The girl swallowed hard, the lump in her throat refusing to go down. Jin's gaze was unsettling — sharp, penetrating, yet clouded with confusion. Beneath the surface of those dark eyes lurked anger, smoldering like embers before a sudden flare. His hand clenched around the phone he had picked up moments earlier in the cafeteria, the knuckles whitening as if he could crush the device with sheer force of will.
Hannah didn't know what was going on, but after that call, the color had drained from Jin's face. For five long minutes, he had sat in complete stillness, his eyes fixed solely on her, as though she were the only person in the room — or perhaps the only person in the world.
"You're starting to scare me," she whispered, curling her toes nervously inside her shoes. "What happened?"
"Who are you?" His voice was quiet at first, but the question hit her like ice water. Then it sharpened, cutting through the air like a blade. "Explain to me who you are. And what you're playing at."
She froze, caught off guard. The question stole the breath from her lungs.
"What do you mean, who am I? You know me — it's me, Hannah," she murmured, forcing a small, almost fragile smile to the corners of her lips. "What about you?"
"What about me?" His sudden shout made her flinch. Jin's patience was cracking. He was done with riddles, done with games. He needed the truth — and he would tear it out of her if he had to. "That's the question I should be asking you. You claim to be Danielle, but in reality, she's dead. Did you know this? Were you planning to take advantage of it?"
Her knees weakened. She pressed her back against the wall, a hand flying to her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut. The cruel events of June rushed back into her mind with a vengeance, suffocating her with their weight.
"Hannah, answer me!" His voice trembled now, almost breaking. "I'm falling apart here. I don't understand any of this. I need you to tell me, before I lose my mind."
"I would rather not bring my memory back to that day, Jin…" Her voice cracked, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.
"Just tell me the truth!" He seized her arm, his grip firm but desperate. "Why do you call yourself Danielle? What's with the memory loss? Is this some kind of twisted game?!" His voice finally broke. "What do you mean?"
The words made her shiver.
"It's just… I'm alive, Jin."
He stared at her, unblinking, as if trying to understand a language he had never heard before.
"Then I think I'm losing my mind," he whispered, stepping back slowly, never breaking eye contact. "I don't know what's going on anymore."
He turned and walked away, brushing past Joseph, who had been silently observing from a distance. The brunet's gaze followed Hannah, cold and assessing. From the very beginning, he had seen the demon in her — but even so, he could not fully comprehend what was hidden inside that small, deceptively innocent frame.
One thing was certain: something dark was taking root in her, and Jin was in danger. She had cast her net over him, and she had no intention of letting him go.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Hannah stepped closer, narrowing her eyes before pulling the mask of a frightened, lost girl over her face once more. But Joseph wasn't fooled. Her eyes — they were the same eyes he had seen before. Eyes that pleaded for help but would never admit it. They triggered an ache in him, bringing back memories he had tried so hard to bury.
He turned his back on her.
The boy, known for his coldness and the quiet fear he inspired, suddenly felt the sting of tears. For the first time in years, he wanted to break down.
He darted a quick glance around to make sure no one saw the shimmer in his eyes. Then, hiding his face, he took the stairs two at a time, retreating to the safety of his room.
Hannah raised an eyebrow, watching him until he vanished from sight. His behavior puzzled her.
When she turned, she caught sight of the cafeteria doors, still ajar. Dozens of curious faces were peering out at her. A flicker of irritation crossed her face. With her lips pressed into a hard line, she strode forward and slammed the doors shut with such force that a passing girl clutched her chest in shock.
"You scared me to death! What was that about?" the older student exclaimed, her voice trembling.
Hannah didn't even acknowledge her.
"Why are you turning into a bad girl?" a voice called out behind her. Tom stepped out of the cafeteria, chewing as he spoke. "You slammed that door so hard I almost choked on my food. You'd have had to give me mouth-to-mouth, and I'm not sure either of us would enjoy that."
She rolled her eyes.
"I'm just sick of people watching my every move. Am I the only attraction in this school?"
"Yes — because you're close to the divine four," he replied without hesitation, grinning widely. "Well, okay, maybe not Jimmy. But Joseph? You can't deny him." He wagged a finger in mock accusation. "I get the feeling you've been secretly spending more time together lately. You're starting to act like him. Honestly, it's creepy." He shuddered dramatically. "Jin's worried about you, you know. He thinks something's wrong."
"Everything's fine. He's just imagining things." A quiet, almost mocking laugh escaped her lips. "You know what he said? That I'm supposedly dead."
Tom froze mid-step, his eyes widening. He backed away a little.
"When Jin says something like that, there's always a reason. He's smart. And if he says you're dead… maybe you are." He studied her intently before narrowing his eyes. "Tell me… who are you, really? A ghost? A vampire? A zombie…?" His gaze swept over her. "No, you've got a body — so not a ghost. A vampire? Let's see your teeth."
Hannah frowned but opened her mouth, baring her teeth.
"Hmm… no fangs. And you're way too pretty to be a zombie…" He scratched his head, deep in thought. Suddenly his face lit up. "Gumiho!" he declared, pointing at her. "A fox spirit with nine tails!"
Before she could react, he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around.
"Where do you hide them? That's why you win over all the guys — you're a vixen. You're going to eat our livers, aren't you? Admit it!"
"Tom, you're joking, right?"
"You can't trick me," he warned, stepping back. "And don't think that just because I like you, I'll give up my liver so easily… never!"
