A day had passed since that incident.
And yet…
I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Still, there wasn't much time to dwell on those thoughts.
It was lunch break.
And, as always—
today was already ruined.
— "Hey, freak. How're you doing?"
I sighed and ignored him.
— "Jason, can you just leave Dark alone?" Won-ho said, his voice tight.
Jason laughed.
— "Just because you and the big guy hang out with him doesn't mean you're his bodyguards."
Won-ho clenched his fists, but Minho grabbed his arm, silently telling him to let it go.
— "Honestly," Jason continued, "what's the point of being friends with someone so depressing? Always dressed in black, reading weird crap… he's not normal."
…
He wasn't wrong.
I wasn't normal.
I was never raised like them.
No family.
No praise.
No punishment.
No one proud of me.
Just books.
And them.
And I didn't want to become a burden.
— "See? He doesn't even defend himself."
Won-ho stood up.
— "I told you to leave."
Before things escalated—
Kimberly walked in.
She handed Jason a soda.
— "Here. Take it and go. Just leave Dark alone, please."
Jason smirked.
— "See? That's how you ask nicely."
Then—
he poured the drink over my head.
Cold liquid soaked my hair… my clothes.
My only clean clothes.
…
I said nothing.
I just stood up—
and walked away.
—
— "Now you're dead, you piece of shit."
Won-ho tried to move, but Minho forced him back down.
Instead—
Minho stood up.
And punched Jason hard enough to split his lip.
Jason staggered back… then ran.
— "He's been messing with Dark since middle school," Kimberly muttered.
— "Let's just hope he doesn't take it out on him later," Won-ho said quietly.
— "He won't," Minho replied.
But his voice lacked certainty.
—
Meanwhile—
I was in the bathroom.
Staring at the wall.
In elementary school, I had no friends.
Until Kim.
Then in middle school—Airi, Xia, Minho, Won-ho.
Just them.
Everyone else?
Ignored me.
Mocked me.
Bullied me.
Every day.
So I got used to it.
Maybe…
this is all I'm meant to be.
A burden.
— "I wish I could just go home…"
I exhaled and left the bathroom.
—
On my way to class—
one of Jason's friends approached me near the stairs.
He shoved me.
—
I fell.
All the way down.
—
Laughter echoed above me.
Then silence.
…
Tears slipped down my face.
— "What sin did I commit to deserve this?"
I got up.
My legs hurt.
Bruises forming.
But I kept walking.
—
Classes passed in a blur.
At the end of the day—
I left quickly.
But I wasn't alone.
Jason's group followed me.
—
They cornered me in an alley.
No exit.
Jason stepped forward.
— "Do you have any idea what that punch did to my reputation?"
I kept my head down.
He punched me.
— "I'm talking to you, idiot!"
Another blow.
— "This is your friends' fault. Next time, tell them not to defend you."
He nodded at his group.
Three of them grabbed me—
slammed my head against the wall.
The ground.
Again.
Again.
—
Blood ran down my face.
—
Then Jason started hitting me.
Over.
And over.
—
He threw me down—
kicked my ribs.
My stomach.
My face.
—
Minutes passed.
—
I vomited blood.
—
Pain spread through my body like fire—
until—
crack
—
My ribs.
Left side.
Broken.
—
I didn't scream.
I just stared at the ground.
—
One of them tried to pull Jason away.
Jason punched him—
and kept going.
—
More kicks.
More pain.
—
Until he got tired.
—
He spat on me.
Poured water over me.
And left.
—
Silence.
—
I lay there.
Breathing unevenly.
Crying quietly.
—
Hours passed before I could stand.
I walked aimlessly.
Blood dripping from my mouth.
My nose.
—
Something inside me hurt more than my body.
—
Then—
a familiar car stopped beside me.
— "Dark!"
Alya.
— "Hey, sweetheart, want to come with me? We can get something to eat, watch movies—"
She stopped.
Her smile vanished.
— "What happened to you?! Who did this?!"
She rushed to me, helping me into the car.
—
At her house—
she treated my wounds carefully.
Cleaning the blood.
Bandaging my ribs.
Ice packs.
Painkillers.
Her hands were gentle.
Precise.
She was a nurse.
—
— "Good thing no one's home. Mom and Kim won't be back until tomorrow. I'll take care of you, okay?"
I looked at her.
Tears forming again.
— "Alya… can I ask you something?"
She nodded.
— "Am I a burden… to you?"
Silence.
— "They're right. I depend on others just to survive. I'm… a parasite. A cancer."
Her expression changed instantly.
— "Say that again and I won't forgive you."
