"Jina… Jina…"
A gentle call floated through my half-sleep, brushing against my ear like cold breath. I turned on my bed, groggy and confused. The room was dark, and the soft blue glow of my phone my mom just bought for me told me it was just 10 p.m. I had fallen asleep too early, drained from everything twisting my mind today.
"Who's that?" I called, my voice still thick from sleep.
"It's me… Jan."
I sat up immediately. "Jan?"
My feet touched the cold floor as I hurried to the door.
The moment I opened it, Jan stood there, her face pale and tense, like she had been standing in the hallway for a long time… listening. The corridor behind her was empty—too empty for a night like this.
"Jan, are you okay?" I asked.
"Yes, Jina… I'm fine. I just…"
She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder.
"My roommates didn't come back again today. And I… I haven't slept alone since I came to this school."
The fear in her eyes was raw—an unspoken confession of something deeper than loneliness.
"Okay, Jan," I said gently. I reached for my spare blanket. "You can sleep here. Share the bed with me."
"Thank you, Jina."
She walked in quietly, closing the door with unusual care—as if afraid something in the corridor was listening.
We climbed into the bed, lying side by side. For a few minutes she didn't say anything. She just kept scrolling through her phone, her fingers shaking slightly with each swipe. The soft glow of the screen lit her face, showing the anxiety she tried to hide.
Then—
"Jina," she whispered.
"Yes, Jan? Hope you're okay."
She turned her face to me. Her eyes gleamed in the dimness—full of things she hadn't said for too long.
"Jina… I heard you're the daughter of an inspector, right?"
I nodded slowly. "Yes. Jan, any problem with that?"
She stared at me. Not a stare of surprise, but of confirmation—like she had suspected it and only needed to hear me say it.
"Jina," she breathed, voice lowering, "Eunwoo wasn't just blackmailed."
My heart slammed in my chest.
I sat up instantly.
For a second, I didn't know whether to cover her mouth or beg her to stop talking. A chill crawled down my spine, the memory of Hae's lifeless body flashing in my mind. Maybe I should have told her to keep quiet—for her own safety. For mine.
But another part of me whispered:
Let her talk. For once, let someone finally talk.
"Jan," I said quietly, "keep your voice down."
She nodded, but her words rushed out anyway, like a dam finally breaking.
"Jina, I'm tired of keeping all this in. I'm tired, Jina… I'm really tired. And I want it all to stop."
My throat tightened.
"What happened to Eunwoo?"
Jan swallowed hard.
"Eunwoo was very close to Yen. People even said they were dating. They spent almost every day together. But suddenly… Eunwoo started avoiding her. Completely. Yen was worried—asking him what was wrong, why he was acting strange—but he refused to say anything."
The room felt colder now.
"At some point," Jan continued, "news spread that Eunwoo disappeared. Just vanished. People said he'd been involved in a criminal operation on school… that someone broke into the mistress's office and stole all the CCTV cameras. Some were smashed into pieces. Some gone completely."
I froze.
"And they said Eunwoo did it," Jan whispered. "That he ran away because he was guilty. Investigations were done and everyone was told the same thing—it was Eunwoo."
My stomach twisted.
"But his parents came," she said. "And they said they hadn't seen him. That Eunwoo only sent them a message—from an unknown number—saying he was fine but people were after him. And that's why he ran."
Jan looked at me.
"Jina… Eunwoo saw something on the cameras. Something he didn't want to say."
I felt the bed sway under me though neither of us had moved. My palms grew cold and damp.
"Jan… what did he see?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "But whatever he saw—it changed everything."
She shifted uneasily, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.
"There are… dark shadows around this school," she whispered, voice trembling. "Shadows nobody understands or knows where they come from."
A cold ache spread through my chest.
"After Eunwoo disappeared," she continued, "Yen said he didn't just disappear. She said she knew people were after him. She kept telling anyone who would listen that Eunwoo found something. Something about a death… a parent's death. She said he avoided her because he didn't want her involved."
"What happened to Yen?" I breathed.
Jan's eyes darkened.
"Yen started receiving threatening messages. Then one morning she came out and told students that Eunwoo had discovered a truth that connected to a parent's death… and that's why he was attacked."
My breath caught.
"And after she said that… Yen disappeared."
Jan shivered.
"Her room was wide open. Her bags were gone. Nothing was left except a single note on her table. 'I will be going on sick leave. I'll be back when I'm better.' People confirmed it was her handwriting but…"
Her voice cracked.
"Jina… that's not Yen's handwriting."
A chill tore through me.
"What about her parents?" I asked.
"Yen doesn't have any," Jan whispered. "She lives with relatives who barely care. When she disappeared, they just said she's always like that."
She looked straight into my eyes.
"Jina… nobody knows if Yen is alive or dead."
The weight of her words settled like lead in my chest.
I reached for her hand. It was icy.
"Jan… I care about your safety more than mine. And I know—this thing you've said… it could cost anything."
"For me to tell you," Jan whispered, "means I'm already fed up. And I heard—you want to investigate Hae's death… Yen's disappearance… and Eunwoo's?"
"I want to," I admitted. "But my mom… I'm scared for her. They've already begun sending her messages."
Jan stared at me, shocked.
"Messages? Jina… why your mom?"
I looked down.
"Because my dad… this is connected to him too."
Jan sat up suddenly.
"Your father?"
"Yes, Jan."
I took a shaky breath.
"My dad's camera—the one he left before he died… I secretly repaired it. Without telling my mom."
Jan's mouth fell open.
"I saw some static images. Broken, unclear… but some files were deleted. Someone deleted them on purpose."
"What did you find?" Jan whispered.
"There was a frame… of the side wall of my dad's study room. He recorded it. And on the wall—clearly written… was Eunwoo."
Jan's eyes widened until they glistened with fear.
"It's like everything is connected to my family," I whispered. "My dad's death, Eunwoo, Yen, Hae… and I want to know what he was investigating before he died."
My voice shook but I didn't stop.
"My mom said he collapsed. But there were no marks, no injury. Autopsy said nothing. And right after we left for the hospital, the house burned down."
Jan covered her mouth.
"Jina… someone covered it up."
"Yes. And I'm not giving up," I whispered. "Not until I know what's happening here."
Jan stared at me—fear, respect, and worry all clashing in her eyes.
"My only fear is my mom," I whispered. "She's already being threatened. Jan… please don't tell anyone any of this."
She squeezed my hand, firm and warm.
"Jina, trust me. If I wanted to expose anything, I wouldn't have told you what I did about Yen."
She hesitated before adding:
"And… I wasn't transferred to this school simply because they said so."I said looking at jan
"My dad worked it out," i whispered. "For reasons I still don't know."
"Jan… a whole lot is hidden here."
"Yes," I whispered. "And I need to know. It's like my dad was investigating Eunwoo—or something connected to him—before he died. I'll continue from where he stopped."
I inhaled deeply.
"If it takes my life, I'm prepared to fight."
Jan held my hand tightly.
"And I'll help you in any way I can, Jina."
"No," I said firmly. "Thank you. But don't drag yourself into my mess."
She smiled sadly. "Too late. I already did."
"Let's sleep," I whispered.
I pulled the blanket over us. We curled into the warmth, laughing quietly to break the tension before sleep finally pulled us under.
The room darkened.
The corridor outside fell silent.