With that, he bolted down the hallway, leaving Hannah shaking her head in disbelief. She still couldn't understand how someone like him managed to score so high on the exams.
*
The sixteen-year-old lay on her bed, her gaze fixed on the white ceiling, her eyes clouded with sorrow. Tears streamed from the outer corners, soaking into the soft pink pillow beneath her head. Her heart felt like it had been splintered into pieces. This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out. She had no idea what she could do to mend it.
Jin had begun to lose his trust in her.
"I'm an idiot. I'm sorry," she murmured into the silence, her voice trembling. She pushed herself upright and stared at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes hollow and broken. "I ruined everything. It wasn't supposed to be this way… I just wanted to make him happy," she whispered, her fingers curling tightly around the edge of the pillow. "I failed, didn't I?" A sob caught in her throat, raw and aching. "Will you come to me again? Tell me how I disappointed you? Please, don't hurt me. I'm scared when you're so close."
Her gaze lingered on the mirror for a long moment before her hand reached toward the photo frame resting on the cabinet. She traced the image with her fingertips — the boy's face frozen in a smile, standing beside a girl bathed in sunlight. His blond hair seemed almost alive in the captured moment.
"I want nothing more than to be by your side again… We were so happy together. I'll do anything to make you forgive me, Jin," she whispered to the photograph, her voice fraying at the edges.
Suddenly, a sharp scream tore from her throat. The frame slipped from her fingers — no, not slipped, it was wrenched away — flying across the room with unnatural force. It struck the door with a violent crack. The glass shattered into a thousand glittering shards that scattered like poppy seeds on the floor.
Hannah froze, her body limp against the mattress, her eyes wide with terror as she met her own reflection in the mirror. She was not alone. Not again.
The light in the room blinked out, plunging her into suffocating darkness. A shudder ran through her entire body.
*
Mariah had stepped out of her room just in time to catch the culprit — the same one who had been tormenting Hannah from the very beginning — slipping a folded note beneath her door. She leaned her back against the wall, folding her arms as her eyes met those of the intruder. A slow, cynical smile curved across her lips.
"You don't think this is getting a little old?" she asked coldly. "How long can you keep tormenting an innocent girl?"
The figure froze, caught in the act, before turning slowly to face her.
"And what exactly are you going to do about it?" the intruder sneered. "You know I was the one who made Halsey leave this school, yet you've kept quiet. Two years have passed, and you're still silent. You're afraid, because you know you can't win against me."
"You're right," Mariah admitted calmly. "I have stayed quiet all this time. Do you know why? Because when I told Joseph about you, he didn't believe me. I figured if he wanted to be an idiot, that was his problem, not mine. But now? I can't keep standing by and watching you poison Hannah's life. She hasn't done anything to you. And if you've got some twisted reasons, that's on you."
"Oh, and what are you going to do? Run and tell someone? You think anyone will believe you?"
"You're right again," Mariah said, shrugging. "But you know what? Evidence always comes in handy." In one swift motion, she pulled a phone from under her pajama top and snapped a photo before the other girl could react.
She moved toward the stairs, but the intruder lunged, trying to snatch the phone from her hands. Mariah took a step down, but suddenly pain shot through her scalp — a hand had grabbed a fistful of her hair. The world tilted, and before she could catch herself, she was tumbling down the stairs.
Half-conscious, she felt the shadow of the girl crouching beside her, fingers prying the phone from her weakened grasp.
"Try saying something now, bitch," the voice hissed.
At the top of the stairs, Hannah stood frozen, her hand clamped over her mouth in horror.
"Mariah!" she cried, running down and dropping to her knees beside her friend. "Mariah!" she repeated, checking desperately to see if the eighteen-year-old was still conscious.
Hannah's head jerked toward the figure looming above them. A chill shot through her veins.
The girl's face was swallowed by shadows, a baseball cap pulled low over her brow.
"Your days are numbered," the figure said. Though her voice was muffled, Hannah recognized it instantly as belonging to a girl. "I've tolerated you because you weren't close to Joseph. But lately, he's been noticing you. I don't like that."
"What does Joseph have to do with me? We don't even like each other!" Hannah shot back, her voice trembling.
"Stay away from him, or you'll end up like the last tenant," the girl threatened. Hannah knew that voice — she was certain of it — yet the name wouldn't come to her.
She wanted to run after her, to demand answers, but her attention snapped back to Mariah, who was struggling to sit up.
"You need help," Hannah urged. "Don't move! You could be seriously hurt. You fell down the stairs!" Her eyes widened as she saw Mariah leaning against the wall, trying to steady herself.
"I don't feel anything right now, but I need to get to my room. I want to lie down," Mariah murmured, her voice shaky.
"Are you out of your mind? I have to call the caretaker. You need a hospital!"
"Keep your voice down, or my head will split in two," Mariah groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. "Just help me get back to my room. I can handle it."
"You can't be serious…"
"Before we do that, there's something you need to know," Mariah whispered, her breathing uneven. "I know who's been tormenting you, Hannah."
Hannah's eyes flew wide. Mariah knew. She knew who had been destroying her peace from the very start.
"That's why she pushed me down the stairs," Mariah continued faintly.
"She took my phone. I managed to get a picture of her. You have to destroy that bitch." Her words faltered, her body swaying. The hallway spun around her. She opened her mouth to speak the name — but before the word could form, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed into darkness.