded. They were thinking of the same exact thing.

"How is he not-" Niki cautiously looked around him, "You know... dead?"

"It shouldn't be possible, or real," Taki said and rubbed his nose in frustration. "Did you hear the bullshit he was spouting earlier? Coursework? He should be in a hospital!"

"But he looks okay, maybe he can afford a really good makeup artist to hide the scars?"

Rolling his eyes, Taki placed a hand on Niki's shoulder. "And even if he could, why would he lie about something all of us saw? Why would he refuse to believe he was ever hurt in any way?"

"I... Don't know. I'll ask the others about it during break."

In silence, the two entered the building to start the school day.

***

When Haein approached the table, an inconspicuous wave of anxiety washed over her. She realised she had seen none of them besides Niki for the entire week. She had no idea whether they also knew what happened or were as clueless about it as Sunoo. Still, she made an attempt to find answers once Sunoo had left them to go to the bathroom.

"I'm not the only one who saw what happened, right?" Haein said, Niki shaking his head vigorously.

"You're not crazy, Haein. I saw it too," reassuring her, Niki glared at the rest of the guys in quiet fury. "What I'm more curious about were the lack of updates. Thanks a lot for that, by the way. I felt very reassured that you were all safe and sound by the zero texts and calls I got from all of you. So, would you mind explaining what the hell is going on with you all?"

The boys around the table fidgeted, not daring to make any eye contact. After a few seconds, Heeseung looked up and interlocked his hands together. "We're aware of it."

"And? Are you upset? Terrified?" Haein said.

"I..." Heeseung could barely answer. Instead, he took a deep breath and pursed his lips together. "I'm mortified. We don't even know how it's possible. But for now..."

Haein rolled her eyes, slumping back down in her seat. Heeseung carried on, despite her disinterest. "We've decided not to draw anymore attention to it because Sunoo has no idea what he went through. When he was recovering, the uhm-" he paused to gather his thoughts, "doctors said that we shouldn't force him to remember anything. The very act could hurt him."

"Oh."

Having mixed feelings, Haein began growing helpless with the slowly accumulating questions building up in her brain. She may have gotten one answer, but it pales in comparison to the answers she had yet to find. In addition, the shock of the entire situation weighed down on her chest, even a week after the festival. She wanted to know what really happened but needed more time to recover. She couldn't force herself to find answers the same way she couldn't force any answers out of Sunoo. She'd simply wait this one out.

However, there was another side to this situation: K. She'd noticed it as soon as she stepped outside that he was not there, even though Sunoo was perfectly fine. Eventually, Haein remembered what had been said at the festival, and her strong reluctance to believe any of it.

K had almost killed Sunoo. Yet, that's not what the papers said.

A rampaging monster. A ferocious beast. A wild animal. An uncontrollable creature. All of the headlines described an inhumane entity, with features no human could ever have, and no features K could ever have. However, on the night K was arrested, he had been exactly that. An uncontrollable creature that looked uncannily human. Furthermore, Haein remembered her many run-ins with K. Bad temper, perverse stares and foaming at the mouth. The more she pondered, the more her legs felt weak. Maybe K did kill Sunoo.

"I'm gonna go hang out with Taki for a bit, I'll see you guys later," Haein said, getting up out of her chair and making a b line towards his table. The need for answers clouded her vision, and she refused to let her curiosity sink into her being.

Once she got there, Taki beamed and got up to greet her. He sat next to her as she began to include herself in the conversation. However, she did not dawdle for very long and veered towards the topic she sorely needed answers for. "So, I've been very curious about what happened, and I don't know if you guys know anything about it either. Is there a reason K is still... Gone?"

Taki took a deep breath and faced her. "It's not something we've talked through yet, but I'm guessing that-"

Haein almost jumped out of her skin as she felt a hand grab her shoulder. Although it was not grabbed forcefully, the manner in which it came in contact with her body irked her. It was slow, but firm. Her head turned towards the owner of the hand and met eyes with Yuma, who towered over her. The corner of his lips turned up as he slid into the empty space next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Why bother about him, he's just serving time for what he did. There are plenty of other guys who deserve your attention," Yuma said. With every word, his face drew closer to her, until they were just inches apart. Haein promptly moved away from the eye contact and turned to Taki once more.

"I want to know about K."

The inherent refusal of his affection caused Yuma to scowl at her, walk away and slump down on the bench furthest away from her. Haein bit down the urge to laugh at his childish tantrum. However, she had been more curious about the sudden affection. Yuma had always been one to smile and wave in her direction, but the insinuation that anything sensual could happen between them felt illegal to her. As mean as it felt, she strictly regarded him as a friend, not a lover.

Pressing her lips together, she turned to Taki, with slight desperation in her expression. He read her eyes and responded. "As I was saying, I don't know much more than what I saw at the festival. Even though we haven't discussed it yet, I think that K-" many of the other members began eyeing him with suspicion, "-killed someone, that night. That's why he was arrested and is still arrested."

Haein's eyes were not the only pair that widened at the comment. Fuma looked visibly frustrated at his comment, digging his nails into his palms. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Taki?"

"There's no use in lying to her. She's seen and heard the same things we have. We should come clean," Taki said. Fuma huffed and buried his head in his hands. After taking a few short breaths, Taki turned to her again, placing both of her hands on Haein's shoulders. "Look, Haein. I have no idea whether it's true, but I think it was K who tried to kill Sunoo. The fact that he is alive and well should not make you think everything is normal. It is against the laws of life that he is standing right now, with no flaws and no recollection of anything that happened to him."

After he finished talking, Haein's stability threatened to come crashing down. The constant ringing in her ears she thought she got rid of suddenly came back and her heart rate skyrocketed. She wanted to be mad, to scream at him. Yet, no matter how much she wanted to, Taki was right. The week she took off didn't change what happened to Sunoo. Or better yet, what didn't happen to him. Noticing her minor panic attack, Taki tried comforting her the best he could. He stabilised his breathing so she could mimic it and rubbed her shoulders in consoling circles. This had been the daily routine during the last week.

"I want to know the truth," Haein managed through staggered breaths, "but I also don't. For the first time in what feels like forever, things don't feel out of control anymore. I appreciate your help a lot, Taki. I just don't think I can mentally grasp what really happened to him."

"I... Understand. Just know you can come to me or Niki if it ever feels like too much. Okay?" Part of Taki looked pained at Haein's response. All he could do was smile when she nodded and watch as she eventually left to go back to Sunoo and the others.

Chapter Text

Haein stalked the hallways for the third time that day. She managed to escape classes every now and then to take a breather. Ever since her talk with Taki, the emotions she wanted to suppress resisted staying hidden. Those anxious feelings had set in since her first day, but they steadily grew in intensity, keeping her constantly on the edge.

Perusing around the school, she tried her best to rationalise the current situation. One thing she knew for sure was that she saw Sunoo bleeding in that stretcher. She had unintentionally memorised every single gaping wound that tainted his flawless skin. Knowing he survived relieved some worry, yet she was terrified.

It is against the laws of life that he is standing right now.

Sunoo had been the only thing on her mind that entire week. Haein was drowning in as much anxiety as she was when she moved.

Trying her best not to fall apart in the vast halls, she examined each bland set of lockers as she walked by. Each one the same as the other: unchipped, industrial white. Every so often she observed the tiny cracks in the ground or the natural light that beamed through the windows. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath, counted to four, then released it. She repeated this until she felt grounded again.

Haein had almost gotten to the bathroom when someone had caught her eye. On the opposing wall, Yuma had emerged from the classroom, headed in her general direction. Haein kept her eyes down and hoped he wouldn't notice her. But he found her anyway.

In that instant, she resisted against her instinct to freeze in place. She stiffly sped walk to the bathroom door until she jerked backwards, her eyes panning to Yuma's hand around her wrist. Putting on the best smile she could manage, Haein met his piercing eyes. "Oh, Yuma. I guess I didn't see you there."

Desperate to leave him, she tugged on his hold and winced as she felt it tighten. Yuma's eyes did not waver in their intensity. "What's the rush? Stay with me."

"Yuma, I'm not in a good place right now, it isn't a good time," Haein pushed against his grip but he wouldn't budge. The more she struggled, the more helpless she felt. She could barely hold back the tears building up in her eyes.

"Then I'll make it a good time."

Pulling on her wrist, Haein crashed into Yuma's chest and felt his hands curl around her waist. She pushed against him but could not win against his strength. She shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself his arms moved along her lower back, painfully slow. Haein refused to hold her head up, not wanting to see his face or perverse stares.

As horrified as she was, she couldn't help but wonder when he started acting like this. He used to be so kind and considerate. It felt like a flip switched and he began acting like a possessive, entitled prick. Like he was some sort of alpha male.

"You bastard," someone yelled from across the hallway. Haein heard shoes squeak against the floor and found herself falling out of Yuma's hold. Once on the ground, her eyes still shut, she heard the impact of someone else hitting the floor. When they opened, Heeseung was stood towering over Yuma, fists clenched.

He had just punched Yuma in the face. Saving her.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He screamed at him, but Yuma barely reacted.

"I'm here to take what's rightfully mine. It's not like you've claimed her yet," he said, Heeseung growing mortified with every word. "Admit it. You're mad you couldn't get to her first."

Immediately, Heeseung was on the ground pummelling his fist into Yuma's face. He had one hand around Yuma's collar as the other bore a hole into Yuma's jaw. Before Haein could realise what was happening, a small crowd began to form. Teachers also arrived at the scene, one of which tearing Heeseung away from Yuma. Taking this as her chance to bail, she ran to the bathroom and locked herself in one of the stalls.

Haein braced herself. She scratched at her chest and tried to take deep breaths. She inhaled for four, held it for four and then exhaled for four. She looked around for five things she could see and five things she could hear, all to contain her out-bursting emotions. After a few minutes, her heart rate eased slightly and she hugged her arms around her knees. She gave a low sob as she buried her chin into her chest.

Haein stayed in the stall for the rest of the lesson period.

When the bell rang for break, she reluctantly left the bathroom, looking every which way to see if Yuma was still there. She gripped her blazer and wrapped it around herself as she walked.

As she made a bee line to the field, Haein hesitated. Yuma could still be sat outside. She then peered around the corner of the doorway, briefly scanning the crowd.

He was there. Even worse, he made his presence known. He stood on a bench and sneered at the people below him, as if to mark his own territory. His friends looked up at him in confusion, conversating next to him but largely ignoring his existence. The scene was laughable, but Haein couldn't stand to see him right now.

Right when she turned away to spend some time inside, she ran into Sunoo, who greeted her with the same grin as he always did. "Haein! I bought your favourite snack before school. Let's go eat it together and make the other guys jealous."

Sunoo took Haein's hand into his own and guided her to their usual table. When Haein stepped foot outside, her stomach dropped. She felt the stares of the entire school on her, demeaning her existence. The only thing on her mind was a way to escape without telling anyone else what was wrong. However, she had yet to face Heeseung since the incident. She had been meaning to thank him at some point but was still too humiliated to speak about it.

"Sit next to me," Sunoo beamed, grabbing the snacks out of his bag. Haein slumped down next to him and rested her head against his shoulder. For a split second, she locked eyes with Heeseung who sat opposing her. From what she saw, his expression was cold and hardened. When Haein looked up to see him again, his eyes were preoccupied with something, or someone, in the distance.

She was so busy analysing, she barely registered the sweet treat dangling in front of her face. Sighing, she refused the snack. Sunoo lifted Haein off of his shoulder and turned to face her. "What's wrong? You never skip on snacks."

"I'm-" she spared a glance at Heeseung who continued to glare into the distance, "preoccupied. Anxiety maybe. I don't wanna talk about it."

"You could talk about it later, you don't have to say anything now. I'm right here, Haein," Sunoo said, enveloping Haein into a warm hug. She immediately felt like pouring her soul out to him. Something about his aroma felt exactly the same as walking into a bakery first thing in the morning, where the scents of freshly baked bread and pastries filled the air. She could easily get addicted to his aroma.

When she pulled away, she looked around at the other guys around the table. None of them were phased by Sunoo and her. Their eye lines all pointed in the same direction, towards the guy standing obnoxiously on the table, glaring right back at their table. Glaring right back at the guys. Glaring at Haein. Instantaneously, her chest tightened and jaw clenched. She drove the bottom of her fist into the table which caused the other guys to jump. Haein had no idea what she loathed more: the sheer humiliation, or the sense of betrayal she felt when she looked at Heeseung.

"You told them."

Heeseung looked at her, then stared into his lap. He briefly opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. Guiltily, he lifted his head up to meet her face. "He violated you. I figured if everyone knew, maybe there wouldn't be a next time."

"Did you even stop to think about my feelings before you made that decision?" The tears forced themselves out of Haein's eyes as she got up and gathered her things. "I can't even look at you right now."

Sunoo watched as Haein ran back inside, bag clutched into her chest. He then looked back at his friends, glaring daggers at all six of them. He swiftly gathered his stuff together and got up to leave.

"Is this your idea of being supportive?" Sunoo said, turning around to go after her.

In their absence, the group turned to look at Heeseung, who could barely look them back in the eye. He quietly clenched his jaw and buried his face in his hands. Groaning to himself, he muttered, "I'm such an idiot."

***

Throughout her last class of the day, Haein threw herself into her work. She sketched and painted for the whole hour, not lifting her head to speak to anyone. If she did, she risked another mental break down. Luckily, her efforts proved fruitful as she observed her finished piece that took her around a week to complete - a still life of objects she found lying around her house.

She smiled to herself and looked over her shoulder to see Sunoo quietly working on his own charcoal art piece. Silently, she sat staring at his various hand movements across the page. She smiled as he scrunched his nose in frustration when the blending of the charcoal made his piece look lopsided.

Before they knew it, the bell rang, signalling homeroom. As always, Haein walked out of class with Sunoo and headed to her homeroom. She groaned and stretched her back on her way out, ecstatic to finally go home. "I feel so behind on coursework, it's crazy," she said.

"Don't stress yourself out too much, Haein. You're miles ahead of some students in the class already," Sunoo reassured her. Haein could still feel a twinge of tension with Sunoo whenever she hung out with him. Part of her believed she needed to help him regain his lost memories, but she didn't want to hurt him. Besides, she already relived the events of the history festival every night in her sleep.

Snapping out of her daze, Haein looked down the vast hallways and saw a crowd forming. She subconsciously wrapped her blazer around her front and walked faster to see the commotion. Amidst the worried whispers, Haein made out the sound of shoes squeaking against the floor and a student's agonising groans. She felt goosebumps emerge on her skin as the noises grew louder the closer she got. Standing right outside the crowd, she recognised the voices immediately.

Haein pushed through person after person until she made it to the front. In the middle of it all, she lost Sunoo, but she recollected hearing him call out to her before she was engulfed in people. She observed the scene and almost screamed herself.

Blood. Blood everywhere.

Fuma was sprawled on the floor, his arms cradling his head. He was protecting himself from being kicked and punched by another student - Yuma. Fuma released his head from his arms and sat up, staring at him in resentment. "Yuma, I- I can't fight you. Please, we can talk about this-"

"There is nothing to talk about," Yuma yelled as he drove his foot into Fuma's abdomen. At this point, Yuma barely sounded like a human being, as though his voice was replaced by one of a wild animal learning to speak. "You think you can lead like this? Just look at how weak you are. You're pathetic-" Yuma kicked, "-and a coward-" he kicked once more, "-and as useless of a leader as K was."

In between his agony-filled screams, Fuma panted, "don't you dare speak ill of K, Yuma. We were a family-" Fuma coughed up blood onto his forearm, "-and he was our brother."

Yuma paused. He clenched his fists and choked up into a manic laughing fit. "A brother? Since when do brothers break your jaw because they 'forgot' their own strength? K did nothing for me. I'm tired of being the runt of this pack."

Letting out a guttural scream, Yuma drove his final kick straight into Fuma's head. Haein held back the urge to throw up as she heard the sickening crack of his neck and the slowly building pool of blood. Lifting her head, she froze in place as she met Yuma's wanting stare. The corners of his lips curled up into a devilish sneer, disfiguring his face into a person she barely knew anymore.

"Ready to finish what we started?" Yuma said, stepping over Fuma's body and walking in her direction. Haein could barely think as her legs sprung into action. She funnelled through the crowd and ran down the hallway as fast as she could. She heard people following her but couldn't risk looking behind her in case it was Yuma.

At the end of the hallway, she opened the door to an empty classroom and went to shut the door, but someone had blocked it. He steadily made his way into the room and closed the door behind him. Haein could barely tell who it was as her vision blurred and the ringing in her ears returned. She collapsed to her knees as she began peeling off layers, her breathing stunted. The walls closed in around her as she wheezed uncontrollably. She trembled.

Suddenly, her trembling hand was enveloped in a warm one. Haein sensed the familiar aroma of a bakery in the early morning. Her breathing began to steady as she took in the smell of freshly baked pastries and drove her head into his chest. She sobbed into his shirt. "Sunoo..."

As her tears stained his clothes, Haein felt the soothing feeling of Sunoo's fingers combing through her hair. Part of her was relieved he didn't caress her back, although she still had no idea how much he knew about the incident. Sunoo moved her face away his chest and wiped the soaked strands of hair out of her eyes. "I'm right here."

In an instant, the feelings she bottled up exploded out of her.

"But... you weren't! You weren't here for an entire week! I was worried sick about you, Sunoo. I spent every hour of every day like this, except you were nowhere to be found. You were... You were-" She sniffled, "-you were dead! Every time I close my eyes, all I see is the sight of you covered in gaping wounds. I remember the relief I felt when I saw you alive only to realise that you remember nothing and that you were, 'doing coursework'. If I'm remembering correctly then why didn't you fucking call me back? Did you think about me at all when all I could think about was you? All my tears and sleepless nights... Did any of it matter to you?"

Sunoo sat in silence, unable to respond.

Wiping her nose, Haein stumbled trying to stand up, stabilising herself on one of the desks. When she saw Sunoo staring at the ground, she solemnly made her way to the door, only for her wrist to be grabbed by Sunoo. He pulled her into his chest and looked into her teary eyes.

Then crashed his lips against hers.

Chapter Text

Haein flinched but relaxed almost instantaneously. Once she gathered her thoughts, she realised what was happening.

Sunoo was kissing her.

When he pulled away, Haein already missed the warmth of his lips on hers. She looked into his eyes and could barely find the words. All her mind could think about was the fact Sunoo had just kissed her. Her. She couldn't fathom the idea that someone as caring and effortlessly beautiful as Sunoo could be interested in the anxious mess Haein was.

Whilst observing his soft features, Haein noticed Sunoo turn bright red as he turned away from her. He tried covering his face with his hands, but the damage had already been done. "I didn't know that would happen! I'm so sorry, I should have asked you first-"

"No," Haein said, turning his head so he faced her again. "I... I liked it."

"You did?" Smiling, Sunoo caressed Haein's cheek as she nodded. The words began pouring out of him. "Haein... I care about you so much. I can't begin to describe how happy you make me whenever you sit by me, or when we watch anime and eat snacks together."

Haein's eyes glittered as heard his words. "I think I've made it clear already how much I like you."

"You like me?" Sunoo inquired, eyebrow arched.

"I meant care! I mean-" Haein covered her face in her hands and groaned internally. "Yeah. I do."

Laughing to himself, Sunoo enveloped Haein in his arms and rested his head on top of hers. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head and held her tighter. "I like you too."

For a few minutes, they just stood there, enjoying each other's company. Haein basked in Sunoo's scent of freshly baked croissants and stared at the clock from across the room. She squinted, confused how the bell hadn't rung yet. When she realised what time it was, she pulled away and gathered her things.

"Sunoo, it's still homeroom," said Haein as she hauled her backpack onto her back. As she was ready to leave the room, she turned to Sunoo and paused. "So what is-" she gestured between Sunoo and her, "-this, exactly?"

Furrowing his eyebrows, Sunoo thought to himself and then took a pack of gummies out of the front pocket of his bag. He opened it and took out a ring shaped sweet, getting down on one knee as he held the ring out to Haein. "My dearest Haein, would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?"

Haein resisted the urge to drop her jaw. She had no idea what she was expecting when she asked the question. Yet, she couldn't help but smile back at him and accept his ring.

"I do."

***

Exhausted, Haein opened the door to her room, throwing her bag and jacket onto the floor. She then slumped over towards her bed and collapsed face first into her pillow. She let out a sigh of relief and began settling into bed, skimming over the events that had happened over the course of the day.

She encountered the memory of her run-in with Yuma. Just the thought of his hands on her was enough to make her skin crawl and hide underneath her duvet. Throughout her life she'd heard of other people's experiences with... assault. Every story she listened to turned out worse than the last and she'd felt bad for every single person who suffered. Yet, she had never considered the same thing happening to her, especially during one of her anxiety flare-ups.

Haein found solace in the fact that Heeseung was there to take care of Yuma before things got out of hand. Had he arrived any later than he did... Haein shunned the idea. In her reminders, she noted to herself to thank him for it the next day.

However, she thought about how awfully convenient it was that he was there just before it got any worse. Heeseung rarely has any lectures in the morning and it was only halfway through second period when it happened. She shrugged it off, writing it off as pure coincidence before remembering what happened during lunch.

Heeseung had told everyone on the table about Yuma and her. She knew he was worried about her, but it didn't make it any less humiliating. Next time she saw him, Haein hoped to clear the situation up so that he remembers to consult her next time he goes blabbering to the first person he sees about her exploits.

The last events of the school day felt like a blur. It happened so fast and she could only recount a few vivid memories. To name a few, Haein recollected the pool of blood that surrounded Fuma's head as Yuma drove his foot into Fuma's face, the demeaning comments and the screams of agony. Just the thought almost triggered the panic attack that struck her whilst she was watching it.

All of that happened in one day. Haein silently wished she could have a whole other week off just to recover from it. With every passing day, it felt like her threshold for emotional damage got lower every time.

Snapping her out of her slump, she received a text from Sunoo, who sent a picture of him and a cute text. The picture was of him eating a bowl of watermelon slices and the text read, 'Sent this to remind you to eat and take it easy, tonight. Thinking of you whilst I study x.'

Before she got his text, she'd almost forgotten they were together. Haein wasn't new to relationships and even had a few back in Seoul. She'd been with someone at her previous high school but they broke up months before she moved to the island.

Funnily enough, she still wore the gummy ring he slipped onto her finger. It started sticking to her skin so she took it off and placed it in an empty ring box she found under her desk. Haein took a picture of the ring inside the box, before closing it and putting it away. She sent the picture to him, alongside a text reading, 'look who just got engaged ;) I'll eat in a sec, dw.'

Smiling to herself, Haein sat down on her bed then took three deep and long breaths. In for four counts, held for four counts and out for four counts. She then looked back on her qualms and tried her best to shut them out for the meantime. Over time, she may forget about this day, although part of her feared it would become part of her for the rest of time.

'Nothing a meal can't fix,' Haein thought, as she left her room to eat dinner with her family.

***

The next day, Haein began her walk to school. Niki and Taki volunteered to walk her to school every day after the week-long break, but both had been preoccupied that morning, so Haein went alone. Sunoo had texted prior that he'd meet her first period, due to a secondary "unrelated" reason he chose not to specify. At this point, Haein never questioned when someone would be busy or disappear for the day. It had become commonplace for them to.

By the entrance of the school, Haein spotted Heeseung leant against the wall, scrolling through his phone. Haein initially wanted to greet him, but hesitated, considering she still hadn't forgiven him from the events the day prior. However, Heeseung greeted her first. His expression seemed mildly cheerful, but mostly sombre.

"Is it alright if I talk to you for a second?" he asked, Haein nodding.

"Yeah, but quick. Wouldn't want to be late," Haein said as she pressed her lips into a half-smile.

Heeseung paused and took a breath before looking at the floor. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, I really overstepped."

"Yeah, you did."

Taken aback, Heeseung laughed at himself and scratched the back of his head. "I guess I deserve that. And again, I am really sorry. I was just really worried about you but I understand now that it doesn't justify my actions. From now on, if anything happens to you, I'll wait for your cue before I tell anyone else. But, I want to give you something first."

Heeseung reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up post-it note, handing it to Haein. She took it and opened it. It contained Heeseung's number.

Arching her eyebrow, Haein looked up at Heeseung in minor confusion. "Your way of saying sorry is flirting with me?" A corner of Haein's lip curled up as she began typing his number into her phone.

Whilst she stared at her phone, Heeseung's eyes widened. "Me? Flirt with you? Why would I do that? That's a crazy idea."

Amused, Haein stared back at him. Heeseung continued, "I wanted to give you this so I'd have a way of contacting you. I only see you in school or during after school hangouts, so if there's anything you wanna talk about or ask me outside of those times, feel free to text me."

"Alright then, apology accepted," Haein smiled. "Wait, but don't I already have your socials?"

Sighing, he explained, "using something like Instagram would require Wifi, which you may not always have. Cellular is more reliable."

"Good thinking."

Putting their phones away, the bell immediately rang for homeroom. Haein's head turned towards the entrance.

"Crap, let's go," Haein said as she grabbed Heeseung's wrist and legged it into the building.

***

When the bell rang for lunch, Haein met up with Sunoo by a row of lockers near the canteen. The night before, they'd discussed over a call whether or not they would tell the others. In the end, they decided to wait a week to see if it works out and then break the news to them. Hopefully, they'd be happy to hear it.

They inconspicuously walked up to their usual table outside and sat down with the others. Jake, Sunghoon and Jay were crowded around one phone, eyes eagerly glued to the screen. From the sound, Haein assumed they were watching anime. Jungwon and Niki were talking to each other about an event the dance club was hosting in a month. Heeseung had been watching the anime with the guys but still looked up to greet Sunoo and her when they arrived at the table, before continuing to watch the anime.

Whilst Haein ate her lunch, she felt hands caressing both of her shoulders. She looked around the table and no one seemed to have moved from their previous positions and it definitely wasn't Sunoo behind her. Upon her realisation, her heart dropped to her stomach and every muscle in her body tensed painfully.

"Yuma," Heeseung muttered through gritted teeth. At the sound of his name, all seven boys turned to Yuma with rage-filled eyes. All conversations and anime-watching came to a halt immediately and all eyes were on Haein and Yuma's invasive hands.

"Seems like I came at a wrong time," Yuma said as his hands further explored until one snaked around her neck. The corners of his lips turned upwards as he observed the group's clenched fists and jaws. "Haein and I have unfinished business."

"And I have unfinished business with you," Heeseung slammed a fist into the table, causing all of the food on the table to move around. The notion seemed to only amuse Yuma further and he slightly tightened the grip he had around Haein's neck. It made the entire table freeze with baited breath.

"If you still want your precious prey back in one piece then I advise you make-" Yuma grabbed her face, "-No. Sudden. Movements."

Stuck in her seat, Haein held back the urge to cry as her body betrayed her. It had felt embarrassing before when it was just them alone. Being made an example of in front of all of her friends added something unexplainable. A mix of rage, spite and humiliation were fighting to explode out of her.

So she let it.

