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heavens-moonlight · 11 months ago

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𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 | 𝟬𝟭 : 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘

SYNOPSIS | 02 : THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

Author’s Note: The following chapter will be where the misery starts but I wanted to build character and friendship dynamics here first. Updates won't be as frequent (because of one word: life) but I have pre-written a lot for this drama already so I'll see this work to the end! Hopefully this is enjoyable so far, and feel free to let me know what you think (or what you want to see in future chapters)! Until next time! ♡

"THE INNOCENT CIVILIANS HAVE LOST, AND THE MAFIA WON!"

Your heavy palpebrae that moments earlier masked your vision in dimness, adorned with a trace of gentle sleepiness, slowly flutters open at the announcement, eyes emerging from the veil of unconsciousness. Finding yourself awakening with an overwhelming and unshakeable wave of trepidation washing over you, your chest tightens in palpable distress. The heaviness pales no less in comparison to the weight of an anvil sinking down atop your sternum, lungs punctured by bowed bones.

You sit there in a state of unease, mind racing with apprehension and discomposure, searching for answers to the troubling sensation coursing through your body. The sense of foreboding grips your heart tightly like an invisible vice, leaving you breathless and unable to shake off the unwanted feeling.

In a haste, you slide open the window beside you, the glass screeching against rubber weatherstrips expanded by scorching summer heat. Through the humidity, a light breeze brushes past, breathing air and life back into you. It's not hard to recognize the way your subconscious whispers insistently that something is amiss, the combination of uncertainty and uneasiness blending together into something you can't decipher.

Your hand comes to rest against your chest, heart pounding strongly and ceaselessly against your ribcage, almost as though wanting to escape from its confines. It sends you reeling, akin to an out of body experience. For some unexplained reason, confusion clouds your thoughts as you struggle to clear the thick shroud of fog encasing your entire being, the mist muddling and settling deep within you. A haunting sense of premonition creeps over as if some elapsed memory shares in its ominous secrets. Yet, try as you might, you could not uncover the source of this inexplicable anxiety. You're left clueless except for the empty feeling both in your mind and soul, like you have forgotten something important.

When your breathing returns to normal and your pulse has settled back into its regular rhythmic beat, you shake your head to clear it of the sudden upsetting thoughts. Only then do you realize you had fallen asleep at one point, head tilted back against the warm and worn peeling leather seats of the bus. The sound of loud conversations and even louder hum of the engine, the smell of smoke, and the bump of the vehicle's wheels on uneven pavement brings with it a gentle sway of movement that returns to you a sense of comfort you can't put into words.

Glancing down at your lap, you notice that you had left the entirety of a horror movie playing on your phone, the end credits having long since rolled endlessly, words drenched in red blinking cursorily across the screen. You rarely experienced nightmares, not even after indulging in disturbing content, and certainly not when it's broad daylight out still. So then, why now?

The sound of a book plopping down to the ground pulls you out of your reverie and you lean forward to pick it up, folding it closed to survey the front cover.

흰나비의 살인.

The White Butterfly's Murder.

You smile to yourself. It was so like Yoon-Seo to read a murder mystery on a school trip, the same exact one you had gifted to her only yesterday for her birthday. A love of thriller was what brought you both to be such good friends in the first place, and it didn't seem those like-minded interests would diverge any time soon.

"Yoon-Seo ah..." Scooting forward in your seat, you lightly tap her on the shoulder and she jolts upright, turning back to look at you, unreasonably startled, a shiver running down her spine. "What's wrong?" Your grin drops slightly at her growing restlessness, face now pale as if she had encountered an apparition. Her eyes shift back and forth, guarded for a microsecond before snapping back into her usual self.

Yoon-Seo takes noticeably deep inhales, drawing the attention of Jung-Won, her seat mate for the ride, who pauses mid-coding to look over, displeased.

"What did you dream of?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Han Seol-Hwa. Lee Yoon-Seo.” Jung-Won clicks her tongue teasingly, pointing a finger from you to Yoon-Seo. “I'm making it a rule that you guys stay away from blood, murders, and deaths this trip, alright?"

You roll your eyes good-naturedly. "Alright, I promise you eomma. No more nagging Yoon-Seo and I."

Jung-Won scowls at you playfully, pushing her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose and you stick out your tongue in her direction impishly. Yoon-Seo laughs quietly at the exchange as you hand her back her book.

"Thanks, Seol-Hwa."

"Tell me all about it later when we've arrived." Despite muttering it under your breath to avoid being heard by Jung-Won, you fail miserably.

"Seriously?!"

You and Yoon-Seo laugh together as Jung-Won goes on a tangent about how psychologically, scary things are not good for young, impressionable minds, fingers click-clacking away all the while. Fortunately preoccupied, she doesn't notice Yoon-Seo sending you a wink, a hidden promise between you two to indulge in the realm of the supernatural regardless.

A resounding and victorious scream travels all the way from the back of the bus and you turn around to observe the friend group seated there.

"See?! I told you all Yool was the Mafia! Let's play again," Eun-Ha says, arms crossed. "You idiots never listen to me, do you?" She slaps both Yeon-Woo and Eun-Chan on the back of their heads as petty punishment.

"What can I say? You simply can't kill the master." Yool leans back, legs thrown atop the headrest of the seat in front, a proud smile stretched across his face.

As they're about to commence another game, Jin-Ha gets relayed a message through Seung-Bin. "Tell them that Kyung-Jun is sleeping and to shut the hell up."

"YAH!" The random shout is so out of place and entirely uncalled for, but it's effective for the time being. "Kyung-Jun is sleeping," Jin-Ha parrots, obedient. "You guys are always so fucking loud that we can hear you before we can see you!" Met with blank stares all around, he's finally satisfied at the reduction in volume and goes back to looking at something Seung-Bin points out to him on his phone. Unbeknownst to him, the rest switch to eyeing him in disfavor behind his back.

It wasn't hard to see the hierarchy of the bullies' group, although Jin-Ha most likely doesn't notice anything wrong with the skewed power dynamics.

Kyung-Jun unpredictably opens his eyes, turning to glare at Heo Yool specifically, but when he swivels back around again, your eyes meet coincidentally and he simply stares, an unreadable expression on his face. You avert your gaze hastily, not wanting to stir up trouble with the bullies, especially not Kyung-Jun who was quick to anger if someone so much as breathed wrongly in his direction.

Your eyes search the rest of the bus lazily before landing on Jun-Hee, sleeping peacefully unaware, head tilted towards the window. The sunlight bathes him in a soft yellow glow and you can't help but stare as a single ray of light filters through the curtains, slanting lightly across his face. You etch every slope, every contour, and every dip of his countenance behind your eyes so that the image of him doesn't fade.

The comfortable rise and fall of Jun-Hee's chest, synchronized with his steady breathing is so serene that it captivates your heart. In high noon, the gentle curves of his face seem even more soft, accentuated by the calmness enveloping his features. Fondly, you observe him in the morning's bright golden haze, and in the beauty of the falling sunbeams, you wonder if he'd ever see you in the same way.

A rolled-up piece of paper hits you square in the face and you finally drag your gaze away long enough to see who it is. Whipping your head around, you're met with snickers from Hyun-Ho and Dong-Hyun, who don't even try to hide they're the culprits.

