Friday's class felt endless, and I couldn't remember the last time I felt that Fridays could actually be calming.
This class… wasn't particularly hard, yet I always walked out of it feeling like I'd been dissected a little from the inside, too.
Professor Seo stood at the podium.
He spoke in a deep voice, the kind that made it seem like he weighed every word before saying it—unsure whether he even wanted to say them.
"Neurology," he began, his eyes scanning the room, "…is not the science of answers. It's the art of uncertainty."
A pause.
"The question I'm about to ask isn't new.
What happens to consciousness when the body gives out? The brain sometimes still 'lights up'… even when it shouldn't.
Like a room with the lights left on—long after everyone's gone. But the question is… who's still in there?"
His gaze flickered toward me.
I didn't know why, but that sentence clenched something tight in my chest.
"There are cases where the mind… simply refuses to leave. And that's when decisions must be made. You, future professionals, might one day save someone's life.
But that person… may no longer be the one they used to be."
A student cleared their throat but didn't speak.
Like something had come to mind—something terrible.
"Today we'll review three case studies.
None of them ended well. But that's okay.
Because 'well' isn't always the goal… sometimes it's just surviving. And even that can be too much."
I glanced around.
Everyone was silently taking notes.
So was I, but my hand had stopped for a moment.
One word echoed in my mind.
Survive.
I didn't know where the feeling came from.
It was as if someone else was watching.
I glanced toward Baek and Lee, but they too were scribbling quietly, their attention fixed on their notebooks or tablets.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who gets emotional about all of this.
Or maybe everyone else is just good at hiding it.
The lecture felt different.
Not just because it was ours—this was a general lecture, open to the whole department.
And I could tell… something about it unsettled a lot of people.
Maybe there was a reason.
But I didn't know it.
There are always rumors floating around this school.
Most of them probably nonsense, which is why I don't pay attention.
Still… maybe this time, something about it felt off.
After the lecture, we had a lunch break.
I sat on a bench in the main hall with Lee and Baek on either side of me.
"Did you guys feel that during class?" I finally broke the silence.
"Not really. Why?" Baek shrugged, his dark blue hair falling into his eyes.
"Everyone just seemed… tense. The atmosphere wasn't normal."
"Don't say anything, Jae," Lee said with a nervous look. "I think I know what's behind it, but this isn't the place to talk about it."
"Probably just another dumb horror story made up by some brain-dead student," Baek rolled his eyes.
"Yeah," I agreed weakly.
I tried to act like I didn't care, but… the rumor had gotten under my skin.
"You don't get it. I'll tell you later this afternoon at Jae's place, okay?" Lee said.
"Not like I'm that interested, but fine," Baek replied flatly.
Classes went by quickly.
They usually do—this stuff genuinely interests me, so I rarely get bored.
Fortunately, there was no dissection today, so I was in a better mood walking home with my friends.
"By the way… how was your first night at the new place?" Lee asked.
"Weird. I won't lie and say I slept peacefully.
Probably just the unfamiliar environment." I sighed.
"You'll get used to it. It's just a matter of time," Baek reassured me.
"I hope so."
It wasn't a long walk.
We soon reached the small, dark apartment building tucked in a corner, climbed to the first floor, and stepped inside my room.
"Now that it's my second time here… it's not that awful," Baek said, unpacking drinks onto the coffee table.
"Thanks," I chuckled.
"Still feels a little creepy though," Lee added, grimacing. "Probably just because it's new to us."
We settled down in the living room, grabbed some chips I had bought earlier, and cracked open a few beers.
We started talking.
Nothing serious—just trying to forget.
Or at least… trying not to think about heavy things, even just for an afternoon.
We talked sports—we're all basketball fan.
Then joked about cooking something together someday. Maybe a barbecue.
Baek also told us about a girl from another department he had started seeing.
But even then, Lee's topic came back.
"So… are you curious about what I mentioned at school?" he asked, his voice low.
The air instantly turned heavy again.
"Nope," Baek replied.
"Cool. I'll tell you anyway."
"Then why'd you even ask if we cared?" I laughed weakly.
"Politeness," Lee grinned.
"So listen. Today's lecture was about what happens to the mind when the body gives out. Would you bring someone back from the dead or not? And there's a rumor that ties into that. Probably the darkest one we've got. Because this is the one no one wants to talk about."
I couldn't help but listen.
"Let's hear it," Baek sighed.
"Some say that about ten years ago, something happened with the original 8th study group. No one knows exactly what. But it involved some sort of experiment.
Their group leader was JJ… The Demon."
"You mean… Mr. Joon was part of it?" I asked, my eyes widening.
"Yes. Some seniors say that Mr. Joon used to be the complete opposite of who he is now. Hard to believe, I know... " Lee continued, but Baek cut in.
"Damn right it's hard to believe.
Mr. Joon, or JJ, or whatever, you can't just flip like that. There's no trauma in the world that would change someone so completely.
That guy's so dark, so distant, just looking at him physically hurts. Being near him makes me feel like I should start digging my own grave. I swear, he could send me to the afterlife with a single glance. I haven't seen him smile, laugh, or react in almost three years."
"I gotta agree," I nodded.
"That story kinda falls apart there.
He's always been like this, I think."
"Maybe," Lee admitted. "But still… something did happen back then.
That rumor's been around the longest.
Supposedly, every student in the 8th group disappeared, one by one, right before graduation. No one talks about them.
They just… vanished. And after that day, Mr. Joon changed. Avoided everyone. Shut down completely."
My stomach twisted.
Of course I didn't believe it.
Still… the story was unsettling.
"I don't really have anything to add.
Whether you're right or wrong, we'll probably never know," I said.
"But… how does this even connect to our neurology lecture?"
"Because," Lee leaned in, "it's said that the 8th group disappeared after JJ gave them the exact same lecture Professor Seo gave us today. Only… theirs was more detailed. Apparently."
"If you ask me," Baek said, downing the rest of his beer,
"I wouldn't even put it past Mr. Joon to have… killed them."
"Jesus, Baek! That's morbid.
Don't you think the university would've kicked him out if that were true?" I shot back.
I didn't want to defend JJ—I found him off-putting too—
But this was crossing a line.
"You're right," Baek shrugged.
"It's probably just nonsense.
People make up stuff like this to scare the clueless."
"Maybe," Lee said, nodding slowly. "But… you never know."
"Let's just change the topic, okay?" I suggested.
A chill ran down my spine.
That night, we talked about something we probably never should've.
Nothing happened, and yet… it felt like a mistake.
Even after we switched topics, my brain wouldn't stop going back to it.
I didn't want my friends to leave.
Not because I was lonely,
but because I was starting to feel afraid in this new place.
I was already missing my old apartment.
Later that night, I wrapped up some online work, took a quick shower, and went to bed with the lamp still on.
The bed felt like it didn't belong to me.
The room smelled like someone else had lived there.
As if… they were still here.
My heart was pounding.
I didn't dare open my eyes.
I knew no one was here.
My mind was just playing tricks on me.
Eventually, I managed to fall asleep...
But of course…
I had a nightmare.