Tears began welling up in her eyes as she drove her elbow behind her, hitting him square in the groin. His hands detached from her body and she stood up, looking him directly in the eye. She took a deep breath and spat, "You don't get to treat me like a fucking object, Yuma."

Surprisingly quickly, Yuma recovered and towered over Haein, an unwavering smirk plastered on his face. "You're into some questionable things, Haein," he said, his gaze slowly moving away from Haein and landing on Heeseung. "Wouldn't you love to know all about them, He-"

Haein slapped him in the face.

"I'm with Sunoo."

Everyone's eyes widened, including Sunoo's. Comments were exchanged between some of the guys, but Heeseung stayed silent. Yuma erupted into a fit of laughter as he held his cheek in one hand. "Oh, this is too precious. You're with Sunoo?"

"Yes," Haein spat.

Yuma's laughter only grew louder. "Well, you all seem to have plenty to talk about so I'll do your 'Bidding' and leave you alone. Happy, Heeseung?"

Staring at the ground, Heeseung refused to respond to the comment. Yuma left without another word, but the tension surrounding the group still hung in the air. Gradually, Haein returned to her seat and turned to face Sunoo who immediately began examining Haein's face. His worry-filled eyes scanned her for any scratches or bruises. "Haein, I- I'm so sorry, I should have done something, he could have hurt you-"

"You guys are dating?" Niki exclaimed from across the table. When Haein observed the table once more, she saw that the other guy's were still staring at her in quiet disbelief.

"Yeah, but it's barely been a day. I would have waited a week but-"

"Tell us everything," Sunghoon said, eagerly placing his elbows on the table and resting his face in his hands. The rest of the guys repeated the gesture, all except Heeseung who merely looked in Haein's general direction.

For the rest of lunch, Haein laid out the events that happened yesterday in excruciating detail. She figured the story should come from her instead of a third party, like Heeseung. It meant reliving Yuma's hands skimming across her body and Fuma's head cracking open and bleeding all over the floor. He still hadn't returned to school since the incident.

Once she finished, Sunoo looked at her fondly and reached for her hand. Haein hesitantly accepted the offer. He smiled and said, "I've liked her since the first time I laid eyes on her. It was only luck that she returned my feelings."

The guys cooed, murmuring a congratulations to the both of them before the bell rang for the last lesson of the day. Packing up his things, Heeseung left without a goodbye, before Haein could stop him. She wondered whether he disapproved of Sunoo and her.

Sunoo then tapped her on the shoulder, holding a bag of snacks in front of her. Smiling, she gratefully took them and placed them in her bag.

In comfortable silence, they quietly walked to class together.

Chapter Text

A week later, Haein woke up one morning and rolled out of bed. The dawn welcomed her with a piercing headache and a blocked nose. Cursing to herself, she stabilised herself against a wall and tried her best to get ready for the day.

As she placed some miscellaneous stationery in her bag, her phone pinged - a text from Heeseung. Haein picked up her phone and looked at the text, sniffling as she read it.

'I saw you walk home in the rain yesterday, you alright?'

Haein wanted to respond but then looked at the time and realised she had to be out of the house in five minutes. Heavy hearted, she placed the phone in her blazer pocket and hauled her bag onto her back. On her desk was a half empty box of paracetamol which she hastily opened then dry swallowed the last two available tablets. The notion made her gag, but she forced them down anyway.

That morning, Haein set off to school alone. She usually walked to school with Taki and Niki, but both had set off earlier for an undisclosed reason. To her disappointment, Sunoo had also been preoccupied that morning due to a secondary, unrelated event. Knowing Sunoo, it was most likely the same reason as Niki's.

Whilst she walked, Haein opened her phone again, Heeseung's text lighting up her screen. She figured it wouldn't hurt to respond, so she texted him back, 'no, I have a cold,' since there was no use in hiding it. Her nose was redder than the rest of her face and every five seconds she had to blow her nose.

Surprisingly, Heeseung was quick to reply, his text reading, 'oh. Just take it easy then. Get a lot of rest and don't walk in the rain next time.'

Once she set foot into homeroom, she sunk into her seat and scanned the room. Her eyes landed on an empty seat - Heeseung's. It wasn't a surprise to Haein, since Heeseung occasionally missed homeroom due to cancelled lectures. Shrugging it off, she let her head rest in her arms until the bell rang for first period.

***

Once break began, Haein's felt as though her existence was Hell on earth. Her face was on fire, her head was pounding and her attention span was so shot she could not remember a single thing taught in class.

When Haein walked through the hallways to make it outside, the high ceilings intensified her dizziness and she started using the rows of lockers to keep herself upright. She got halfway before she encountered Taki and Niki passing by. Niki's hand covered his mouth and the other hand grasped onto his stomach, whilst Taki supported him. They seemed to be heading to the bathroom.

Turning towards them, Haein weakly called out to the two. "Hey, is Niki alright?"

Taki stopped walking, which made Niki trip and fall onto his knees. Scrambling to pick him up, Taki bit down the urge to curse out loud. Niki then patted down his uniform and faced Haein. There were very clear bags under his eyes, his lips were cracked and dry and his face was worryingly pale. "I'm f-fine-" he said before gagging into his hand once again. Taki held out his arms, worried Niki was going to fall again.

Through her slightly blurred vision, she stared at Taki and Niki with concern, noticing a few splotches of blood around Niki's collar and on the front of his polo shirt. She rubbed her eyes to see whether it was actually there, and it was. Fresh, red blood, as if it had just landed there. She asked, "is that blood yours? Are you coughing up blood?"

"What? The blood isn't mine," Niki said.

Silence befell the three for what felt like minutes. Taki stared wide eyed at Niki before laughing and inconspicuously elbowing Niki in the side. "Oh haha, it's m- mine! My blood. I had a really bad nose bleed. Got all over Niki's shirt. He's kinda, uh, queasy around blood."

"I am n-not," Niki struggled to say more than a few words before he gave into his urge to dry heave once more.

"Yes, you are," Taki snarled, before throwing a filled water bottle into Niki's hands. Taki then looked over to Haein who was about to topple onto the floor. With an anxious expression he examined her face, "speaking of queasiness, you look like hell. Have you been sleeping okay? Eating regular meals?"

"No, I think I have-" Haein sniffled, "-the flu."

"And you're in school... why?" He furrowed his eyebrows in minor frustration, still keeping an eye on Niki.

"Attendance."

Taki sighed before turning to Niki once again. Before they both left, Taki advised Haein to get some medicine from Heeseung since he always kept a full box for his friends, if they were ill. Haein almost scoffed at the comment, tightly folding her arms.

"Taki, you know I've been with Sunoo for a week now."

He tried not to burst into laughter as he replied. "Oh yes, get your medicine from the school zombie."

Shooting Taki warning glares, he put both of his hands up in a joking surrender and rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, I guess that was uncalled for. Just make sure you take some medicine. I'll be taking Niki to the bathroom so he can... puke? He probably won't be in for the rest of the day, as a pre-warning."

"Oh, okay," Haein frowned but still waved goodbye as they both stumbled into the male toilets. Once they left, she realised she still had to make the journey to the field even though her pounding headache barely subsided.

It might not be a bad idea to ask for Heeseung's medicine, she thought before resuming her stumbling.

***

To her pleasant surprise, none of them were at break. Not one of them. Haein had made the entire journey to the usual table only to be met with crickets and tumbleweed. Being as sick as she was, she couldn't cared enough to get mad. Instead, she silently rested her head on the desk and napped until the bell rang for the next lesson.

Luckily, some of them were at least present at lunch. Heeseung and Jungwon were sat at the table as Haein approached them. As she settled into her seat, she began greeting Heeseung when he reached over from across the table, pressing his hand against her forehead. He sighed to himself as he retracted his hand from her face.

"It's a lot worse than I thought it would be," he said, reaching into his backpack.

Haein, not having much energy, refrained from moving too much, eyeing Heeseung as he rummaged through his belongings. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and massaged her temples. She squinted through the pain radiating through her head as Heeseung waved a small box of miscellaneous medicine in front of her face. Furrowing her eyebrows, she asked, "what is that?"

"It's the paracetamol they sell at the school pharmacy," he answered and placed the box in front of her. Haein appreciated the gesture, but remembered the box she kept at home. However, she couldn't remember whether she had used up the medicine. Either way, she declined Heeseung's generous offer.

"I'm sure I have a box at home, you can keep it."

"Well if it's at home, then it's no good here. Just take at least one from me, it'll help you feel so much better. Trust me," Heeseung pushed the box back to Haein who grew more frustrated the more he pushed. The growing intensity of pain in her head and the unbearable inferno that was her face only fuelled that frustration. Irritated, she grabbed the box and threw it at him, scowling.

"I said no. I appreciate your help, Heeseung, but last time I checked, you weren't my boyfriend."

Heeseung nodded quietly and slipped the box back into his backpack. Jungwon, who had been pleasantly witnessing all of this, held back his laughter.

At the same time, Jay, Sunghoon and Jake arrived, already immersed in their current conversation. Haein eavesdropped and heard them discussing the anime they'd been currently watching. Her ears perked up as she immediately jumped into the conversation. She had recently picked up the anime and was dying to talk to someone about the latest episode.

Delving into conversation helped distract her from her currently agonising state. Haein was so immersed that she almost jumped out of her skin when an arm appeared around her shoulder. On instinct, she elbowed that person in the chest, realising too late that it was Sunoo.

"I'm so sorry! I thought you were..." Haein trailed off. She mistook him for Yuma. The thought alone could make her burst into tears at any second.

Thankfully, Sunoo only smiled and gently rubbed his chest. He shook it off as though he'd never been hit in the first place. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a paper bag that smelled like baked croissants. He opened it and Haein beamed, her suspicions correct. The bag contained a fresh croissant filled with ham and cheese. Sunoo passed it over to her and said, "eat this. I'm sorry I couldn't see you at break, I was busy with school... things. I heard from Heeseung that you had a bad cold. Are you feeling any better?"

"No," she groaned, taking a bite out of the croissant. As the flavours dispersed onto her tongue, she felt the savoury tones of the ham swirl with the creaminess of the cheese, all wrapped together in a buttery, crumbly casing. Haein melted on the spot. "Oh my God, this is so good-" she held the croissant in front of Sunoo's face, "want some?"

Pausing, Sunoo glanced to the other guys and shook his head. "It's alright, I'm not hungry."

"You aren't?" Haein frowned. Placing her croissant back into the paper bag, she held Sunoo's face in her hands. "What's wrong?"

"With me? Aren't you the sick one?" Sunoo questioned, caressing Haein's hands with his own and removing them from his face. He took the croissant off the table and passed it back to Haein who took it hesitantly, still frowning.

"Fine, I won't ask."

Yawning, Haein took a second bite. She tried not to inhale the entire croissant at once as she joyfully indulged in the snack. Whilst she ate, she looked at the rest of the group who also weren't eating. The only one eating was her.

At lunch.

The designated eating period.

Haein opened her mouth to ask why, but closed it quickly when she felt her brain do backflips inside her skull. Infuriated, she vigorously massaged the sides of her head. Besides, none of them would have provided a straight answer. If they were going to give her the cold shoulder like Sunoo did, there was no point in asking.

***
In her last lesson of the day, Haein's condition continued to worsen. She found herself breaking into a cold sweat which accompanied her splitting migraine and fever. On top of it all, an overwhelming sense of tiredness washed over her. All her energy allowed her to do was lay her head on the desk.

At the end of the lesson, her teacher came over and tapped her on the shoulder. "Would you like to go to the nurse's office? You don't look too well."

"Huh?" Haein sat up, slightly dazed. Allowing her vision to stabilise, she nodded gently and stumbled out of her chair. Her teacher accompanied her as she walked so she wouldn't topple over like a fragile tower of playing cards.

With every passing second, it felt like she developed tunnel vision. Her head span uncontrollably and a growing feeling of nausea settled in her stomach. She kept every symptom in mind as she walked into the office. The nurse gestured towards a chair in the middle of the office and began checking her vitals. It was as she feared.

"You have a very high fever, I'm surprised you managed to hold out the entire day," the nurse said, concerned. "From what you said, you're also nauseous, have tunnel vision, you're dizzy and you have a migraine. I got just what you need."

He passed her a glass of water to drink and started scribbling down notes onto a checkboard. Once he finished, he typed Haein's name and year group into a school computer and rang a number on the phone.

"Hello, this is the nurse's office at The Decelis Research Academy. Your daughter is currently very ill and needs to be taken home as soon as possible. May I know when you are available to pick her up? Thank you, have a good day."

Haein finished downing the glass of water, still feeling as parched as she did before. She asked, "was that my mother?"

"Yes, it was," he sighed, typing further information into the computer. "Unfortunately, she won't be able to pick you up until the school day is over, so I will allow you to stay in the nurse's office until she arrives. I also don't have any paracetamol on hand, you'd be surprised how many visits I get in a day. But if you want, you can lie down on the bed and sleep off that migraine."

Turning towards the bed, Haein suddenly felt the tiredness she'd been ignoring all day. Once the nurse left the office, she collapsed face first on the bed and passed out in seconds.

Haein woke when the bell rang. She sat up, not knowing where she was, realising after a few seconds she was still in the nurses office. She was also greeted by the pounding headache she forgot she had and the overwhelming dizziness that took over her vision. Dazed, Haein grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table and chugged it, placing it back down once she finished.

She allowed her head to still for a second so her vision could stabilise and spotted a few other items on the table where the glass had been. There was a bag of her favourite chocolates, a box of medicine and also a handheld, foldable umbrella. Haein wouldn't have believed it was all for her if there wasn't a note that read:

'Use this for when it rains. Take your medicine and enjoy the chocolate x.'

There was no name on the note but she assumed it was from Sunoo and took them with her. She appreciated the kind gesture and noted to herself to thank him later. Smiling, she stumbled to the parking lot where her mother was parked and slept in the car until she got home.

Once Haein arrived there, she collapsed onto her bed once again and rummaged through her bag to find the box of medicine she got from Sunoo. Tearing through the packaging, she swallowed two of the tablets, downing the bottle of water her mother gave to her earlier.

It may have been the relief of arriving home but Haein felt her headache subside within the hour. The intensifying nausea and dizziness also ground to a halt the more she stayed in her bed. Although she still felt slightly weak, her symptoms were lessening by the minute so she finally texted Sunoo to thank him for the gifts.

Haein texted him, 'Hey, thank you for earlier :), I feel so much better'

Sunoo responded quite quickly. 'No problem :3, I know you love croissants so I stopped by the bakery to get you one. Glad you liked it :)'

Furrowing her eyebrows, Haein read the text and sat for a second in quiet confusion. She wondered if Sunoo was joking or whether he was actually serious. Sending another text, she hoped to unveil his little prank.

'I meant for earlier at the nurse's office.'

Sunoo responded again. 'You were at the nurse's office? What happened? Did you get hurt? '

The text confirmed Haein's query: Sunoo didn't give her the medicine, the chocolate or the umbrella. She immediately began to rack her brain for potential suspects. However, she stopped just as quickly for fear her migraine would come back. Yet, many questions were left unanswered.

If not Sunoo, then who?

Chapter Text

'Let's go on a date!'

After Haein's quick recovery, Sunoo proposed they have an intimate outing at the park. Haein agreed to the proposal, quickly drawing up a few ideas. In the end, they decided to sit in a coffee shop for a bite to eat and afterwards walk by the park. Sunoo also bought mini, handheld canvases so the two could paint as they sat under the sun.

It seemed like the perfect date, but Haein wanted to make it even better.

A few days prior, she ordered a plain white hoodie online and painted poppies along each sleeve. She thought it would make the perfect gift for him, given their mutual love for art.

On the morning of the date, Haein wrapped the now dry hoodie in gift wrapping and placed it inside a giftbag. She then got dressed into the outfit she picked out the day before: a pair of light denim jeans, a black graphic tee and a pair of washed out white trainers. She held her hair up with a claw clip and paired her outfit with some simple gold jewellery - small hoops and a single golden chain. For makeup, she went with moderately natural and a glossy lip. Satisfied, she left the house with her gift and headed into the town.

The town centre on Enti island was nothing special. She had visited very few times and only browsed in the same few stores. Out of the very scarce selection of establishments, there was a quiet café in the centre of the town. The café itself was a rectangular, brick building surrounded by outdoor seating areas, flourishing greenery and the bustling sounds of tumbleweed. Many a time, it looked as though completely deserted, the only visitors capping at a twenty-person max. It was a miracle the economy hadn't imploded.

Haein loved that about the café, even when she had never personally visited it. Her old life in the city was non-stop road rage and being judged by 6-year-olds as she walked down the street. She had gotten so used to the suffocating crowds that tranquillity felt so welcoming. When Haein opened the doors - feeling the enveloping scent of pastries and coffee swallow her whole - she scanned the room's various seating areas and spotted Sunoo on a small table for two. He was sat back in his chair scrolling through his phone.

Smiling to herself, she sauntered over to Sunoo and pulled out the chair opposite him. The squeak of the chair against the floor caused Sunoo to look up from his phone and smile back at her. Ecstatic, he got up to hug her, Haein wrapping her arms around his waist. Sunoo pulled away and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I missed you a lot," Haein stared back at him, taking in his perfect face. She then lifted up her gift bag and presented it to him, excited. "I made you this. I found the idea online."

"So it's from Tiktok?"

"Precisely."

Chuckling, Sunoo carefully removed the wrapped present from the gift bag and tore the wrapping. When he saw the hoodie, his jaw dropped as he observed it further. He traced the flowers along the sleeves and grinned. When he asked what type of flower it was, Haein responded gratefully.

"Poppies. They're one of my favourite flowers. Do you like them?" Haein inquired before being enveloped in another suffocating hug. That was answer enough.

To Haein's surprise, Sunoo also prepared her a gift: a woven basket full of her favourite chocolates, pastries and other miscellaneous snacks, all wrapped in clear plastic. The sight almost made her scream in the middle of the café but she resisted, opting for a suppressed squeal as she cradled the basket in her arms.

For the next hour, they indulged in the delicious treats the café had to offer. Haein bought a ham and cheese croissant, Sunoo bought an egg tart and they both ordered a mint chocolate frappé . Sunoo wore the hoodie Haein made for him, taking lots of pictures. Whilst they ate, they gossiped, complained about school and discussed general well being. Another hour had passed before it was time for a change of scenery.

Gathering their belongings, they walked to the park. It wasn't too far, no longer than a twenty-minute walk away. On a grassy clearing by the lake, Sunoo rolled out a picnic and laid out the art supplies he brought with him: mini canvases, tubes of acrylic paint, an array of pencils, used brushes and a jar filled with water. Whilst he set up, Haein got up some reference photos of what she wanted to paint before she picked up one of the canvases and started a rough sketch.

They painted for the next few hours, listening to a chill lofi playlist Haein downloaded on her Spotify. She decided to paint a quaint log cabin in the middle of a field of red tulips. The sky was bright blue with minimal clouds and the tulips were in full bloom. Whilst she blended one colour into another, she pictured the tranquil atmosphere, the smell of the fresh air, the warmness of sunshine caressing her arms and back. One part of her imagined an alternate universe where she grew old in the cabin with someone she loved, someone like...

Except, she didn't want that. Or maybe she did, but Haein didn't want to rush anything. All she knew was that the thought of Sunoo evoked the scent of rosebuds and chocolate covered strawberries. She felt her qualms fade away every time he was present. Even after all of that, love seemed out of the question. Besides, Sunoo probably wouldn't feel the same.

Putting down her canvas, Haein peered over at Sunoo and watched him paint. She found solace in his peaceful painting posture as he put brush to canvas. The minutes flew by until he sat up and held his painting against the light. From what she could make out, Sunoo's painting was of a black flower, the petals ending in deep red tips. Haein scooted towards him to get a closer look. She could recognise the flower now - the black dahlia.

"Pretty right?" Sunoo smiled, Haein nodding silently. "The hoodie inspired me to paint my own favourite flower, which is the black dahlia."

Beaming at him, Haein carefully took the canvas out of his hands to admire the art up close. Whilst she did, Sunoo continued to explain his reasoning behind the painting.

"I honestly feel that nature and symbolism go hand in hand. Dahlia's are often associated with betrayal and despair. It's a shame how something so beautiful could symbolise something so cruel, so I gave them a chance to show their true beauty." He said, reaching out with a finger to trace the edges of the canvas.

Haein chuckled to herself. "You sound so much like an artist when you talk like that."

They sat for a few quiet moments, no sounds besides the music and visitors passing by. Haein then brought her painting to show Sunoo, who gawked at it with similar fascination.

"It's not as profound as yours, but I find something about this scene so... peaceful," She hesitated, but continued anyway. "A cabin in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by poppies. However, I found poppies too hard to paint that small, so I went for tulips instead."

Putting down her painting, Sunoo inquired, "the tulips are lovely, but why did you want poppies?"

Haein thought for a few seconds. She took deep breaths to clear her mind. To Haein, it wasn't that poppies were the prettiest flower, the brightest flower or the most popular flower. Whilst working on a class project, she researched the symbolism of poppies. They represented love, death, remembrance but most remarkably, escapism. It reminded her of every hour she spent overthinking, every morning that greeted her with butterflies in her stomach and all of the answers to questions she knew would never be answered. Every living moment she wondered what it would be like to live without such things.

The poppy itself symbolised that desire, and how such desires in reality could never exist.

Sighing, Sunoo looked up from Haein's painting and up at the sky. "When I wake up in the morning, I picture the version of my life where everything works out. I see myself at the grand opening of my first art gallery, my parents having a drink with me to celebrate. Free from sickness and injury. It gives me a reason to get up everyday. Yet, once I ground myself in reality, I often forget I am not that person and never will be. On those days it feels like I don't even know who I am anymore."

Haein's stomach twisted. Pursing her lips together, she caressed Sunoo's face, their eyes meeting. "You have beautiful dreams, Sunoo. And when you do open that art gallery, I'll be the first person waiting at the door for you, along with our friends and your parents-"

"My parents don't want me to be an artist."

The bitter silence that followed reminded Haein of her first days at school. She watched in terror as the blissfully peaceful mask slipped off of Sunoo's face. He stared back at her, a gaze of steel.

"I mentioned a while back that I'm staying on Enti island for university, to study... genetics. What I didn't mention was the scrapped scholarship to one of the best art schools in Korea because my parents said they'd disown me if I had accepted it. It was the perfect chance to escape this God forsaken island and I couldn't take it."

"Sunoo... I'm so sorry," Haein said, her voice just above a whisper. Sunoo looked away.

"Don't start. Besides, I haven't given up yet," he smiled briefly, the mask returning. "I've started saving up to support my own dreams."

Relieved, Haein smiled back at him, reaching out to hold his hand. She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Nonchalantly, she asked whether he had a job and felt him shudder. Sunoo apologised profusely, but he never answered the question. She assumed it wasn't a question worth asking and dropped it, opting to stare at the clear skies instead.

As they waited for the paint to dry, Haein put on some popular K-POP songs whilst she watched Sunoo dance to them. Before that moment, it was hard to picture Sunoo as elegant as he was then, hitting each beat with ease, whilst still maintaining the fluidity of falling rain. She knew of Sunoo taking ballet classes as a boy but had no idea how great he really was.

Haein then took some photos of them with their paintings and the lake, the sun setting behind them. When it was time to pack up and leave, she pulled Sunoo towards her and kissed him ever so gently. He responded with twice the intensity, leaning into her touch, barely grazing the sides of her arms as he kissed her back. They hadn't kissed like this since the day they started dating.

Even when they pulled away, Haein remained in that eternal state of bliss that was Sunoo's lips against hers. She cherished this feeling as they walked out of the park, on their way back home and when her head hit her pillow that night. Silently, she prayed for this feeling to last for eternity...

But deep down, she knew no one was listening.

Chapter Text

Taki sat at his group's usual hang out spot, alone. He was hunched over trying to keep his phone out of sight as he texted Niki. They would have just talked in person, but Taki knew Niki's friends didn't like him. Right before Taki could send another message, the rest of the group began to crowd around the table. He stashed his phone in his blazer pocket and kept his head down, hoping he could have a normal lunch for once. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side.

Looking up for a few seconds, he spotted Fuma giving Yuma a piggy back ride to the table. Taki rolled his eyes, wishing for an excuse to not deal with this. Once the two arrived at the table, Yuma inspected the group like a drill sergeant. Turning to Fuma, he smirked, pointing at the grass.

"Sit," he spat, his stone cold stare not faltering until Fuma sat cross legged on the floor, eating his lunch. The rest of the group sat in silent annoyance at him, turning away and conversating amongst themselves.

Taki would have taken the usual unbearable lunch atmosphere with open arms. However, once he felt his head being yanked backwards by the hair, Taki knew he wouldn't get that privilege. He closed his eyes tightly and waited until Yuma let go. Shuddering, Taki felt Yuma get closer and closer to his face, whispering, 'Water,' before releasing the grip he had on Taki's hair. Biting down on the urge to punch him in the gut, he got up and walked to the canteen, fetching a bottle of water.

On the way back from the canteen, he snuck his phone out of his pocket to text Niki once again. He was willing to do anything other than go back to that lunch table. If the idea didn't terrify him, Taki would have taken his lunch and eaten it inside on an empty table. Instead, he sorrowfully walked back to the table, handing Yuma the water bottle.

"Took you long enough," he scowled, Taki running back to his seat. Taki peered at Yuma with caution as he passed the water bottle to Maki, the youngest in the group. Maki looked up at Yuma, fear stricken across his face. Yuma sneered back at him, before pointing at the table where Heeseung's friends usually sat.

"Pour it over Heeseung's head," Yuma said, Maki visibly confused. After a prolonged silence, Yuma scoffed, walking over to Fuma eating his lunch on the grass. Fuma saw him approach and placed his lunch tray on the ground. Crouching down beside him, Yuma placed an arm on Fuma's shoulder.

"I see your injuries are healing nicely."

Without another word, Yuma struck Fuma in the stomach with his foot, everyone watching in horror. Silence befell the group as Fuma writhed in the grass clutching his abdomen. Yuma then turned back to Maki, now trembling.

Maki gulped, hesitantly taking the bottle and getting up out of his chair. With baited breath, the rest of the group muttered amongst themselves, wondering if Maki would actually go through with it. Taki observed from afar, noticing Haein waving at Maki as he approached them. Soon enough, her genuine smile turned to shock as Maki opened his bottle and dumped the contents over Heeseung. The two sat next to Heeseung jumped out of their seats as water splattered onto them as well.

There was a plethora of insults, yells and taunts directed at Maki as he stood frozen. He clutched the empty bottle in his hands as he ran away from them, back into the canteen. Nicholas and EJ were at their wits end.

"What is going on, Yuma?" Nicholas said, getting out of his chair and standing in front of him. "Excessive flirting, standing on tables, we can look past that. I even looked past your fight with Fuma, even though I shouldn't have. And now this? What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with me? I'm just taking charge of my pack," Yuma said back, Nicholas breaking into fits of laughter.

"Pack? Do you even hear yourself?"

