Chapter 2

"Hey! Hey! Jamie! Wake up, idiot!" 

He opens his eyes and looks at the person who called him in a stern voice. His eyes flutter with confusion as he sees the man looking at him with irritation.

You are so stupid! How could you sleep in class and not wake up?! Mom is furious and made me fetch you! Dumbass, collect your things and follow me now!" he said, walking away. Gongyun frowned at the attitude but blinked and jerked his head to take in his surroundings.

The place is unrecognizable, but Gongyun has a sense that he's in a classroom—perhaps at a university, he concludes. The setup is similar to his previous school, but different enough that it feels foreign to him. Unlike his school, where he felt warmth, this place is cold and apathetic. It's as if the very walls are telling him he doesn't belong here, warning him that it's dangerous to stay.

Instinctively, he bit his lip, a sign of his nervousness. What happened to him? Did he get stabbed and bleed to death? Damn! Now that his memory was returning, Gongyun felt a shivering fear crack through his bones. Where was he? Who was that person who killed him? What happens next? Did he survive? But he was supposed to be in a hospital.

Panic surges through Gongyun as he quickly stands up to run. Was he being kidnapped, or had something even stranger happened? He runs desperately, spotting a hallway, but the place is completely unfamiliar. He notices a bag on his back and realizes he's wearing an incredibly ugly outfit. Who the hell wears neon light baggy pants and big red shoes? He looks like a clown, and his polo shirt is suffocating him, the top button tightly fastened against his neck. He quickly unbuttons it, inhaling deeply and repeatedly.

He tried to calm down, but his eyes darkened as irritation crept in. He felt strange and mostly pissed off. He kept running until he reached the entrance. The entire place was massive, far larger than the university he attended years ago. What the heck is happening?

There's a car in front of him, and the man who looks pissed is patiently watching him. Gongyun recognizes him—it's the same man he saw when he first woke up, the one who looked at him with such hatred. A familiar shiver runs down his spine, warning him that this man is dangerous. Gongyun doesn't know why, but his instincts scream at him to run. Almost on cue, his legs seem to move on their own. He runs as if someone is chasing him, as if someone is trying to kill him—a faceless stranger hovering above, mercilessly stabbing him. Gongyun keeps running until he reaches a nearby park, oblivious to the shouts calling his name.

The park is vast, and sweat drenches him as he runs. He feels the numbness in his legs, and when he spots a bench, he quickly makes his way to it. His body is trembling from the sudden exertion, and he almost curses—his body should be in shape, but he barely ran! The university is not far away from the park, yet his body is screaming in pain. He sighs and looks up at the sky. The darkness of the night fills him with melancholy. He feels alone.

... silence

A sudden pain in his head made him close his eyes and grit his teeth. Something was tugging at his mind—a distant memory and overwhelming pain overtaking him. It felt like his brain was being relentlessly needled. With his eyes shut tight, the memories flashed through his mind like an old film playing.

After excruciating minutes, Gongyun blinks. His eyes are watery from the sudden rush of memories that has shaken him to his core.

Gongyun is certain that he died that night. Now, he's come back to life as a different person, living a tragic life he never thought he could understand. How much did this boy suffer and die in silence in a cold, frigid room like a classroom?

A chilling murder that went unnoticed even in a crowded classroom. He couldn't seek help because someone had immobilized him completely. He was unable to cry, speak, or move. It was a tragic death in a place where no one showed any concern for him.

He was murdered. This boy died because someone killed him, just like Gongyun.

Gongyun cried, overwhelmed by the boy's tragic fate. He wept as if he were the one who had endured those horrors, as if he were the soul who had suffered through it all. The guilt and the solitude consumed him.

End of chapter 2.