Make sure to come back to us... oonhwa.. Yoon... yoonhwa.
I gasp for air the moment I open my eyes, but I soon frown when my eyes meet the burning sunlight that spread it way through the unclosed space by the curtains, annoyingly, I swept the curtains hems with one tight pull to enclose the last space ensuring this time to see no light. I tilt my head away from the windows to finally wake up.
"Hey it's not me! I have already told you it's not!"
"Stop lying!"
"I'm not the mafia, you dumb!"
"Yes, you are! stop denying."
"If it isn't you, then who?"
"Heo yul! Look at him just voting anyone out!"
The loud shouts made me forget my nightmare. Unfortunately, I wanted to take inspo from it later on for the crime mystery story I'm currently writing.
'Bummer.'
"It's really not me, guys. Why won't you listen to me!"
"Com'on com'on, let's just vote for her now!"
"She's got a point, if she was the mafia, why would she help you clearing your name heo yul?"
"That's what I'm saying but he keeps insisting on killing me! That's what a mafia would do!"
"Okay, okay! Everyone, now it's time for the final vote."
I watch the students hitting their knees as a drum making noises for the final announcement, I slightly smile and enjoy their lively time for a bit, knowing so well the mafia has won.
"The Mafia won!"
"What! No way."
"Wait, what?"
"You were the mafia?"
"You are all so annoying, I already told you but you have no sense at all playing this game."
I turn my back from their conversation as I adjust my pink neck pillow, I coincidentally make eye contact with Somi from the front doing so. Our vice-president, the bratz, that's what I call her, Somi, ends up grabbing her camera, swift her back to the front and cuts our one second eye contact to steal a picture of Junhee while he is sleeping.
'How unpredictable.'
"Stop that. It's weird."
Even though one of her minions, Jisoo, tells her that, I bet she isn't gonna stop anytime soon. I looked straight at Yoonseo up ahead, and like I guessed, she was looking in their direction. You can tell she is in love by how she keeps stealing glances of Junhee throughout the whole bus trip.
I live for this high school soap dramas.
Even though I'm the newest student I can't seem to remember when Yoonseo had a friend with the short hair girl sitting next to her. What was her name again? Did I spend too much time in my imagination that I'm starting to forget bits of my reality? That's weird. I never forget names cause I don't want to hurt anyone by doing that.
I already know how it feels to be invincible, and I don't want to do the same to anyone.
"SHUT UP!"
My body flinches over the sudden shouts from the bus's last seat.
"No! I said you're the mafia and I'm not going back."
Someone needs to stop them. Maybe I can ask them to lower their voices, I can do this. I turn my back to them abruptly and make eye contact (or not?) by accident with someone staring from the back.
Did he look at me?
"They're loud."
The boy that is staring somewhere ahead and low of him says to his friend, Seungbin not a second later stands to hit the back of both the front boys then whispers something to Jinha.
"Hey!" Jinha shouts and the ones who are playing the mafia game stop. "Kyung Jun is sleeping! You're loud!"
Well, that came easier than I thought. They did add a bit of a bright atmosphere just like how a field trip school bus should be, but their voices were getting louder and louder.
'It's a bit disappointing to end their fun game just like this though.'
Apparently, I'm not the only one who is bothered by this fact as two other students sitting next to each other are quite disturbed by Kyungjun tribe actions, but they calm themselves down moments later, perhaps because of the teacher.
'This boy got a talent for pissing people off.'
'Ever since middle school too.'
I stare at the empty chair next to me, for one second, two seconds, three seconds. In contrary, to all the other introverted classmates, I still couldn't adjust and make a new friend. Well, I have to excuse myself by the fact that it's not been a couple of weeks since I first arrived, I did arrive in the middle of the term afterall.
I decide to put my bag over the empty space that is like a sore thump.
"Now it's not empty."
I whisper to myself with a grin feeling satisfied. I wipe the dust away from the bag, then I notice my skirt and I clean them too, then I adjust my collar through the reflections of the glass window.
Yoon high school. As the badge says.
I sigh looking at it and I remember my old friends in the countryside from my previous school. I miss these dorks so much. I hope they're not having so much fun without me. I smile momentarily as I blink my tears away and continue to stare through the window.
Let's be happy and make new friends and beautiful memories through this trip. Or why would my parents not allow me to help them through the family shop during its busiest days and have me go on this trip on the last notice to my teachers? I promised them to have as many beautiful memories as a youth can ever have. So let's do our best, Yeon Hwa.
