Entering the class after a long while away felt strange, like stepping into a place that remembered me better than I remembered myself. I sat down on my locker, letting my eyes wander around the room. The familiar noise of murmurs, chairs scraping the floor, and distant laughter filled the air. That was when Minho caught my gaze. He smiled warmly and walked over, sitting beside me as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"No troubles," he said lightly. "You're looking great already."
I nodded and returned a small smile, though I wasn't sure I truly felt okay.
Moments later, Raven entered the class. He didn't look in my direction—not even for a second. He walked straight to his locker and sat down, his presence heavy, his expression unreadable.
Soah entered ,She paused, clearly about to sit in the seat assigned to her, but the moment her eyes met Raven, she hesitated. Then, as if drawn by something , she changed direction and walked straight to him.
"Hi, friend," she said brightly, lifting her hand for a handshake.
Raven glanced at her briefly, then looked away, completely ignoring the gesture.
"Oh," the girl said, unfazed. "Same cold face." She sat beside him anyway, far too comfortable for someone who had just been ignored.
"You know," she continued cheerfully, "my mother once told me a story. She said when someone's face is always angry and cold, there's a trick to make them laugh."
Raven didn't respond.
She leaned in slightly and said, "Do you use your face to poop?" Then she burst into laughter, clearly amused by her own joke.
Raven finally turned and looked at her, his eyes dark and sharp.
"Oh," the girl said quickly, her smile faltering. "I guess it's not funny." She looked away, momentarily embarrassed.
From where I sat beside Minho, I watched the scene unfold. Raven didn't turn his head at my side as he always do, He was sitting with this new girl—someone I didn't know, someone whose face was bright and cheerful. I watched for a while, my chest tightening with every second. Minho sat quietly beside me, unaware of the storm building inside my heart.
Raven didn't notice my stare at all. His attention remained on the girl beside him, listening as she spoke, her expressions animated, her laughter light. I couldn't tell how my heart truly felt, only that something inside me twisted painfully. Before I realized it, I found myself standing up.
Minho noticed immediately.
"Jina, are you going somewhere?" he asked, concern flickering across his face.
For a moment, I had almost forgotten he was there.
"Ye… yes, I am," I replied. "I want to go to the cafeteria."
He stood up too. "Okay, let's go together then. Nothing much is happening here anyway."
I nodded, but before turning away, I glanced back at Raven. He was still focused on the girl, listening to her talk, his expression softer than I had seen in a long time. Something sharp burned in my chest. I turned away quickly and walked out, Minho following behind me.
At the cafeteria, Minho pulled out a chair for me. I sat down heavily, my thoughts racing.
"So he wants to deceive someone else too," I muttered bitterly, "so he can devour her as the monster he is."
Minho froze and turned to me. "What do you mean?"
My anger surged, hot and uncontrollable. "That demon in disguise," I snapped. "That monster pretending to be human. I can't wait to get my powers back so I can kill him myself."
Even as the words left my mouth, I wasn't sure where they were truly coming from. I didn't know if the anger I felt was because Raven was a vampire… or because of something else entirely—something deeper, more painful, and harder to admit.
I stared toward the direction of the trees outside, then back at Minho, who had returned with a drink and placed it in front of me. I took a sip, but it did nothing to calm me. My mind drifted back to the girl—Soah, I had overheard someone call her.
The way she smiled so easily. The way she laughed. The way Raven looked at her.
"If only she knew," I said quietly, almost to myself, "how much of a devil and hopping corpse he really is."
I hadn't realized I said it out loud until Minho turned fully toward me, his brows drawn together in concern.
"Jina," he said softly, "are you sure you're okay?"
I stared past him, toward the trees outside the cafeteria window—the same direction Raven always disappeared to.
"I don't know," I whispered.
And that was the scariest part of all.