The Thirteen Gang had gathered in the parking lot before heading home.
"Guys, how about we hang out again today?" Arkha said.
"You mean boys' time?" Jio replied.
"Yeah, sounds fun." Hesa turned toward Arkha, only to find Arkha looking back at him. They were both thinking of the same recurring strategy.
"Sounds great. Where are we meeting?" Niki asked.
"My house is empty," Arkha said.
"Mine too. Let's just use my place for now," Jio offered.
"This is for tonight, right? Sleepover too?" Setta asked.
"If you want, we can start right now," Jio replied.
"Tonight would be better, Ji. I think everyone has their own things to do this afternoon," Joan said.
Hesa thought for a moment. Honestly, it would be safer if he could keep an eye on his friend starting now. But it seemed everyone really did need to go home first, clean up, or spend some time with their families.
"Yeah, I need to stop by a store first, so I'll probably head to your place this afternoon, Ji," Setta said.
"Going alone, Set?" Arkha asked.
"Of course. Who else is going to take me? Besides, there are online drivers," Setta replied.
"I'll go with you, Set. I'm looking for a book too," Satya said.
Hesa, who had been about to speak, decided not to interrupt. He had intended to offer to accompany Setta if he really had no one to go with.
"Alright, Sat. Where should we meet? The bus stop nearby?" Setta asked.
"No, I'll just come to your house later," Satya replied.
"Oh, okay," Setta said.
~~~~~
Hesa had just stepped into his house. He immediately placed the food he had bought earlier from a restaurant on the table.
"Should I bring food or fruit?"
He stared at the food package in front of him. He was planning to stop by a market later to buy ingredients for the barbecue at Jio's house since Jio had invited everyone over to grill meat.
But after school, Hesa hadn't passed by the market. He had only gone past a restaurant.
His thoughts drifted to the red-haired young man. He wanted to visit him but was unsure what kind of food he should bring.
"Whatever, I'll just bring this."
Hesa picked up the food package and hurried toward the door. Before he could reach it, the doorbell rang first.
Creak.
The door opened, revealing the very person who had been on Hesa's mind.
"K-Kayn..."
"Hey, sorry. Can I borrow a little seasoning? I'm cooking, but I ran out," Kayn said.
"Did you turn off the stove first?" Hesa asked.
"Yeah. I was afraid of taking too long. Something bad might happen otherwise," Kayn replied.
Hesa immediately pulled Kayn inside, startling the red-haired young man.
"W-Why, Hesa?"
"Sit down," Hesa ordered while pointing at the sofa.
"O-Okay."
Kayn obeyed.
Hesa set the food package back on the table and sat on the sofa across from him.
"This is for you," Hesa said.
"You didn't have to go through the trouble. I'm already cooking anyway," Kayn replied.
"I was actually on my way to visit you, but you showed up first," Hesa said.
"Oh."
Kayn nodded in understanding.
"Just take it," Hesa insisted.
"O-Okay. Thank you."
Kayn accepted the package.
"There's something I want to talk to you about too," Hesa said.
"Are you still worried because of my accident?" Kayn asked.
"Khan saw you getting beaten up by Niki's copycat. And now I know you helped Niki at the hospital yesterday. Can you still call that an accident?" Hesa replied.
"Y-Yeah... Sorry."
"Explain it to me. What happened? Why did you only come home in the morning that day? Did that copycat kidnap you?" Hesa asked.
"Y-Yeah, something like that. After leaving the hospital yesterday, I went to tutoring and got home late. At the bus stop, Niki's twin stopped me," Kayn explained.
Hesa fell silent for a moment, a strange feeling surfacing inside him. But Kayn quickly interrupted.
"I really do want to help you. Sorry if I was careless yesterday," Kayn said.
"I can't protect you," Hesa replied.
"You don't have to. Just being allowed to help you already makes me happy."
Kayn opened the food package in his hands.