Oh! Is this the retreat centre building?
Hmm, am I seeing things? There are no buildings an eye can see. Just a wide green space. But, aren't we supposed to arrive by now?
I stand to take a look over the teacher's expressions in the first seat to see if there is something wrong.
".. hey, I guess, he does like Na hee …"
"Be quiet!"
I ignore the gossip whispers of two girls in the front row, and I notice how sound asleep the teacher is with an open book covering his face. I glance over at the driver and I notice how he just keeps driving.
I mean, I guess we're fine then. I won't know better than them.
Before I sit, I adjust my neck pillow away from my chair and I find Kyungjun staring at me. I remember my father's tip of how to avoid bullies by never looking away first, because this is how they pick their victims. So I stare back until I adjust my pillow back to my neck and sit back again.
'Thanks father, now I have just made an embarrassing memory of an awkward staring competition that felt like forever.'
Door open*
I wake up to the bus automatic door being open, it's night now.
'When did I fall asleep? Did we take that much time on the road to arrive?'
I find the students going in line as I grab my bag and step out of the bus, "Thank you, driver-nim."
I say before finally stepping out of the bus and I freeze in my place. The driver-nim right now is …
"Hey! Step aside, new kiddo!"
"Sorry."
I say as I get away from the line crowded behind me, "What are you saying? I can't hear you! Hello? I called to notify you we have just arrived," I step even further aside from the teacher's way as he is trying to get a signal. "Hello? Can you hear me now?"
And we're off to a good start.
"Hey, Hyunho. Can you help me open this?"
"Where are the other buses?"
"Only our class has arrived so far?"
The teacher keeps making his voice louder and louder as if this will cover up for the bad signal. I adjust the other arm of my backpack more comfortably.
"Give me that."
Meanwhile from the corner of my eyes, Hyonho grasp my attention by helping Na hee with her bag, I look to the other side and I find Junhee walking side by side with Yoonseo, and it appears Somi didn't like that scene unlike someone else who is ready for a popcorn anytime soon.
Once I'm all set, I follow the students line going inside the retreating centre.
The retreat centre looks more empty and dull than how a school trip retreat centre should be, the student line being lessened slowly because they are scanning something in the front. I tilt my head to check what they are doing, but I can only see the edge of a metal handle with a white sign. I walk to the side until they all finish.
Why do all these ground stores have no signs yet? Are they still looking for owners?
Is this building still in the construction phase? Did our school lack a budget so that we can only book a newly finished building centre? Or are they supposed to be the security guards room?
"Still haven't decided on your birthday present? You better tell me today."
The voice of the class president Junhee catches my attention behind me for a second while speaking to Yoonseo, "If you wouldn't tell me past midnight, I won't buy it for you."
"Good grief, you're petty."
"I have something,"
At that point I turn around out of curiosity, will there be a romantic scene right now? Nope. He just aims with his chin over his pockets and continues. "But how about a novel instead?"
"Sounds good."
"You and your thriller novels."
It's only minutes until the line will be finally cleared, I let their conversation echo in the background as I turn my back again to them. Perhaps these rooms are for newly assigned receptionists then?
"I can't get any signals here, is this normal around here?"
'Seems like over there are the receptionists.'
I look towards the source of the new voice and I find our teacher with the receptionists staff.
"Excuse me, can I make a phone call. The phone line isn't working."
I clap both my hands in excitement and swift my body to the shops.
'Then these shop spaces must mean are just new shops still looking for retails?'
I should tell my parents once I go back home in case they want to widen the horizon of our business. I promised them once I take over the business, I will make it a better place for its people.
I should. I must.
'My parents will be so proud, I can tell by the condition of this place we can get an easy and cheap offer too. Cool!'
I get closer towards the shop windows trying to take a peak of what's inside, I tiptoe trying to see through the somewhat transparent glass window but I'm only met on the other side with blackness. The more I glance, the more pitch black it gets, so dark to the point it would be the same as if I close my eyes.
I step away with knitted brows, step by step making a squeak sound with my old shoes and I stop.
The shops still do have their lights on.
I look left and right, I notice I am all alone across the entrance gate so I go ahead and finally check the upfront sign. 'Woah what a weird looking statue, Is it Asian, shouldn't it be like a Greek looking statue?' I stare at the big white stand sign that has a barcode on it.
An app?
