— You all have your own roles in this game. If Kak Arkha is taking Kak Agantha's role, then he's most likely the detective —
Hesa frowned as he read the sticky note.
He had just finished getting ready and was about to open the door to head to school when he noticed a new sticky note slipped under it.
"When did this get here? I swear there wasn't anything when I got home yesterday."
Confused, he tucked the sticky note into the pocket of his blazer. As he opened the door, he found his friend standing not far away, as if he was about to knock.
"Morning, babe," Jaehyuk greeted cheerfully.
"Idiot," Hesa reflexively smacked his head.
"If you're asking me to go to school with you, don't use greetings like that," he added.
"What's wrong with that? We're besties," Jaehyuk pouted.
"There are lots of nicknames for besties, Jae. You're not Winter," Hesa shot back.
"Alright, alright—my beloved," Jaehyuk teased.
"Then go find yourself a real 'beloved'," Hesa replied.
"I have one," Jaehyuk said proudly.
"Yeah, but she's 2D. You watch way too much anime," Hesa scoffed.
"Hehe," Jaehyuk grinned.
Not far from where they were walking, Hesa noticed a boy heading toward the school gate as well.
"Wanna go say hi?" Jaehyuk asked, following his gaze.
"Nope. Who even is that?" Hesa replied.
"Judging by the hair and uniform… probably Sakala," Jaehyuk guessed.
"Could be the wrong person," Hesa said.
"That's why you should try greeting him first."
"Nah. Besides, we're going different ways," Hesa dismissed.
He watched the boy in silence. For some reason, something felt off—like there was something he was forgetting.
Hesa felt as though he had forgotten something important.
~~~~~~~~
Arkha had just stepped into the classroom when he was greeted by a noisy atmosphere. The students were talking about a junior who had been found dead mysteriously the day before.
"Khan, why are you spacing out in front of the door?" Setta called out.
"It's nothing," Arkha shook his head nervously and quickly went to his seat.
Niki, who sat in front of him, turned around. "Khan, since you're smart and all, how about we play a guessing game?"
"Guess what?" Arkha asked.
"Guessing about that junior who died," Niki replied.
"What's there to guess? The case is already being handled by the police," Arkha said.
"There hasn't been any official statement yet," Satya added.
"Some people think she took her own life, others think she was murdered," Jio said.
"I'm not a detective, man. I don't feel like thinking about stuff that doesn't benefit me," Arkha muttered.
"Tch, you're no fun," Niki complained.
"I don't care," Arkha shrugged.
"I was thinking the same thing. There's no need to dig into things that have nothing to do with us," Setta agreed.
Arkha glanced flatly at Setta. For some reason, he felt reluctant to face him, yet he couldn't openly accuse Setta of being a traitor either.
"Are you guys still traumatized by what happened back then?" Jio asked.
"I still kinda remember that formless hand knocking on the window, but I'm better now," Niki admitted.
"What about you guys? Did you find who attacked you?" Setta asked.
Satya shook his head. "There were no clues at all, other than the CCTV footage—and even that wasn't very clear."
"Guys, how about we just forget it and move on? We can start scouting locations for vlogs again later," Jio suggested.
"Sure, but let's talk about it during break, while we eat," Satya replied.
"We're also missing some members if we talk about it now," Arkha added, glancing around.
They all nodded and soon busied themselves with their phones while waiting for the bell.
Unlike the others, Arkha chose to leave the classroom.
~~~~~~~~~
Arkha headed to the library. He briefly passed by the student council room and saw a senior inside. Rather than wasting time doing nothing in class, he figured it was better to relax and read.
The library was very quiet—there were no other students around. He sat down after picking a book neatly arranged on the shelf.
"Not with Hesa?" someone asked.
Arkha turned to see a boy with cat-like visuals sitting beside him.
"Hesa seems busy in the student council room," Arkha replied.
"Oh, no wonder you're alone," Joan said.
"Is it not allowed for me to be alone?" Arkha shot back.
"No, it's just unusual. I usually see you guys being really serious—talking about the terror stuff, right?" Joan teased.
"That's just your imagination," Arkha said.
"Lately, I've noticed you guys always discussing suspicious things. And coincidentally—or not—we got terrorized," Joan said.
"The terror has nothing to do with us," Arkha replied firmly.
"Hm," Joan responded briefly.
Arkha stole a few glances at him. It seemed Joan wouldn't stop until he got the answer he wanted.
"Hesa and I were just talking about theories," Arkha said.
"Theories?" Joan echoed.
"Yeah… lately we've been into a Korean idol group called Verivery," Arkha explained.
Joan turned his face away, letting out an annoyed sigh. Was that really the reason? Their expressions had clearly looked tense and serious.
"I'm serious, Jo. They have an interesting MV theory. About members going into an abandoned building to play hide-and-seek—and after that, they start getting terrorized," Arkha continued.
"Hide-and-seek in an abandoned house? That sounds like what we went through," Joan said.
"Exactly. That's why it feels relatable, and I tried to break down their theory," Arkha replied.
"It still has nothing to do with us, Khan," Joan said.
"It's just for fun. Anyway, after the hide-and-seek, they get terrorized at school, and then one of them disappears—"
Arkha's words were cut off when Joan suddenly walked away. He clearly had no interest in listening anymore. Arkha only smiled, feeling satisfied at successfully messing with the cat-like boy.
~~~~~~~~
"Bye, Sa."
"Bye," Hesa replied briefly, waving back at Minju.
As the last person to leave the student council room, he closed and locked the door.
He walked toward his classroom. Somehow, the atmosphere felt colder and more unsettling. Hesa brushed off the feeling and kept walking.
He tried to stay calm, but his eyes caught sight of something in the back garden of the school—a place rarely visited by students. The garden was often used by delinquents, and rumors said it would soon be renovated, which was why no one gathered there anymore.
Hesa walked closer until he clearly saw a girl leisurely wandering around the garden. The sight made Hesa smile bitterly as, without realizing it, clear tears slipped from his eyes.
"You're here," he said softly.
The girl turned around and smiled. "I wanted to thank you for finding my body. But I also wanted to apologize—I couldn't help you more."
"You were killed by them, weren't you? Who… my double?" Hesa asked.
Jihan lowered her head, listening silently. She hadn't expected Hesa to be suspicious. She never intended to tell the truth, afraid Hesa would blame herself.
"I'm sorry. I also lied to you about being terrorized too."
"No mistake you made could ever compare to this. Because of me, you were killed like this…"
Hesa fell to his knees in front of the girl. He truly felt overwhelmed with guilt. Jihan had lost her life simply because she tried to help him.