Aggrieved, Nicholas shoved Yuma by the shoulders, whilst two other members - EJ and Jo - pulled the two apart before anything escalated. In the time it took for the conflict to cease, Taki slipped away from the table and into the male bathroom, trying to sending another text to Niki. Except, he had no idea what he was supposed to send.

An apology? An explanation? If so, what was he supposed to be sorry for? And what explanation was there to fully justify Yuma's behaviour?

Eventually, he sent the following text, hoping it didn't come across as annoying:

'NIKI, I PROMISE MAKI DIDN'T MEAN IT, IT WASN'T HIS FAULT PLEASE DON'T BLAME HIM I'M SORRY'

Surprisingly, Niki shot back a text straight after.

'Where are you.'

Blunt, and mildly terrifying.

Taki texted back his location and waited impatiently. He leant against the back wall and stared at the entrance door, ignoring the other students passing by to wash their hands. When Niki finally arrived, Taki resisted the urge to drop to his knees and start begging for mercy.

"Niki, please-" Taki started, being quickly interrupted by Niki.

"Don't. I already know who's behind it. I just want to know why," Niki said.

Taki sighed and began explaining Yuma's gradual change in behaviour ever since K was arrested. Before then, he was kind and bubbly. An unofficial friend to all. However, during the week long break, Taki had not seen him once and the next time they saw each other, Yuma barely spared a glance. He started chatting up every woman he saw, which included Haein.

At one point, Yuma began taking up space in the group: he stood on tables, forced his friends to carry him everywhere and interfered during personal conversation. When he fought with Fuma, it changed everything.

A new fear instilled itself in Taki and in all of his friends. No one dared to question Yuma. No one spoke to Yuma. No one disobeyed Yuma. Soon enough, Fuma became Yuma's way to control everyone, which led to the water bottle incident.

"I promise you, this is only the start of it. If Yuma is allowed to carry on from this moment onwards, something worse could happen. I mean, you saw how messed up Fuma's jaw was after that fight," rubbing the bridge of his nose, Taki groaned in frustration.

Niki sighed, placing a hand on Taki's shoulder. "Alright, I understand. I think we can talk with the guys tomorrow at break. What could possibly go wrong?"

***

"Are you fucking kidding?"

Taki and Niki were stood in front of the table as the guys tore into them. Some of them voiced their lack of concern or care for the situation, and others straight up said they'd rather be sedated than help. Out of the group, only Haein showed the slightest bit of anxiety but didn't say anything.

Heeseung approached Taki, his eyes aflame. Taki felt his legs weaken as he forced himself to keep eye contact with him.

"You have some nerve coming to me for help after one of your friends drenched me in water. It's even more aggravating knowing Yuma didn't do it himself."

"Again, I'm sorry. At least it was only water," Taki apologised, but Heeseung's eyes remained at the same level of intensity.

"Just water. Just water. That's what it was this time. Don't think for a second that I forgot about what K did two years ago. I'll never help any of you, so sort out your own problems and leave us out of it."

There were murmurs around the table, some of confirmation and others of confusion. Either way, Heeseung didn't budge, sitting back down at the table. Similarly, Taki let the group be, leaving Niki's side. As Niki stood, he watched his friends in utter disgust.

He then slammed the table, garnering their attention. "What is your problem? Taki came to us with a problem and you guys won't even consider helping? Or do you not remember what Yuma did..." Niki glanced over at Haein before continuing, "What Yuma did to Haein."

"Niki, stay out of it," Heeseung glared at him, causing Niki to hesitantly back down.

Just before Niki sat down with them, Haein audibly groaned, getting out of her seat. She started yelling at them, calling them out on their pettiness. That was when she turned to Heeseung, meeting him eye to eye.

"And you. I have no idea what kind of petty rivalry you have with them, but that doesn't excuse the way you just acted towards Taki and Niki. When will you realise that your one-off fights aren't enough to fix this, Heeseung. There is clearly something up with Yuma, and if none of you are willing to help me," Haein grabbed her bag, hauling it onto her back, "Then I'll find out myself."

Seething, Haein left the group, Niki tailing her.

***

2 Years Ago...

BREAKING NEWS: "17 year old student PARK HANNI of Decelis Research Academy found dead on school grounds. Speculations of death caused by severe blood loss."

At 9:07am on Monday the 13th of April 2021, Park Hanni, attendee of Decelis Research academy, was confirmed dead by paramedics. The 12th grader was found crawling across the hallway in a weakened state, extremely pale. Fellow students called the staff for help who took her body to a nearby hospital. Speculations from the public suggest she perished from severe blood loss, but an autopsy has yet to be completed.

When asked, the staff nor the school board provided any comment on the matter.

-

Heeseung slouched into his chair, facing the blank wall. Hardly blinking. Hardly breathing. Class finished an hour ago, or three. Time felt as though it blended into one.

The door opened. Heeseung sighed. "K, I don't want to talk."

"I don't care."

The door shut behind him. K and Heeseung were alone, for the first time in months.

Fumbling with his backpack, K threw it off of his back and onto a random desk, before approaching Heeseung. He got half way before he broke the silence.

"I want you to take it back."

Sighing, Heeseung buried his face in both hands, still facing the wall.

"You're gonna have to be more specific if you want me to care," he said. K groaned and grabbed the tabletop of another desk, throwing it across the room. Sounds of broken glass bounced off of the walls.

"What you said about my mother. Take it back."

"Dear God, K!" Heeseung burst. "Do you really think I remember every single throw away comment I make towards you?"

"So you don't remember when you punched me and said only a deranged lunatic would ever give birth to someone like you?" Emphasising each word, K got one step closer to Heeseung.

The reiteration was merely irritating.

"So what? At least you have a mother."

"I'm serious, Heeseung," K seethed, his rage growing stronger as he watched Heeseung fiddle with the hem on his blazer.

Heeseung huffed and straightened up in his chair. He refused to turn around.

"Fine, so I made one comment towards your mother. My mistake. Now can you please leave me the fuck alone?"

Saying nothing, K retrieved his bag from the desk and started towards the door. Under his breath, he muttered, "what happened to us."

Us.

Heeseung turned around. The sight of K fuelled something in him. An unexplainable, pent up fury that couldn't be contained.

"You tell me, Yudai. I've known you for a decade and have been nothing but supportive. Yet now, it's like I hardly know you. Alpha?

I tried, you know. I put up with your sudden personality change and when you picked fights for no reason at all, but I really can't defend you anymore. If you still want to be civil, you'll stop acting like such an entitled prick. Now get out."

As his anger cooled, Heeseung resumed his previous position of staring at the wall. The moment he relaxed, he heard footsteps. A zipper. The snip of scissors. Then a warm, slightly viscous liquid pooled on the top of his head, trickling down his forehead and coating his vision in red.

Before Heeseung could ask, K dropped an empty bag in front of Heeseung's face which caught on Heeseung's blazer. He stood up and peeled the bag off of his person and read the crinkled label in pure horror.

PARK HANNI.

Chapter Text

That same day, homeroom came to a close and students began filing out of the classroom. Haein made a bee line towards the door, her peripherals blurred slightly. The kerfuffle at lunch had tanked her energy for the rest of the day. Once she made it to the door frame, she scanned the hallway for Niki but he hadn't arrived.

Haein's shoulder collided with something hard just seconds later. She bit the insides of her cheeks to stifle the disgruntled sound that almost left her throat. Turning to the left, she saw that it was Heeseung, who was already a mile away before she noticed him.

Groaning, she rubbed the now sore area on her shoulder and decided to let the moment pass. Heeseung wouldn't be a dick forever. But, it was nonetheless irritating when he was.

Niki arrived moments afterwards, just as dreary eyed as Haein was. They barely exchanged greetings as they walked together towards the exit.

Before they could leave, they both heard their names being called. Turning around, Taki ran up to the both of them, panting. He opened his phone without another word and held it up to their faces. It was a text from Yuma.

'Meet us in the Alley, behind the uniform store. 7pm. Come alone.'

Haein read the text in bewilderment. Come alone? As weirded out as she was, it didn't seem like much to write home about. However, she knew Taki attended night school, so he couldn't and wouldn't go either way.

"I'm going," Taki said, swiftly pocketing his phone.

"No, you aren't. It's a terrible idea and you can't just skip night school," Niki countered, but Taki didn't budge.

"Well, I never go to night school," Haein replied. Niki shot her a glare.

Unable to provide anymore input, Haein pondered on the situation at hand. She knew where Yuma would be and he would be mostly unguarded. The absence of leering teachers was a bonus.

It was then that all of her pent up anger came barrelling out at once. What was once a troublesome get-together had now become a cunning opportunity.

"You should go. But only if I go with you," she said, confident. This time, both of the boys stared back at her. Haein replied in response to their confusion, "hey, I want to help you and this is the best way to do so."

"And what genius do you have up your sleeve? Will you talk his ear off?" Niki chuckled.

Haein replied with twice the assertiveness. "I'm gonna kick him... In the balls."

Immediately, both of them doubled over in laughter. In between his pants, Taki patted Haein on the shoulder, barely able to keep eye contact with her.

"I mean, whatever you say but I doubt this is gonna help. Yuma literally broke Fuma's jaw a few weeks ago, I think he can handle a blow to the jewels."

"First, gross. Second, I'm doing it either way. I want to do it. I have to," she pushed. Despite their persistent laughter, Haein's confidence was unfaltering so they stopped arguing .

They walked out of school together and reconvened on a bench near the bus stop. Niki then tapped Haein's shoulder, looking around once more to make sure no one listened in.

"Haein, I know you're like madly in love with Sunoo-" Haein cringed, "-but you can't tell him where you are tonight, by any means necessary."

Caught off guard, Haein opened her mouth to oppose his statement but immediately closed it. If she told Sunoo, it would only cause him to worry since he had never agreed to help Taki in the first place. This meant that the information would spread instantaneously to Heeseung, and Haein knew Heeseung would be furious with her.

On the other hand, she was secretly terrified of looking at Yuma again. Even after all of the hours she spent texting Sunoo about it, the feeling of Yuma's hands marked her like phantom touches. It wasn't a feeling that just disappeared, not even with time.

Sunoo's presence was enough to calm her anxiety when Yuma was around, but he wouldn't be with her tonight.

Neither would Heeseung.

Maybe it would be better to sit it out, she thought.

Yet, her determination to get back at Yuma trumped her fear of him. Besides, she'd be alright If Taki and Niki were there with her. They'd back her up if it somehow resulted in an all-out fist fight.

"I..." Haein wavered. After a few seconds, she simply nodded and smiled. "Okay. I mean, Sunoo would probably tell Heeseung anyway. Best not to give our location away."

The conversation was broken up by the sound of a notification. Haein grabbed her phone from her bag and unlocked it, revealing a text she received from Sunoo. It read, 'Are you alright? I know lunch was rough for everyone but do you wanna talk about it?'

Then it hit her.

"I can't lie to Sunoo. He's my boyfriend! What if I die tonight and he doesn't know because I didn't tell him and-"

Groaning, Niki took her phone and whilst fighting off Haein's flailing arms, he formulated a fake text to lie about Haein's whereabouts. He read aloud what he was texting and the resulting text read, 'I'm fine, just tired. I'll sleep on it and we can talk about it later.'

"Great," Haein huffed, "now I'm a liar and Sunoo thinks I'm a dry texter. How is that gonna convince him-"

Sunoo had already texted back.

Clearing his throat, Niki read out the text. "Sleep well then, heart emoji. Wow, lovebirds."

Haein snatched back her phone and stuffed it back in her bag. After nudging Niki in the side, she looked over at Taki who seemed to accumulate more anxiety as time passed. Turning to him, Haein reassured him everything would be fine but the effort was futile.

"And what if it isn't over after tonight? I don't see how kicking someone between the legs solves anything," Taki said, half smiling as Haein's cheeks heated.

"I never said it would!" Haein remarked. "Besides, this is more about confronting him and getting your friends on your side. Kicking him in the balls is just the cherry on top."

"Whatever," he sighed, checking the time on his phone. It was half three.

The trio decided it was best to go home to eliminate any suspicion as to where they were heading. Then three hours later, they would be facing Yuma.

***

At half past six, Haein packed up her school bag and informed her parents that she'd be attending night school. Haein had been sceptical about this plan since she rarely ever attended night school, preferring to study in the safety of her own room. Despite this, her mother seemed overjoyed and even packed her some snacks for her to bring there.

Haein left the house, the sun beginning to descend. She gripped the straps on her backpack and began her walk into the town. Whilst she walked, she cautiously checked her phone for texts from Niki and Taki. They agreed to meet by the café so they could walk to the alley together.

This was it, she thought. Haein would finally be confronting Yuma. She was fuelled with rage as she thought of possible ways to confront him. As tedious as it was, Haein needed to prepare quips since she'd rather go cliff diving than stutter.

However, she diverged and started thinking of all the ways this encounter could go wrong. There was the possibility that nothing would change and it would be a pointless effort. Haein still wanted to try anyway. It was a more desirable option than staying home and studying, whilst fighting her demons. She'd rather punch her demons directly in the face.

Or in this case, kick them in the balls.

Eventually, she reached the café where Niki and Taki were already sitting. The sun had almost completely set, shrouding the town square in darkness. At that point, there was no going back. This was happening.

Determined, they walked together to the uniform store and approached the alley where Yuma had specified. Yuma sat there on his throne on a lumpy looking chair as the group stood around him. When Yuma spotted the three, his disappointment was finite but his amusement skyrocketed. He stood up and kicked his chair with his heel, the chair making a muffled sound as it toppled sideways.

"Taki, Niki," Yuma's eyes wavered over Haein, sending shivers down her back. "And Haein. Pray tell, did Heeseung enjoy my peace offering?"

"Lay off, Yuma," Haein spat, Niki holding her back. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her nerves and let the others have a chance to speak.

"We aren't here to make peace, we're here to get even," Niki said. Yuma sneered back at him.

Before Yuma could respond, Taki spoke. "What he means is that as a group-" he gestured to the group of guys standing behind Yuma, "-we don't appreciate the way you've been acting as of late. You're unbearable to be around and it's ruining the relationship we've all built together. You once said to me that we should stick it through no matter what and I don't know what changed."

"My priorities did. There was an empty leader slot and I filled it. K was too brazen, too emotional. He was an unfaltering leader I looked up to, only for him to shatter when a comment was made about his mother. Then he became utterly useless."

Taki pressed. "You'll never be as great of a leader as K was."

"I intend to be thrice the leader he was," Yuma scowled, approaching Taki and grabbing his shirt. "I told you to come alone. Now I'll have to punish you whilst your friends watch."

Niki then swung at Yuma, who ducked under his arm and threw Taki to the ground. Now unbalanced, Yuma returned the favour and sent a fist flying towards Niki's jaw. Niki stumbled backwards hitting the wall.

He spat on the floor, splattering red on the concrete. Niki had bit his tongue. Yuma cornered him and pinned Niki to the wall by the neck. He held his fist in the air in preparation as he whispered in Niki's ear, "Give Heeseung my regards."

In one strike, Yuma's knuckles collided with the side of Niki's face, sending him to the ground. Niki didn't get up after that.

Yuma then ordered some of his friends to pick Taki up from the floor and hold him back. Haein was frozen, unsure what to do. In time, she met Yuma's stone-cold stare and forced herself to bite down on her anxiety. Chin quivering, she spoke, "I'm not scared of you."

But Yuma didn't say another word. He slowly approached her and every single instinct in Haein's body told her to bolt in the opposite direction. Only this time, she wouldn't. Not even as Yuma reached a hand to Haein's face and caressed her cheek.

"My oh my, Haein. You're shaking. How adorable," Yuma remarked as she grabbed Haein by the wrist and pulled her into him.

Haein didn't know what came over her. All she remembered was the horrified look on Taki's face, Niki out cold on the ground and the incandescent rage that simmered behind her eyes. Next thing she knew, her foot had struck the forbidden area in between Yuma's legs.

She did it.

Yuma hissed and fell to the ground. He broke into a winded fit of laughter as he retreated into the foetus position. The group surrounding him looked either shocked, pleased or a mixture of both.

"I can't believe that worked," Taki panted. The guys holding him back released him in their surprise. No one seemed to know what to do now.

Nicholas had prodded at and called for Yuma but he carried on laughing as though driven insane. This gave him and the other guys the cue to leave.

Worried sick, Haein ran over to Niki who was barely conscious. She helped him get up and examined the damage done to his face. Haein had no idea how hard Yuma had to hit Niki for the bruises to show up immediately. In addition to the swelling, Niki could barely walk straight and he slurred his words in response to questions. The multiple blows to his face had given him a concussion.

"Oh my God, I need to call an ambulance," reaching for her phone, Taki had snatched it away from her before she could ring the hospital.

"That might take too long. I know where to take him, just go home," Taki said letting Niki lean on his shoulder. He handed Haein back her phone and they began walking away from the scene. Haein tried following him but Taki persisted. He wouldn't let her come with them, no matter what she said.

Heavy hearted, she let them go but made sure Taki gave her updates as soon as Niki started feeling better.

***

The next day, Haein walked to school with confidence she never knew she had. Lessons went by swimmingly and she revelled in the sweet taste of revenge for however long it would last. When she sat down at lunch, no one had arrived yet. She knew Niki wouldn't be there, since he was still recovering, according to Taki.

However, she hadn't heard from Taki since the night before. Neither had she heard or seen any of Taki's friends. Or Yuma.

Perhaps something had gone wrong and she had no idea.

When the guys arrived, she pushed down her anxiety and beamed in excitement, but was met with cold indifference. She had forgotten how they left off the day prior. Nevertheless, she told them the events of the night before, elated.

"So when he came towards me, I just straight up kicked him in the balls and he toppled over. It was the best feeling!" Haein smiled, the rest of the group listening in. They responded with surprise, most of them happy to hear about Yuma's unfortunate injury. Sunoo was the first to show his concern, examining Haein's face for any marks or injuries.

"As glad as I am that you're safe, I'm a little upset that you lied to me. I could have talked it out with you," he frowned. Haein ran her fingers through Sunoo's hair, grateful to be near him.

On the opposite side of the table, Heeseung sat silently, his head leaning on his hand and his leg shaking uncontrollably. Haein called out to him and he glared back.

"Oh come on, you can't be that mad at me. Aren't you happy that I actually took matters into my own hands?" she questioned him.

Heeseung retorted back to her, his voice raised. "Yeah, and it gave Niki a concussion. Not to mention you were out, late at night, picking a fight with someone who almost killed a guy and you're out here parading about like it's some sort of achievement?"

Haein almost laughed, but instead she sighed and stepped out of the table. "I'd rather not do this in front of everyone again. Why don't we do this inside?"

"Fine," Heeseung muttered, following Haein inside the school.

They passed by crowds of students, crooning staff and several hallways before they found a somewhat closed off hallway and settled there. Haein broke the silence, eyes aflame with irritation. At this point, she had stopped counting the random encounters she had with Heeseung in empty hallways.

"See, I normally ignore you to death when you're acting like a total prick but it honestly feels like you have a problem with me. Can you just tell me what it is about me that you simply can't stand?" Haein said.

"I'm the prick? Last time I checked, I'm not the one who ignored my warnings and got Niki sent to a hospital," Heeseung countered.

"Some warning that was. Because to me, it just felt like you were letting some ancient grudge blind you from a serious situation. Had Taki gone alone, he may have actually died. Is that what you want to hear?"

"As long as it wasn't you or Niki, then I don't care," Heeseung stepped forward, closing their distance. Haein flinched at how close they suddenly were, refusing to move away as she fuelled the argument.

"Why do you care so much about what I do for myself? I wanted to thank you for helping me when I got publicly humiliated but now since it involves some other friend group, it seems like you suddenly don't care about what happened to me anymore. You even told everyone about it because you 'cared' about me. If you cared then, why don't you care now?" Haein felt her eyes watering and mentally cursed. She dug her nails into her palms to resist the urge to ball her eyes out.

This time, Heeseung struggled to form a response. He looked away for a second to gather his thoughts. When he replied, he stepped backwards, opting to look Haein in the eyes.

"Haein, I always cared. I just..." Heeseung trailed off, sighing harshly. "I just didn't want you to get hurt. I value you. As one of my closest friends, I wouldn't want you to get hurt as much as anyone else in the group."

Haein quirked a brow.

"And I'm sorry for being a dick, I'll try to be more considerate next time."

To that, Haein smiled and enveloped Heeseung in a warm hug. When he hugged her back, Haein leaned her ear against his chest, still trying to stop her eyes from watering so much.

Unintentionally, she heard Heeseung's heart racing. It was racing just as much as hers.

In an instant, they both pulled away and looked anywhere else but at each other. Haein cleared her throat and shuffled her feet.

"I uhm, accept your apology. So wanna head back?"

Nodding, Heeseung lead the way back to the field where the rest of their friends were sitting. Haein had looked up and down the hallway to confirm no one was there then tailed Heeseung.

She was wrong.

Chapter Text

Haein sat at her desk, skimming through a book on degas' many works. She needed inspiration for the next piece she planned on making for the rest of the semester. In the end, she was stumped.

It didn't help that raging thoughts kept her company as she tried to focus. Whenever she flipped a page, Haein continued to ponder on recent events, specifically her run in with Yuma. As satisfied as she felt before, an unsettling feeling seemed to take over.

Haein snapped out of her trance, rubbing her temples and resuming her assignment. She felt a gentle tap on her right shoulder and caught Sunoo smiling after her, fondly. He asked whether Haein felt alright, as her leg had been shaking constantly for the past five minutes. To that, she replied with a swift no.

"It's just that I'm trying to claw my way out of this painting mental block but it's now ten times as difficult when I'm still worried sick about Niki's condition, where Taki is and what Yuma's up to. And also, when I talked with Hee..." Haein caught herself. She hadn't told Sunoo about her conversation with Heeseung, not in detail.

"Heeseung? He said he apologised, did he not?" Sunoo said.

Before Haein responded, she shook her head. He didn't have to know. It was nothing.

"He did, but that's not what I'm worried about," sighing, Haein massaged her temples.

It was too much. The lines in her books blurred into one another and the voice inside her head kept on pestering and lecturing. You weren't careful enough. You were reckless. 

This is all. 

Your. 

Fault.

Maybe Heeseung had been right, Haein thought.

She recounted the interaction she had had with Heeseung just moments earlier. She had yelled at him but never stopped to listen to what he was saying. It was her decision that ultimately lead to Niki's concussion, however she looked at it. Taki's disappearance would also be tied to her antics.

Forcing herself not to think about it, she shut her eyes tight and took deep, slow breaths. She imagined leaning against Sunoo's chest as he hugged her back, hearing his racing heart matching the tempo to hers. 

Yet, all Haein could imagine was Heeseung.

"Oh my God, I think I might throw up," Haein rose suddenly, clutching a hand to her mouth. Before she could call for the teacher, Sunoo was one step ahead of her. Moments later, she was escorted out of class.

Haein slapped herself, mentally. She - a loyal girlfriend to a lovi- caring boyfriend - thinking about anyone like that other than Sunoo was uncalled for. Heeseung wasn't anything other than a concerned friend. 

Even so, friends' hearts don't beat like that when they're with each other.

Barely having time to think it through, Haein was already at the bathroom door. She ran inside and entered an empty stall, leaving Sunoo by the doorway. With her head over the toilet, she dry heaved uncontrollably until the contents of her breakfast projected out of her mouth as fast as running water. Her eyes were shut tight as her stomach spasmed, not wanting to see the fiery chunks falling into the bowl.

Minutes passed before Haein's stomach spasms began to slow. She massaged her abdomen and took in several breaths. Once she calmed herself, she flushed the contents and walked over to the sink to rinse out her mouth. She let the cold, crisp water run over her tongue and remove the acidity of the vomit from her taste buds. For once, she was thankful no one else had been in the bathroom to witness.

Thud.

Something large and heavy had collided with the doorway, resulting in an audible impact that stopped Haein in her tracks. Perhaps it was a clumsy student, or a ball being thrown indoors. Either way, both scenarios sounded nonsensical.

It was Sunoo, it was Sunoo, she kept on thinking, edging towards the door, barely breathing. Haein clasped onto the handle of the bathroom door and swung it open, eyes shut. When she opened them again, no one was there. Not even Sunoo.

She stepped out of the bathroom and looked up and down the hallway. He was nowhere in sight. Maybe he left without me, Haein thought as she cautiously made her way to the nurse's office, alone.

Suddenly, she stopped dead, as something cool and sharp pressed against her neck. Haein didn't dare to look down. She didn't dare taking another step. She didn't dare taking another breath. Not even as a hand slid around her waist, securing Haein to the person behind her.

"Try and scream, I dare you. But I promise you it won't end well," the voice warned, but Haein knew who it was immediately.

In silence, they left the school building, unnoticed by staff or students. Haein racked her brain for any sort of escape attempt but came up short. The last thing she remembered before she passed out was a damp cloth smothering her face.

***

Heeseung poked around at his half-eaten lunch as his mind wandered into oblivion. Even as conversation bloomed around him, he sat staring into space with only one thing on his mind - Yuma. There was nothing more infuriating in that moment than the existence of Yuma. Ironically, it was his mere absence that rattled Heeseung.

One thing was for sure. If Heeseung found out Yuma touched Haein again, he would make sure Yuma couldn't touch anyone or anything ever again. 

Minutes went by before one of the guys had noticed Heeseung spacing out. Concerned, Jay waved his hand in front of Heeseung's face, garnering the attention of the whole table.

"You alright?" Jay asked. Heeseung sighed, pushing his lunch tray to the side and burying his face in his hands.

"He definitely isn't," said Jake, playfully poking Heeseung's side. The result was Heeseung threatening to break Jake's arm.

"Hey, lighten up. You already made up with Haein and Yuma isn't here to bother you. What could possibly make you mad right now?" Removing Heeseung's hands from his face, Jay pushed an unopened bottle of water in front of him. Heeseung quietly thanked Jay before taking a couple swigs.

"Yuma isn't here right now, neither is his entire friend group. Niki is in the hospital. Normally, I wouldn't be mad but after what happened yesterday I..." Heeseung trailed off, running both of his hands through his hair and grabbing his scalp. "I'm extremely worried. I haven't been this worried since-"

"You don't have to explain. It's okay," Jay reassured Heeseung.

"Honestly, no matter what he does we can all take him. And Haein will be fine as long as she has Sunoo," Sunghoon said. "I mean, Sunoo isn't here right now but he'd most likely agree with me."

"Wait, you don't know where they are?" Heeseung sat up straight, looking Sunghoon dead in the eye.

"They?" Sunghoon shot back.

"Sunoo and Haein. They haven't shown up to lunch yet. I thought they were just late but it doesn't look like they'll show up at all," Heeseung reiterated.

"Eh. I assume they're watching some kinda anime whilst pretending to do coursework again. Always happens," Jake said, Heeseung throwing him another death glare.

"I don't like that."

"You don't like that Haein and Sunoo are together?" Jungwon chimed in, the others turning towards him.

"It's not that. None of us know where either of them are right now. What if Yuma's lurking around the building? How would Haein feel about that?"