You're being obvious. Hyun-Ho mouths the words discernibly. Just sit next to him if you're going to gawk.

You chuck the paper ball back toward him and it smacks him in the mouth, your nose scrunching up in focus mixed with annoyance.

"I think that's the most creative way I've ever seen someone being told to shut up," Dong-Hyun voices approvingly, shooting you two thumbs up.

"Are you my friend or hers?" Hyun-Ho asks childishly, somewhat snubbed.

"To be honest, she can be more frightening than you at times even though she's half your size."

You giggle to yourself as the two start squabbling in their seats across the aisle from Jung-Won and Yoon-Seo.

For the most part, after having transferred to Yooil High, you were fairly well-liked by everyone for your just and nonjudgmental attitude. That, and you pretty much kept to yourself, stayed out of trouble, and knew not to dig your nose in other's business if it didn't concern you. You weren't popular by any means, but not a single person had a true reason to dislike you and you hoped to continue that track record.

By a stroke of bad luck, your parents died a few years ago in a car accident, and you've been living with your cousin Hyun-Ho ever since, adopted by your aunt and uncle-in-law. They have been nothing short of welcoming and loving, and the same goes for Hyun-Ho, who acts no less like your real brother. Sure, he's annoying at times but it's just his overprotective nature and ease of accepting the older sibling role. You got on quite quickly with Yoon-Seo and Jung-Won, and Hyun-Ho made sure you adapted to his own friend group, introducing you to his best friends Jun-Hee and Dong-Hyun. You loved your companions dearly, all incredibly close and inseparable ever since you could remember.

But you couldn't remember when you began to see Jun-Hee as more than that.

Friends.

It's not the first, and it certainly won't be the last time you remind yourself of that fact.

Just friends. Nothing more and nothing less.

Except, you're not the only who was harboring feelings for him. Where you were quiet and discreet about it, So-Mi is loud and unabashed. It's hard to ignore and pretend you don't hear her snapping pictures of Jun-Hee shamelessly and without permission, the shutter ticking in quick succession.

"Isn't this crazy? It's like a photoshoot, right? How does he look like that? Even while sleeping?" So-Mi rattles off questions in awe, more to herself than anyone else.

Woo Ram doesn't miss a beat in his reply. "I'll tell Jun-Hee about your crazy obsession with him."

"Could you, please?" So-Mi widens her eyes, batting her lashes imploringly. "I'll use that as an opportunity to tempt him."

You hear Ji-Soo's laugh ring out brash and clear. "This delusional girl, seriously..." she chides. "You've been saying that since last year. When will you actually find the courage to tell him?"

That's the question you ask yourself also. You don't blame So-Mi. Sometimes, you think it might be better to not have been best friends with him. It only complicates your feelings further, too afraid to ruin years of friendship, but also too filled with wishful thinking on the mere possibility of it growing into anything beyond that.

Sighing, you turn to look out the window, trying your best to tune out their conversation even though it doesn't work. There's not much to hold your attention when the scenery is endless stretches of barren trees and even emptier infrastructure, or lack thereof, rolling by.

The setting sun dyes everything in a blaze of orange, making it appear as if the city was burning, the sky collapsing.

"Seduce him now," Yu-Jun taunts, voice giving way to his utter lack of confidence in So-Mi's coquetting abilities, knowing full well the impossibility that the two would ever end up together.

"Cut it out! It will happen soon...just not here." So-Mi tries to shush her friends as they holler at Jun-Hee teasingly, with all intent to wake him up.

Woo-Ram and Yu-Jun successfully manage to rouse him if the sound of So-Mi's indignant squeals is anything to go by, coupled with the unmistakable clicking of her phone's camera shutter, pressed by accident this time around.

Somewhere in between listening and musing, you had begun to doze off again when you feel the seat shift and sink beside yours. The movement is so light and careful that you don't pay it any notice at first.

"Hey, I thought when you flirt with someone, they're supposed to come to you and not away from you." Ji-Soo's snickers mix in with So-Mi's annoyed remarks aren't as jarring as you thought it'd be after everyone was subjected to the silent rule earlier.

You feel your head droop forward before someone touches the side of your face gently, fingers grazing the curve of your cheek to angle your head into the broad line of their shoulder.

The pads of their fingers trace the underside of your jaw in a featherlight motion, and you lift your face in alarm, curious as to who would do such a thing especially if they weren't necessarily close to you

Eyes trailing upward, your vision refocuses and they widen at the sight of Jun-Hee staring down at you, gaze soft and unwavering as he stares, transfixed, pupils shining. One hand is hanging in midair, held steady to shield your face from the sun.

You open your mouth to say something, anything, but no words come out, a frozen expression of surprise on your visage.

Jun-Hee's lips tilt slightly upward, the motion bunching his cheeks up, almost as if he was trying hard to suppress his laugh.

Pulling yourself together, you sit up properly and lean away from his shoulder. "Sorry."

You don't notice Jun-Hee's smile dropping imperceptibly and the light in his eyes dimming as you're no longer within close proximity. "Why are you apologizing?"

"It's nothing." The response is too dismissive even to your own ears as you can't conjure up an excuse for the sudden pretense, or for your outlandish behavior.

It would be quite a long bus ride, sitting next to each other, both not knowing what to say.

The space between Jun-Hee's eyebrows crease together in confusion, but he doesn't push the matter further.

You clear your throat awkwardly, shifting in your seat to sit on your hands. When did simply talking to him become so hard to do? You've hidden your feelings for years without problem, so why was it so different now? Those feelings changed and grew. "When did you come to sit here? Weren't you just sleeping earlier?"

Jun-Hee knocks his shoulder into yours, a teasing lilt to his voice. "You were watching me?"

"Pft, as if," You deny with lackluster confidence, scoffing. "I was just observing what everyone was doing."

"Right..." He elongates the word. "...And what I was doing was sleeping. That you watched." Jun-Hee looks at you again, a deadpan but knowing look on his face. Flustered, you duck your head only for him to mirror the movement, subtly leaning his own toward yours and trying to catch your eye. It ends up with him chortling as your forehead nearly collides with your knees in the slouched over position you had subjected yourself to.

Knowing full well you were being made fun of without a hint of malice, you twist your body sideways and lean your back against the window, turning to him with a glare. "Is this fun to you?"

As he laughs, you find yourself wanting to follow suit, but stick to the bit of maintaining your mock angry façade, slapping him on the arm. If anything, he continues to chuckle, barely flinching, finding your reaction rather amusing.

"Don't worry. I promise I didn't sneak any pictures." It quickly registers to you that he was clearly teasing So-Mi for earlier. You can't help the scandalized look on your face, cheeks puffing out as you try to hold in your laugh. "I guess you did notice a camera being pressed up to your face, huh?"

"Kind of hard not to with all the noise." He shakes his head in annoyance. "But I am still sleepy." Jun-Hee pulls your arm so that you're pressed against his side again, no semblance of space remaining between the two of you as he lowers himself, sinking further down into the seat, eyes shut and head now leaning against your shoulder.

"Jun-Hee..."

"Let me borrow your shoulder for a little while."

You're about to pull away, thinking he's playing around when his grip tightens on your arm.

"Think of it as returning the favor from earlier. We can call it even."

Making a vague sound of neutrality but not moving, you relax, and Jun-Hee lessens his hold, adjusting his position to be more comfortable. "Are you going to watch this time too?" His hand squeezes your forearm once.