Her voice was firm.
— "You're important. To me. To my sister. You're not a burden—you're a gift."
She softened.
— "I love you. Truly. From the moment we met… you stayed with me. And before I realized it, my heart chose you."
She leaned closer.
— "So don't call me Alya. Call me something more… intimate."
Before I could react—
she kissed me.
Warm.
Soft.
Real.
—
She pulled away.
— "I love you, Dark. I'd do anything for you. Anything… just to see you smile."
I stared at her.
— "That… was my first kiss."
She laughed.
— "Mine too. And don't ever mention this… or I might go to jail."
I panicked.
— "Wait—then you shouldn't have—!"
She held my face.
And kissed me again.
— "As long as it's our secret… it's fine."
She winked.
— "We're a couple, aren't we? We should be doing this."
—
That night—
movies.
Games.
Pizza.
Laughter.
—
For a moment—
I forgot everything.
—
Morning came.
— "Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?"
— "Yeah… I did."
She kissed me again.
— "Your morning kiss."
I turned red.
— "You can't just do that whenever you want!"
She smiled.
— "That's exactly why I do it."
—
After breakfast—
she drove me to school.
—
— "Call me if you need anything."
I nodded.
She pulled me closer—
kissed me again.
Longer this time.
Deeper.
—
— "Goodbye… I hope I always have you."
—
I walked into school—
still flustered.
—
And then I saw it.
—
Police.
Ambulances.
Students whispering.
—
Something was wrong.
—
A note fell in front of me.
Written in blood:
"Go to the science lab."
—
— "I don't like this…"
—
But I went.
—
Inside—
I froze.
—
Jason's body lay there.
—
Flayed.
—
His skin—
covered in moving runes.
Glowing purple.
Alive.
—
From his mouth—
black rose petals spilled out.
—
— "This… isn't human."
I whispered.
—
I called the police.
Teachers arrived.
One vomited.
—
But…
no one reacted to the runes.
—
Only me.
—
"𖦁𖦂𖦄 𖦅 𖦆 𖦋 𖦌 𖦎"
—
Kim arrived.
She trembled.
— "It's freezing…"
—
But the room was warm.
—
Only I saw.
Only she felt.
—
We were taken out.
The principal blamed a wild animal.
No one believed it.
—
— "That was strange," I said.
— "Yeah…"
She hesitated.
— "Minho didn't come today. He has a fever… 40°C."
—
…
—
Later—
in Minho's house—
his body convulsed.
Speaking in that same unknown language.
—
—
I went to the bathroom.
—
The lights flickered.
—
The door slammed shut.
—
And she appeared.
—
The woman.
From the festival.
From the classroom.
—
— "What do you want from me?"
—
Blood spread across the walls.
—
She pinned me against a broken mirror.
A bloodstained crow feather in her hand.
—
— "Did you see what they did to Jason?"
Her voice was calm.
Almost curious.
— "They tore him apart… like an animal."
—
— "Shut up!"
—
She drove the feather into my palm.
—
Pain exploded.
—
I screamed—
but her hand covered my mouth.
—
— "I know it's you."
Her eyes were endless darkness.
— "This thing… this hunger… it follows you."
—
— "Jason mocked you yesterday."
She twisted the feather.
—
— "Today… he's a message written on skin."
—
I choked.
—
— "Do you want to see the next corpse?"
She leaned closer.
— "Look at me."
—
— "LET ME GO! WHY DO YOU HATE ME?!"
—
She smiled.
—
— "Hate…?"
A soft laugh.
—
She pushed the feather deeper—
piercing through my hand.
—
— "This will make you forget today."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
—
— "But the pain will remain."
—
Her eyes reflected something moving—
tentacles.
—
— "Because pain, Dark… is the only thing that keeps you alive."
—
She stepped back.
—
— "Sleep."
—
Darkness took me.
—
—
In the void—
a man and a woman stood.
Broken.
Mutilated.
—
— "She's lying!" the man screamed. "You chose this!"
—
—
I woke up—
screaming.
—
Blood streamed from my left eye.
—
My body trembled.
I grabbed pills—
swallowed them.
—
After a while—
the pain faded.
—
Then—
my hand.
—
— "What… happened?"
—
No feather.
—
Only bone.
Embedded in my palm.
—
…
—
Elsewhere—
Kimberly stared at her mask.
—
A rune had appeared:
"𖥺"
—
She burned it.
—
The flames twisted—
forming a screaming face.
—
She dropped it—
ran inside.
—
She knew.
—
Something was wrong.
—
Unlike me—
who knew it too—
and chose…
to ignore it.