Jay interrupted. "You just said Yuma wasn't here, Heeseung. As for Sunoo and Haein, Jake is probably right. They are together and they are fine. Don't worry about it."

"You say that but forget Niki could have died yesterday because of Yuma. The same could happen to Haein-"

"Jesus Christ, Heeseung. You aren't her boyfriend!" Jay snapped.

Heeseung didn't say another word. Instead, he returned to his spaced out trance, unresponsive. Even then, his thoughts continued to circle around but he attempted to suppress them. After all, Jay was right. Haein wasn't his girlfriend. She already had someone to protect her.

***

Internally groaning, Haein sat up to stretch out the several, painful aches all over her body. Her vision was terribly blurred as she blinked continuously to try and make out her surroundings.

She then flinched as she suddenly noticed the cool, concrete floor against her bare legs. Massaging a stiff muscle in her neck, Haein could see the light shining through an open doorway. The sudden brightness seized her aching eyes and she groaned accordingly, turning the opposite way. 

Immediately, her breath hitched in her throat as a dark figure towered over her. Haein's instincts made her lurch for the exit but she couldn't make it one foot in front of her.

Chest rising and falling, she slowly turned towards her limp legs and spotted the heavy duty chain encasing her ankle. At the end of that chain was an unmovable, metal ball. 

Haein cried out, trying to free herself from the restraints. Her yells for help bounced off of the walls and high ceilings, ringing in her ears. She clawed at the chains and bit down the urge to gag at the scent of rusting metal. With every struggle, her muscles gave up. 

Letting out a low sob, she reluctantly looked up at the shady figure that had been watching her in amusement this entire time. Their features grew more detailed the more her vision cleared and soon enough she was staring straight at them.

"Not so fearless without your boyfriends," he sneered, crouching. The emphasis on 'boyfriends' made Haein's stomach drop in disgust. 

Now that she realised it, she had no idea where she was or where her friends were. In an instant, her memories started flooding back, alongside an ear-piercing headache. Bathroom visit. Sunoo. The thud. The cloth. Chloroform.  

Yuma had kidnapped her.

Haein's revelation was a second too late as Yuma crawled in her direction. She sprawled on the floor, her ankle chafing against the chains. Shutting her eyes, a warm stream of air grazed her jaw and both of her wrists were hauled roughly above her head. 

Haein refused to believe any of what was happening. She forced herself to think of anything else other than what was occurring. Pastries. Mint chocolate chip ice cream. Sunoo.

Sunoo.

Enraged, Haein lifted her free leg and kneed Yuma in the stomach, distracting him long enough to free her hands. She then sat up, breath ragged.

"Where. Is. Sunoo."

Yuma rubbed his abdomen, his disparaging smile still evident. "Don't worry, pet. I still haven't gotten to him..."

As if on cue, a pair of sombre-looking guys came out of one of the connecting rooms, holding a bloodied corpse. At least, that was what Haein thought it was. 

The pair brought the body closer and closer, yet just out of Haein's reached. The closer they came, she more she could make out the corpse's features: black hair, pale skin, slender frame, the four freckles on his left cheek.

Haein barely had time to gasp as Sunoo's body was dropped onto the concrete floor, mercilessly. All she could do was stare in horror as Sunoo shook on the ground, unable to sit up by himself. Before Sunoo could lift his head, Yuma made his way towards him and stepped on his head. He dug his heel into the nape of his neck so Sunoo was forced to stare at the ground. 

Ankle tugging on the chain, Haein scratched at the floor to get to him. Tears streamed down her face as Sunoo's body gave up on trying to escape Yuma. 

"Oh, I meant I hadn't gotten to Sunoo. But, they did."

Haein had been so in shock she never stopped to look at the two people who brought Sunoo in. One of them was quite tall with dark brown hair, which Haein recognised as Fuma. The other person made Haein want to scream at the top of her lungs.

"Taki?" 

Chapter Text

Taki stared back at Haein, uniform drenched in dirt and blood stains. His eyes were sombre as his arms hung exhaustedly by his sides. Through Haein's weary eyes, Taki looked as though he would topple over like a Jenga tower at any moment.

Haein had noticed several bruises and gashes decorating his face, neck and forearms. Taki's bottom lip was busted, still glowing red with fresh blood. He could barely stand still, rocking back and forth. His eyes were pried open with pure will power and his head seemed to twitch every other second.

"Wh- Why are you h-helping him? What did Yuma do to you?" Haein could barely find the words as her entire body shook. Taki didn't reply.

"He stood out of line so I made him right again," Yuma said. "Now he serves me. That's just the kind of leader I am."

Horrified, Haein looked back at Yuma who was invasively examining Sunoo's semi-conscious body. His fingers outlined every exposed wound as if to squeeze more of his blood onto the floor. Underneath his touch, Sunoo writhed almost silently. He reached out a hand to Yuma's and groaned as it was slammed to the ground.

"There's still more fight in you," Yuma sneered, now standing. He drove his foot into Sunoo's stomach, causing him to roll over towards Haein. 

She painstakingly clawed against the ground, feeling as though her ankle was about to part from her leg. Her screams weren't enough to drown out Sunoo coughing up blood. With every kick, his groans got weaker, skin paler. The life seemed to trickle out of his eyes like invisible tears. 

"Look at how weak-" kick, "-pathetic- " kick, "- and cowardly he is. I don't know what you see in him. You'd expect him to be stronger with everything the school gives him."

Amidst her shock, Haein's screams came to a halt as she tried to sit up from the floor. She asked, "G-Gives him what?" 

"What do you mean, 'gives him what?' haven't you-" interrupting himself, Yuma's scowl morphed into a sly grin. He suddenly erupted into laughter, falling to his knees and holding his stomach. He said, "you don't know anything? Priceless!"

"What don't I know?" Haein muttered, eyes still plastered on Sunoo's decaying body. 

"I'm sure you noticed how odd your friends acted when you were still new. They were always sick and somehow excessively strong," Yuma wiped a stray strand of hair out of Sunoo's face. "Like Heeseung, when he interrupted our meeting in the hallway."

"You're sick. Heeseung will find me and save the both of us from you," Haein spat.

Yuma chuckled, walking towards Taki and Fuma. He whispered a few incoherent words and they lifted Sunoo by the arms until he knelt. As Haein's eyes traced Sunoo for injuries, Yuma appeared behind him, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Heeseung, Heeseung, Heeseung," Yuma mocked. "I don't know what he sees in you either. You're just as plain and predictable as his last mate. Yet, he's just as predictable. All I have to do is lure him here and soon enough, he won't be our problem anymore."

"Yuma, what are you doing?" Haein's breath hitched the more Yuma neared Sunoo. She watched as his hands traced Sunoo's jaw.

"What's necessary."

In one fluid motion, Yuma firmly grabbed Sunoo's head and twisted it forcefully. Sunoo grew limp and hit the floor. He didn't move or breathe. 

Sunoo was dead.

Haein's ears rang deafeningly as Sunoo hit the floor. She screamed. Or maybe she didn't. She couldn't hear anything anymore. The last thing she heard was Yuma telling Taki to find Heeseung, saying Yuma had a gift for him.

***

During his free study period, Heeseung sat in the library, typing away at an unfinished essay. He was a thousand words short, in contrast to his mind, which never seemed to shut up. He had been sat for only twenty minutes before he'd had enough, dropping his head onto the desk.

Heeseung groaned internally and shut his laptop. He took his phone out from his bag and discreetly opened Tiktok. To his surprise, not even monotonous scrolling cleared his brain from the raging thoughts. His phone ended up face down on the desk, much like his laptop.

After another five minutes, he gave into his anxiety and opened his messages, hesitating once he found Haein's contact. Pressing it, he typed reply, after reply, after reply, yet everything he typed didn't feel right. He worried he would sound too possessive, and Haein wouldn't like that.

In the end, Heeseung left a simple, non-disputable text.

Wya.

It wasn't much, but enough to keep him focused for the rest of the study period.

When the bell rang for homeroom, Heeseung swiftly packed his bag and sprinted. He weaved in and out of the crowds forming in the corridors and made for the entrance to homeroom. To his surprise, he was the first one there.

Heeseung sat in his usual seat, fixated on the entrance to the room. At least fifteen people had come through the door before he grew antsy. Huffing, he dug out his laptop again and forced himself to finish writing up the references for his essay.

He finished up quite quickly and soon enough, his eyes wandered to the clock on the front wall of the classroom. Ten minutes had passed but Haein hadn't arrived yet. Not that Heeseung was listening, but he could faintly recall the professor missing out her name in the register.

"Sir," his hand shot up, "is Haein not coming to homeroom?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you? Her art teacher informed me that she was sent home during third period, although it says she never signed out," the professor replied, continuing to scroll through the school notices.

It doesn't make sense, Heeseung thought. Haein would have told him she was home. Since it was during art class, Sunoo already knew, and he would have told Heeseung too. In his frustration, he sent another text, this time to Sunoo.

Hey, is Haein alright? She was sent home but professor didn't say why.

Since Sunoo was also in homeroom, Heeseung had to wait before he got a reply. So, he waited for the rest of homeroom, during the walk home and whilst making dinner for himself. At least four hours had passed by before he realised no one was replying. Not Sunoo nor Haein.

He began spamming messages to Haein, suddenly feeling a pit drop in his stomach. Haein. Hello. ? . This isn't funny. Please get my texts. Heeseung sent them all in quick succession to no avail. His heart began to beat rapidly.

Attempting to ground himself, Heeseung clutched his chest and breathed. It was only in his head. Haein rarely ever texts him. Maybe she didn't want to talk. Yet, his heart thrummed still, and before he could contemplate anymore, he had slipped on a pair of running shoes and some earphones. Heeseung was out the door in minutes.

He didn't know where he was running. All he knew was the constant thumping of his chest coinciding with the tempo of the music. Heeseung ran until his lungs scorched with pain and his legs were on the brink of collapse. When he was satisfied, he slumped down on the sidewalk and sighed. 

When he opened his phone, it had been an hour since he started running, or in this case, Olympic sprinting. Somehow, Heeseung had been able to run a half marathon in the short time. At this point in the evening, the streets were completely silent other than the sound of wind.

There were very little houses in the area. Most of the free space was occupied by trees and other miscellaneous wild life. Besides the farm house and an overgrown cottage, there was no one else to fill the dead space.

He closed his eyes and removed his earphones, listening to the sounds of nature; the chirps of distant birds; the rustling of bushes and the symphony of hoarse coughing. 

In an instant, Heeseung sprung from the sidewalk and looked besides him. An anonymous figure had emerged from the greenery and was now crawling on the road. Upon further inspection, Heeseung noticed the various blood stains on their clothes and ran over to them.

"Are you okay?" He asked, worried. Heeseung took a glance of the person's face and recognised them immediately. Taki.

Before Heeseung could even think it over, he had already hauled Taki from the ground and pinned him to a nearby tree. Seething, he scowled, "What are you doing here? Where was that son of a bitch during school today? Why are you covered in blood? Whose blood is it?"

"Please..." Taki croaked, barely able to hold his head up. "Please, help me. I was abducted before school... Yuma took me. He beat me. I pretended to obey him but I couldn't stop him... He took Haein and Sunoo too."

"Is Haein alive?" Heeseung persisted, a hint of worry in his tone.

"She is, but Sunoo..."

"Sunoo's what?" Heeseung tightened his grip on Taki's shirt. Taki's chin quivered, but he never found the words. A stray tear had fallen down the side of his face.

Breath hitched, Heeseung let go of Taki and collapsed onto his knees. For a moment, it didn't feel real, as if it were a straight lie. But, Heeseung knew Taki wasn't lying. 

"I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything when it happened," Taki said, tears streaming down his face, "Yuma forced me to watch when he killed him. Haein is alone with him right now-"

"Lead the way."

Heeseung bit down the surging pain in his calves and got into a running stance. Hesitantly, Taki mentioned an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of the town rarely anyone goes to. If they ran now, they'd get there in another hour, not accounting for Taki's injuries or Heeseung's fatigue. They'd need to pace themselves if they wanted to save Haein.

And the remains of Sunoo.

***

Haein shivered against the concrete, knees hugged to her chest. The crack of the open door let in a cool draft and the natural lighting began to darken. She had no idea how long she'd been abducted. She had checked her blazer a dozen times but found nothing to defend herself or to call for help with.

Ever since Haein saw Sunoo's lifeless body being taken away, her concept of time began to change. Her mind perceived everything around her as fuzzy figments of her imagination. She mentally checked out every time Yuma walked into her peripheral and started touching her. If he did anything other than that, Haein couldn't remember. 

After a time, her body felt like a flesh prison she was observing from a distance. Haein's constant blurred vision made the world around her move as if in slow motion. Every movement was like trekking through viscous sludge.

In her state, it wasn't too far fetched to believe she was hallucinating. Closing her eyes, Haein listened to the ringing in her ears being interrupted by the creaking of a door and muffled footsteps. She didn't care if it was Yuma, a stranger or God incarnate. All Haein knew at that moment was her exhaustion taking over her consciousness.

"HAEIN." 

The sound of her own name was foreign. It did little to convince her to open her eyes again.

"YOU BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"

Haein felt the vibration against the concrete, as if something collided with the ground. She could hear the sound of shuffling against the floor when her curiosity peaked. The voice... She recognised it, though couldn't put a name to it.

"Heeseung, Heeseung, Heeseung. I've been waiting to settle things all day. I don't think poor, helpless Haein can take anymore."

Heeseung. Was he here?

"You better not have touched her, you damned, son of a bitch!"

Thud. 

"How about you stay down and let me talk, hm?"

The air stilled as Haein focused her energy on the conversation. She could hear most words, but many words were muffled by her ringing hears.

"My oh my, Heeseung," Haein heard a second thud, followed by a stifled groan. Her heart panged in anticipation. "Come this far for a sidepiece? How predictable."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"You can't surprise me, Heeseung. You think I don't know about, Hanni? If you don't want history to repeat itself, I suggest you listen closely to what I'm about to say."

As her chest thrummed, Haein pried her eyes open with the last remaining energy she had. Amidst the low lighting, she could recognise Yuma grasping someone by the shirt. The face of the second person was still too blurry to make out. 

"You and I, one on one. I win and Haein is mine. You win and you can do whatever you want to her."

"You're a sick motherfucker if you think I'd do anything to her," the other person hissed as Yuma dropped them to the floor.

"And you're completely delusional. You've known her for less than half a year, give or take. Yet, you'd give your life for hers at the drop of a hat. I'm just playing as per writ - dominating and marking my territory. It's the only thing I've been assigned to do. I've accepted my fate, so why haven't you accepted yours?"

"I have no idea what you're on about."

"Except, you do. We're in the same boat. People like us, we can't love. We're freaks," spitting the last word, Yuma clenched his fists. His nails dug into his palms and blood began staining his knuckles.

"No... You're wrong," Heeseung said, getting up from the floor.

"Then fight me. Let's end this," Yuma provoked, still. Haein's blurred vision began to clear as Heeseung's enraged expression became visible. He was really here.

"H-Heeseung?" She croaked, the two of them suddenly turning to look at her.

"Haein," Heeseung breathed. He stared at her longingly before turning his gaze, pained. Looking up at Yuma, his eyes turned cold. "You're on."

Immediately, Yuma lunged at Heeseung with his fist. Heeseung blocked it, driving a knee into Yuma's stomach. Yuma barely stumbled as he grabbed Heeseung by the shoulders and pinned him to the wall of the warehouse. Haein could barely sit still as Heeseung took multiple punches to the face and one vigorous blow to the abdomen. 

He collapsed to his knees and grasped at his stomach, coughing blood. Yet, this wasn't enough to keep him down as Heeseung swiftly rose and drove an elbow into Yuma's side. Heeseung then grabbed Yuma by the neck and punched him with his free hand. 

Stumbling, Yuma broke into a fit of laughter, massaging his now aching jaw. His lips curved upwards into an eerie smile as he laughed. As he calmed down, he sneered at Heeseung. "Not convinced yet?"

"I'm convinced you're a massive asshole, but I know that's not what you're on about," Heeseung countered, wiping the side of his mouth.

"The reason you're fighting me... is because you want Haein for yourself."

"That's not true. Haein is one of my friends and I want to protect her," Heeseung spat, resuming fighting stance.

"See? Right there! You came here knowing I killed Sunoo, I made sure Taki told you when he fetched you. Even after being friends with Sunoo for half a decade, his death isn't the reason you're fighting. Face it, Heeseung. You're an obsessed, freakish-"

"ENOUGH," Heeseung seethed, lunging at Yuma and knocking him to the ground. He pinned Yuma to the floor by the shoulders and resisted against Yuma's efforts to get up again.

Yuma met Heeseung's eyes, laughing madly.  "So it's true! You're too far gone. Your free will has run dry, so accept. Your. Fate."

Infuriated, Heeseung threw himself at Yuma, clasping his jaw around Yuma's neck. Under him, Yuma hissed and thrashed, his efforts in vain as he fell limp under Heeseung's grip. 

Heeseung pulled away from Yuma and sat on his heels. Heeseung's mouth was red, dripping with blood. As he reached a hand for his mouth, he pricked a finger on his suddenly razor sharp canines.

Eyes wide, he desperately wiped at his mouth, eyes stinging with tears. He didn't notice Yuma arise, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a knife. Before Heeseung could react, the sharp edge was wedged into his side.

Heeseung's body spasmed, hand on the blade. He swiftly pulled the knife out of his abdomen, feeling the warm, viscous blood drip down his stomach. Yelling, Heeseung's grip on the knife tightened and he drove it straight into Yuma's chest. 

Yuma coughed, smirked then stopped moving all together. A pool of red forming around his body.

 Staring at Yuma's lifeless body, Heeseung stumbled away from him. His hands reached for his mouth as he stared. He shuddered, suddenly feeling a cold sweat forming on his temples. The blood from the wound kept spewing like a fountain and streams of blood trickled out of the side of his mouth. 

Moments later, Taki came into the warehouse, carrying another body.

"I found him, Heeseung," he announced, suddenly aware of Heeseung's situation. Taki slowly let down Sunoo's body to the floor and ran over to Heeseung. His hands pressed against Heeseung's gushing wound as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"Help... Haein... I'm fine," Heeseung breathed, eyes about to flutter close. Without another word, Taki reached into Yuma's pocket and took the key to Haein's ball and chain. He hurried over to where Haein laid down and unlocked her chafed ankle from her restraints. 

Haein, spotting Sunoo's body, immediately began to crawl towards him, screaming his name. When she got to him, she held his face in her hands, trying to feel around for a pulse. She desperately gave him chest compressions, hoping to reinvigorate his heart, to no avail. 

Throat stinging, Haein felt her body become weightless as she was lifted from the ground. She buried her face into their chest and quietly sobbed. Heeseung stared down at her tear stained face and then spoke with Taki.

"D-did you find Fuma?"

"Yes," Taki nodded, chin quivering. "When I looked for Sunoo's body, I found Fuma's body as well. He hung himself in the same room. I was too late..."

"I see," Heeseung clenched his jaw. His breath hitched as his open wound throbbed. "Take Sunoo to the staff, they'll know what to do."

"Shouldn't we call the police?" Taki suggested, but Heeseung shook his head.

"The police can't know this ever happened. Take Sunoo, I'll take Haein, for now. As much as I want to expose Yuma..." Heeseung looked at Haein who was now passed out in his arms, "I can't lose her. Keep this on the down low. It's for the best."

"Well then... I hope you know what you're talking about. Take care, Heeseung," Taki said, taking Sunoo's body away. Heeseung watched him leave, but Taki was gone in seconds.

Chapter Text

After an agonising half an hour since Heeseung began the journey, fatigue started to catch up with him. Furthermore, carrying Haein with the stab wound in his side made every sudden movement excruciating.

Before they left the warehouse, Heeseung made some calls about the incident. Haein hadn't paid enough attention to remember who he called or what it was about. Not that she cared. The sooner they left, the better.

Heeseung trudged along as fast as his legs would allow - albeit, not that much. In her grogginess, Haein noticed Heeseung's pace get exponentially slower, feeling his heart beat out of his chest. Concerned, she spoke for the first time since they left.

"H-Heeseung," Haein croaked, realising how dry her throat was. "I'm... worried about you."

"Don't," He said. His voice was strained, as if he was stifling himself.

"Heeseung, please... Let me help you."

After a few seconds of intolerable silence, Heeseung slowed his pace to a halt, lowering Haein to the ground. He felt his knees buckle and fell onto the side walk. Haein knelt down next to him then shakily lifted his shirt up to his wound. There was an inch-long gash in his side, coagulated blood forming a border around it. The wound wasn't mangled or too deep, to her surprise.  

Relieved, Haein felt around her pockets and remembered a handkerchief she had stored in one of her inside pockets. She took the handkerchief and pressed it against the wound, Heeseung letting out a pained hiss.

"I think it'll be fine if we can treat it soon," Haein half-smiled.

Taking over Haein's hands, Heeseung pressed the handkerchief against his abdomen and stumbled to standing. Jaw clenched, he said, "I'll treat it once I get back to my apartment."

Haein nodded and walked silently with Heeseung for the next twenty minutes. Even after walking for close to an hour, it didn't seem like they were getting any closer. Heeseung had offered to give her a piggy back ride but Haein shot him a look, meaning to say 'seriously?'.

Before Haein could question it further, Heeseung had already crouched low enough for her to jump onto his back. So she did, but not without pain for Heeseung. He groaned but shook it off, walking again. 

Now completely still, Haein felt her eyes flutter close. It felt as though she had only closed her eyes for a few minutes when she suddenly stopped moving.

Haein opened her eyes and looked up, a tall, concrete apartment complex in front of her. It looked around ten stories tall, with barred windows at each floor. The entrance of the building was a dimly lit porch and a fingerprint-activated, double door.

"We're stopping by your place?" she asked.

Heeseung nodded, putting Haein down. "It's almost one and we're both either exhausted, or bleeding to death. I figured you'd want to freshen up, so I brought you here. Plus, it's another hour walk to your house and I'm very light headed."

Opening the door to the complex, Heeseung led her to his room, on the fifth floor. The lights turned on automatically, lighting up the short hallway. To their right, there was a wardrobe and a series of wooden draws lined up next to it. The door of the wardrobe was a floor length mirror. On the left, there was an archway which led to the pint sized kitchen. No more than two people could stand in there at once.

Haein walked down the hallway which led her to Heeseung's bedroom. To her right was a small-double bed, the black duvet messily dumped on top. Next to the bed, there was a long wooden desk that extended from one wall to the other, paired with an office chair. Finally, to the left of Heeseung's bed, was the bathroom.

"Feel free to sit on the bed. I won't take long," he said, grabbing a white container out of one of his drawers and entering the bathroom.

Haein hesitantly perched on the edge of the bed. She looked out of the window about to doze off. Yet, every time she thought about sleeping, an aching sensation in her chest kept her alert. For the entire journey, Haein had been thinking about Sunoo's... death. She was rightfully devastated, but also conflicted.

Sunoo had almost died before. Or she thought he did. During the history festival, Haein saw Sunoo's lifeless body rolled into the back of an ambulance. Haein had mourned his death for an entire week until he showed up on the first day back to school, completely unharmed and unknowing.

Since then, Haein convinced herself that Sunoo hadn't actually died. In fact, she had run away from the scene of ambulances before she knew Sunoo was confirmed dead. For all she knew, he'd been alive the entire time and recovered during the week. It didn't explain his lack of scarring and memory loss, but it was the most viable reason.

Although, Haein knew for sure Sunoo had died when they were abducted. He had no pulse. She tried to bring him back for more than ten minutes, but it was already too late. Sunoo was already dead. There was no going back, not this time.

From the corner of her eye, Haein looked into the inch wide crack of the door to the bathroom. The light from the bathroom spilled into the dim light of the bedroom, allowing Haein to peer at Heeseung somewhat clearly. She intended to look away as soon as possible but found herself staring in fascination as he gave himself sutures, like a professional. 

Finishing up the sutures, he unscrewed an opaque bottle and let the cap fall into the sink. Haein watched as he brought the bottle to his lips and swallowed whole. It was faint, but she heard Heeseung dry heaving. Haein looked away, not wanting to listen further. Yet, she couldn't help but pick up Heeseung's curses and his body's rejection of the bottle's contents.

Heeseung returned to the bedroom, after brushing his teeth and washing his face. Haein, still staring at the wall, jumped as the back of his cool hand pressed against her forehead.

"Are you feeling alright? Nauseous? Any injuries? Emergencies?" Heeseung interrogated, scanning Haein for potential injuries.

"I think I have a migraine-" Haein massaged her throat, "-and a sore throat."

Heeseung walked over to his desk, picking up a half-opened box of medicine. He popped open two of the tablets and handed them to Haein, encouraging her to take them.

"Wait," she coughed. "What are these?"

"Paracetamol from the school's pharmacy. I got some for you last time when you were sent to the nurse's office."

Haein's jaw dropped. Immediately, it was as if everything clicked into place and started making sense. Heeseung had texted earlier that morning about her walking home in the rain, hence the umbrella. Heeseung decided not to sign his name on the note because Haein was mad at her. The anonymous gift was from him.

"So it was you?" She blinked.

"I had my reasons. I overstepped during break, so I gave the medicine anonymously to make you think it was from Sunoo," Heeseung pursed his lips. "Anyway, please take those. I'll get you some water."

After walking to the kitchen, Heeseung came back with a glass of water and some spare clothes. He placed the water and the clothes on the desk in front of her then lightly tapped Haein's shoulder. Hesitantly, she took the tablets, downing the water.  The migraine instantly subsided without a trace.

"You should probably change out of those clothes," he said, gesturing to the clothes he left on the desk. Haein put down her glass and looked at the clothes Heeseung had offered her - a jumper and grey sweatpants. "I didn't know what you'd like. I don't exactly have a wide selection."

Thanking him, she walked to the bathroom door to change out of her dirtied uniform. Haein stopped before she entered, turning back to Heeseung who sat at his desk. "Is it alright if I take a shower as well?"

"Oh, of course," Heeseung said. He walked to his closet and pulled out a pair of spare boxers, passing them to her. "You can use this, I don't need it back. Take as long as you need."

Haein thanked him again and entered the bathroom. Once the door clicked shut, she placed her things on the floor and began peeling off her uniform. Haein caught a glimpse of her appearance in the mirror on the opposite wall. There were multiple bruises on her arms and in other places she didn't expect. Heavy hearted, she stepped into the shower, turning on the faucet.

Haein barely flinched as the ice cold water ran down her back. Sliding against the wall of the shower, she sat and hugged her knees, waiting for the temperature to rise. She took the bottle of shower gel and gently cleaned herself, open cuts stinging as soap seeped into them. At this point, the water was scalding, but she continued to scrub at her limbs until her skin felt raw. Every effort to clean herself was futile, as though it were impossible to remove the mental scarring of Yuma's touch.

Tears mixing with the flowing water, Haein lay on the floor of the bathroom. She quietly accepted the burning of her legs as her eyes shut close. She stayed there for a while, utterly helpless and disgusted in her own skin. Hours may have passed and she wouldn't care.