"Dream on," you kid.

"Maybe I will," he answers with certainty. "Until it becomes reality."

"I didn't know you were this affectionate with everyone."

"Not just anyone. Only you," Jun-Hee mumbles, tilting his head further into the crook of your neck. His lips move dangerously close to the juncture of your shoulder, your pulse point centimeters away as he shifts around, finding the most relaxing spot to rest.

"Don't say things you don't mean." You can't bite your tongue fast enough as the words tumble out unprompted. That was supposed to be an inside thought no one else should be privy to but yourself.

"Who says I don't mean it?" You tense up beside him, at a loss for words, but Jun-Hee doesn't point it out, more than not nice enough to ignore it for your sake. "I'm self-proclaimed as your favorite." He bumps his knee against yours. "I know you better than anyone else."

"Do you, though?"

"...Of course, I do."

But you don't know that I'm already halfway in love with you.

"On what basis, mister?"

"Best friend privileges."

"Right..."

You stare down at the top of his head, Jun-Hee unaware of your blatant staring and the way your smile fades at the same time one appears on his face.

"That's acceptable, no?"

"Of course, it is. Best friends. That's what we are..." You trail off.

And I guess that's all we'll ever be.

Hours later, the sky has since darkened and you can see the visible outline of the full moon on high, light not concealed by the stars weakly glimmering to illuminate the night.

Most, if not the entirety, of the students on the bus were asleep, except for you and your two lovable, but mischievous best friends sitting in front of you.

Yoon-Seo and Jung-Won peer over the back of their seats like cute meerkats, only their eyes visible, phones raised suspiciously in your direction.

"You're welcome in advance," Yoon-Seo says cheekily, showing the widest grin you've ever seen on her, eyes crinkling as Jung-Won stifles her laugh behind her hand. At your persistent eye signals, they sink back down into their seats, satisfied after overfilling their camera rolls.

As the bus slows down, indicating that your class was nearing your destination, the road gradually begins to get rougher and bumpier. It's a surprise Jun-Hee still hasn't woken up yet, sleeping soundly away still leaning on you.

Deciding to mess around with him, you slightly pivot your body so it's facing him, leaving enough room for his head to not fall off your shoulder.

"Jun-Hee," you call, tilting your head down in front of his.

"Jun-Hee ah." The bus is rocking him, lolling his head forward along with the movement, his face nearly downturned.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Your shoulder is no longer acting as support when you turn your face directly below his and peer up, tilting your head like he had done to you miles back, smiling at his obliviousness to the harmless prank, peacefully undisturbed in his slumber.

"Kim Jun—" The bus lurches abruptly, running over a speed bump the driver misses, and your words die in your throat as it jostles Jun-Hee's body forward and consequently his head toward your own, his lips meeting yours. The next slope in the road, and the fleeting press of the accidental kiss fades away, but the butterflies in your stomach refuse to settle.

You're motionless, eyes wide, hands immediately coming up to touch your lips where they're still tingling from the lingering imprint of Jun-Hee's lips against your own, barely registering just how close his face is to yours still, remaining asleep all the same.

"Kids, we're here!"

Your teacher's announcement snaps you out of your thoughts and you hurriedly sit back as Jun-Hee's eyelids sluggishly part, the first thing they focus on is you. He grins drowsily, and you wonder what can truly fix the irreparable damage to your heart.

Get a grip, Han Seol-Hwa.

Forcing a smile that you hope isn't as awkward as it feels onto your face, you decidedly withhold the truth about the incident.

"That was the best sleep I've had in a while," Jun-Hee tells you, leaning closer to be heard over the ruckus of everyone moving around in their seats, wanting to alight the bus the moment it stops.

You scoot back reflexively with your face aflame, still not over what had happened.

Jun-Hee also pulls away, worry mixed with bewilderment evident on his face. "Are you alright?"

"What do you mean?" You cringe internally at how guilty the tone of your voice comes out.

"It's just..." Jun-Hee regards you for a moment, studying your face as you avoid his searching eyes. "You've been acting a little weird since this morning."

"I'm tired is all," you lie through your teeth.

"If I—"

Suddenly So-Mi appears next to the two of you in the aisle, eyeing you up and down judgingly. "Jun-Hee, the teacher said he wants to talk to us."

As Jun-Hee gets up but doesn't reply, you swiftly scoot out of your own seat and attempt to scurry away to where Yoon-Seo and Jung-Won are waiting for you by the wheel, wanting to avoid the dreaded conversation you knew was sure to follow.

So-Mi dismisses your presence completely, standing into the empty space between the rows in an effort to block Jun-Hee off.

His eyes count your steps and before you can move even a feet away, he grabs ahold of you, fingers wrapping securely but tenderly around your wrist. Your pulse quickens beneath your skin, and you wonder if he can feel how rapidly it bounds under his touch.

"Seol-Hwa—"

Jun-Hee appears a bit dejected for some reason you'd rather not dwell upon. You gaze down at his grasp on you before turning to face him.

"Didn't you hear me?" So-Mi interjects, trying to make him focus on her by stepping into his line of vision, but his eyes remain fixed only on you. "Seonsaengnim needs both of us for something."

Your fingers graze Jun-Hee's as you slowly remove his hand, much to his reluctance. To the bitter distaste of So-Mi, he doesn't seem like he'll go along with her any time soon. She directs her glare at you once more, and you sigh quietly, not wanting to be in the middle of this interaction one bit.

"I'll see you later Jun-Hee."

"Wait—" He tries to grab your hand again, but So-Mi is quick to turn his shoulder away, making up filler dialogue.

Given the slip unintentionally, you speed walk toward your friends, and the three of you descend the steps. You feel Jun-Hee's stare burn through the back of your head yet refuse to turn around.

Maybe if you leave everything that happened on the bus and the thoughts along with it, you'll go back to being yourself soon enough.

The teacher is pacing the edge of the curb looking perturbed, voice frustrated as he speaks into the phone, the person on the other end not comprehending a single word.

Before you can tune into what he's saying, Yoon-Seo taps you on the forearm, whispering, "Have we been here? Why do I feel like I have? It's so familiar..."

"All the youth centers look the same," Jung-Won settles, rummaging through her backpack. "Yoon-Seo, Seol-Hwa, I'm heading in first. See you inside."

You wave to her as Yoon-Seo stands beside you, unmoving and gazing up at the third-floor window of the building.

"Yoon-Seo...?" You move your hand back and forth in front of her face, and she finally blinks, her gaze returning to normal.

"What is it?" she responds absentmindedly.

"That's what I should be asking you." You halt at the blank expression on her face staring back at you.

"I thought I saw something..." She points at the window but when you look, squinting against the dark to focus your eyes, all you can see is the white curtains billowing back and forth from the window barely cracked open.

"It's only the wind. Your mind is probably playing tricks on you." Yoon-Seo seems assured by your answer for the time being, nodding. You rap on her head lightly with a loose fist, mock admonishing. "Aigoo, Miss Detective. The books are taking over your imagination."

Yoon-Seo laughs and shoves you playfully. "Don't act like you don't also live and breathe all things horror."

"But I'm not the one seeing things, am I?" Raising your eyebrows at her teasingly, Yoon-Seo simply rolls her eyes and links her arm with yours.