"I know this feels really awkward, so how about we eat together and get to know each other better?" he suggested.
"Thanks, Kay."
"No need to thank me."
Kayn paused for a moment before handing Hesa a plate of food.
"Stay brave and don't try to give up again," he said, looking at Hesa seriously.
Hesa looked back at him, confused. Fortunately, Kayn immediately continued.
"Asta said the copycat is trying to test you and Arkhan. They probably want one of you to go insane because of your friend's death."
~~~~~
Setta checked his phone. There was still no reply from Satya. He nervously bit his nails.
"What's taking him so long?"
Buzz.
Setta immediately grabbed his phone.
"He's still coming to pick me up. I was starting to worry."
He played on his phone while waiting.
Bzttt!
A loud sound, like an explosion, echoed nearby.
Setta instinctively turned around.
"What was that?"
He got up to investigate, but suddenly the lights went out.
"That scared me."
Using his phone's flashlight, he headed outside to check the main switch. When he arrived, he found that someone had intentionally turned it off.
"Who keeps messing around?"
Without suspecting anything, Setta switched the power back on.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Setta looked around after hearing footsteps.
"W-Who's there?"
he trembled. he was home alone.
Forcing herself to stay brave, he searched for the source of the noise. Maybe it was a thief trying to rob his house.
'You keep shining your flashlight in front of you, even though I'm right behind you.'
Setta immediately turned around.
There he was.
Sunoo—the copycat.
"So you finally noticed me."
Sunoo smiled.
Without warning, he stabbed Setta in the stomach with the knife he was holding.
~~~~~
Satya started his car and drove away from home.
Ring.
"Why isn't Setta answering my calls?"
He looked at the traffic jam ahead.
"I'm going to be late. I'd better take another route."
Following the map on his phone, Satya turned onto a quiet alternative road. He drove calmly, but something felt wrong. Setta still wasn't answering.
He pulled over when he noticed something odd with his car.
"What's wrong with my car?"
Satya got out to check. The moment he opened the hood, thick smoke burst out, making him cough.
"Damn! I need to call a mechanic."
He grabbed his phone from inside the car. But just as he turned around, someone struck him on the back of the head.
Thud.
Satya collapsed, dizzy. He could still see the person who attacked him.
Moments later, the figure stabbed him in the stomach, splattering blood across the car.
The attacker dragged Satya's body to the roadside and propped him up against a tree.
'I wanted to play with you, but unfortunately I'm acting as a mugger right now. I need to move fast before anyone notices.'
~~~~~
As Hesa opened the apartment door, he was greeted by the delicious smell of food. He walked into the kitchen and found Winter cooking while Jaehyuk played an online game.
Winter turned around and noticed him.
"Oh, you're home already."
"What are you guys doing here?" Hesa asked in surprise.
"Not happy to see us?" Jaehyuk teased.
"Of course I am. It's just unusual to see you two hanging out here."
"Your girlfriend told us to," Jaehyuk said while glancing at Winter.
"I wanted to surprise you by cooking for you, but you weren't home yet when I arrived. So I asked Jaehyuk to keep me company," Winter explained.
Hesa nodded in understanding.
"Oh right, Hesa. Did you hear Kala is sick?" Jaehyuk asked.
"Kala? Oh, y-yeah."
"The new neighbor, right?" Winter asked.
"Yep," Jaehyuk replied.
"What happened to him?" Winter asked.
"He got hit by a vehicle, apparently."
"That's awful. How is he now?"
"He's doing better."
"Let's invite him over to eat with us."
"Sounds good. I'll go get him."
Jaehyuk headed out. But when he reached the neighboring apartment and opened the door, he was already standing there.
What confused Jaehyuk was that the young man looked pale and terrified.
"I-Is Hesa here?"
Jaehyuk awkwardly nodded and went back inside to call Hesa.
A moment later, Hesa came out.
"What is it, Kay?" Hesa asked.
"We have to go to the hospital right now."