As I finish the checking in process for my room and I arrive at the sports hall, now all that's left is the most horrible thing in this world to be done, socializing.
Everyone is now gathered in the sports hall. With a big sign of 'Welcome to Muryoeng Retreat Centre' that pokes my eyes, I sit in the corner with my wired earphones on listening to a song I love.
🎵
Maybe I
Lost my mind
No one noticed
No one noticed
🎵
Four girls practice their dance together and I admire their confidence from afar that makes them so willing to try something new for the first time in front of many, they aren't afraid of repeating themselves after slight awkward mistakes.
They do stop for a bit when Kyoungjun steps in and go for the music speaker to close it off as he grins passing by, but they restart it and continue anyways. I check Wooram as Kyungjun's and his tribe leave the hall. Wooram tries to sneakily record a video of Mina, Soobin, and Jooyoung dancing, he must like one of them. I wonder who she is.
I search with my eyes for Somi and she stands next to Junhee, as expected from the class president and vice-president. Yoonseo is sitting not that far from me and them, on the same wall next to her friend taking glances over Junhee.
🎵
Come on, don't leave me it can't be that easy, babe
If you believe me I guess I'll get on a plane
Fly to your city excited to see your face
Hold me, console me, then I'll leave without a trace
🎵
I mean isn't this what a high school should all be about, so we can look back at ourselves and cringe from embarrassment of how we acted next to our crushes. I chuckle between me and myself, then I feel the smile leaving my lips.
The teacher calls the class president aside, and I pull my earphones away to get a bit of what he's saying so most everyone else as they stop what they are doing too.
"... pick the students from the students in other classes. Don't do anything, and just stay in your rooms. Keep an eye on your class so they don't cause any trouble."
"Okay, I will."
"Help him," he looks at Somi. "Once I come back, we will take a group picture at night so tell them to keep their uniforms on until then."
The teacher leaves in a hurry and soon disappears behind the door panel as my eyes last stop following him.
"The wi-fi isn't working,"
I stand and clean my skirt from dust.
'No wonder why the song stopped playing a while ago.'
"But why would we take a picture at night?"
'Good question, vice-president.'
I walk past Junhee and Somi with a quick greeting as I run behind the footsteps of the teacher.
Well, I was going to take a stroll anyway to the vending machines for a drink. figures I might as well ask the teacher about the possibility of my parents' shop being opened here.
'Hm, now where has he gone?' I stare at the empty hallways. Both the front side and the back as if he has vanished. I stand still in place.
'Where did he go? I swear I just saw his back seconds ago.'
I walk in the same direction after him. Outside the centre where we all entered through the same gate, the other school buses must have arrived there too. Good thinking Yoonhwa.
"Yoonhwa."
I raise my eyes towards the one who calls my name,
"Kyungjun." I nod and force a faint smile even as my nose scrunches with the smell of cigarettes coming from him and his other two friends.
As I still walk heading towards the gate, "are you going too for a smoke?"
I walk without answering him hopefully to walk past him peacefully and him doing me the favor of treating me as a mere ghost, but nope, guess today isn't my lucky day. He suddenly steps right in front of me in such perfect timing that my head almost would have hit his chest.
I look up, "Didn't take you for a student who would smoke. Did the homesickness crept to the inside to rot your brain?"
"Even though you say such harsh words, why do you look like this?"
"Like what?"
"worried."
"What worry? Don't spew shit." He sneers, "apparently not only your brain is rotten but also your eyes."
I do want to push his buttons the wrong way too since he did annoy me first, but let's not take this approach; it won't benefit any of us for the long run.
I sigh, "I am just going after the teacher to ask him a few questions about the shops. So no need to worry about me."
I give my luck a try again as I put my right hand into his right forearm to push him aside slightly. He locks eyes with me at first, I raise my eyebrows as a question, then he slightly moves away until my path is cleared again.
"There is no teacher out."
"What do you mean?"
"We just came from there. You think with that great mind of yours we would smoke if a teacher was out?"
"Well, he could've seen you guys thus gave your order to get inside. What do you mean there is no teacher out?"
"Are you saying Kyungjun is lying?" Seungbin angrily shouts.
But before I could say a thing, he steps away on his own when Kyungjun gives him a stare. Well, he does look puzzled by it for a second before he steps back.
This split second look on his face, I will take advantage of it.
"No, I was following the teacher right till this moment, I know he is out somewhere when I just lost him a while ago." I say calmly after I look outside for a second then back to their direction, "So, apologize."