"Come on, let's go. It's cold out here, and I want to see the rest of this place."

The two of you enter the lobby, and the first thing you take note of is the pure white marble statue of a girl, sitting atop a pillar and staring down into nothingness, eyes soulless and devoid of emotion. It’s melancholic in a way, a personified goddess, yet alone and ostensibly powerless.

"Yoon-Seo, don't you think those eyes remind you of anyone?" You fix your gaze on the figurine closely, examining the features etched haphazardly into the rock. Whatever intention the sculptor had, you couldn't find the purpose for the seemingly out of place decor.

Yoon-Seo nudges you. "Now who's the one with the wild imagination?"

"I'm being serious here."

"I don't see any resemblance to anyone we could possibly know. There's no informative plaque on who it may be either."

You shrug. "Maybe it's just me then."

"Aren't you two going to scan?" Jung-Won ushers you and Yoon-Seo toward the flyer:

[ sᴄᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ǫʀ ᴄᴏᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪ-ғɪ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴsᴛᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴏᴜᴛʜ ᴄᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ᴀᴘᴘ ᴀᴜᴛᴏᴍᴀᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ]

"This place has an app? What for?" you question.

"Hmm, I'll just stick to this paper booklet they have instead." Yoon-Seo decides quickly, rifling through the readily available printed maps.

"You'll have to lead me around," you say in all earnestness. "I'm very direction disoriented."

Jung-Won doesn't even try to hide her smile. "We can tell."

"It's not my fault I was born like this." You dramatically fall back onto Yoon-Seo. "Would you two really lead me astray as my best friends?"

Yoon-Seo giggles behind you. "No way. We saw how dazed you were getting off the bus earlier. You need all the help you can get."

Jung-Won snickers, shaking her head while dragging you and Yoon-Seo through the double doors of the gymnasium where the rest were gathered.

Everyone is off scattered into their own respective friend groups, your trio throwing your backpacks haphazardly on the floor before sitting against the wall of bleachers yet to be pulled out.

Jun-Hee and So-Mi enter shortly after with the teacher, engaged in a discussion. You look away before they can notice, and focus on the girls attempting to practice for their performance instead, Woo-Ram filming their efforts. Joo-Young pushes Mi-Na out of her spotlight and steals it openly, not that Woo-Ram minded. If anything, he holds the camera ever-sturdier, a newfound excitement apparent this time around as he zooms into her face. His happiness is short-lived however, as Kyung-Joon turns off the speakers nonchalantly, forcing the girls to start over from the beginning, much to their irritation.

Despite what you decided on earlier, you can't help but throw glances over in Jun-Hee's direction. He's seated at the table reserved for school council members by the entryway, overlooking everyone as So-Mi talks his ear off, undeterred by his indifference.

"Stop staring. You're going to wear away his pretty face," Yoon-Seo jokes from your left.

"I wasn't staring," you reply back half-committally, knowing she's caught you in the act.

"You totally were," Jung-Won joins in, slowly leaning her head on your right shoulder. "Let me borrow your shoulder while I code."

"If she's allowed, I should be too," Yoon-Seo copies, mirroring Jung-Won from your left side.

"Careful, that one's Jun-Hee's. You'll have to wait your turn, Yoon-Seo."

"Oh my god," you groan, embarrassed, hiding your face into your hands as the two laugh beside you, kicking your feet from both sides with theirs. "You two are merciless."

"Are you going to deprive me of the best sleep I'll ever have?" Yoon-Seo snuggles closer, hugging you tightly to her.

"Yah! Lee Yoon-Seo!"

You had the intention of taking Jun-Hee off your mind by hanging out with your friends, only for you to see bits of his personality in Yoon-Seo, their long-time friendship having had them taking on one another's mannerisms.

"I'm using my best friend privileges." Jung-Won pats you on the knee. "Stay still."

As Yoon-Seo and Jung-Won squish into you from both sides, you can't help but giggle at the sheer absurdity of the reenactment and their dedication to coming up with jokes on the fly. You try to fight back the onslaught of laughter, but it's entirely pointless in their presence. Traitorously, your eyes crinkle in mirth, half-crescents resting atop your cheeks as your laugh tinkles in the shared space, making the other two giggle along, shaking with glee where they're pressed against you.

Jung-Won eventually caves and sits up properly when all the hooting you and Yoon-Seo are doing keeps rattling her laptop, messing up her coding. A permanent smile sits on her face though, watching you two bicker.

"Jung-Won, help, I need my inhaler. I can't breathe from laughing so much," Yoon-Seo gasps out, holding her stomach.

"I'm not getting it for you."

"I can't believe you would tease me at the expense of your asthma." You push Yeon-Seo away, sniggering as she goes back to clinging onto your arm and laying her head back on your shoulder.

Jung-Won turns to look at you and Yoon-Seo briefly, her eyes shifting to the side momentarily, a ghost of a smile settling on her lips before she resumes attention to her laptop. "Don't look but Jun-Hee is watching."

Right as she says that, you make to move your head, but Yoon-Seo expects it and holds your chin in place with her hand, pinching your cheeks playfully.

"I said don't look!" Jung-Won chuckles.

It throws Yoon-Seo into another fit of giggles as you try to speak through your puckered lips. She releases her hand quickly after, and you drop your head to lean on the crown of hers, giving up.

You elbow Jung-Won in her side. "Were you messing with me?"

"Why would I?" she says innocently, typing away.

You look at her pointedly. "Yeah, you totally wouldn't."

Jung-Won holds her hands up in a motion of surrender. "I'm not this time, really. Seeing So-Mi angry is my favorite past-time."

"So mean," Yoon-Seo sing-songs.

"And you had no part in this?" You poke Yoon-Seo in the cheek. "Who told you to have an annoyingly cute and kind best friend?"

"You mean you?"

"You know what I mean."

"It's true."

"Guess I'll have a crush on you instead."

Yoon-Seo chortles with laughter. "So, you do admit you like him!"

"I didn't say that!"

"I read between the lines."

“It was one line!”

"This really sucks," Jung-Won says off-handedly, scrolling through the app. "I can make something like this in a day."

"Huh?" Yoon-Seo inquires, lost.

"You really didn't scan the QR code earlier? It was installed automatically. Give me your phone. I'll do it for you."

"No, it's okay. I'll get by. It's a short trip."

"I wouldn't put it past Yoon Seo to carry around the paper map for two whole days," you jest.

"Careful, you can't even navigate well, Seol-Hwa."

Jung-Won snorts at Yoon-Seo's jab.

"You got me there. If you tell me to walk back the way we came from I'd probably end up walking in the opposite direction."

Yoon-Seo shakes her head in fond disbelief.

"I'm not getting any signals in here." Jung-Won holds her phone up high, arm stretching.

While you watch as Jung-Won moves her device around to figure out the cause of the lost signal and no connection to Wi-Fi, Yool rushes past, making a mad run for the storage room. Adjacent to the bleachers where you and your friends were sitting, he flings the door open with purpose and digs through the contents of the room. Various apparatus gets upended from their designated places, the speed and sheer amount of hiking gear, equipment for ball sports, as well as other items meant for the gymnasium flying out from the doorway is nothing short of the effects in a comedic cartoon. Knowing how much of a jokester Yool was, you pay it no mind and turn back to the task at hand.