Delirious, Haein heard the knocking of the door and the sound of Heeseung's voice on the other side. She couldn't make out what he said but opened her eyes as the door opened a crack.

"Haein? My eyes are shut but I just wanted to ask if you were alright in there."

"I'm..." Haein trailed off, chin quivering. She sobbed quietly and hugged her knees tighter.

"You've been crying for almost two hours. Can I get you some water?"

"Yeah..." Sniffling, Haein sat up, the door clicking shut. For another moment, she sat on floor of the shower to ground herself.  She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the water against the glass shower door, taking a few shaky breaths. At one point, she heard the door open and close, assuming it was Heeseung bringing in the glass of water.

Haein turned off the shower after another ten minutes, getting out to dry herself off. She then slipped on the spare clothes and drank the water. Taking the glass and her dirty clothes, she stepped out of the bathroom.

Heeseung had heard her come through the door, his head lifting upwards as Haein closed the door behind her. He gave her a warm smile and offered to wash her uniform.  Shaking her head, Haein dropped the pile onto the floor, clenching her jaw to resist crying again.

"Why should I? I never want to touch those ever again."

Picking up the clothes, Heeseung sighed. "Let me do this for you, please. If I don't wash them, it will only serve as a reminder of... what happened. I'll make sure they're clean, don't worry about it."

"But they'll never be clean. I'll never be clean..." Haein continued to shake her head. Before she could cry again, Heeseung pulled Haein into a hug, letting her head rest on his chest. Her breathing calmed as she listened to the beating of his heart, and the familiar feeling of a warm embrace engulfed her whole. Yet, it brought back the aching reality of what she lost, and all efforts not to break down into tears went out the window.

Tears staining Heeseung's shirt, Haein sobbed into his chest, the world around her slipping away. Heeseung stayed in the same position, only the sound of Haein's cries filling the room. Eventually, he took the glass out of her hand and pulled away, meeting her eyes.

Haein hiccupped. "I can't believe he's gone..." she sniffled "Did he really die?"

Nodding, Heeseung placed the glass on the desk and used his free hand to pat her shoulder. "It hasn't hit me either. He's always been part of my family. I'm sorry I couldn't save him..."

Haein wiped her eyes, taking trembling breaths. "I know we weren't together for long, but I feel so alone. He was everything to me."

"I'm here. You won't be alone tonight."

It took another half hour before either of them were ready to go to sleep. Heeseung had thrown Haein's clothes in the washing machine and warmed up a bowl of chicken soup for her to have before bed. As she drank it, Heeseung dried and brushed her hair, providing some light conversation as he did so.

"I've lived alone since I was sixteen, have I ever told you that?"

Haein shook her head, hands being warmed by the mug of hot soup. Heeseung continued. "When I was twelve, I lost my mother to cancer. My father didn't take it very well. After I turned sixteen, he killed himself."

"Heeseung... I had no idea," she frowned, but Heeseung laughed.

"I'm fine now, it's been a few years and I'm at peace. I have a new family at school, one I can count on and protect. I'd do anything for them," Heeseung paused, placing the hair brush on the bed. "That includes you."

"It does? But I'm not..."

"Not as close? You tried your hardest to be civil with me, even when I did everything wrong. You helped me take accountability for my actions. You saw the way I was and stayed anyway. Just you being there makes my days here more bearable. With you, I don't feel like such a monster," Hitting the bed with a fist, he collapsed onto the bed.

Haein turned towards him, placing her hand on top of his. "But, you're not a monster."

"I am. You've seen what I can do, what I've done," He covered his face with his hands. "I killed someone. I wanted to prove him wrong, and all I did was prove him right by murdering him."

"It wasn't for nothing, and you know that. When I was trapped there, I wasn't sure if I'd see my family and friends again. Yuma killed Sunoo and did things to me, and though I can't remember what he did, the fact he's not alive to do them again provides relief beyond belief," smiling, Haein put down her soup and removed Heeseung's hands from his face. She brushed the hair out of his face to see his eyes better. "Yuma was the monster. You're a good person."

Heeseung, staring back at Haein, curled his lips upwards into a half smile, sitting up on the bed. His eyes drifted towards his phone, noticing the time - it was three in the morning.

"We should sleep. You technically have school tomorrow," he said, patting the bed.

"But where are you sleeping?"

Pointing at the open hallway, Heeseung took one of the pillows, saying, "there. I've got a spare duvet anyway."

"No," Haein nodded, taking the pillow from his hand. "There isn't enough room in the hallway and you have a stab wound. Just sleep on the bed and give me the extra duvet."

"I can't let you do that," Heeseung insisted, taking back the pillow.

"Well, we can't both sleep on the floor. Your injuries are more serious than mine, so take the bed," Haein said.

"No, you aren't sleeping there, end of story," groaning to himself, Heeseung threw the pillow back onto the bed. "Well, if we can't come to an agreement, we'll just have to sleep... together."

"Together?!"

Flustered, Heeseung paraphrased, "sleep in the same bed. Not sleep together. Just get under the covers, I'll turn the lights off."

Haein lifted the duvet off the bed and slipped underneath, facing her edge of the bed. Once the lights turned off, she felt the mattress sink as Heeseung lay next to her, facing the opposite way.  Although she couldn't see behind her, there couldn't have been more than a foot between them. Haein refrained from moving to much, afraid she may accidentally bump into Heeseung. She became stiff as a board, therefore unable to sleep.

After five minutes of forcing herself to relax, her eyes blinked open. Her entire body was tense, but she didn't want to move. Haein could feel exhaustion seeping into her limbs by the second. Yet, her eyes remained wide open.

Haein closed her eyes again, attempting to count to a thousand, or count sheep, or count a thousand sheep. She reached two hundred before she felt the mattress sink move and the feeling of Heeseung's breath on her back.

"Can you sleep?" he asked, gently tugging on the duvet. Relieved, Haein turned around on the mattress to face Heeseung. She was right - they were barely a foot apart from each other.

"I can't relax," Haein said, trying to wrap herself in the duvet.

"Neither can I," Heeseung chuckled. "Sleeping with a hole in your abdomen isn't the most comfortable thing in the world."

"Can't you take some paracetamol for it?"

Heeseung shook his head. "I took two a few hours ago, which is the maximum dose for this particular brand. It's potent, but it only helped me breathe a little better. It still hurts, especially since he used the entire blade."

"One thing I can't wrap my head around is how you carried me home after being stabbed. I used to read crime-related novels and they all say your limbs go numb and stop working if you're stabbed in any place."

"Oh," He paused, eyes drifting to the mattress. "That, I can't really explain."

"Why not?"

Pursing his lips, Heeseung countered, "isn't it enough that you're safe? If it's the right time, and convenient, I'll explain everything."

"You promise?" Haein pulled out her pinky finger from underneath the duvet, holding it up to Heeseung's face. He smiled back at her and interlaced his pinky around hers, nodding slowly. For a while, they lay staring into each others eyes, fingers weakly interlaced. Haein's face flushed as she turned away.

"Is it alright if we slept-" she shut her eyes, tight, "-closer together? I totally get it if you don't want to, it's just really cold on this side of the bed so my arms are all stiff, and I want to move around but I ca-"

"Yeah, that's fine. As long as you're comfortable," he smiled, moving closer to her. Haein budged closer to him, letting her body warm up near his. Soon afterwards, she felt her upper body get lifted upwards by Heeseung, his arm slipping underneath her neck. He whispered, "is this comfortable?"

Subconsciously, Haein moved closer to him, her nose hitting his chest. She wasn't keen on spooning in her current state, but his body's warmth helped her relax immediately. Haein's exhaustion spoke for her as she nodded, slowly losing consciousness.

Chapter Text

Haein's eyes fluttered open as the blaring alarm rung throughout the room. Slipping out of bed, she turned off the alarm on Heeseung's desk. Only then did she realise she was completely alone.

Looking at Heeseung's phone, the time was six in the morning and a Friday. She needed to be in school in less than three hours but had no uniform or any of her belongings. In reality, she had no idea where her belongings were. The last time she had any of them was before she got abducted.

Right.

A constant gnawing returned to her stomach at the thought. Haein was abducted for half a day, and Sunoo was dead. She felt like ripping her skin off, scratching at her throat as it closed up. It felt like a boulder weighed down on her chest making every inhale harder. Crouching, she hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed aloud. A metallic substance started to tease at her taste buds the louder her screams became.

Click. The door opened. Holding a small bag of groceries, Heeseung burst through the door. He dumped the bag on his bed and found Haein curled in a ball, tears staining her jumper. Meeting her level, he gently caressed her shoulder and smiled.

"Haein, I'm here."

Even with Heeseung in front of her, she cried still, the grip on her knees tightening. She hiccupped, "I was used. Sunoo was everything to me and was murdered just so Yuma could get to you. Yuma did things to me, not because he needed to, but because he wanted to provoke you. I never mattered to him. I don't matter at all."

"You do matter. You matter to me," Heeseung said.

"Yuma was so sweet when I first met him. I considered him the first friend I made here. I think of him and the person who assaulted me and see two different people. When he first saw me-" she sniffled, "-did he actually want to be friends with me? Or was he thinking of ways to take advantage of me?"

"Haein, it's not like that."

"And what if it is? How do I know whether any friend I've had is genuine? I'll always be that new girl who isn't as close to everyone in the friend group. Maybe he was only friendly to me for a laugh."

"Haein..." Heeseung paused, taking a shallow breath. "Listen to me, or don't. Our friendship group would not be the same without you anymore. You're funny and don't take anyone's bullshit. And I'm sure if he was still here-" he paused a second time, "-Sunoo would say the same."

"Well, I don't feel that close to all of you," Haein raised her head, to see Heeseung's face. She was surprised to see a thin stream of tears trickling out both of his eyes. He wiped them away as soon as she saw them and then offered her a hand to get up. Accepting the offer, she grabbed his hand and shakily stood once more. Heeseung smiled and used the sleeve of his jumper to dry her face. He then took the bag from the bed, pulling out a cup of instant ramen.

"Breakfast?"

They took the earliest bus to Haein's street once they finished eating. In addition to breakfast, Heeseung bought some toiletries for Haein to freshen up, handing a pregnancy test to her. She examined the box, feeling cold sweat at the nape of her neck. She had never used one before and the possibility of pregnancy loomed over her.

"Don't worry, I'm right outside. I'll help you no matter what the outcome is," Heeseung said, a look of unsureness struck across Haein's face. Rubbing her shoulder, he reassured her that she'd be fine.

Reluctantly, Haein brought the test into the bathroom and closed the door. She sat on the toilet seat, opened the box and carefully read the instructions. Her heart beat out of her chest as her eyes flickered to the paragraphs of words she couldn't understand. With the utmost care, she followed each instruction and placed her pending test on the side of the sink.

The period between completing the test and its results was thrice as stress-inducing as actually doing it. For the following five minutes, Haein stared at the stick, clutching the edges of the sink with both hands. She swore she hadn't breathed for the entire five minutes when a singular line appeared in the window. Negative.

Haein exhaled, taking the test and leaving the bathroom. Heeseung was sat on the bed when she entered the room, on his phone. Haein showed him the test and he sighed with heavy relief.

"Thank God, are you alright?"

She nodded, throwing the test in the bin under his desk. "I just want to go home."

No questions asked, the two walked to the nearest stop to take the bus at seven. The silence they sat in reminded Haein about her lost belongings, more specifically her phone. Her mother could easily buy her another but most of her photos wouldn't be recovered, if at all. Her phone was the last memory of her previous life, and even though she'd fully adapted to life on the island, she looked fondly at the photos of her old home.

Amidst her pondering, Heeseung bought two single tickets and they sat in a pair of empty seats at the back of the bus. Haein sat by the window, the rows of houses rolling by and blurring together. Next to her, Heeseung was frantically texting and making phone calls, except no one answered them. Haein could hear him curse under his breath at times as he made his tenth call.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," He muttered when he was sent to voicemail. Haein looked at him in concern.

"Is everything alright? Who are you calling?" She asked.

"I'm fine, just trying to contact everyone," Heeseung said, trying to call Jay once more. No one answered.

"Are you gonna tell them what happened?"

"They deserve to know what happened to Sunoo," he pressed the contact for Jake and let it ring. "I'll only tell them about you if you say so. I was planned on telling them in person but can't get a hold of anyone."

"Maybe they aren't awake?" She inquired, but Heeseung shook his head.

"Jay is the heaviest sleeper I know but he's always up at seven. There isn't a reason why he'd ignore my calls unless-" He paused, eyes wide. He spoke to himself, "Fuck, I'm too late."

"Late for what?"

Heeseung never replied, continually smashing his keyboard as if nothing happened. He rang one last number and to his and Haein's surprise, they picked up. Heeseung cried, "Niki! I've never been so happy to hear your voice."

"What do you want? I thought we weren't talking," Niki's voice rang from the speaker. 

"It's serious. Feuds aside, you're gonna want to hear this," Heeseung said, voice turning stern.

"How serious? We can talk this afternoon since I'm being discharged today," Haein had forgotten Niki was still in hospital. "Also, do you know if Haein's alright? She hasn't been answering any of my texts."

"I promise I'll explain later, meet me at-"

"My house," Haein interrupted, surprising both Heeseung and Niki.

"Is that Haein? Why is she with you? You live more than an hour away."

"Don't question it. I'll skip volunteering so I can meet you outside Haein's house. See you later," Hanging up, Heeseung shoved his phone into his pocket and sighed. "How am I gonna tell him? I can hardly believe it myself."

"We'll tell him everything, and I mean everything," Haein said, looking at her knees. "It might be better for me to tell him about my side of the story. It could help me remember."

Holding her hand in his, Heeseung smiled at her, Haein weakly reciprocating. He looked at her with troubled eyes and said, "I think we need to go over what to tell your mother."

Haein's eyes widened exponentially. "Oh, crap! I completely forgot. She's probably so worried about me and how I haven't been answering her texts, and I don't even know where my phone is or where any of my things are. She's gonna be so mad at me. Ugh, I've been so distracted-"

"Haein," Heeseung caressed her hand, reassuringly.

"Right, sorry."

Heeseung looked longingly out the window much like Haein was already doing. "I don't know how you'll take this, but you can't mention anything about the abduction to your mother, and before you object-" Haein's dropped jaw snapped shut, "-there's a very good reason why."

"Then I'd love to hear it."

"My first worry is that she'll want to call the police. You're still relatively new here but law enforcement works very differently here than to the rest of Korea, let alone the world," Heeseung half-explained, his answer not making a lick of sense to Haein. "It's a very biased system. Those in power get their say in all court proceedings. They've let serial murders live whilst framing innocents to cover their asses. I've learned this from... experience."

"You were tried in court?"

"No, but I've testified as a witness," Heeseung's expression grew colder. "The victim's name was Park Hanni. She was my girlfriend."

'Girlfriend?!' Haein's head screamed, having no idea why she was perplexed. She tried her hardest not to be disrespectful but her dropped jaw told him everything.

"It can't be that surprising. I'm pretty suave," he smirked, Haein lightly slapping his shoulder. Heeseung continued. "She was a new student in my year, much like you were this year. We took the same subjects and talked all the time. I really liked her, so I asked her out and she said yes.

"But, after a few months, she stopped talking to me. She stopped showing up to school and I didn't find out why until a week later. The news article headline said she was found dead in the hallway of the school she hadn't attended in a week. I was torn between devastation and pure unbridled rage. Then I shut everyone out, including my closest friends. One of them happened to be K."

"K?" Haein blurted. 

"We were best friends since childhood... until he did something unforgivable," Heeseung's grip on Haein's hand tightened. "I got into several fights with my friends. I threw a punch at K and insulted him in ways I knew would hurt him. I was completely apathetic at the time, therefore I didn't care.

"A month after Hanni died, I felt myself slipping away in an empty classroom, three hours after class had ended. K stormed into the room demanding I apologise for insulting him. I knew I shouldn't have said them in the first place but his forgiveness was the last thing I wanted or needed.

"Before I knew it, we were arguing again. I assumed he'd leave me alone if I stopped replying. Unfortunately, he dumped something on my head and left the room - warm, fresh blood. Hanni's blood."

"Hanni's blood? But that doesn't make any sense, Hanni was-"

"Dead? I thought so too. But somewhere, I knew she was being kept alive."

Haein, overwhelmed with information, found herself hanging on his every word. She said, "but what if that blood was stored just after she died?"

"I would have assumed so if I hadn't seen the date on the bag. Her blood was drawn within the week it was poured on my head. I had never been so full of rage in my entire life. My best friend knew Hanni was alive... And he never told me. 

"So, I ran out of school, my footprints marked in her blood, and called the police. They heard me out and eventually, I had my say in court. Except, I couldn't anticipate the overflowing evidence the defendant had against me, most of which almost convinced me that my girlfriend was dead."

Haein furrowed her eyebrows as she siphoned through the information in her head. "And what kind of sick asshole wanted to prove you wrong that badly?"

"That's a story for another day," Heeseung stated. "But what I can tell you now is that they are a group of powerful people who have the ability to fabricate evidence that can fool the most experienced in the field. They tried accusing me of stealing her blood which was eventually ruled out by the judge."

"Why did you tell me all of this?"

"Because those same people will try to manipulate your case. I may be paranoid about everything but take it from me, it isn't worth it. Those elitist pricks will go through absolute lengths to convince you and everyone else that nothing is wrong."

Conflicted, Haein eventually decided she'd listen to Heeseung's warnings and lie to her mother. Instead of being abducted and assaulted, she was hanging out with friends after school but fainted. Her mother wasn't home so she stayed the night at Heeseung's apartment. Haein asked about her belongings and Heeseung said he'd check lost and found first thing once he arrived in school.

They got off the bus an hour later and Heeseung walked Haein to her house, going over Haein's cover story. Once they arrived, Haein nervously knocked on the door. Her mother answered, looking as dishevelled as she did anxious. As soon as they locked eyes, she enveloped Haein in a breath-restricting embrace.

"Where were you?! I have been calling you since I got home this morning and I almost called the police! I never gave you permission to stay with your friends after school, I'm seriously considering cutting your privileges-"

"Mrs Kim, it's my fault," Heeseung interrupted. "I convinced her to hang out with us after school but she fainted and I didn't want to send her home when no one was there. I let her stay over at my apartment for the night and bought her a bus ticket here first thing in the morning. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Voice still stern, Haein's mother turned to Haein. "Is this true?"

Haein nodded. "I didn't feel well enough to call. I was going to take the day off today because I keep getting migraines."

"Then I'll stay home as well. But next time tell me when you're hanging out with your friends in the evening. Go inside," she moved to the side and Haein went inside. Her mother stayed in the doorway, eyeing Heeseung up and down. "You're very responsible."

"Thank you, Mrs Kim," Heeseung bowed deeply. "I made sure she was hydrated and well rested before escorting her back home."

"I'm very grateful for your actions, Heeseung. Should anything like this happen again, I want to know about it as soon as possible," Haein's mother held out her hand. "Let me put my number in your phone."

Taking his phone out of his pocket, he passed it to her with two hands. Heeseung watched as she added herself as a contact. After handing him back the phone, she asked, "I understand you live alone, but where do your parents live?"

"Oh. They passed away a few years ago," Heeseung stated. "I've lived alone since then."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. If you ever need help cooking meals or buying enough groceries, let me know. I'll be more than happy to help if I'm free," with a tight-lipped smile, she rubbed his shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of her. I'm not home a lot because of work so I'm glad you didn't leave her alone. Now, you should probably get a move on before you're late."

Thanking her, Heeseung bowed once more and left for school.

***

Haein had never felt loneliness as exhausting as that following afternoon. She couldn't text anyone or doom-scroll through Tiktok without a phone. Instead, she swam in the limitless expanse of her own imagination. Yet, all she could physically think about were vivid recounts of her abduction.

Sunoo was dead.

The overwhelming stretch of time provided every opportunity to remind Haein of Sunoo's passing. She tossed and turned in bed, anxiety-induced insomnia rendering her utterly incapable of falling asleep. Occasionally, her mother walked into the room to give her some food and medicine, but never stayed long.

Haein had no motivation to get out of bed until half past three, when her mother informed her she had guests. She leaped out of bed, not bothering to change out of the clothes she got from Heeseung and made for the door. Niki greeted her with a smile and Heeseung waved shakily, catching his breath. Luckily, he came with all of Haein's belongings which she swiftly took from him.

Letting them inside, the three sat in Haein's moderately cluttered bedroom. They locked the door and shut the curtain, for this information could not leave the room.

Niki scratched his head. "I don't understand what's going on. Where are the others?"

"We don't know. None of them will pick up my calls," Heeseung clenched his jaw then cautiously held Niki's hand in his own. "Sunoo... was killed last night."

"Oh," Niki pursed his lips and stared at his knees. He didn't cry but sat in silence, unsure on how to respond.

"After you were admitted to the hospital, Yuma acted sooner rather than later," Heeseung stated, looking over to Haein to continue.

"I felt ill that afternoon so Sunoo and I walked to the bathroom together. That's where Yuma took us," Haein thought hard, trying to pry the memories from her mind as they slipped away. "He touched me, constantly. I think he... he um..."

Heeseung placed a hand over Haein's clenched fist. As she calmed down, she realised she'd been tensing the entire time. Eventually, they finished telling him everything about Yuma, even his accomplices. Niki stayed just as silent as he did before, until tears started pouring.

"To think I was so excited to get out of that hospital. I sat in bed for a day whilst you were-" Niki sniffled, punching his fist into the bed where he sat. "If that bastard was still alive, I'd let him know how it feels to get his neck snapped."

"I can't imagine how Sunoo's parents will react to his death. It still feels like he could send me a text saying he's well but-" From her already puffy eyes, Haein sobbed once more, holding her face in her tear-soaked hands. "I... loved him. I loved him. And he's gone."

Niki shuffled in his seat, wiping his face with his blazer sleeve. "This may sound hard to believe, but this isn't the first time Sunoo left us."

Confused, the other two turned to him. Heeseung mouthed, 'elaborate,' and Niki sighed in response. "At the history festival, Haein and I both saw Sunoo on that stretcher. He always had a weaker immune system than the rest of us which was why I never expected him to recover from his injuries. Yet, he showed up on the front step of the school as pristine as a China vase. At that second, I realised the Sunoo I knew was dead and some kind of modified corpse was playing pretend. I don't expect you to take my side, and I don't expect you to understand me."

"Yeah, I don't understand you," Haein muttered. "What you're insinuating is bullshit and you don't know anything about Sunoo at all."

"Sunoo was my family too. He was also Heeseung's family and Jay's, Jake's, Jungwon's and Sunghoon's. After everything we've been through together, I wanted so badly to believe it was him. I played along thinking I'd forget about it but I could never convince myself."

"You're wrong. You can't understand what I'm going through-"

"Easy," interrupting, Heeseung rubbed Haein's shoulder. "Niki and I will get you a glass of water and snacks. We don't have to talk about this any further today. Let's just be here for each other."

Hesitating, Haein nodded silently and slid back into her bed. Heeseung and Niki returned with a plethora of food and water, alongside a stack of board games and playing cards. They each acted as distractions for each other, keeping their minds occupied.

Over the weekend, they continued with the same routine. They played games, ate food, watched movies and occasionally talked about their feelings. As a three, they would go on short walks around the block to get some fresh air after playing a game.

Monday came around in no time. Heeseung continuously called the rest of the group to no avail. Despite Niki's constant attempts to contact Taki, he had yet to reply or show his face. Haein lethargically got ready for school and waited outside the door for Heeseung and Niki.

For most of the journey, they walked in silence but nearing the school, Haein couldn't tolerate her thoughts any longer. "What if someone leaks any information about the two dead bodies left there? Won't it get traced to us?"

"I took some precautions," Heeseung stated, firmly patting Haein on the head.

"I'm sure nothing'll be amiss," Niki said. "We'll meet up with everyone at school and break the news. I'm not sure how they'll take it but they're probably just as concerned as we are."

"Haein?"

There at the entrance of the school, a ghost turned its head and called out to her. Haein knew that voice, for it looped like a broken record in her memories and nightmares. No scars, no blood, no wavering in its voice and no visible pain. It couldn't be, yet it was.

Haein edged towards the entrance, not blinking. She wondered if she was mistaken. Maybe he would vanish if she touched him. Maybe her thoughts had manifested an idea of him that only she could see. If she was right, why was Heeseung frozen like a deer in headlights? Why was Niki seething in his place? Holding her breath, Haein reached to touch his face and broke down in tears as warmth met her fingertips.

"S-Sunoo? You're..."

"Alive," Heeseung and Niki said at the same time. From behind Sunoo, four other guys came from the entrance: Jay, Jake, Sunghoon and Jungwon. Jay walked passed Haein and Sunoo, making a bee-line to Heeseung who couldn't move his gaze from Sunoo. Jay tapped his shoulder, waving his phone in Heeseung's face.

"Why did you call me more than ninety times over the weekend? I was MIA because I had an essay due midnight on Sunday," Jay said.

"I don't... I don't understand," Heeseung's voice sounded barely over a whisper. "He was gone... He can't be-"

"He shouldn't be alive," Niki muttered once more, hands now curled up into fists. Jungwon appeared behind Niki, placing his arm around his shoulders. Like Jay, he also waved his hand over Niki's frozen face.

"Earth to Niki? My phone was in a repair shop all weekend because I dropped it Thursday night and found a combined three hundred missed calls from you and Heeseung. You're acting like someone just died."

Jake and Sunghoon were more interested in Haein's close inspection of Sunoo's neck, face and ill responses to either of their comments. Every once in a while, Haein would say 'How?' or 'Why?' as her fingers brushed the lines of his jaw.

Niki's anger skyrocketed in seconds as Sunoo pulled Haein into a hug. Seeing red, he charged towards the two, feeling as though his knuckles were about to pop out of their sockets. Jungwon pulled him back by the wrist, stopping him half way. Niki pried Jungwon's hand off forcefully.

"Sunoo shouldn't be alive," He bellowed, everyone turning towards the sound of his voice. Minding the shock on Jungwon's face, he resumed walking to Sunoo and pushed him away from Haein. Niki maintained an arms length distance between him and Sunoo, warning him not to come any closer. The interaction gained traction from the rest of the group, who combined efforts to calm Niki down.

"Who are you?" Niki interrogated Sunoo, who looked more frightened than frightening.

"Niki, it's me, Sunoo. What's wrong?"

"EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS WRONG," Niki yelled at Sunoo, his voice now hoarse.

Peering over his shoulder, Haein hid behind Niki, blinking her eyes madly. Sunoo was in front of her, living and breathing. She touched his face, felt his neck and the warmth of the blood rushing through his cheeks. It shouldn't be possible.

"If it's really you, then where were you this weekend?" Niki trembled with rage, swatting away any who touched him.

"I was really behind on coursework so I came into school over the weekend-"

"Lie," from behind Niki, Haein's voice rung loud and true. She pulled Niki beside her to better see Sunoo. "You're lying."

"Haein, I'm your boyfriend. I'd never lie to you," Sunoo approached Haein but Niki's gesture abruptly stopped him.