"What?"
Kyungjun answers back. He looks surprised for a second before he catches my drift, grins, then steps aside for me to face Seungbin.
I get closer to Seungbin as my tone gets lower, "I do understand that you want to score points with Kyungjun to win his favor, but you have just crossed a line by shouting when there is definitely no need for it." I add, "it will make you look stupid in front of Kyungjun and you will end up scoring low by losing more points."
I have always liked Seungbin as a classmate. Not only is his eccentric personality that he courageously embraces with that blond buzz cut off of him, but he is also an easy person to read. One of the easiest in this class if I might say not the most alongside Jinha.
'Maybe that's why Kyungjun finds comfort in their company as well.'
Seungbin apologizes after a couple of glances over Kyungjun and I.
"But there are really no teachers out." Jinha says to change the atmosphere.
"But he said he would go out to gather the other class's students." I say.
"Why would he? Don't the other classes have their own homeroom teachers?"
Oh.
Kyungjun is right. They do.
"Then where did the teacher go?" I ask.
"I don't give a shit."
Kyungjun leaves as he seems bored with this interaction, Seungbin and Jinha follow him.
"Do you know her?"
'You know I'm still close, right?'
"She seems crazy. Her stare is, Oof."
'Crazy? This piece of a divine beauty you call my face, whatever, he is not worth my energy.'
"Hey, when can you give me my money back? I need to pay the tuition at the academy." I look at the commotion behind me.
"Juwon. Don't be like that. We're friends."
It's that student that I keep getting weird vibes from since the beginning. Anyhow, none of my business and things sound to get dangerous here so let's just quickly check for the teacher.
I step outside the gate away from the boys' gathering.
It is all pitch black, no buses and no teacher seen in sight.
A memory flash in my head from the bus-driver from this morning, the way he kept driving in the same posture all along the whole trip. Even his back didn't itch at all, he didn't get annoyed at the students sitting in the last seat, or shouted at them to calm down to watch the road better from the back.
Respect, yes, but strange too. He was also not responsive when I thanked him. No flinching. No eye contact. No slight runs in my direction. Nothing. Just like a robot.
'Ugh!'
A sharp ringing voice pierce through the inside of my brain. I felt like my ears were bleeding and my voice won't come out from how painful it feels. I crunch down towards the floor and I notice a white line, glitching? the screeching sound goes even stronger and I let out a shout. 'Oh gosh how I want to cut my ears!' Then a second later it disappears like it never happened…
I gasp and straighten my back carefully to take in my surroundings and what just happened.
What did I want to do here again? It's getting late, forget it. Let's get out there, it's getting scary. Let's head inside.
Splash*
"How refreshing." drinking soda milk is the best. Glad they do have Milkis in their vending machine at least. Feeling the vibration of my phone, I grab it to check for the possibility of the wi-fi returning.
"The Mafia Game will begin now. Check your identity."
"Kang Yeon Hwa, your identity is the doctor."
'What is that? An online game? Oh yes, the one I scan at the gates?'
That's a smart marketing move for such a place, sorry for judging you guys badly from before. I shut the screen and put my phone back into my navy sweater pocket.
I wonder where they have the Canteen? I want a lollipop, but I'm too scared to go alone in this place. I check the hallways of the second floor, the chilly breeze sound can be heard next to the sound of my breaths, not a soul can be seen. one of the lights flickers at the end of the hallways and a big fly makes a buzz over it. I stare at it and I don't know why. Maybe it's boredom, maybe because there is no wi-fi. The bug flies around the broken edge of the hanged glass light bulb, over and over. The fly finally lets herself in and lets go of her repeated cycle pattern that it once knew and goes directly into the flame by feeding her desire to chase what she thinks is light. A sound of fire ignites a bit leaving the lamp shut down and damaged goods and the dead fly falls to the ground.
'And now this hallway's end is dark with a touch of an eerie look, great.'
I step back slowly and I feel another vibration through my phone, I open it again.
"The Mafia have until 6 am to kill the citizens."
"The team that first wipes all of the other other team members fully wins,"
"and the game will be over."
I whisper the words to myself.
"The citizens, doctors, and police are one team."
"All the participants now have to identify the mafia and begin to vote."
Before I close the phone screen again, I click on the chat.
'Is Beak Eunha the mafia?'