You pull out your own phone to try and locate even one bar of cell phone service, only to be met with the message that the vicinity was an unserviceable area. "That's weird. We're not in a remote place or anything like that. What happens if the power goes out, then?"

Right as you say that, static from the speakers produces head-splitting screeches, causing everyone to recoil with palms over their ears in annoyance, the lights flashing once before cutting out.

With everyone fearing the worst, a few remain unmoving while screams of the rest bounce off the walls, echoing in the spacious room. You and Yoon-Seo however, have no reaction, more curious than anything else.

"Why did you turn the lights off?" Someone you can't put a name to probes in the dark. "Turn them back on!"

Following in haste after one another, the students make good use of their phone flashlights, aiming it at the court's center, revealing a figure cloaked in white standing as clear as day amidst the obscurity of the room.

While the majority cower in fear, clutching onto their friends, Hyun-Ho imperturbably throws a basketball at the unknown prowler, knocking them over in one go.

"Ouch!"

The white sheet is flung off theatrically, and out crawls a disheveled but cackling Yool.

"Aish, seriously," Hyun-Ho admonishes. "Quit goofing around."

Kicking the blanket to the side away from his feet, Yool raises his hands up in the air dramatically, acting to the end. Not a single person has managed to find the overhead lights in the meantime, the only ones illuminating the outline of his thin frame were the stage bulbs operating on a different circuit.

"While I have your attention, you guys have to listen up," he begins conspiratorially. "I heard a harrowing tale that's been passed down to everyone who steps foot into this building." Yool looks from one classmate to the next, more serious than he's ever been. "They say a female high school student took her own life here." He continues on as gasps and murmurs spring up around you. "There are things you absolutely can't do." He waggles his pointer finger dramatically for emphasis. "Don't look back after glancing in the mirror past midnight, and ignore it even if someone were to grab your ankle while you are asleep. If you don't follow these rules..." Yool pauses for staged effect before walking in broken steps like he’s possessed, arms and legs bent in odd angles, rushing straight toward the dancers still seated on the floor.

"...YOU'LL SEE A GHOST!"

Shrieks pierce the room as someone manages to flip the lights on again with perfect timing, ending Yool's one-man show.

Jung-Won clucks her tongue while you and Yoon-Seo look at one another. You were expecting her to be as nonchalant as you were, all her readings considered, but she's staring straight ahead, spooked.

"Earth to Yoon-Seo?" You touch her hand and she flinches, causing you to jump as well from her unexpected reaction.

"Huh?" She whips her head toward you, still zoned out. "Sorry." A forced smile settles on her face, an infrequent sight to her usual bright demeanor. "Don't worry, it just felt like deja vu for a minute."

"You said something similar earlier. Are you sure you're doing okay?" Your voiced is laced with worry.

"See, this is why I told you two to tone it down with the heebie-jeebies. You're only scaring yourselves." Jung-Won pats your head and then Yoon-Seo's in turn. "We should go to our rooms anyway. They all have too much energy they can't wait to waste away," Jung-Won states, gesturing to everyone milling about.

"Let's go?" You pull Yoon-Seo up, and she nods in return, reassuring you that she was finally present and not off and away in her thoughts.

As the three of you leave, your ears perk up at the last thing you hear Yool say.

"Did you guys really believe it?" His sentence is cut by a boisterous laugh, pleased to no end at the affirmative from his friends. "Eyy, come on now, it was just an innocent and fake joke. None of us are going to die. Not tonight and not for a long time to come."

SYNOPSIS | 02 : THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

© 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨, 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞, 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭. 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞.

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heavens-moonlight · 4 months ago

Text

𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 | 𝟬𝟲 : 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗦

𝟬𝟱: 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗦 𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦

Authors Note: Here's another update and all I can say is the next 2-3 will be the best yet! As always, I'd love to hear what you think and I hope to be back soon! ♡

The night breeze is welcoming as you sit on the rooftop’s edge with your legs dangling over the precipice, a gust of wind bringing with it the evening’s chill, ruffling your hair. From your vantage point, it was as if you were perched on the brink of reality itself, and this long-drawn-out daydream, an invisible cage imprisoning you in the recesses of your nightmares.

Below you, the city sprawls out, an illusion of lights flickering like stars scattered across a vast, dark expanse. You can still hear echoes of the distant hum of sounds found only during dusk, a low constant murmur like your heartbeat.

Despite the precarious position, no more dangerous than your reality, up here high on this ledge, you were encased in a strange, almost serene silence. It brings you comfort to be alone, the only one who you can truly trust without a sliver of doubt being yourself.

You stare out at the landscape that stretches in front of you, but your mind follows a different path, your eyes far from focused on the backdrop. Instead, you were consumed by the labyrinth of the game that had ensnared you. What had started as a harmless and intriguing puzzle—something to pass the time—had now morphed into a disorienting maze with no exit, a twisted riddle that seemed to play with your sanity the longer you were trapped within.

Your life before, the world you were a part of like a mirror image of what you saw below, seemed so distant, so insignificant, compared to the complex, shifting panorama of the game.

“Why am I—Why are we all here?” you mutter to yourself, voice barely audible over the wind. “Why can’t we leave as we wish?”

You don’t notice the door swinging open, your eyes closed and titled upward toward the blackened firmament.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

When you open your eyes again, Hyun-Ho is already settling down next to you, the small outcrop much too uncomfortable for someone of his stature, but he cares more than enough to join.

“How’d you know where I’d be?”

He flicks you on the side of your head playfully and lightly. “Who do you think I am? Of course, I know where you go when you’re upset.”

“I’m not upset.”

Hyun-Ho shoves his shoulder against yours softly. “Even when we were little you would always find the highest point or place you could and escaped away there. It used to be our treehouse.” He points around, gesturing at the empty terrace. “Now you’ve upgraded to a roof. What’s next?”

“The sky.” You gaze back up, stars twinkling in the reflection of your eyes.

“Don’t say that.” Hyun-Ho frowns.

The possibility of the game’s ending couldn’t be ignored.

“None of this is fair,” you say, voice nearly cracking. “Why do we have to be put through this?”

Hyun-Ho exhales heavily, the weight of everything resting in that single breath. “Because people are evil and they do evil things—even worse if they know full well the consequences and still pursue it.”

“I can’t figure out the purpose of this at all. What’s the reasoning behind innocent lives having to be sacrificed? Is it truly a game of revenge or is it just a ruse to justify killing?” you emphasize, the word bitter as it leaves your mouth.

“I don’t know either,” Hyun-Ho trails off, thinking. “Maybe we all did something wrong—something we’re unaware of and it can’t be forgiven in any other way except this.”

“Then, is this heaven’s punishment for us?”

With the celestial presences overhead, it all feels wrong. How can something so pure, so beautiful, be used to inflict such suffering—to be involved in something so inherently cruel?

No matter how hard you try, you can’t figure out the dissonance, the fatal coexistence of good and evil.

“What are you afraid of?” Hyun-Ho questions hardly above a whisper, turning toward you slightly.

“It’s scary…to think that we’ve become evil people.” You look over at him, eyes finding his in the dark, speech shaky. “I’m afraid of what we’ll all become after this is over.”

“But we’re not evil people,” Hyun-Ho pats your knee comfortingly but your chest still aches, your lungs struggling to expand against the vivid streams of blood you’ve all stridden through to get here, wading in fallen tears of the innocent.