"Then do you remember when we were abducted in the middle of the day by Yuma? When you were tortured and beaten by Taki and Fuma?" Haein could feel her teeth clatter from how badly her jaw was trembling. "Or when your neck snapped and I spent more than ten minutes trying to bring you back to life because I refused to believe you were dead?"

Simultaneously, Jake, Sunghoon, Jay and Jungwon turned to Sunoo. They eyed him in suspicion as Sunoo spoke once more.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've been here the whole time."

Heeseung broke through the small crowd and placed his hand on Haein's shoulder. "It's no use."

Hesitant, Haein stared at the floor and then at Heeseung. They started towards the school's entrance, passing Sunoo. At the last minute, Sunoo yelled back at her.

"What about us? Did I ever matter to you?"

Haein looked back, heavy-hearted. "I'm so tired, Sunoo. I tried so hard to forget the first time, but this time I can't ignore it. I don't know how you keep doing this, but until you get your story straight, I can't be with you anymore. I'm sorry."

Eyes wide, Sunoo watched as Haein entered the building, tailed by Heeseung and Niki. The rest of the guys' heads rapidly switched between Haein and Sunoo, not knowing what to believe.

Chapter Text

Hurried footsteps. Panicked yelling. EKG machines beeping. The metallic scent of blood hanging thick in the air. Seven students in critical condition, an eighth confirmed dead the ninth missing.

Every phone in the complex remained occupied as staff scrambled to contain the incident. Due to the mass showing at the Decelis History Day Festival, their luck had run dry. The population of Enti island was little over a hundred thousand people, so the horrific news spread like wildfire. Still, the staff laboured tirelessly, taking maximum precautions to prevent any further damage.

One of the many staff stood clutching a checkboard in one hand, persistently clicking a pen in the other. Minor blood stains decorated the fabric on their scrubs and the sleeves of their lab coat, and their hair was slick back into a headband. They obsessively read out numbers on their checkboard, resisting the urge to pull out their own hair.

"0001, 0256, 0257, 0290 and 0350," They sighed in frustration and flipped the page, revealing a second list of numbers. "0099, 0258 and 0259. These incompetent workers can't do anything right."

Yanking the phone out of the wall, the staff member furiously dialled the same number they had rung less than two minutes prior. It rang three times before the receiving end picked up, but they were less than pleased to answer.

"What is the meaning of this?" The other line hissed.

"0091 is still missing. I made very clear instructions to bring every last one of them here, yet it is almost two o' clock in the morning and I get squat." 

Groaning, the receiving end plastered on a fake smile and refrained from screaming down the landline. "It is as I told you, doctor. Our entire team, including the head office, are busy contacting law enforcement and attendees of the festival. Wherever Yudai- I mean 0091 is, he will be retrieved in due time. Focus on keeping your patients stable and we will contact you when necessary. Do not phone this number again."

At the second they hung up, the sound of doors being kicked open caught the doctor's attention. A student was thrashing against the oncoming of other staff members, trying to reach the row of hospital beds by the doctor

"LET ME SEE THEM," he screamed, his uniform drenched in someone else's blood. "LET ME SEE SUNOO."

The harder he pushed the more the staff piled onto him. He was pinned to the ground forcefully with his hands behind his back, the doctor's feet entering his line of sight. They pressed their foot into the top of his skull, squeezing his face into the ground.

"You were given very precise instructions, 0389," The doctor ground their teeth. "The staff were generous enough to let you sit in the waiting area so long as you stay put. Weren't we clear?"

Muffled, the student barked back. "My name is Yang Jungwon, and I am not leaving until I see them."

"ENOUGH," The doctor yelled, applying more pressure. As Jungwon squirmed underneath the doctor's hold, the doctor muttered, "You will stay in the day room until further notice. Sustenance will be provided twice a day. Stay put and your friends will recover quickly, but I cannot promise their fate will be pleasant if you step out of line."

Turning towards the staff holding Jungwon's arms and legs, the doctor announced his orders. Simultaneously, the several staff members looked up to the doctor with repressed glee. They bared their blinding white smiles, their long, dark hair, porcelain skin and precisely proportioned faces exactly the same as the staff member next to them.

"Yes, doctor," they sang in harmony, prying Jungwon from the floor and dragging him out of the ward. Once they arrived at the day room, they threw Jungwon inside and locked the door shut.

The day room was pathetically small. Fit to occupy a single person, there were only three rectangular stools lined up against the wall and a connected bathroom with only a square metre of floor space, no sink. The two rooms were lit by a single white led lightbulb, hanging from the ceiling by a sparking wire. Jungwon fell into the room, his head hitting the wall on the other side. He lay by the feet of four other people.

Seething, Jungwon rose to his feet and pounded against the locked door. The burning sensation in his throat arose from his previous yelling, his will power dwindling. One of the people sat down reached their hand to touch his shoulder. Jungwon swatted it away, slowly falling to his knees and cradling his face in his hands.

"I know you're tired," They said. "I wouldn't fight back if I were you. Us four have already been here for three hours. No signal, so we can't call anyone. Our best bet is to wait it out."

Turning around, Jungwon slumped against the door and glared at the four other people. He recognised them as Yuma, Maki, Harua and Jo. Yuma was one of his classmates, but they rarely talked. Jungwon turned his head towards the wall, resisting every urge to yell at them. For they considered the person who tried to kill Sunoo a brother, but Jungwon's fight wasn't with them.

Hesitantly, Yuma approached Jungwon, crouching in front of him. "What's on your mind?"

"You should already know by now," Jungwon muttered. "Whatever, I have nothing to say to you."

"We could be here for days, possibly weeks. You can't just stop talking," Yuma persisted, but Jungwon still faced the wall.

"Try me."

Crossing his legs, Yuma sat in front of Jungwon, leaning his head on his right hand. "I'll be here once you're ready to talk. I promise what you say won't leave the room."

For the next hour, the room fell silent. Maki, Jo and Harua fell asleep whilst Yuma and Jungwon remained awake. Chin trembling, Jungwon gave into the ever growing quiet. He turned towards Yuma with watery eyes, finally breaking the silence.

"Sunoo was hurt," Jungwon bit on his bottom lip to stop his chin from quivering. "I saved him before anything worse happened but... What if I was too late? I couldn't get anything out of the staff members. His wounds were too deep, and the blood on my clothes serves as a constant reminder of it."

Yuma, not knowing how to respond, reached a hand to hold Jungwon's, but Jungwon moved his away. Clearing his throat, Yuma responded. "Nothing I say will make you see K any differently, but-"

"Then don't say anything at all."

"Jungwon," Yuma pursed his lips, sighing. "We all fought to be allowed to attend the festival, even with the impending lunar eclipse. K didn't want to hurt Sunoo but we underestimated his strength that night. It ended up killing-"

"He isn't dead," Jungwon said, turning towards the wall again.

"Right, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise."

"But someone should-"

"I don't want your apology."

"You're gonna get it anyway," Yuma said, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry for what happened to Sunoo. I should have helped you instead of staying at the festival. Because I stayed, someone got kill... Incredibly hurt. In a way, everything is my fault, so I'm sorry."

Jungwon shook his head. "I doubt you being there would have changed anything. It's fine. We did everything we could, even though it wasn't enough."

As he faced Yuma again, Yuma's face was stained with tears. He wiped them away before Jungwon could comment on it, smiling back. Hesitantly, Jungwon reached a shaky hand to Yuma's shoulder.

"You should get some rest. I'm gonna stay up and watch the others," patting Jungwon on the leg, Yuma stood up and leant against the opposite wall. "I told the others this, but if you hear someone come in, don't let them know you're awake. I'll handle it."

Jungwon also stood, sitting in the empty space on the stools. His legs were already numb from sitting on the floor, so getting comfortable wasn't too hard. After taking a few moments to relax his eyes, he eventually fell asleep.

...

Click.

Creeaaak.

The door opened.

People were entering, but Jungwon didn't know who or why. He stubbornly kept his eyes shut, hoping they wouldn't take him. His muscles tensed as he willed himself to make no sudden movements. Once  they entered, one of them spoke.

"We should have been more careful. This could have gone so much worse."

Shuffling on the other side of the small room signalled to Jungwon that Yuma was still awake. He said firmly, "Don't hurt them."

"Or what, little pup?" A second voice sneered. The voices sounded like members of staff. "We aren't here for you anyway. Step aside."

Jungwon could feel the staff approach him and his entire body trembled trying to hold still. To his surprise, they went for the person next to him - Jo. The staff attempted to grab him but after a loud thud against the wall opposite him, Jungwon assumed Yuma had pushed them away.

"I... I warned you!" Yuma's voice wavered, but he stood his ground regardless. "Don't lay a finger on any of them, or else-" Jungwon could faintly make out Yuma's panting, "-Or else, there's more where that came from."

To this, one of the staff members laughed at him, the other audibly groaning. The staff who groaned spoke next. "Does it really matter who we take?"

"You aren't taking anyone-"

"You will shut your mouth or suffer the consequences," The second staff spat before responding to their colleague. "The doctor requested Jo, but if you ask me-" Jungwon heard more feet shuffling, Yuma's cries being muffled shortly after, "-This one is just as suitable."

"We're gonna have to consult the doctor about this. Let's hope he's in a good mood."

The shuffling and audible struggling from Yuma grew louder until the staff dragged him out of the room, shutting and locking the door.

***

Haein jerked forward in her bed, head pounding and sweat dripping from her neck. She reached for the glass of water on her bedside table and drank it in one gulp. Her throat was torn to shreds and despite being smothered in blankets, her skin was ice cold.

Haein had had a history of reoccurring dreams, one dream staying with her the past week. As she drifted off to sleep each night, she found herself sat on a park bench, at the peak of spring, with one of her closest friends - Sunoo. The sky blazed with orange and the birds chirped fondly as they settled in the trees for the evening. Haein recounted the refreshing feeling of perspiration forming at the nape of her neck as a warm breeze brushed by.

The dream started with general chat, Haein distracting herself by admiring Sunoo's facial features. She did it so regularly in the waking world that the lines between dream and reality blurred every time Sunoo appeared in her dreams. However, things slowly took a turn for the worse as his appearance radically changed. Bruises, discolouration and fresh blood stains replaced his once flawless complexion. After a while, Haein was no longer looking at Sunoo but at his lifeless corpse moving as though still alive.

She usually awoke straight afterwards, but this time was different. As his appearance grew ragged and soulless, an unbearable ringing snapped Haein out of her senses, causing her to shut her eyes and block her ears. The sound of her screams reverberated unnaturally like it would in an empty stairwell.

Curious, she opened her eyes and felt herself shrink, gawking at an exact replica of the abandoned warehouse. The absence of the sun left goosebumps all over her arms and suddenly bare legs. Turning over one shoulder, she glimpsed at Sunoo's limp corpse sprawled on the floor. She crawled desperately, vision blurred with tears. When she finally reached his body, Haein placed two fingers at the sides of his neck. He had no pulse at all.

Then she woke up.

The dream took away her sleep, her sanity and her will to do anything. Even if she wanted to forgive Sunoo, the dream took that from her also. Every time she looked at him, she saw his death replaying at the forefront of her mind. Haein denied every opportunity to talk or sit with him, even in their shared art class. She was lucky enough to swap seats with another classmate so she wouldn't have to sit with Sunoo.

Haein's insomnia garnered the attention of her mother. As her eye bags and dark circles grew more noticeable, her mother pulled Haein aside to address this, only to be met with the horrific display of Haein's tears. Even as she pestered continuously for the reason, Haein wouldn't say. She felt terrified. Ashamed. Embarrassed. The only thing Haein felt she could reveal was the breakup. It may have only been half the story but it made her mother stop asking further questions.

It tore her to pieces knowing she couldn't say anything more. Haein used to tell her everything, yet found herself unable to strike a conversation as the year went on. With her career in the research labs of Enti Island, Haein's mother essentially lived at the workplace. The same could be said for her father which she hadn't seen home for weeks.

Luckily, after the reveal of Haein and Sunoo's separation, Haein's mother rescheduled her shifts for a few days to stay with her. The gesture was well appreciated, but the nightmares never left.

Her school life wasn't any better.

Haein's breakup with Sunoo - in addition to everything else - made sitting together at lunch unbearable. This eventually led to a rift in the group, in which Haein sat with Heeseung and Niki whilst everyone else sat with Sunoo. On the odd occasion, one of the guys on Sunoo's table would come over, acting as a messenger of sorts. Most of the time, it was Jay asking Heeseung for help with an essay but sometimes Jungwon would invite Haein to talk with Sunoo. Haein never agreed, stating that she needed time away from him. The constant back and forth continued for days. Niki would not forgive Sunoo and Heeseung could not comprehend the situation, no matter how hard he tried. 

Eventually, Haein's mother returned to work, leaving Haein to wallow home alone. As it was a Friday evening, no one in her immediate friend group was available and the idea of studying already gave Haein a headache. She settled with binge watching her third kdrama that week. All was well, until her phone pinged. A text.

No one texted her on Fridays. It was most likely her mother, she thought. When she picked up her phone to check who sent it, her chest tightened. Her hand locked up and the phone fell onto the carpet. 

'Meet me outside, we need to talk.'

Sent by Taki.

Maybe it was the fact she hadn't seen him for over a week. Maybe it was the fact that Taki and every single person in his friend group hadn't been in school since her abduction. Either way, Haein had convinced herself Taki had died alongside Yuma, Fuma and Sunoo. 

Haein subconsciously brought a hand to her face, feeling the moisture of tears she didn't know were there. With the urge to see him in person, she ran to her room to fetch her keys and a jacket. Haein threw open her front door and frantically looked around for Taki. Her eyes landed on a person sat on the sidewalk, scrolling through their phone. At the sound of the door shutting behind Haein, the person turned around to look and Taki stared back at her. 

Haein ran to him, arms wide. Her knees crashed against the hard concrete slabs of the sidewalk as she crushed Taki in a soul-squeezing embrace. Sobbing into Taki's shoulder, her tears stained his jacket, which she tried wiping away as soon as she could.

"I can't believe you're here," Haein sniffled, slowly pulling away. "Wha- What happened? You just disappeared after everything... I never blamed you for anything, I swear!"

"I'll explain everything, but we should probably go inside," Taki smiled, gesturing to Haein's house. They sat side by side on Haein's couch and let the warmth settle in. Once they were comfortable, Haein stayed silent, waiting for Taki to continue. He took a deep breath then stated, "I'm leaving."

"No, you're not."

"Haein, listen to me," Taki said, rubbing Haein's shoulder consolingly. "I've already packed a bag and we're all ready to leave tonight."

"Who's we?" Haein asked.

"My friends: Harua, Maki, Jo, Nicholas and EJ. We already have a plan to get off of this island and there is absolutely no time to lose. I came here see you once more, to make sure you were fine. After everything, I..." Taki paused, voice breaking. "I was so scared I'd be the one to hurt you next. I couldn't talk to you unless I knew you'd be safe."

"Hurt me? What are you talking about?"

"The closer I got to you, the harder it became to hide everything. Just being with you made me remember what if felt like before everything fell apart. But you deserve to know everything. You always did," Taki nodded.

Haein shook her head, still unable to process him leaving. In her confusion, Taki continued, holding onto both of her hands with his. "I'm a werewolf."

To this, Haein burst into laughter, further unsettled by Taki's seriousness. "If you're willing to go this far for a prank, I'm not impressed."

"I'm not lying- Ugh, this is too hard to explain," Taki massaged his temples.

"Don't worry, take your time!" Forcing a smile, Haein leant back into the couch. "I doubt I'll understand anything that leaves your mouth next." 

Taki gathered his thoughts. "During the festival, K was the person who 'killed' Sunoo. You must have noticed how strange the articles made him sound. Except, he wasn't just a beast, K was a werewolf. Like I am and all of my friends."

"K killed Sunoo, I assumed that ages ago. I still don't understand how that makes you a werewolf," Haein cocked an eyebrow. 

"The volunteering," Taki said, jaw tensed. "That's how it started."

"You became a werewolf... for charity?"

"Just listen for a minute, please," Pleading with her, Haein bit down on her tongue and let Taki speak. "The volunteering programme looked interesting at first. I reckoned that it would look good on a resume and signed up. In the beginning, it lived up to everything said in the advertisements. We helped plan fundraisers, did workshops in the research labs and went on enticing trips around the island. 

"About a year ago, my parents fell on hard times. It was getting harder for them to buy basic necessities or bus tickets to get me to school. I went to volunteering as normal but was pulled aside by one of the main staff members. They asked me if I wanted help in getting my parents out of their rut. Looking back, I should have questioned how they knew, or why they wanted to help, but all I wanted to do was help my parents. I agreed and signed the forms, not realising I'd signed a legally binding contract.

"What was once a fun, harmless, afterschool activity turned into the worst decision I ever made. I was pumped full of chemicals and forced to endure hours of mental and physical torture. My muscles swelled and ached for days to weeks at a time. I thought I'd be able to escape before any permanent damage was done, but the transformation was already in completion. As soon as I turn eighteen, I'll be a fully matured werewolf.

"And my parents never noticed. They saw the money I brought in and didn't care what lengths I went through to get it. I came home with internal bleeding and broken bones multiple times a month. Many times I found myself limping to the nearest hospital, only to be referred back to the people who made me this way. If I stopped, I'd be putting my parents into financial ruin. We couldn't live without my pay check." 

"And you're saying this started because of volunteering?" Haein asked, mentally putting together the puzzle pieces of his story. If what he said was true then her friends... The nod told her everything. "Niki and Heeseung... Jungwon, Jay, Sunghoon and Jake... Sunoo too? This is what they did every Friday? Are they also werewolves?"

"Not werewolves, but vampires," Taki responded. He laughed to himself, seeing how ridiculous it sounded out loud. "Believe me, or don't. I should have told you sooner but didn't know how. It isn't exactly easy to come out as a freak of nature." 

"Vampires," Haein repeated. "My friends... are vampires. And werewolves."

Opening his mouth to speak, Taki stopped himself at the last second, letting Haein process everything. She croaked, "Everyone lied to me."

"I'm so sorry, Haein. I thought you'd think I was a monster..."

"And what if I think you are a monster?" Haein's sudden outburst surprised Taki. "Even if what you're saying is true, you still lied to me. Even if Sunoo is really a genetically modified entity, one of your friends tried to hurt him. One of your friends did hurt me. And you come running here telling me you're leaving because you might hurt me as well. Well, guess what? You already have."

"It was the only way."

"Yeah, no worries. I totally get it. You're gonna drop this truth bomb on me and then run without facing the consequences, like when you took Sunoo captive, watched him get murdered, watched me get assaulted and then disappeared. I can't believe I even worried about you. Did you even tell Niki you were leaving?"

Taki looked at the floor. "It's best if I don't tell him."

"Good luck getting me not to," Haein spat. "Just leave."

"Haein, I-"

"Go," Interrupting him, Haein made for the door and swung it wide open. "Never come back here. Don't stay in touch."

Heavy hearted, Taki stepped outside the door, turning back to glance at Haein. He mouthed a short goodbye before running down the street. He was gone before Haein could blink.

Chapter Text

Well... This is awkward.

Hi! I am completely aware of how long it's been since I last updated and I am sooooo sorry it took me this long.

Truth be told, I didn't think I'd pick up this work again, until I realised that I needed a new hobby other than scrolling aimlessly on instagram for hours everyday. 

So in my fits of boredom, I decided I was going to FINISH this work, no matter how long it took.

It is currently 2am, and I need to be up in 6 hours, but I just finished writing the next chapter and it will be up VERY soon. However, as a second year University student, I can't promise these updates will be regular. But if you really loved this work, I hope you'll stick around to see me finish it (hopefully some time within the next 5 years).

Peace out x

(Also I'm 20 in like 4 weeks isn't that crazy.)

Chapter Text

Haein shook her head and observed the classroom. They sat scribbling in focused silence which she envied. Ever since her encounter with Taki, she rarely had the cognition to remain focused on a single task. There were too many things to think about, and the implications were severe.

Before she could pick up her pencil, the bell rang for break. Haein apprehensively shut her sketchbook and shoved it into her backpack, speeding out of the door. She recalled her teacher mentioning the due date of their current assignment. Three days from now. If that wasn't enough, the several other assignments from her other classes were due either on the same day or earlier. If Haein spent a night on one singular assignment, there would be less time to complete the rest. Therefore, any effort was futile.

Sat down for break, Heeseung and Niki's conversation fell on her deaf ears. As much as she wanted to speak to them, the implication of Taki's message kept her silent. Not even the 48-hour weekend was long enough to process the facts - or fiction.

"Are you going to spend the rest of break like that?" Heeseung asked. Haein clocked in, realising that she'd been nudged constantly for the last five minutes. 

"Sorry, I'm..." Haein reverted her gaze back to the both of them, a vicious gnawing at the centre of her abdomen. "I don't feel too well is all, just ignore me."

"If you say s-" Niki paused, Heeseung shooting him a death glare.

"What's wrong? Talk to us."

As if a switch was flipped, the back of Haein's eyes began to sting, her lips pursing together. She fought against her emotions to keep it together, but felt her systems utterly failing. Instead, Haein shook her head and turned a cheek.

"I know something's up. You can tell us anything," Niki wrapped an arm around Haein's shoulders. Slowly giving up the fight, tears began streaming from Haein's eyes as her chest rose in spontaneous irregular hiccups. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't over choked cries. Heeseung passed her a pack of tissues, and she accepted them gratefully.

Niki looked around him cautiously and pulled out his phone from his blazer pocket, opening the notes app. He slid it towards Haein and smiled. She shakily picked up the phone and typed what was on her mind. Taki.

"Taki? You heard from him?" Niki said, an undiscernible expression on his face.

'He left. With the rest of them.'

"The rest of... and Taki told you that?"

'Yes. Among other things.'

"Other things," Heeseung trailed off. "What kind of things?"

'What you do on Fridays.'

"You don't need to worry about that," Niki swiftly answered, about to pull his phone away but Haein pulled it towards her.

'Please.'

"Haein," Heeseung looked at her, his eyes watering. "It's... not a good time."

As he said that, the warning bell sounded and students began filing into the building. Niki grabbed his phone and put it away, picking up both his bag and Haein's. He smiled, "I'll walk you to class."

Next period wasn't any better. Haein, usually more resilient in math class, stared perplexed at the whiteboards. Numbers and letters merged together in nonsensical ways, making problems look unsolvable. 

Ten painful minutes passed before Haein asked to use the bathroom, to which the teacher allowed. Pocketing her phone, she shot for the door and to the nearest bathroom. She locked herself in the nearest stall and texted Heeseung. 

'Are you free?' she stared at the text until he read it. Fortunately, he replied relatively quick, his text reading, 'ig, I'm omw to the library after my lecture. Why?'

Adrenaline at her fingertips, Haein punched questions into her phone one after the other. Minutes of typing went by before she comprehended the essay in the text bar. Deleting it, she let her thumbs have free will, and sent the text before she could second guess herself. 

'We need to talk. Meet me outside the bathrooms on the ground floor.' 

It took a minute before Heeseung replied once more. His text read, 'I'm here, where are you?' which caught Haein off guard. The library in question was on the other side of the school. He wouldn't have arrived this quickly unless he was already in the general area, but it was unlikely. 

She left the stall and the bathroom, a hooded figure slumped against the wall to her right. She jumped out of her skin, clutching her phone to her chest as she tried to slow her rampant heart. Heeseung looked down at her, sullen eyes so intense they could carve holes into the back of her skull. Haein opened her mouth to greet him, but was interrupted by her abdomen contracting forcefully into a cough.

Finally noticing, Heeseung turned towards Haein, concerned. "Are you alright? Sick? Injured? Do you need to go to the nurse's office, because I'll take you!"

"I'm fine, Heeseung," Haein managed after finally catching her breath. She checked how much time had passed since she left class - six minutes. This had to be quick. "Around the corner there has to be an empty classroom somewhere, let's go."

She gestured to the nearest classroom, but Heeseung stopped her abruptly. He shook his head and uncomfortably smiled, saying, "Not there. We can talk here."

"What's the big deal? We won't be there long, I promise-"

"Please," Heeseung spoke through clenched teeth. His insistence hurt like a blow to the chest.

"Fine," Haein spat. 

"Well, what did you want to talk about?"

Taking a deep breath, Haein bit back the urge to yell at him. Instead, she met Heeseung's eyes and said, "the truth. I need to hear it from you."

 "The truth?"

"You know what I mean, and I won't take anything less."

By the second, Heeseung grew more tense, his fists and jaw clenched tightly. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Well, there's two things you can say. One of which confirms you never trusted me. The other confirms that you've been lying this entire time. If you're looking for an easy way out, give up. Please, before anyone else gets hurt."

"Haein, you don't know what you're asking of me," Heeseung said. Haein laughed in his face.

"But I do know. I think I see it now. You never intended to tell me anything. You promised me a lie so I'd stay complacent, like a child. But I promise you I can take whatever it is you think you're protecting me from. Hit me."

"We can't do this here."

"I. DON'T. CARE." Haein seethed. "Nothing you say now will erase the damage already done, just out with it."

Her efforts were in vain, upon hearing Heeseung's tight lipped response. "No."

No.

Of course.

"No...," Haein breathed, a smile creeping up on her face. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away. 

Her inner monologue stretched into an endless shriek as she counted the halls to get back to her classroom. She sat down. Words sounded like nonsense, whether spoken or read. Her hand picked up a pencil and dragged it across the page. The motion was repeated several times before it snapped. It left multiple, jagged holes in the book, lined with the grey from her pencil lead. Her eyes flickered between her other hand and the torn book pages, pencil still clenched in a fist. Sighing, she shut her book before other intrusive thoughts could take hold.

Uneventful class after class. Then lunch. She remembered talking to someone, or someone talking to her. None of the words stuck, but she recognised his face - Niki. He looked worried. Or he was happy to see her. Or he may have never showed up in the first place. Not only that, but the bench she sat on seemed... off. It was the same shape, size and material, yet looked brand new. She had never seen this bench before, but sat at it every day. The same could be said for the rest of the students in the school. They walked past, chatting with friends, but ceased existence as soon as they left her peripheral. Every external conversation merged into one unintelligible cacophony, silencing her inner most thoughts. 

Every few minutes, Haein would snap back into consciousness, only to realise the severity of her situation. She'd revert constantly, forming a feedback loop between her anxiety and the overwhelming emptiness. It continued on when she arrived home. Alone. The lack of presence in the house only fed the strange episodes of mental absence. 

It was like she had dived into the ocean and lost control of her limbs. She sank further and further but didn't drown. She was aware of her inability to breathe nor move but couldn't do anything about it. Her efforts to kick to the surface only sent her spiralling further. 

In a fit of desperation, Haein checked her messages. She opened Heeseung's contact and stared at the last texts she'd sent to him. She pondered a response, before giving up and texting Niki instead. Please talk to me. Twenty minutes passed before Haein lost hope of a reply.