And the first client with a five star review appears, at least Heo yul seems happy with this game. I turn off the chat and open my download music track and put on my earphones. The music takes a very long time to play as the looping symbol seems to run forever, so I shut the phone and hum to myself the song.
"Maybe I'm living in my head,
Maybe I'm living to pretend,
Maybe I wanna stay in bed,
Far from the weight of the world in my hands,
'Cause they don't understand,"
The light suddenly goes off. I put my left hand over my chest as I hear gasps and whispers. A sudden girl's scream pierces my ears. I cover both sides of my ears with my hands. A vision appears of a white figure that stands quite tall in the middle of a sports hall.
I blink.
And it's all gone.
I inhale and exhale as I tuck my hair's strands behind my ear, I look all around me to find myself still close to the vending machine.
'What the hell was that? Is that supposed to be a deja Vu? Does it work like that?'
I go down the stairways away from the vending machine and the empty dim hallways.
"I think they all left with him, there's no one here."
"Class president!"
I quickly go down as I greet Yoonseo and her friend briefly.
"I have searched for the teacher as I have a question to ask him. Do you know when he will arrive?" I ask Junhee.
"No, I can't reach him either."
"There must be a phone in one of the office rooms, let's go check there." Yoonseo says.
"Sounds good." I say back.
Junhee takes the lead and we all follow him to the office staff room.
The first thing I notice in that room is the disproportionate space of the desks and the sides of it. Seems so small for only four workers, yet the desktops seem not enough for a regular staff room.
"It's out." Junhee gives a try to the telephones as I see Yoonseo walk towards that cup of coffee.
"This coffee is new. Are you sure you saw nobody?"
"Yes, I didn't see anyone." Junhee says as he looks at me knowing I followed the teacher at last.
"I did follow the teacher to the gate too but I lost him and I haven't seen him or anybody else from the staff ever since."
Phone rings*
"Hello!"
Yoonseo's quick reflexes catch the call, she stays still and then looks at us. "It's disconnected."
"Try 112, or 119."
"Okay."
Yoonseo follows Jeongwon's advice and gives it a try, only to be shut down by the disconnected service.
We stand in the middle of the room not knowing what to do next.
The phone buzzes and we all check our notifications in sync, apparently it's a message in the students group chat where Somi sends a request to call Yoonseo at the swimming pool.
"Do you know what's going on?" Yoonseo asks Junhee.
"Well, we're all taking turns to record interviews to play during the event tomorrow."
"Why didn't I receive such a thing?" I open my phone to check any unseen messages.
"How could we record an interview during this time?" Jeongwon says in dissatisfaction.
"Let's go."
As we're stepping down the stairs, the class president faces a student who I can guess pretty much what happened to him. From the blood marks on his face, Junhee tells us to move ahead.
"I will come too."
"It's too dangerous, Yoonhwa."
"I know, that's exactly why I'm coming. In case things get hectic I might be able to run and call for help from other nearby students. You will be outnumbered after all."
It must be Kyungjun's doing.
Junhee sighs out and scratches the back of his head.
"Fine, but you will stand at the door and watch from a far."
"Okay!"
I wave my hands to both Yoonseo and her friend while we depart.
Junhee strides forward towards the scene we come across in the sports hall, a kneeling student surrounded by three jerks. The old jerk I know and the other two jerks just next to him.
"Jin Dabum, get up."
"What?"
"Just get up."
Dabum, the student that I previously got an off feeling about him finally stands up with a blood running nose.
"Kyungjun."
"Hm?"
"Don't you think your joke crossed the line?"
Kyunjun walks closer towards Junhee, "My joke?" He stands eye to eye with the class president and laughs a bit with a mockery tone then he drops the act all at once, "I couldn't be more serious than now."
'Okay that doesn't sound good.' I look both ways at the hallways I'm in for anyone near and someone actually catches my eyes. An athletic student on top of that, jackpot!
After I miss a few seconds of what's happening, I come to see Seungbin is now getting close to Junhee. "You think you're so handsome? Stop getting on my nerves. Darn it, who was it?"
A ball hits seungbin and drips away through the ground.
"Seungbin, you got so big."
The one who loves Nahee, Hyunho enters the scene to help Junhee out.
'Let's go!'
"Jung Hyunho, you jerk."
"Why are you causing ruckus here?"
"To exercise."
'Exercise, like, now? Nice cover for me.'
"What, you got a problem?" Hyunho glanced at Kyungjun.