You shake your head. “Some of us already are, Hyun-Ho—those who have taken lives and those who allowed it to happen; we’re one and the same. It’s either kill or be killed. Our survival is at the expense of everyone else’s demise.”

“No, we’re not evil people.” Reiterating, he sits closer to you, presence comforting. “We’re merely people surrounded by evil and we have no choice, the only way out being to go through it.”

“You have so much faith in us when I feel like giving up.” You lean your head on his shoulder sadly. “How?”

“Because there’s still people like you around me.” He leans his head on top of yours, assuring you like an older sibling would. “Just the fact that you’re troubled and want to set the moral compass straight makes you a good person. How many others would worry about such a thing over their own survival?”

“When did you get so wise?” Hyun-Ho’s soft chuckle rings out, reverberating in your ears. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Tell that to yourself, Seol-Hwa. We promised we’d be in this together until the end. Whatever happens, it doesn’t matter as long as we don’t lose ourselves or each other.”

“You say I’m a good person and yet…I still can’t bring myself to vote for Kyung-Jun over Woo-Ram.”

Hyun-Ho doesn’t look surprised or mad, almost as if he was expecting it. “I know you must’ve found something out or it’s your crazy intuition but you never do things rashly without reason so whatever you decide, I support you in spirit. I voted too quickly due to peer pressure but if there’s one thing this game has taught us, it’s the ones you least expect that end up betraying you the most.”

“I have my suspicions, and they hurt already. I don’t want to find out the full truth,” you murmur cryptically.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Later,” you assure. “When I know for certain, you’ll be the first person I tell.”

“I’ll try my best to stick around until then.” Hyun-Ho presents his pinky to you and you mimic the motion, your fingers locking and thumb pads coming up to press together, sealing the promise.

“As long as you’re around, I’m not going anywhere either.”

You look back up at the stars in multitudes, wondering how many wishes and promises people have made upon them.

And how many were able to keep them.

The moment you step foot back into the freezer room, Yoon-Seo runs toward you and pulls you into a tight hug before letting go shortly after.

“Are you okay?”

You nod your head, smiling faintly at her. “Of course.”

“About earlier—” Jung-Won starts, hand around your wrist, but you cut her off.

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

Yoon-Seo looks between the two of you, baffled as to why there was a sudden weird distance she couldn’t bridge, not even with her presence.

“But you’ll vote for Kyung-Jun right?” Jung-Won’s fingers tighten on your forearm, her face betraying only a hint of worry.

“Jung-Won—" Yoon-Seo states sternly, about to step in between the two of you.

“Why do you want me to save Woo-Ram so desperately?” You don’t know whether you want to hear her answer or not. Rather, you didn’t think you were prepared to.

Jung-Won drops her hand nippily, crossing her arms. “Then, will you save Kyung-Jun?!” she questions incredulously, her voice taking on a tone of suppressed annoyance.

“Guys—" Yoon-Seo interrupts. “What is wrong with you both?” She sighs, running a hand through her hair. “Let’s not fight against one another, hmm?” When you and Jung-Won reluctantly nod, Yoon-Seo’s posture relaxes.

“But, what were you guys doing in here?” you ask in all seriousness, entirely curious. “It’s cold.” The frozen bodies of your classmates lay jam-packed across the floor. “And a bit scary…” You eye the white sheets eerily, slightly convinced they could spring up unnoticed.

“I found a hole in the wall,” Yoon-Seo answers nonchalantly, walking towards the far right. “There’s a passage, which means it must lead somewhere.” She sticks her head in bravely, assessing.

“Do you want to go in?” Jung-Won’s shocked expression matches your own. “Yoon-Seo, we don’t even know what could be inside.”

“We won’t, unless we find out.” Yoon-Seo steps one foot onto the ledge, hands against the wall on either side as leverage.

You rush over and pull her back down. “You’re still not feeling well from earlier,” you remind.

Yoon-Seo breathes out, debating. “Maybe not, but who else aside from me would willingly try?”

“Me. I’ll go.”

“Yah, Seol-Hwa…” Jung-Won puts her hand on your shoulder in genuine worry.

You nod at her before turning to Yoon-Seo, addressing them both. “I’ll be back quickly,” you convince, ducking down and climbing through the cavity.

“Be careful.” Jung-Won’s face fills half of the opening as she hands you your phone with the flashlight on, Yoon-Seo looking in from the other half.

“Call out to us if anything happens,” Yoon-Seo adds.

“I will,” you guarantee, slowly heading straight before you veer off to the left, following the established path.

As you cautiously walk through the secret tunnel carved into the weathered walls, a sense of anticipation and trepidation fills the air. The dim glow of your flashlight dances against the crumbling bricks, creating eerie shadows that seem to trail your every step, distorting into dark shapes that nip at your heel, urging you forward even faster.

Neglect had cast a mysterious ambiance upon this hidden passageway with its whispered echoes reverberating only for your ears to hear. One of your hands reach out, feeling against the wall, each footstep of yours echoing like a heartbeat as you venture deeper.

The air grows thicker with musky dampness, wrapping around you, suffocating. As faint beams of light pierce through cracks in the decaying wooden ceiling, dust particles rain down lazily in your field of vision, a hazy curtain.

You forge ahead courageously, fueled by curiosity and a desire to uncover the secrets long since buried in the embrace of this darkness, hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel.

If no one was coming to save you, you would save yourself.

As the thought manifests determination into your mind, you come upon a dead end, face to face with a blank wall.

Taking one step forward, you immediately plummet straight down, your side slamming against hard ground with your shoulder taking a bruising bump as you land unevenly.

“Seol-Hwa?!” comes a mix of Jung-Won’s and Yoon-Seo’s voices, but you can’t quite form an answer as you unsteadily get back on your feet.

The room around you spins as your eyes catch sight of the vast display of CCTV’s lining an entire wall, recording every single square inch of the building.

No matter how outdated, you didn’t mind. As long as there’s proof of the heinous crimes carried out, there’d be no more room for argument and you could all be one step closer to ending this game once and for all.

In a rush of adrenaline, you hurriedly run to open the room’s door, wanting to find your way back to the freezer where your friends were anxiously waiting for your return.

As you navigate through each floor with no sense of direction or time, the disorienting blue lights cast a hypnotic glow down the length of the hallway in front of you, the distance narrowing the farther it stretches.

For looking so much like the layout of the retreat’s building, you knew it was not real.

An overwhelming sense of desolation permeates the atmosphere as with every turn you take down the corridor, a familiar sight awaits: a duplicate floor layout mirroring your past steps, plunging you deeper into confusion and despair.

Time seems to twist and stretch mockingly, the incessant looping cornering you into your wit’s end.

You know that any frantic cries for help would only bounce back in return as nothing more than empty echoes, taunting reminders of your predicament. Imprisoned within an eternal loop, you forego running with wild abandon and stop to think.

Beside you is the only room whose door remains closed. You reach out tentatively, praying that it will open.

The doorknob twists easily in your hand and you enter through to the other side, registering it as an exact replica of the staff lounge, phones ringing immediately as you step foot inside.

Urgently, you answer the phone only to hear the sound of a busy line coming through. You slam the phone back down onto the table, once again fooled by an illusion of the reality you have already lived.