Limbs as heavy as gravity, she faceplanted her bed and grabbed the last tray of painkillers she had on her bedside table. She popped two tablets and downed an entire glass of water. As the medicine circulated her system, Haein lay on her back, limbs sprawled on the bedspread. Unblinking, she observed every crack in the ceiling as the feeling seeped out of her fingers and toes. 

Hours passed and she remained there, exhausted, yet not tired enough to sleep. 

Instead, she thought about Taki's theory and how it told her everything, and nothing at the same time. If anything, it was the web of lies construed by her "friends" to keep her from the truth. But would the overwhelming support and care override the sense of inherent betrayal?

Shortly after, Haein keeled over into a foetal position, as though her skin was too taut around her skull. She vigorously massaged her temples, only to feel the familiar nausea and spots in her vision returning. Haein reached for the tablets on her bedside table and popped another into her mouth, waiting for the pain to cease. Her migraine cleared without a trace.

However, seconds before she could slip into a twelve-hour coma, she remembered what Heeseung told her during that night they spent together.

'I took two a few hours ago, which is the maximum dose...'

Two was the maximum dose.

She had taken one, two... One too many.

Haein leapt out of her bed and ran to her bathroom. She curled her fingers down the back of her throat in an attempt to empty her stomach. Tears squeezed out of her eyes as she gagged, spewing vomit all over the toilet seat. The more she threw up, the more her stomach cramped. 

Her vision blurred; her heart rate became sluggish and her attention span took a hit as she fought through her symptoms. Crawling back to her room, she grabbed her phone from her bed and opened the messages once more. Words and numbers became a foreign language as she struggled to make contact with anyone. She saw the phone icon in the top right corner and pressed it, not knowing who was going to pick up.

"Haein?  It's almost three in the morning, what's up?"

"I tthhink..." As she slurred her words, Haein could feel her consciousness slowly slipping away.

Her surroundings faded to black, and she was out.

***

"She's moving."

A faint ringing sounded in the distance. 

"Her eyes!"

Bright light began spilling into Haein's peripheral. Flinching, she attempted to open them further, sluggishness taking control of her body.

"Doctor, she's awake!" 

Her hearing stayed terribly muffled as she struggled to recognise the owner of the voice. Before she could come to her senses, Haein's eyelid was manipulated and a second bright light was shone directly into both of her eyes. Blinking away the coloured swirls that arose from the light, her blurred vision slowly began to clear.

She saw a team of scrambling healthcare professionals. Medical equipment. IV drip attached to her forearm. Her parents, filled with relief, fought to embrace her, eyes puffy and sore. Niki smiled from across the room, looking a similar way. As happy as she was to see them, Haein could not quite comprehend the situation. 

"Wha..." Haein croaked, cringing at the sound of her own voice.

"We... Well we got a call from Niki saying you were hospitalised," her mother explained, "from an opioid overdose."

"O..." Haein found it increasingly hard to speak up. 

"You're lucky to have a friend like him. If it wasn't for him carrying you to the hospital, you may not have made it," the doctor finished his notes and started towards the door. "I have you on parvolex via IV drip for the next twenty hours, to protect your liver and keep the rest of your bodily systems running. A nurse will be here with you closer to breakfast time, so feel free to use the remaining time to get up and move around."

Niki approached Haein cautiously, standing beside her. Her parents stood around the opposite side with the same relieved expression. Clearing her nose, Haein's mother spoke little above a whisper, but loud enough to be heard. "I was at work when I heard-" she paused, choking up, "-you were in hospital. Your father and I couldn't work another second knowing you were like this. What I don't understand is why, or how. I want to be supportive but I..."

As her mother trailed off, Haein's chin shakily open. Her breath hitched as she attempted to speak, but her parents patiently waited for her response. "Niki."

"Yes, what do you need?" Niki smiled painfully.

"Can we speak?" she asked, coughing. "Alone."

Taken aback, Niki looked towards Haein's parents who frowned at Haein's request. They retreated with little resistance, standing outside of the room. Once alone, Niki initiated the conversation. A long night of tears could be heard as he spoke.

"You'll recover soon, don't worry. The doctor said that no irreversible damage was done. Everything is going to be okay."

"But it isn't," Haein shook her head gently. She pushed herself upright and looked Niki in the eyes. "I want the truth."

Niki avoided eye contact. "I can't give you that. I'm sorry."

"You aren't sorry," Haein persevered. "Look at where we are, and you still won't tell me?"

"Haein..."

"Hasn't enough happened already?" Haein couldn't hold back the tears as they rolled down her cheeks. "Hasn't enough happened for you to tell me? If almost dying isn't enough of a reason to spill, I'd like to know what would."

Niki reluctantly met Haein's gaze. His jaw trembled as he bunched the bed sheets under his fists and let out a frustrated sob. His cries were sporadic, uncontrollable. Yet, after a long minute of gathering the pieces of his broken psyche, a calming aura washed over him and he finally found the words.

"Promise you won't hate me when this is over." 

Chapter Text

You were my best friend, and I almost lost you. I became so lost in this fantasy that I forgot to think about what I was dragging you into. I'm so sorry, Haein...

***

Niki hardly lived a day with his parents. He saw them as he came home from night school, and getting into the car when they drove off to work every morning. It started at elementary, and in his transition to High School: same protocol, same indifference.

Two months into his first year of Highschool, he'd made quite a few friends. He stayed after school every Tuesday to attend a dance club run by one of the students, and gained rapport amongst the members there. It felt more like home than the home he already had.

As dance club was beginning one week, the leader rushed into the room with a letter from the council of Enti Island. Due their club's social media activity, they had garnered a bit of attention, and they were more than welcome to perform at the upcoming summer festival, in the middle of town. This marked their first gig since they were founded, and Niki was overjoyed. 

So he told his parents.

Or tried to.

That night, he sat at the dinner table, a simple meal of rice and grilled meat in front of him. His parents were already halfway through their meals, as Niki gathered the courage to speak to them. His mother caught onto him and put down her cutlery.

"Eat your dinner, I'm not cooking you anything else."

Niki reluctantly smiled. "It's not that. I have something to tell you. It's about school."

"School?" His father inquired, after finishing the last bits of rice in his bowl. "Rest assured, we are very up to date with your performance in school. You have acceptable grades, and no current career aspects. I've always told you, you need a part time job, or volunteering experience at the very least. At least then you'd be doing something useful with yourself."

"No, father. The dance club I'm in was invited by the council to perform at an upcoming festival! We're really good," Niki smiled wider. He took a breath. "I'm really good. People really like me. I think I have what it takes to..."

He trailed off.

"To what? Disappoint us?" His mother cocked an eyebrow. "Go perform at that carnage, see if I care. But what's important to you is this." 

She reached inside of her work bag which was on the floor next to her, taking out a flyer waving the school emblem on the back. Placing it on the table, she pointed at the bold writing on the bottom: our research apprenticeship provides work experience which rivals that of most volunteering opportunities.

"Work experience. Good grades. Your university application will be sparkling! And once you secure a job, you can settle down, get a nice house, and live like your father and I," she gestured to herself and her spouse. "Don't distract yourself with the little things and think of the bigger picture."

"An apprenticeship?" His father turned the flyer around so he could read it better. "That's a paying job and work experience at the same time! Practically giving it away. Your mother and I didn't have easy opportunities like this back in Japan. Your generation has it so easy: when I was your age I..."

The rest of the conversation fell on deaf ears. He should have expected this outcome.

The next day, he complied. He walked to the front desk that morning and handed in the flyer. They did nothing except take his name and date of birth and ask him to meet at the nurses office after school let out.

Throughout the school day, Niki could feel a heavy pit forming in his stomach that he could barely distract from. He hung out with his newly made friends, yet rarely engaged in conversation. He knew there was nothing wrong with his friends, but one glance towards them made his insides turn. Maybe this crowd wasn't for him.

He couldn't remember what day it was, let alone which classes he had that day as he walked to the nurse's office on the final bell. Sitting outside the door, he placed his jacket and bag on the floor next to him, and anxiously waited for what was to come. He avoided the gaze of classmates walking past, taking out his phone to hopefully evade any social interaction.

Fifteen minutes after the bell, the nurse came through the door, a hefty backpack hauled onto her back. Upon seeing Niki, she quirked an eyebrow.

"Did you have an appointment? I didn't get see it on the system, so sorry, dear," She started removing her backpack.

"I don't," Niki sat up, and bowed. "I was asked to come here. By the front desk."

"Ah, I see. Can I confirm name and date of birth?"

"Nishimura Riki, 9th December 2005."

After checking something on her phone, she nodded and opened the door for Niki to come inside. "You can wait in here for now, but Doctor Kim will be another fifteen minutes. Hop up on the bed. Get comfortable."

Niki wearily walked into the room and stiffly positioned himself on the bed. Instead of leaving him there, the nurse waited by the computer in the room and began to type. Hearing nothing but his heart beat, and the pattering of computer keys, Niki squinted to see what she was typing. Her expression was unreadable.

The nurse turned around after five minutes, and swiftly scanned him with her eyes. "It's unusual that first years enrol for this apprenticeship when they're still learning their way around the school."

Niki cocked his head. "My parents just want to give me a head start in life."

Instead of actually giving me a life, he finished in his head.

To the comment, the nurse opened her mouth and closed it, smiling back at him. "You'll do great. It's all a learning experience, and your future will thank you for it."

"Right."

Niki pursed his lips into an agitated smile right before Doctor Kim came through the door. Immediately, Niki felt his stare carve into him like nails on a chalk board. His chest stopped rising and falling in regular intervals, laying still. Doctor Kim unloaded his bag, and exchanged notes with the nurse before she left.

"I am Doctor Kim, and I'll be screening you for the apprenticeship," he said in one breath, scribbling madly at something by the computer desk. 

"Screening me for what exactly?"

"Can you please confirm your name and date of birth?"

Niki resisted the urge to scoff and bit his tongue. "Nishimura. Riki. 9th of December, 2005."

"Do your parents know you're here?"

"They sent me here."

The doctor's periodic pen tapping against the desk kept Niki alert, and mildly irritated. 

"I'm going to ask you some questions pertaining to your current fitness and overall health. Please answer either yes or no to each of these questions, unless stated otherwise."

Before he could get another word in, Niki was pelted with endless questions.

Are you prone to fainting?
Are you physically active for at least one hour every day?
Do you consume lots of vegetables as part of a healthy diet?
Do you on average get eight hours of sleep per night? 

Nothing out of the ordinary, only generic health questions.

On a scale from 1-10, how much pain are you in whilst you're ill with the flu, fever or any seasonal ailment? 1 being little pain, and 10 being the most pain you have ever felt in your life.

If you were caught in the middle of the highway, and a speeding car was approaching you, would you run, or freeze?

Please answer True or False to the following statement. I function better when people tell me what to do, as opposed to thinking for myself.

Slightly less ordinary.

Niki answered apprehensively, afraid the doctor might look away from his notes and back into his nearly drying eyes. He couldn't recall blinking much in the time it took to finish the questionnaire. He could also feel the dull ache forming at his lower back as a result of staying perfectly stiff and alert.

After the questionnaire, the doctor put his notes down and proceeded to remove equipment from his hefty medical bag. He turned on machines, attached different devices to Niki's fingers and arms, then proceeded to pry Niki's arm from his side in order to attach a cuff around his bicep.

"The cuff measures blood pressure, and the wire on your finger determines blood oxygen," The doctor explained, Niki refusing to make any eye contact with him. Once he finished attaching the cuff, he propped his checkboard against the side of the bed and held the balloon shaped ball on the end of the cuff with one hand. "This will hurt."

Niki could immediately feel the blood rushing in his ears at the comment. He tried to relax but the rest of his body stiffened as the cuff expanded around his arm. When he thought it was over, it only got tighter, and tighter, until it felt like his arm was about to be sliced in half. The aggressive numbness in his palm and fingers forced out the breath he was holding. After a while, the feeling returned to his forearm and Niki ripped the cuff before the doctor could.

"A bit high, but I can imagine why," Doctor Kim muttered. "Now, we'll measure your height and weight, then run some blood tests."

Niki shuffled in the bed. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said your blood pressure was a bit high."

"No about the blood tests. You aren't gonna stick a needle in my arm, right?"

The doctor shrugged, "I don't know what else to tell you. Can't get the blood any other way."

To this, Niki hugged his arms to his chest. "I'm not letting you anywhere near my arms. Why wasn't I warned about a blood test?"

"Riki," The doctor leaned uncomfortably close. Niki didn't move. "Aren't you curious?"

Niki shrugged.

"About how our small little town is flourishing?"

Niki's heart pounded against his ribcage.

"It's because of consistent small efforts, made by a small percentage of people."

Niki swallowed.

"Without research, the world as we know it would cease to exist. That's why curiosity is so important. But too many let true curiosity be stifled by morals and assumptions. If curiosity got us this far, who says we can't take it further? And test the true capabilities of human beings. 

"For example, a human in the 21st century pushed to their limit could run at a steady pace for three straight days. Who says we can't aim for six days? Who says we can't run faster?

"Pain is a tool, used from early age, all the way to adulthood. It is humanity's first exposure to right and wrong. With minor tweaks, we could manipulate pain's purpose and use it to our advantage. 

"And the brain, though so delicate, is capable of so much destruction. Could the brain be treated like a muscle? Trained to failure, and ultimately improving because of it. How easily can the brain be broken and remodelled with a new set of moral values?

"These are questions we need to be asking. Research like this could save lives, not destroy them," The doctor reached underneath the frame of the bed, and pressed a button Niki couldn't quite see. "If I am to warn you about every step of the process, who knows if my results will be genuine."

Niki heard the door lock from outside. His heart sank. 

"Doctor Kim, I don't think this is for me."

"Oh, but you're quite perfect for our research - no, my research. You're young, healthy, male and you'll live a long life. Besides, whatever you have going on is futile compared to the good this research will do for the world."

Wasting no time, the doctor reached for the hospital mask on the side of the hospital bed and pressed it against Niki's face so hard he couldn't breathe. Niki scratched at the doctors arm and kicked his legs, but the doctor knelt over him, using his own weight to keep Niki pinned under him.

"Count back from 10."

The cavity behind the mask filled with a steamy vapour that filled Niki's nostrils. He tried to fight, but the spinning room and rapid fatigue in his upper and lower limbs was evidence enough that he'd lost.

***

Niki's eyes opened suddenly. A radiating pain climbed up his shoulder, all along the right side of his body. He tried pushing himself off the floor but his arms collapsed under his own weight. Fortunately, he was caught by the person next to him.

Turning his head, he recognised him, but his eyes were still adjusting to the low lighting of the room. He blinked a few times and took in his surroundings. The person sat next to him had soft, boyish features and a round yet small face. Kim Sunoo? 

Niki met Sunoo at a very young age: their parents were fond of each other, so they were childhood friends. However, one day they hung out for the last time. Neither were old enough for a phone, so they lost touch. Niki knew Sunoo attended the same High School - as it was the only high school - but as far as he knew, this is the first time they had ever run into each other.

"Sun..." Niki tried to form words, but his tongue gave up on him. He felt his mouth forming the words but couldn't hear how he sounded. 

The person held the back of his hand against Niki's forehead and answered, though it felt muffled to him. "You're okay! You're still in school, this is just a different building. I'm Kim Sunoo, and your name is Nishimura Riki."

"Riki," Niki was just about to make out. Sunoo nodded back at him.

"Why would they let a first year do this?"

Niki recognised the voice; similarly, he had trouble deciphering who it belonged to. 

"He's been in high school for two months!"  The familiar voice spoke again. 

"Calm down. I know the tension is really high right now, but we can't focus on escaping if we're too angry."

"Niki could have had a future," Niki slowly turned his head at the mention of his name. "Every time I see him dance I could only imagine how successful he'd be in such an industry. Him being here..."

"There isn't anything we can do now, except be here for each other."

The commotion caused Niki to wake up, and he shuffled into a more comfortable position. As he examined the second person's features, he realised who it was - Yang Jungwon, the leader of the dance club. 

"Jungwon Hyung?"

"Yes, I'm Jungwon!" his voice sounded clearer. Jungwon knelt besides Niki and smiled. "How are you feeling? And why are you here? You can't be here, you shouldn't-"

"Well, I am," Niki shot back. "Who said I'm not here out of my own free will?"

"Because you aren't, and no one here is." 

Sunoo fixed the hair stuck to Niki's forehead. Niki had been sweating the whole time and hardly realised. At that moment, four other people burst into the room, followed by the sound of a lock turning. When the door closed, one of them ran at the wall at full speed with his elbow, in an attempt to knock it down. Two guys behind him grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him backwards.

"What is wrong with you?" One of them yelled.

"I want out of this place. I can't spend another day here," he scratched at his arms, slumping into the nearest chair.

"Jay," The second guy approached. "It's not a pretty situation, we know! We've been here with you the whole time!"

"Then why stop me," Jay seethed, thrumming against his seat. "You've seen what I've seen, and heard what I've heard. Is that not convincing enough?"

"You did this to yourselves," the mysterious fourth person, who sat himself in the corner, spoke with unnerving calmness. "No one made you sign up for this."

"Heeseung, have you ever shut up a day in your life?" Jay motioned to leave his chair, but was held back by the other two. 

Sunoo stood up to try and rectify the situation. "Guys please, there's still children in the room. Get a hold of yourselves."

The four turned towards Niki, conflicted expressions plastered across their faces. With everyone in clearer view, Niki could identify them properly now. They had never formerly met, but Niki recognised all four of them as part of Decelis University. They had no uniforms, but were wearing similar lanyards to each other.

Massaging his temples, Niki stood up, realising the space was not suitable to house seven people. He extended a hand out to no one in particular and introduced himself. "I'm Niki, I'm in first year."

"And I'm not interested," Heeseung muttered. The other five glared at him.

"First year? Of high school?" Jay quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't even know they let people that young join."

"It's a shock to me as well," Jungwon, now stood up, joined the conversation. "But we can't just let it happen."

"Let what happen? What's going on?" Niki pressed, but was met with silence.

Sunoo tried to hold Niki's arm, but Niki shrugged him off. "The Doctors here aren't who they say they are. This programme has existed for years, but new management made some changes to what's required of us."

"So it's not a research apprenticeship anymore?" Niki's voice barely sounded above a whisper. 

"It never was," Heeseung, who was previously sat, stood up to face Niki. "They will take away everything, and everyone you could possible care about. And when they finally break you, you won't be able to leave."

"Heeseung?" Jay's knees trembled. 

"You're telling me you didn't know?" Heeseung replied, a slight shakiness in his question.

"Unfortunately, that's a breach in subject confidentiality."

The group turned towards the now open front door and froze: it was the same doctor who did Niki's screening. Now that he remembered, Niki checked his right arm and noticed the half bled-through plaster halfway up his forearm. The sight made him shiver, and he realised what he signed up for.

"As you all know, I'm Doctor Kim. And today, I welcome you to my newest branch of research at Decelis," he smirked, his hands unnervingly rubbing together. "This programme was extremely selective in its pre-screening stage, so the fact that you all made it here is already a huge privilege. You must all be so proud of yourselves."

Niki turned to Heeseung who - though static - thrummed in silence, chest rising in tighter intervals. "I told you I refused to do this again. It's in writing, therefore you can't keep me here."

"You will hold your tongue if you know what's good for you," the shift in the doctor's tone caused Heeseung to bite the insides of his cheeks. "Now, it is important that I brief you about the study. My personal belief was 'The less you know, the more realistic the results',  but the higher ups have informed me that's an unethical research practice, and have thus prepared this speech for me."

Niki was brimming with questions, but said nothing out of fear.

"This study aims to test the limits of human strength, recovery and cognitive ability. It will also test the effectiveness of human remains - particularly blood - as a primary nutrition source."

Every sentence felt like a blow to the stomach.

"Before any results are taken, it is vital we complete a baseline of sorts. This will consist of endurance tests, cognitive tests alongside a newer addition to the lab - the electrotherapeutic wing."

The doctor looked up from the paper. "The higher ups believed pain tolerance was a finnicky variable to include in the study, but-" he rolled his eyes, "Who cares what they think?"

Jay interrupted. "Endurance, drinking blood... It's like you're aiming to turn us into vampires."

"As I said, you will hold your tongue if you know what's good for you. This study is worth more than any of your insignificant, pathetic little lives. You may think yourself high and mighty, but you were all drawn here for the same reason. You have nowhere to go, so act like it."

As soon as the doctor finished speaking, the door opened fully to a crowd of staff members removing each of them from the room. Niki subconsciously grabbed onto Jungwon and Sunoo, who reciprocated the movement. The staff members pried each of them apart, and Niki yelled for them, his ears ringing.

They were all brought to separate rooms, identical in dimension and in their hospital-like interior design - bland, yet functional. On one wall, there was a line of cabinets, most likely containing medicines, chemicals and other equipment needed for their experiments.

In the corner, there was an adjustable hospital plinth covered by a thin paper towel. Next to the bed was a scale, a computer desk, and a treadmill, already wired up to the computer. The lack of decoration exposed the cracking grey concrete of the walls, completely stripped of wallpaper or paint. The floor was similar, no rugs or even house plants. Niki couldn't care less about the lack thereof, scanning the room for opportunities to escape.

They began with a simple cognitive test. Niki would respond to the instructions on the computer and press the corresponding keys for their respective answers. There were five tests, which were reset and repeated three times each. This alone took over an hour. Whilst doing these exercises, his head was wired to an external machine which would be monitoring his neural activity for each task. By the end of it, the thought of numbers was exhausting.

Following the cognitive test, Niki was instructed to run on a treadmill, whilst a blood pressure cuff cut off the circulation to his right arm for as long as he was able to run. The overwhelming numbness in his right arm, along with the breathlessness and sweat made Niki want to stop; but the look on the researcher's face was focused and calm, for they knew what the objective was.

Run to failure.

Niki was expected to run until he couldn't stand up on his own.

It happened faster than he expected.

Once he hit an hour of straight running, the cramping in his calves caused his ankle to roll inwards, sending Niki tumbling downwards on the moving treadmill. His head came in contact with the treadmill surface and his vision started to light up like a switchboard.

The researcher watched as Niki stumbled at the foot of the treadmill, convulsing as if about to throw up. They showed no visible concern, but instead slipped Niki a vial of an unlabelled liquid and a glass of water, still on the floor.

"When you regain some energy, take these. I'll be back in half an hour. Don't kill yourself."

Dazed, Niki pushed himself up so he could see the vial more clearly. It was completely clear, with the viscosity of water. It looked like it barely contained more than a teaspoon of liquid. Clutching a hand to his stomach, Niki picked up the vial and held it to his eyeline, scanning for nothing in particular. He'd never be able to identify a poison just by looking at it, but it didn't hurt to try.

The inconspicuous nature of the substance made Niki averted to taking it. However, he knew force was a tool the researcher's weren't afraid to use. 

He unscrewed the cap and swirled the liquid in the small bottle. Then in one singular swallow, the liquid flew down his throat and mixed with the contents of his stomach. Though the liquid didn't touch his mouth for long, a brief stinging sensation, along with a bitter taste, made him gag on instinct. Immediately, he felt warmness cloak his arms and legs, the cramps and fatigue slowly subsiding. His ankle, once twitching, now lay still, feeling stronger than it did before he started running. 

Yet, the mysterious medicine didn't fix the mental toll from the last few hours of research. Before he could register its effects, Niki's consciousness left him, and he collapsed back onto the floor. 

***

The painless bliss was short lived.

When Niki woke up, a researcher towered over him, informing him of one more baseline they had to measure - one Niki hoped was a lie.

The first look into the new room caused a sense of malaise to fall over him: the singular bed with four restraints, one on each corner; the inconspicuous machine wrapped in wires and patches, and the small crowd of staff already surrounding the bed. 

Even through the exhaustion the day had brought, Niki resisted against the two staff members who were guiding him into the room by the arms. Their grip only grew stronger as his legs slipped under him, and he was dragged further into the room, ankles scraping against the concrete.

The small team of staff then carried him by the legs - even as he kicked and struggled - and bound each of his limbs tightly to the bed. Niki pulled his arms against the restraints, his eyes brimming with tears. He saw red as he felt a cool gel being rubbed on different areas of his skin, and sticky patches placed on top of the gel. Afterwards, his jaw was pried open, and a mouth guard was slipped on top of his tongue, initiating his gag reflex.

Through the uncontrollable ringing in his ears, he could hear the mumbling of a researcher by his ears, but couldn't make out what they were saying. He just thrashed, and thrashed, hoping to rip one of the restraints off the bed.

And then it hit him.

The machine was turned on, and each patch delivered a sustained electric shock. Niki was deafened by the sound of his own muffled screams. His eyes squeezed shut as his body convulsed against the electrical currents travelling through his body. His lower back lifted off the bed as he tried to break the restraints, and his limbs twitched and burned around the area the patches were placed.

After each shock was implemented, he was left limp and exhausted. He then felt a pinch in one arm, followed by a cooling sensation immediately coaxing his entire body to relax. Soon, his breathing began to slow, and the ringing in his ears ceased.

He lay still for a few minutes under the eyes of the team of researchers surrounding him. At this point, the period of relaxation was over, and Niki felt the stinging sensation the shocks left behind.

"Alright, five minutes up. Administer second shock."

Before Niki could breathe, he bit against the mouth guard, and delivered another blood-curdling scream, louder than the last. The past exhaustion from tensing his muscles only worsened the onset of pain. 

By the end of the second shock, Niki could feel the cool air sticking to the side of his neck, along the pathway of his tears. His body twitched at unpredictable intervals, and all of his muscles ached and burned. Like before, he felt another pinch - in the opposite arm this time - and the cooling sensation returned, allowing him a brief moment of peace. He closed his eyes and felt the restraints being released from his wrists and ankles. When the mouth guard was taken out of his mouth, he gagged and gasped for the stale room air. 

He should have run, maybe he could have escaped. 

However, he was defeated. Confused. Disoriented.

Once the staff cleaned the residue off his arms and legs, they carried him off the bed, and supported him as he limped out the door.

***

Niki woke up underneath the covers of a bed he didn't recognise. To this he immediately shot up, only to be met with a ear splitting headache. Cradling his head with one hand, he scanned the room around him - a shared bedroom.

On the side he was laying on, three beds lined the wall, each with a bedside desk, chair and a lamp. The other side was exactly the same, though with an extra bed. On the far wall to his right, there were two sinks with their respective mirrors, and a singular toilet stall in the corner of the room for them to share. There were no windows, the only source of light being the dim lamps at each bedside table.

As Niki's eyes adjusted to the low lighting, he began to make out the faces and voices of the people sat by the edge of his bed - Sunoo and Jungwon, from earlier. By process of elimination, he assumed the guys on the far wall were the four students from the University. They were all sat at their desks, scribbling away at their notebooks. 

"Niki! How's your head?" Jungwon spoke, reaching out to rub the side of his head.

"My head?" Niki inquired, immediately feeling the sting once again. "Ugh, what happened?"

"When you came through the door, you tripped and fell. Then your head hit the floor," This time Sunoo explained. "I'm surprised you didn't get a mild concussion, you fell pretty hard."

"I fell? I don't even remember coming into this room. Last thing I remember I was..."