As he seems to be getting on Kyungjun's nerves, what is Kyungjun going toــ
'Ew! Disgusting, my beautiful eyes! I'm sorry for letting you witness uncivilized boy behavior such as spitting.'
As I am wiping away the disgust from my eyes for whatever long that took me, my arm hits someone.
"Oh, you're done. I just called Hyunho for.. "
I open my eyes and I see Kyungjun.
and Seungbin,
and Jinha.
"Well, I was worried for you as you can tell," I automatically wear a professional smile I wear in front of any angry customer back at the family's shop. "Of course! how could I let a friend from the past go all by himself, alone." At any time now, the boys will definitely remember they left a girl in the door. "How lonely that could be?"
"Follow me."
"Haha, let me join you to remember the old days."
As I walk behind them, I watch the boys joking together inside the sports hall from the corner of my eyes. 'These useless boys, they actually forgot me?'
'It's okay, I will be fine. Knowing Kyungjun so well, he is probably hurt by how secluded he felt seeing all these people gathering against him. He just wants more company to renew his self esteem and his illusioned sense of ego instead of feeding the first denial stage of the rejection pain.'
He stops, "Stay."
'Huh! See, didn't have to overthink so deeply about thi-'
"You follow me."
It takes a second or two for me to register that the 'stay' order was not in fact for me but for the boys next to me. They seem to understand that as they glance over at me one last time before they are gone like thin air.
Just me and him now.
"So, how is everything? What's the update? How's your family?"
Kyungjun doesn't answer.
"How about your highschool days, everything good so far?"
Kyungjun still stays silent.
"Lovley place, don't you think so? Very suitable for kids. I would have suggested a wider range of color palette, but, oh well,"
Kyungjun steps closer and closer, I fidget for a second but still manage to not cut away my eye contact from him.
'Let's see who is the last one staring.'
Kyungjun put his head on my shoulder.
'?????????'
I step back quickly on the spot as I notice him freezing his head as if he is still resting.
'I'm going to die. Farewell world.'
'Or he is going to die.'
"Oh no, you're too young to die this early! Kyungjun."
I raise his head and cup his face between my hands. He seems surprised before he wears his all-sharp-look again and pushes my hands away.
"Haven't you noticed anything weird in this place?"
"Yes! You!"
"Yoonhwa. For real."
"What do you mean?"
"When we went out smoking, the boys were fucking happy of how everything went smooth,"
"Language."
"But it was too smooth. Too easy. No teachers showed, no security guards stopped us. We haven't come across a single staff member to scold us either and they always do. Apparently students smoking is always a big issue that will ruin their business. But, none showed up. Zero fucks."
"Is that why you went out to smoke? Is it because you can attract the attention of the teachers and find them faster?"
"This, and the smoking part too."
"We tried to reach the teacher earlier by the office telephone line, but the line was disconnected. No one was even there from the staff."
"Fuck."
I frown over the swear word; mainly not because it's a bad word but because I could sense the hint of amusement in his tone when he said it.
"So what's next? Are we going to be murdered by a serial killer who enjoys watching high schoolers suffer in misery and despair?"
Kyungjun grins while he spews his nonsense.
A moment passes and I breathe in as I gather my courage.
"Kyungjun, why did you put your head on my shoulder?"
The grin disappears from Kyungjun's face.
"I won't tell anyone about what happened in middle school. You know I'm not that type of a person either."
'Well, if this is a psychological method of tormenting someone and haunting them down by confusing them, then I better take notes. Well done.'
"We need to head back to our dorms, the curfew time is getting closer. I don't want weird rumors with you too."
"Whatever."
I stop my feet.
"Actually, another question. Why did you discuss your thoughts with me instead of your pals about how weird this place is?"
I turned to him again.
"I don't even think a single thought crossed their shitty minds."
I look at him as he throws the words casually sliding his hands in his pocket looking elsewhere.
'You don't want to scare them.'
He added right away,"Plus, you are the one who got a teacher behind bars in middle school for assaulting your friends."
I freeze.
"Fuck you were the creep kid too," He continues as if he is reciting an old beautiful memory. "You went purposely to his class acting like you knew nothing, printed out an article of, what was it again? Ten Ways of How to Assault Your Students, A 101 Guide." he snaps his finger in mockery as he mimics the act of trying to remember. "You knew this shit would attract more attention that way."
"Kyungjun-ah!"