Glancing around the room, your eyes fall upon a strange, ornately decorated box, seemingly much too large for the shelf it’s on and certainly much too out of place. The lid flips open smoothly, a blue beam of light illuminating the inside, coloring your face as you reach in.

You pull out a yearbook from the container, using the minimal source of light to view the contents. Class pictures dating back however long from the Muryeong Retreat Center stare back at you, all past schools that have come and gone, their memories locked in these snapshots frozen in time.

Flipping to the most recent one shows another class, decked out in the same uniforms of your school, every single face scratched out ostensibly with hatred. You pull back with a start as you realize only one face remains intact although the individual’s eyes are completely downturned and soulless.

Why does she look so familiar?

Pulling yourself together, you place the photo neatly back into the confines of your skirt pocket, resolute in finding the way back.

You make use of your keen intuition, meticulously tapping on various sections of all four walls, searching for any discrepancies or hollow sounds that may indicate a secret entranceway.

Each resounding knock resounds through the chamber, anticipation building with every measured tap that vibrates through your fingertips into the palm of your hand.

As you finally discover a subtle change in acoustics upon knocking at a particular juncture, you swiftly peel back the wallpaper, once again coming face to face with a hollowed-out wall just like the one in the freezer.

Perhaps you had grown expectant of seeing shadows dance in the dark, or perhaps your eyes were still playing tricks on you, not yet accustomed to the shift in realities, but the outlines of your awaiting friends was not the only one you saw.

In your peripheral vision, a hand reaches out, fingers moving as though beckoning you back into the depth of darkness.

“Thank goodness, you were able to make it back.” Yoon-Seo dusts you off, the three of you having made your way to the classroom. “I was worried about you.”

Jung-Won breathes out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you’re okay.” She looks at your pale face and does a double take. “You…are okay, right?”

You nod your head. “Yeah, I am now.” The two look at you in equal parts curious and equal parts concerned at the implication that you weren’t fine originally. “I happened to fall down to the basement but as my luck would have it, I found a room with cameras. Somehow, someway, I was stuck in a repeating cycle of time and space, alternating between floors—the lowest and the highest. I barely escaped, and here I am,” you recap in a jumble of words, still trying to catch your breath, one hand holding your hurt shoulder.

Jung-Won scratches her head in bewilderment. “You said you fell all the way to the bottom of this building, but then suddenly were up a few floors? How does that happen?”

“I don’t know…” you trail off quietly, in disbelief yourself, but then remember the picture in your pocket. “I swear I’m telling the truth.” The photo rustles in your pocket as you reveal it, turning it towards your friends who hover over it. “This is what I found.”

Jung-Won studies it closely, inspecting every single face. “Are they from our school? The uniform is the same.”

Yoon-Seo pulls it closer toward her. “They look to be seniors...”

“Here,” you point at the faces, finger trailing each row. “Their features all distorted like in old tapes, eyes and mouths crossed out.”

“That’s…unsettling.” Jung-Won shudders, pushing the picture into Yoon-Seo’s awaiting hands entirely, having had enough of looking at it.

Yoon-Seo fixates on the girl like you had earlier. “I think she’s the ghost I saw.”

“What?!” you and Jung-Won say simultaneously.

“Earlier when I couldn’t breathe…” Yoon-Seo recounts. “…it’s because a figure crawled out toward me, black hair covering their entire face.”

“The pool…” you recall. “Someone grabbed my ankle in the pool.”

“Me too,” Yoon-Seo gasps, and Jung-Won stares at the two of you like you’re both out of your mind.

“What are you two—"

Before she can get another word out, Na-Hee hobbles into the room, looking frazzled. “Is Woo-Ram here?”

“No, why?” You turn to look at her as she walks farther into the room and settles herself into an empty chair.

“He said he’d wait in his room until voting closes but suddenly disappeared.”

“Where to?” Jung-Won inquiries.

“Beats me.” Na-Hee fiddles with her fingers. “That’s why I was wondering if any of you had seen him.” At three matching shakes, Na-Hee hangs her head. “Jun-Hee and So-Mi are looking for him all over with no success.”

“It’s highly unlikely he’s missing,” Yoon-Seo states calmly. “Maybe he’s just off wanting to be alone for a bit.”

The three of you fill Na-Hee in on what you just discovered, discussions and theories flowing out from every direction until you’re interrupted by a buzzing overhead, signaling the intercom coming to life.

“I’m Park Woo-Ram…”

Yoon-Seo and Na-Hee freeze, listening intently as Jung-Won whips her head toward the sudden address.

“What is this?” Jung-Won voices in incredulity.

Something is off about Woo-Ram’s voice, raspy and exhausted to your ears. “Why does he sound like that?”

“I’m the Mafia. I killed Lee Ju-Young.”

You can’t believe what you were hearing.

Why would he suddenly and willingly admit to his faults when he had begged everyone of his innocence earlier?

With Ji-Soo and Yu-Jun still yet to cast their votes, you knew Woo-Ram didn’t stand a chance.

Not after this.

You slide your phone from your skirt pocket and hold it tightly in your lap, fingers shaking around the device as you open the game’s app, Woo-Ram’s voice filtering monotonously in the background.

“I had no intentions at first until I grew more upset the longer I thought about how she humiliated me—how she belittled me—and all I wanted was vengeance.”

A guilty conscience needs no accuser.

Close your eyes, you hit the vote button, casting with finality.

With Woo-Ram’s takeover of the intercom, your vote goes unannounced.

No matter how silent the verdict, it was permanent.

“Did we vote wrong?” Na-Hee mumbles, her face revealing just how anxious and scared she was at the unprompted revelation.

Yoon-Seo springs up abruptly. “The studio!”

“Yoon-Seo!” You give chase after her as she runs like mad to the second floor, not looking behind to see if anyone would follow.

You stop short as you see Jun-Hee switching between throwing his whole body against the door and trying to kick the handle off, shouting angrily. “YAH! Open the door!” With how much force he’s applying, the sound loudly reverberates all down the length of the empty corridor. “Woo-Ram! Park Woo-Ram!” Every shout of his is punctuated by harsher and harsher pounds against the door, his fist slamming against the stubborn wood.

“Help...” comes Woo-Ram’s weak voice. “I’m in here. The guys kidnapped—"

Whatever screams he planned on letting out are abruptly muffled, and you become more restless by the second, hoping that you hadn’t made the wrong choice.

Out of nowhere, Yoon-Seo comes back, bearing an ax in hand.

“Out of the way.” She corals both you and So-Mi to the side as Jun-Hee grabs hold of the sharp weapon.

“Stay back,” he warns, raising the blade high over his head before bringing it down to hack at the doorknob. In one fell swoop, the door serving as barricade is dismantled.

Jun-Hee kicks the door nearly off its hinges, revealing Kyung-Jun and his gang, all flabbergasted at having been caught in their act.

Kyung-Jun throws his bottle against the ground, the water spilling and diluting the blood stains on the floor as it splatters all over, color fading the further it drags from Woo-Ram’s slumped-over form.

“Dammit, Kim Jun-Hee. You ruin everything.”

Your eyes widen at the horrible state Woo-Ram is in, all bloody and injured. One eye is swollen shut, bruised and swelling beyond recongition. Blood is running down his leg, dripping in incessant drops onto the floor like his own tears of blood.