And then the crushing weight of the day rose to the surface. Niki hugged his knees to his chest, bringing the duvet to his eyes as the tears continued to fall. Sunoo and Jungwon rushed to his side, rubbing his back and cradling his shoulders. It was then that Niki spotted the light bruising around his wrists and ankles. In the same area, were slightly darker bruises where the patches were placed. An agonising reminder of what he went through.

"I want to go home," He cried into the duvet, chest heaving up and down.

"We'll get you out. We'll all get out of here," Jungwon reassured him. Though when Niki turned to Sunoo, he turned away, smile fading. 

"Look," Jungwon turned Niki's head, "let's get you changed into something more comfortable, and I'll show you some choreography I've planned for dance club. Sound good?"

Niki shrugged, but didn't resist when Jungwon and Sunoo helped him into the clean pair of pyjamas that were on the edge of his bed.  Whilst Sunoo buttoned up Niki's shirt, Niki took a closer look at Sunoo's face: sunken eyes; a bruised cheek and a dried streak of blood by his nostril. Jungwon looked similar, with bruises dotted around his face and neck, along with the same darkened eyes. 

"How long was I out?" Niki asked, beginning to regain some energy in his arms.

"We don't have any way of telling the time, but my guess is about two or three hours," Sunoo answered, fastening the last button. "You were the last one to come back to this room. We've already been here for quite some time."

"You're both very calm for people who went through the same maniacal trials as I did."

"Yes, but we've had a while to process it," Jungwon half smiled. "We're still processing it, but we were more worried about you."

"Me?"

"You're the youngest."

"Yet you're not that much older than I am," Niki frowned, but Jungwon smiled back at him. "If we're going to survive this, we need to look out for each other. As friends?"

"Friends, I like the sound of that," Sunoo grinned and ruffled Niki's hair. Niki laughed at the gesture and playfully pushed him away.

In the following hours, Niki tried getting some work done, but gave up halfway. He looked over to Jungwon's bed, where he was going over some choreography. Curious, Niki sat cross-legged on his bed and watched. Upon closer inspection, Niki noticed Jungwon had his eyes closed, and that he was muttering the counts and lyrics to himself.

"Hyung?"

Jungwon's eyes flew open and he jumped out of his skin. When his breathing calmed, he sat down on the edge of his bed in front of Niki. "Sorry, we don't have access to electronics while we're down here, so I've had to imagine the song in my head to make up for it. It's a bit difficult at first, but if I close my eyes and concentrate really hard, it's a lot clearer."

Niki was astonished. "My parents don't let me dance at home when they're off from work, let alone play music out loud. Could you teach me what you have so far?"

To the initial comment, Jungwon was mildly surprised. "Sure."

He explained the counts with their respective choreography, and then told him how it aligned with the corresponding lyrics and down beats of his chosen song. Niki learned impressively quick, catching up to Jungwon by the third run through. When they finished, Jungwon turned to Niki and smiled.

"You're so talented, I hope you know that."

"Thanks," Niki beamed, though it was short lived. "My parents don't really want me to dance though."

"I heard that before, but I couldn't understand. If they'd ever seen you dance, I'm sure they'd change their mind."

"They're stuck in their ways... I can barely reach out to them as it is," Niki shook his head, clutching both hands into fists. "And they got me into this mess."

Sensing Niki's frustration, Jungwon motioned for the both of them to sit together, to which Niki complied with little hesitance. Jungwon rubbed Niki's arm and looked to the ground. "My parents weren't well off. When I signed up for the apprenticeship near the end of my first year, I thought that my parents wouldn't have to worry about buying my uniform or school lunches, as I'd have the means to provide for myself.

"For a while, it worked. I attended the apprenticeship every week and got paid enough to cover my weekly expenses for school. I even started a dance club, using some of the extra money I had saved up to buy a better phone to film some of our dance covers. 

"The quality of education could have rivalled the best volunteering programmes in Korea. We observed real scientists, working on cures for cancer, and advancing healthcare. I learned so many valuable skills, and reckoned I'd stay for the coming year.

"But something twisted took over... I couldn't put my finger on it. We were asked to stay longer, gruelling hours. We had new professors, new responsibilities. As opposed to observation, the subjects became us. I wanted to drop out, as I had saved a lot of my earnings. But they made it very hard to leave."

When Niki looked back at Jungwon, he noticed the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He immediately enveloped Jungwon into a side hug, as Jungwon cried to himself. 

Before any of the seven were allowed to go home, they were required to stay for the entire weekend, in order to completely recover from the tests. As there was little entertainment, Niki danced to music in his head, and completed all of his overdue homework. The peace was exhausting, but ultimately useful in the end. He spent chunks of the day in deep conversation with Jungwon and Sunoo, occasionally dipping in and out of conversation with the other students who he finally remembered the names of - Jay, Sunghoon and Jake. 

It was originally the name Jake that caught Niki's attention, as it sounded foreign. Jake told Niki he was from Australia, which led to Jay talking about his childhood spent in the United States. Sunghoon wasn't foreign, but mentioned he'd travelled internationally as a teen for competitive figure skating. 

Heeseung...

Not a word.

In the 48 hours they spent holed up together, Niki did not once interact with him. Thankfully.

Eventually, they were allowed to leave. The researchers ran one last check up and sent them on their way. Their electronics were returned and Niki ran home to his parents. He intended on telling them everything, ending with his desire to drop out of the sick human experiment he - unwillingly - signed up for.

However, something was wrong. 

He sat down for lunch with his parents, but they greeted him with an unsettling amount of joy. They grinned from ear to ear, serving him a portion of one of his favourite dishes. When he started eating, they beamed, as if waiting for Niki to tell them something.

Swallowing, he looked up at them and cocked his head. "Are you just going to stare at me?"

"Don't be ridiculous," his mother shook her head. "Go on, tell us already."

"About?"

"How you've been holding out on us! I always told you that aptitude for science runs in our blood. I knew this programme would awaken that in you, star pupil."

His dad winked at him. Now that Niki thought about it, he never recalled his father ever smiling, let alone winking.

"On Saturday, we rang up the school since you weren't picking up your phone. That's when we were referred to your supervisor, Doctor Kim," his mother continued to grin, but the mention of his name sent Niki spiralling behind the blankness in his eyes. "He told us about your eagerness for advancing research, and how well you've been doing at the apprenticeship. He mentioned multiple times that you were acing your extra work, that you're top of the class. He really thinks you have a future in this field, and we do too."

Sucking in a breath, Niki resisted the urge to call bullshit on his mother's words. Nothing had ever invoked such rage in his heart before; yet simultaneously, the look on her face - happiness. The curvature in his father's eyes - pride. He took a second glance at the two of them and decided...

He wouldn't tell them.

He couldn't.

Not when they were finally happy. Not when life at home was finally bearable.

Niki decided that afternoon that he would stay on the apprenticeship. After all, suffering one day a week was worth it, to know how it felt to love his parents, and for them to love him back.

Chapter Text

The following Monday, Niki's parents offered to drive him to school, something they hadn't done since he learned the way home from preschool. This occurred on the same morning they prepared a delicious spread for his breakfast, paired with side dishes and fresh tea. According to his parents, he deserved it. 

Niki remained tight-lipped. He stared outside the windows and watched the trees merge into a blur, all to tune out the sound of his parents' rambling. When they arrived, he immediately hopped out and shut the door.

He sat at his desk for his first class, as normal. He'd look at kids around him gossiping, talking about extra curriculars and catching up after the weekend. When they approached him, they'd talk to him like they would to any other kid: about fun family day trips, or birthday parties they attended over the weekend, all while Niki was holed up in a room with six other guys, doing nothing but homework and staring at the wall. Even with his closer friends, he couldn't tell them anything - they wouldn't understand.

Once break started, Niki spotted Jungwon in the corridor. Jungwon noticed and enveloped him in a crushing embrace, the crowds of students diverging around them. Jungwon held Niki's face with his hands and smiled. 

"Did you tell your parents?" he asked, concerned. Niki shook his head and Jungwon crushed him in a second hug. Leaning into his warmth, Niki felt a cool tear run down the side of his face, and rubbed it off immediately.

"It’s okay, really," Niki smiled back, convincing neither of them.

The two walked to the field, where they spotted a clear table by a tall, matured oak tree. The surface was littered with dead leaves, twigs and conspicuous stains, leaving the table deserted by the student body - making it the perfect spot to avoid as many people as possible.

Sitting together, they realised they had very little to talk about. They were on strict orders not to deliberate on school grounds. Eventually, Jungwon shared the new choreography he planned on teaching. Niki wanted to be more interested, but could not distract from the elephant in the room: especially when said elephants approached their table.

First came Sunoo. Then Jay, Sunghoon and Jake. Lastly, Heeseung approached apprehensively, clutching a wilting flower in one hand. Upon closer inspection, Niki noticed puffiness around his eyes, and a slight redness around his nose. Niki didn't stop Heeseung from sitting down in an attempt to avoid a possible altercation. 

Once they settled, they returned to uncomfortable silence. The words they wanted to say were prohibited, punishable by unimaginable means. 

Breaking the silence, Niki plastered a smile and greeted everyone.

"It's nice to see you all," he looked around at everyone's expressions - the same solemn frown behind sunken eyes. "How was class?"

"I had chemistry," Jungwon replied, shrugging.

"Labs," Jake pursed his lips together, and Jay elbowed him. 

Niki could feel the tension ease ever so slightly. He looked over to Heeseung who was rolling the stem of the flower in between his finger tips, his other hand propping up his head on the table. Swallowing his nerves, Niki turned towards Heeseung and cleared his throat.

"Heeseung... Hyung?" Niki said reluctantly, earning Heeseung's cold cut stare. "Did you have a good morning?"

Heeseung's eyes softened by a fraction before panning back to the flower in his hands, the previous coldness returning to his gaze. He then threw the flower behind him, and refused to make further eye contact. Niki took the hint.

"This is ridiculous!” Sunoo erupted. “We just spent a weekend together and it's like we don't have anything to talk about!"

"I don't suppose you have any bright ideas," Jay inquired. Sunoo opened his mouth to retaliate, but sulked upon realising Jay was right.

Niki thought to himself, then a lightbulb lit up in his mind. "Why don't we discuss elsewhere? Somewhere away from prying eyes."  

To this, the boys exchanged unsure glances, but ultimately agreed. They discussed possible activities, and decided to go to the park after school; get something to eat, and enjoy the late spring weather. 

The rest of the day dragged on, as Niki continued to avoid every chance of human interaction with his peers. Once he left homeroom, he sent a quick text to tell his parents he’d be home late. He anticipated the usual interrogation - the "Where", the "What", and most importantly, the "Who". Yet, they messaged him back in less than ten words.

Okay, take care. 

Dinner’s on the table.

Niki's eyes lingered between the two texts. Just a week prior, Niki had sent a message about staying an extra ten minutes at dance club. His parents demanded an exact return time, to the second; a list of everyone's names, and their parents, and a promise that he would leave for night school an hour early to make up for lost time.

Staring at his parents' nine-word response, his thumbs hovered above his phone keyboard. There was an energy balled up in his chest that remained, unable to escape. Even as his brain continued to formulate the highly structured, infallible response that would convince his parents to let him hang out with his friends.

Conflicted, Niki shut his phone off and buried it deep into his bag. He hauled it on his back, and made his way to the main entrance, where the rest of the group agreed to meet up. Waiting at the door was Jungwon and Sunoo, who enveloped him in a welcoming hug. Jungwon inconspicuously scanned Niki head to toe, which Niki took noticed and nudged Jungwon to "Knock it off".

Jay, Sunghoon and Jake approached as a three, with Heeseung following closely behind. Niki greeted them all, putting on his most-convincing smile as he looked up to Heeseung, who wore the same cold cut stare and permanent frown. 

The group walked together to the park, which was located twenty minutes away from the school. They broke up into pairs along the narrow sidewalk: Niki leading the way with Jungwon; Sunoo conversing with Sunghoon; Jay and Jake were complaining about coursework, and Heeseung tailed at the back. 

They collectively winced under the glare of the sun, strolling past the rural areas of the town. The floor was littered with fallen cherry blossom petals, and the trees began to sprout small, unripened fruits. Every time a car passed by, a short breeze followed, cooling the sheets of sweat forming on their necks. 

After the brisk walk, the group made their way to the park entrance. The park consisted of a vast, rural, grassy expanse: it housed an indoor and outdoor café; a manmade reservoir, home to paddle boats and schools of ducklings, and throughout the park lands were different stalls selling a variety of foods - including ice cream. The improving weather attracted a lot of new vendors to the area.

The seven filed into the cafe at the centre of the park. On the outside, it was a freshly power-washed brick building, decorated with pillars and embellishments similar to European architecture. The windows were long and slender, with polished marble window panes supporting the freshly watered flower beds that were already pouring out with foliage. 

In contrast, the inside was a barren wasteland compared to its flourishing exterior. Its walls were blinding industrial white, stripped of any personality. The decoration was abysmal - a potted plant or two, and an abstract painting (described by Sunoo as "splashing a paint bucket on a canvas"). The counter being the same shade of white as the wall caused them blend together as if they were one structure. Luckily, the choice of seating wasn't white - they were void black instead. 

"Wow, it's like looking at a chess board," Sunghoon huffed, Jay hit his shoulder.

"Let's just order," Niki sighed, peering over at the chalkboard menu mounted behind the counter. Instead of ordering individual dishes, they bought a few main dishes and sides to share. The eldest four all ordered coffees, whilst Sunoo ordered a mint chocolate frappe. Niki and Jungwon ordered sodas.

When it came to pay, Heeseung appeared in front of the till. He turned on his phone and tapped his card on the machine. Everyone turned to him, confused and unblinking. In response, Heeseung shrugged.

"My treat."

The first thing he'd said to any of them in three days. 

Heeseung spoke so little, Niki had forgotten what he sounded like. When Heeseung wasn't apathetic and rude, he was eerily soft spoken. Though Niki was elated, he responded only with a smile and a nod.

The seven of them crowded around two tables pushed together. Three sat on one table, four on the other. They were sat by the window, which poured sunlight into the room. Sunghoon, originally sat next to Niki, winced against the blinding light.

"I feel like an ant underneath a magnifying glass, can someone switch?" 

To this, Heeseung silently got up before anyone could offer, resulting in him sitting next to Niki. Great. 

Luckily, the food arrived swiftly, so Niki didn't have to talk much. Most of the time, he listened in on Jay and Jake's bickering over an anime they were watching. Sometimes, Niki interjected into Jungwon, Sunoo and Sunghoon's conversations on the opposite table. All the while, Heeseung sat at the corner of them all, listening intently and saying nothing.

Niki snacked on some fries, which were placed in between Heeseung and him. Whilst grabbing a fry, he glanced at Heeseung for a split second, noticing the slightest line of pearly white teeth. A grimace? Or a Smile?

When Heeseung caught on, his face to dropped back to the unreadable expression it was before. Strange.

The group finished their food and casual conversation, heading out of the cafe and into the main park area. They walked around the lake, chasing after ducks and skipping rocks across the lake surface. For a while, it felt like they were just a group of kids hanging out together after school. The conflict hanging over their heads was replaced with an acute moment of serenity.

Eventually, they arrived at a clearing by the lake, shaded by trees, and a few overgrown weeds. It was relatively abandoned, the nearest people at least a half mile away. Here, they could speak freely without consequence.

Jake scooped up a handful of lake water and flung it at Jay, who immediately responded with thrice the attack. Jungwon and Niki looked around for flat rocks suitable for skipping, next to Sunoo who took aesthetic photos of the water. Sunghoon and Heeseung sat in silence underneath the trees, escaping the blaring sun. 

After an hour of messing around, they all retreated to the shade to dry off and have a sit down. They all lay on the grass side by side, listening to Jungwon's playlist. The adrenaline died down relatively quickly, and the weight of their situation came crashing down like a ton of bricks.

Jake was first to break the silence.

"We're totally fucked."

At first, he was met with hard silence, until Jay started laughing besides him. 

"Yeah, I guess we are."

Jake, amused, turned his head towards Jay, only to roll his eyes.

"You could at least act like you're upset," he giggled, turning his head straight again. His smile fell as fast as it came. "But if it's gonna be like this, I don't see myself making it to the end."

"Then quit," Niki interjected, jaw clenched.

"You know I can't."

"Why can't you? Why can't any of you?" Sitting up this time, Niki faced the six of them, a similar unreadable expression struck across their faces.

"I applied to part time jobs for over a year," Jake replied. "I practically applied to every business in the area, several times each. There just wasn't a demand. 

"However, unemployment wasn't an option. My parents were living pay check to pay check. It came to a point that putting enough food on the table would have cost us the house. So, I had to make a living for myself to ease the financial burden.

"That's when a flyer for this-" he paused for a brief moment, "-'apprenticeship' fell out of my locker. The wage wasn't spectacular, but it was enough to tie me over. I also found work there to be super valuable, since I've always liked physics and statistical analysis. Research skills like these could be enough to get me out of this small town.

"That was until..." he trailed off. Jake's gaze wandered, his hands curled into fists.

Jay chimed in. "I moved here too, from America. I've been here since I was 10, so I only remember bits and pieces. Up until a few years ago, my family were comfortable, and financial strain was something I never knew. 

"But my mother fell sick. So sick that she could no longer work, or take care of me. It all came down to my father to provide for us, and the lack of my mother's salary started to take its toll. As a result, I pulled out of extra curriculars, and studied extra hard. I debated getting a job, but my parents didn't want me to.

"It took a year of seeing my mother in and out of the hospital for me to go against their wishes and sign up for this," Jay's eyes turned strained. "I finally had enough savings to fund a treatment that could change her life, and I thought it wouldn't hurt to work an extra year to save for myself. 

"But this inhumane experiment was too much. I went back to that fucking building at the earliest convenience to rip them a new one. Turns out they directly fund the hospital that my mother…" clenching his jaw, Jay took a deep breath and stopped talking. 

Sunghoon spoke up next. "Growing up, my future was predetermined - Olympic figure skating. Yet, as soon as they pulled funding to the only ice rink, I was forced to seek a different path. Despite all the competitions I won, it wasn't enough money to fund moving to Seoul on top of professional training.

"I took this job to save enough money to train out of town. I didn't make enough last year, so I decided to stay at this University until I reached my funding goals."

 Sunoo and Jungwon shared their stories too. Niki absorbed their stories, each as morbid as the last. Yet, there was an overarching theme surrounding all of them. 

Reluctantly, his gaze shifted towards Heeseung, whose face had hardly changed between the exchanging of words. Niki could see the growing intervals in which Heeseung’s chest was rising and falling. Eventually, he spoke up.

"I was the first."

As glad as Niki was to hear his voice a second time that day, it didn't wipe the confusion behind his eyes. The first. 

"The first?" Niki countered, almost too eager.

Heeseung chewed the insides of his cheeks, taking a second breath, and a fistful of his hair. "Patient Zero."

Patient Zero.

And in hearing that, Niki's face fell. 

The warnings. The apathy.

'You can't keep me here.'

"You can't be serious," Jay scoffed from the opposite side of the group. "You already knew about that psychotic asshole, but didn’t warn us?"

"He did warn us," Niki countered. "He warned all of us. We were too stupid to listen."

Heeseung's head turned towards Niki, their eyes locking for a brief moment. For once, Heeseung’s unreadable expression shifted to one of acknowledgement and appreciation. Jay huffed, but looked to the trees in silent agreement.

Before the sun set, the group walked each other toward the entrance and sorted their commute back to their homes. They created a group text, exchanging each others numbers in order to stay in touch. 

On the way home, Niki opened his phone to radio silence. No string of missed calls from his parents, besides a photo of the strangely elaborate dinner that was waiting for him once he returned. The sight made him curse to himself, and stuff his phone into his back pocket.

He wanted this.

He'd always wanted this.

But part of him missed the noise.

***

The following Friday came too soon. 

Though Niki got to hang with his new "friends" every lunch and break, he couldn't help but feel it was a contractual relationship. Throughout the week, he would glance over at the spot by the entrance where he used to sit with his same-aged classmates. Whenever they looked back, he averted his gaze, his chest clenching at the sight. 

Once the final bell rang, Niki hung his head as his classmates filed for the door whilst he slowly packed his books into his bags. He debated running straight for the door, but he knew his parents would send him right back. Resistance was futile.

Instead, he walked over to the main research building on the other side of the school. He passed through the front entrance into the closest approximation of a white void. He approached the front desk, bag in hand, blazer in the other. The receptionist caught notice of him and eerily glided towards the counter, gleefully taking Niki's belongings and placing them behind the desk. 

Before Niki could enter the premises, the receptionist came from behind the counter and instructed him to raise his arms by ninety degrees. Niki could tell where this was going, and shut his eyes, biting the insides of his cheeks. He blocked out the feeling of the receptionist's hands as cold as steel, and focused on the wall behind her.

Once she was done, Niki opened his eyes, and the door next to the front desk swung open.

"Room 0475, second floor."

Reluctantly, Niki approached the door, the cool air rattling his bare skin until goosebumps appeared. He was met with a long corridor of near identical rooms, the walls sharing the same piercing paint job as the reception. Each door was labelled with four digit numbers in sporadic orders. At the end of the hallway was a stairwell so clean that it blended with its exterior walls. 

Eventually, Niki found his assigned room - 0475. 

It was unlocked.

Stepping inside, his research supervisor was sat behind his desk. The room had the same layout as the room from the prior week.

"You're late," he spat, with cold indifference. Before Niki could reply, the supervisor grabbed his wrist and dragged him to sit on the bed. "Luckily for you, our session this week is short and sweet - so long as you do exactly as I tell you to."

Ignoring the eerie remark, Niki released a sigh of relief and shuffled back on the bed until his feet dangled underneath him. The researcher began with the usual tests - blood pressure, oxygen, heart rate. He also measured height and weight.

Niki glanced up at the supervisor as he scribbled down the measurements on his clipboard. Behind the cork surface, he could make out the ends of a grin, and eyes peeled back as wide as they could go. In an instant, he felt a cold chill run along the back of his spine.

"Brilliant," the supervisor muttered, settling down the clipboard and putting away his equipment. "I will be leaving the premise for a short moment, please lie in the bed until I return."

Niki removed his shoes and shuffled awkwardly until he was laying in the bed. The researcher, now stood at the entrance of the room, turned back towards the boy with a hard glance. "And don't even think about leaving. The door locks by itself, and only staff have authorisation through the front entrance."

Slam.

Without another choice, Niki crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling for what felt like an hour. The stale air in the room was suffocating, but there were no windows to let in any fresh air. Unlike a normal doctor's office, there were no educational pamphlets to read, or anatomical diagrams to look at. Just a plain concrete wall.

Eventually, the researcher returned, flanked by two staff members who looked uncannily similar. Niki sat up partially as the staff members marched in unison towards him, pushing him back into the hospital bed. They approached from either side, grabbing both of his wrists and strapping them to the railings. 

Though Niki knew he'd never escape, his instincts fought against the staff, trying to keep his arms to his person at all times. It worked against him, since they used unexpected force to pry his arms from his sides.

The researcher emerged from behind the staff members with a turgid pouch of a maroon liquid - blood. And that's when Niki remembered.

'It will also test the effectiveness of human remains - particularly blood - as a primary nutrition source.'

Niki gulped.

"If you paid attention to the briefing last week, you'll know what's about to happen," the researcher stated, monotonously. He unpackaged a straw from his pocket and pricked the top of it like a juice box. It caused a small droplet of blood to emerge from the surface and run down the side of the pouch. The sight caused stomach acid to rise to the back of his throat. "It would help if you stopped resisting, I wouldn't want my staff using excessive force just to keep you down."

Niki watched as the pouch was brought towards his mouth. His chin trembled as he reluctantly opened his mouth and the straw was placed over his tongue. Closing his mouth over the straw, he shut his eyes and took a sip. Immediately, he cringed at the warmness of the liquid, then gagged at its metallic taste. It took every ounce of energy in his body not to throw it all up, even as he felt the liquid slowly travelling down his oesophagus. 

Tears in his eyes, he swallowed. Then swallowed again. Before he finished his third swallow, his eyes flew open, and he took notice of the pouch in front of him. The sight of the blood travelling through the straw to his mouth was enough for him to choke, and regurgitate everything he just drank.

Blood sputtered out of his mouth and onto the hand of the researcher. The mixture of blood and saliva dribbled out of the corner of his lips, down his neck, and staining the collar of his white polo shirt. Niki cringed feeling the warm viscous fluid seep underneath his clothing, and drying against his skin.

After coughing up the last bit of blood, the researcher retracted the pouch from his mouth and rolled his eyes. He passed the pouch to one of the staff members and used a sterile cleansing wipe to clean the residue from his hands. 

"I'm sorry,"  Niki breathed unevenly, overcome with the urge to rip his skin off. 

"Don't bother, we'll just keep going until you finish."

"I can't," Niki muttered. At this point the sight of the bag was enough to induce his gag reflex.

"It’s just animal blood, get a grip."

Still, Niki shook his head, mouth zipped shut. 

"Fine," The researcher picked up his clip board and scribbled for a minute before setting it back down onto his desk. "After you were doing so well."

Niki heard this and furrowed his eyebrows. Were they letting him go?

The researcher made eye contact with one of the two staff members and nodded, immediately setting them in motion. The first staff member placed a hand on his forehead, tilting his head back and grabbing his jaw with the other hand to keep his mouth open. The second staff member reached over to pinch his nose. 

Niki was already struggling as he suddenly felt the same liquid being poured into the back of his throat. Afraid of suffocating, all he could do was muster the energy to continue swallowing. His lungs felt like shrivelling up the longer he gulped.

Soon after, the hands softened their grip and Niki slumped back into the bed, panting. A quick glance at the side table revealed three empty blood bags, and a glass cup coated in red on the inside. The sight was horrid, but Niki willed himself to keep it down.

"3 pints," The doctor sighed in satisfaction, removing his rubber gloves. "That took significantly less time than some of our other subjects.

Niki bit the insides of his cheeks. He held back his response.

Once the doctor's and staff cleaned the equipment, Niki was released from his restraints. Niki noted the soreness and redness around his wrists, and massaged the area for some relief.

"Subject, could you tell me the time?"

Niki's eyes flickered around the room for a clock. His eyes stopped on a small digital clock displaying '4:00pm' in red LEDs. 

"It's 4, sir."

"Good," the researcher scribbled more on his check board. "Until this time tomorrow, you will be dry fasting - no food or water. If you break your fast early, you will be required to report to us as soon as possible. If you lie, we will restart the trial run from day 1."

Niki opened his mouth in protest, before snapping it shut. He nodded reluctantly, the taste of blood lingering in the back of his throat. The researcher and staff unlocked the room, and allowing him to leave the premises.

That night, Niki fought against hunger pangs, and the nausea. The only relief he had from the metallic taste was when he brushed his teeth. Despite acute insomnia, Niki felt glued to his bed, as if his limbs weighed double what they used to. His exhaustion was apparent, but he couldn't sleep away the pain.

Helpless, Niki closed his eyes, and forced himself to dream.