"My favourite line was the subtitle. Inspired by the teacher's name."
I stare at his eyes sharply as he laughs then step closer as he brings out his palm from his pocket.
"I'm saying, I guess that makes you have a worthy brain unlike the brainless shit of this class."
Kyungjun brings the lollipop he was holding into my face.
"You found some. Where?"
"You won't like the answer."
"I didn't hear a thing."
I grab the lollipop in a second and then speed-walk back to the dorms.
I finish my lollipop on my bed, staring at the white stick and the ceiling behind it with a more grounded feeling than ever. Lollipops always have a way to help me to calm down. That's right, let me adjust my family picture on my bedside table.
"Did something good happen?"
I look at my roommate who seems all smiley and shyly asking, glancing over at me as she adjusts a few items from her bag to her bedside table.
Nahee waits for my reply.
.
"Was it obvious?"
"Yes."
"Well, let's say that I found both Milkis and a Lollipop both on the same day."
"They sell Milkis here?"
"Yes! Over that vending machine on the third floor!"
"I better get some tomorrow."
"What a good refined taste I shall say, young lady."
I nod my head as an agreement as we laugh a bit at each other.
Nahee raises her phone once again, and sighs.
"They really can't stop talking about this mafia game."
"Yeah, they seem all excited about it. Well, only one."
"Heo yul?"
"Who else?" I chuckle.
I'm sure by tomorrow we will resume our activities just like normal. The teacher will come with the staff and we will have a good explanation for what happened. Maybe they went to secure the place more? Since it's clearly still in the construction phase.
"Right, a doctor can't use their skill in the first round? That's new." I say.
An alarm rings through the dorm corridor, did the teacher come back already?
"A minute left to vote."
I open the dorm room and see all the students there standing. Some do check their phones and I copy them to check my phone's screen as well, a red panel shows with a countdown timer for a minute.
'Did I turn the timer by mistake or does it come with the app? It does look like the same design of the app. That Mafia game or whatever.'
"Hey, what is this?"
"Did you see that?"
"Isn't this brilliant?"
More students started to pile up outside their rooms, including the class president.
"He made it."
"It wasn't me."
"Did you vote?"
"Yes, who did you vote for?"
Yoonseo and her friend exchange talks as I hear them, I might vote as well. Who should it be? I take a look over their faces and run a quick check up.
Then I click.
"The voting has ended."
'There's someone talking through the speaker, did the teachers really come back with all the staff? Thankgoodness.'
"I bet he got all the votes." I see Eunha pointing her finger over Heo yul.
'Are they continuing their beef from today's morning mafia game?'
"You're the one who made this game anyways."
'Wait, didn't this game, like, come free with a coupon from this retreat center or something?'
"What did I do? Why did you vote for me? Don't make this boring."
"See? That means you are the mafia."
"Ugh!"
"Heo Yul with the most votes, a total of 23 votes will be executed."
"Bye bye."
As his friend jokingly waves him goodbye, I close my phone screen and I open my room's door.
'I'm too sleepy for this. I will ask the teacher tomorrow about the shops since they all came back.'
"What's wrong with him?"
crash*
'Woah! What was that?'
"What is wrong with you?"
"Hey! Cut it off"
All the students look over Heo yul pulling his head from the glass as he crashes in. He turns around and walks stumbling over, like he is pulling one leg over the other. I hear gasps and girls screaming in surprise, while his friends tried to pull his body and stop him. I try to cover my mouth to conceal it from any noise while I watch his head.
A part of his head opens with his squishy bouncy brain on display that is still moving inside of him, jiggling as it might fall.
He then walks to the side where a student steps as far away as possible, Heo yul starts hitting his brain into the side wall of the hallways, one thud, two thuds. One after another, with the third and forth some girls start crying and shouting as the inside of his brain meat and organs is now smudged with the old beige vintage wall. I breathe my best not to panic but before I could catch my breath, he runs through the hall, crossing all the students and heads straight into the glass wall. We scream as we expect him to crash.
But the wall didn't break in the first try.
As he hits the window Thud* more and more violently Thud* he keeps crashing into it Thud* like a hammer Thud* that lost its form. Thud* The corridor Thud* now Thud* smelled Thud* of sweat, puke, Thud* and blood. Thud*
Thud*
Thud*
Thud*
Thud*
Thud*
Thud*
Thud*
Heo yul jumps over.
"Heo yul was a citizen."
School bell rings*
"Night Has Come."