“You bastards!” Jun-Hee screeches, swinging the ax he’s still brandishing.

“Are you sure we are? Kyung-Jun presses, even as his goons cower away in the corner, eyeing the light glinting off the ax’s blade. “Didn’t you catch a word of what Woo-Ram said?”

“Son of a bitch!” Jun-Hee spits out, advancing on Kyung-Jun, eyes set, hard and cold.

You jump in between the two and grab a hold of Jun-Hee’s arms. “Don’t!” you beg. “I won’t let you stoop to his level!”

His hands shake violently in yours, fists tightening around the handle of the ax by his side. “I need to kill him!” he says, looking crazed. “Only when he's gone will this be over!”

“What will that make you, then?!” You step closer to Jun-Hee, close enough that he has no choice but to look down at you and into your pleading eyes. “You’re better than this!”

He finally drops the ax down by your feet, raising his head in defeat, jaw shaking with suppressed anger. With one last glare at Kyung-Jun, he goes over wordlessly and helps Yoon-Seo, Jung-Won, and So-Mi as they attempt to untie Woo-Ram who appears more dead than alive.

Your gaze narrows in on the pen sticking out from the middle of his thigh, fresh blood still spurting from the wound. The location—the precise location—of targeting the femoral artery, one of the most dangerous anatomical landmarks to attack could only mean one thing.

Kyung-Jun wanted him to die.

You turn around and round on Kyung-Jun in anger at the possibility of having been swayed by his lies.

The vote you so carefully considered was too late to rescind.

As your frustration boils over, it instinctively turns into physical action, your clenched fists pounding against his chest repeatedly. “Why did you do it?!” Kyung-Jun just watches you intently, letting you hit him without putting up a fight, signaling for Seung-Bin and Jin-Ha to leave it be. “Did you want to be right so bad that you had to take Woo-Ram hostage and coerce him into lying by threatening him to the brink of death?!” Whether your outburst even has the slightest capacity to change anything didn’t matter to you, serving its only purpose of being an outlet for your pent-up resentment at the gravity of the situation. Each strike is more forceful than the last, in defiance and resistance toward the injustices and mistreatment that came naturally like breathing to Kyung-Jun. You look up at him, eyes burning. “Just once…could you not cause trouble?”

He grabs your forearms and pins you against the nearest wall, holding you still, pressed between him and the wall. "I could, but then I wouldn't be me, and that would be tragic."

You try to yank your arms away but he steps closer, leaning his face close to yours and gripping your fists still against his chest even as you writhe in his hold, pure rage and bitterness emanating off you. “Why can you never be a good person?”

“And yet,” he drawls, lips quirking. “You believed me.”

“I know now that I shouldn’t have. I regret it,” you say irately through clenched teeth.

The smirk falls from his face and he leans in even closer, fixing you with such an intense gaze, a tangle of various emotions in his eyes you can’t begin to unravel even if you tried. "Why do you have to complicate things?" His dark eyes bore into your own, staring you down. “You always make me weak and I hate it.”

“I trusted you,” you utter quietly, and his eyes shift imperceptibly, the corners now downturned. “How foolish of me…” With how close Kyung-Jun was standing, you can see his Adam’s apple bobbing, like he’s holding back from saying something he knows he shouldn’t. “If my trust makes you weak…” you pause, “…then consider this the first and last time that I will ever be on your side.” You turn your head to the left, away from his dark eyes, even duskier in the low-lit room, ending the conversation.

You feel his heart pound erratically beneath your right fist where it’s laid over the left side of his chest, his hand still wound around yours.

Jun-Hee finally sees your predicament as the rest supports a hobbling Woo-Ram out of the room and runs over to wrench Kyung-Jun away from you.

He doesn’t put up a fight at all, staggering back without saying a word. Although you avert your eyes, you can still feel his on you.

Jun-Hee shields you behind his back protectively. “Cut it out,” he tells Kyung-Jun. “You’re a horrible excuse of a person.”

“Come to your senses, idiot,” Kyung-Jun ridicules, pointing at the clock striking midnight before he gestures to the hallway outside where everyone’s gathered.

You follow Jun-Hee out into the hall where Ji-Soo and Yu-Jun have just arrived hand-in-hand, Mi-Na in tow, the couple’s votes being announced.

[ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴊɪ-sᴏᴏ ʜᴀs ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ. ]

[ ᴄʜᴀ ʏᴜ-ᴊᴜɴ ʜᴀs ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ. ]

Woo-Ram slumps to the floor on his knees, crying and punching linoleum to no avail. “I should’ve killed Kyung-Jun when I had the chance,” he laments. “Why die alone?”

He quickly stumbles back into the room and picks up the ax left on the ground earlier before dashing back out, his good eye widening. With nothing left to lose, Woo-Ram smiles widely, baring his teeth as he stares straight at Kyung-Jun. “You’re leaving with me tonight.”

Kyung-Jun tries to evade as Woo-Ram swings the ax wildly with abandon. “Are you fucking crazy?!”

No one dares to step in, the sharp and deadly weapon too fatal to stop.

Dead set on taking Kyung-Jun’s life, Woo-Ram is too far gone to care if anyone else were to become collateral damage, recklessly chopping at anything impeding him.

“I’ll kill you if it’s the last thing I do. You deserve a painful death.” Woo-Ram chases Kyung-Jun to the end of the hall, the latter ducking to avoid a hit on target but slams into the wall in his haste, tripping on his own feet and slides down, pressed against the wall in fear, an expression you’ve never seen on his face until this moment.

Just as Woo-Ram raises the ax above his head ready to slice into Kyung-Jun who is caught off guard frozen in fear, he freezes, jerking backward on his feet.

[ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴏᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴀs ᴄᴏɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇᴅ. ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴠᴏᴛᴇs ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴇxᴇᴄᴜᴛᴇᴅ. ]

You can only watch in horror, falling to your knees on the floor as Woo-Ram turns the blade around and lets it fall against the top of his head, splicing his own skull in half. Blood sprays in arcs, splattering on your face and Kyung-Jun’s, the two closest in position to Woo-Ram.

Your eyes cease to blink as Woo-Ram’s lifeless body drops with a thud face-first right in front of you, the ax still deeply embedded into his skullcap, his brain becoming more visible by the second as the blade drops and continues to cut.

[ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴍᴀғɪᴀ. ]

“See?” Kyung-Jun looks around at everyone, even as he’s taking in ragged gulps of air. “Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t lying?” The last sentence is directed entirely at you, his eyes fixed on yours, a single tear escaping from the corner of his left eye, betraying the smirk he has plastered on his face. Even then, his crooked grin is faltering, lips trembling.

You stare helplessly at the floor, not knowing whether to be relieved for having chosen correctly or hate that you readily sent a classmate to their death.

The conversation with Hyun-Ho earlier on in the night echoes in your mind.

No, we’re not evil people…We’re merely people surrounded by evil and we have no choice, the only way out being to go through it.

Your heart sinks as you realize he was sorely mistaken.

To survive by the deaths of others is not salvation.

The body lives.

But the heart decays.

If you all make it through to the other side, it doesn’t mean you were able to escape from evil.

No.

It means you all have already come face to face with the Devil himself and begged to be allowed past.

And he only ever shakes hands with those whose souls are tarnished, their innocence tainted.

We’ve become evil people.

𝟬𝟱: 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗦 𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦

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