This trip was supposed to be the most enjoyable part of their study tour. At least, that's what Kyle had been saying ever since they left the university.
However, after hours of sitting on the bus, traveling along a long road with a landscape that hardly changed, the atmosphere began to lose its excitement.
Some students had already fallen asleep. Others were busy on their cell phones, chatting, or simply staring out the window.
Meanwhile, Raven...
She had lost count of how many times she'd almost fallen asleep.
"What a boring trip..." Raven thought.
But what bothered her more wasn't the constant rocking of the bus or her friends' chatter. Her thoughts kept returning to that dream. Her gaze was blank as she stared out the window. The twilight slowly faded behind the horizon, leaving behind an orange-hued sky that was actually quite beautiful.
Unfortunately, Raven wasn't really paying attention to it.
All that kept popping into her head was the figure of that stranger in the black cloak. His vacant gaze, his calm expression, and for some reason… a sadness that felt so deep.
Every time she woke up from that dream, a strange feeling always lingered inside her. Raven didn't know what was causing it, but the more she tried to forget it, the more clearly that image resurfaced.
Ever since she was a child, Raven had often felt that something wasn't quite right with her.
It wasn't because he didn't have family or friends. It was just that sometimes he felt like a part of himself was missing
something he should remember but had never managed to find.
His daydream was interrupted when the bus began to slow down. A few seconds later, the bus stopped at a rest area.
The counselor's voice came over the loudspeaker.
"Attention, everyone!"
The chatter inside the bus gradually died down.
"We're stopping briefly to refuel. If anyone wants to use the restroom or buy food and drinks, feel free to get off. Don't take too long, okay?"
As soon as they heard that, several students immediately stood up.
"Finally!"
"Let's hit the convenience store first!"
"I want coffee!"
The bus became lively again. The students began getting off, joking around and nudging each other.
Raven stood up too.
But just as he started to move, he felt something heavy on his shoulder.
He turned his head.
Kyle was still asleep, his head resting on Raven's shoulder. His mouth was slightly open, and there was even a bit of drool at the corner of his lips.
Raven stared at him for a few seconds.
"You're such a…"
She shifted her shoulder slowly.
Kyle's head immediately lost its support and fell forward.
Thud!
"Huh?!"
Kyle woke up instantly.
He lifted his head, looking confused, his hair a mess.
"What happened?"
A few students still on the bus burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"Wake up, Kyle!"
Kyle rubbed his head as he looked around.
"Are we there yet?"
Lisa, who was already standing in the aisle of the bus, burst out laughing with satisfaction.
"Hahaha! Serves you right! You were so eager to get everyone to have fun earlier, and now you're sleeping like you've passed out."
"What are you talking about…" Kyle yawned. "I just closed my eyes for a second."
"A second? Really?" Karin replied, stifling a laugh. "Enough to drool like that."
Kyle immediately wiped the corner of his mouth.
"Huh?"
Her laughter burst out again.
Hana, standing not far away, just gave a small smile.
"That's just how Kyle is."
"Hey, Hana! Don't join in!"
Hana just chuckled softly.
Raven shook her head at the commotion.
She chose to get off without getting involved.
As soon as she stepped onto the asphalt, Raven yawned softly and took a deep breath. The afternoon air felt much fresher than the air inside the bus.
She slipped both hands into her jacket pockets and walked away from the bus.
In the parking lot, another bus had just pulled up not far from where they were.
The bus door opened.
A college student got off in a hurry, then immediately looked in Raven's direction.
"Heyyy! Raven! Oi!"
Raven stopped in his tracks and turned around.
He recognized the voice right away.
"Oh man… here comes that weirdo again."
The student approached him, panting. His face was slightly round, with messy dark brown hair that fell over part of his ears. Thin glasses perched on his face, while his brown eyes looked so enthusiastic even though he had just gotten off the bus.
"Are you okay, Carl?" Raven asked flatly.
Carl raised one hand.
"Phew... I'm fine. It's just that this ride's making me a little queasy."
He took another breath, then suddenly his face lit up with excitement.
"But forget about that for now. Listen to this, bro!"
Raven frowned.
"What?"
"The latest chapter is finally out!"
Carl's tone immediately burst with enthusiasm.
Raven just stared at him blankly.
"...Is that it?"
"Is that it?! This is big news!"
Carl was indeed one of Raven's close friends, not much different from Kyle. Unlike Kyle, who was always looking for a fight, Carl was more often lost in his own world.
His appearance was also quite distinctive. A hoodie with an anime illustration covered his slender frame, while a small bag filled with character keychains swayed every time he moved.
"Hey, Japanese nerd!"
Kyle's voice came from behind.
He had just gotten off the bus, yawning.
"Don't provoke my friend with your Japanese card talk."
Carl immediately turned around.
"What did you say, you clown?!"
His face flushed instantly.
Kyle grinned.
"Oh, are you offended?"
"Of course I'm offended!"
"Means I hit the mark."
"You—!"
As usual, they started arguing the moment they met. They taunted each other, blamed each other, and even nearly shoved each other.
Raven just stood beside them, sighing.
That's just how they are.
Somehow, after insulting each other for a few minutes, the two would go back to chatting as if nothing had happened.
From behind, Lisa shook her head at the commotion.
"Oh my gosh, these two are at it again."
Karin, walking beside her, chuckled along.
"Looks like they really can't get along for more than five minutes."
"Who says we get along?!" Kyle and Carl shouted almost in unison.
Lisa fell silent.
Then she chuckled softly.
"See, I told you."
"Here we go again…" Karin tapped her forehead, pretending to be exasperated.
Hana just chuckled at their antics.
Just then, a calm yet clear voice came from the other side.
"Come on, stop making a scene—it's embarrassing. Especially since you're such a big group," the calm voice said. Kevin strolled over casually, a faint smile on his face.
Several female students immediately started whispering, stifling their giggles.
Kyle snorted. "Hah, here comes the campus prince."
"At least I'm not the campus clown," Kevin replied calmly, his gaze piercing but his voice remaining flat. The comment successfully made a few people stifle their laughter.
Kyle immediately got heated. "What did you say?!"
But before he could step forward, Raven patted his shoulder, holding him back. "Come on, Kyle."
"He started it."
"And you're the one who wants to engage with him."
Kyle snorted but eventually backed off.
Kevin just gave a small smile before turning his gaze to Hana. "Are you okay, Hana? It's a bit noisy in here. If you're not comfortable, why don't you come with me for a bit? I'll treat you to a drink or something to eat."
Hana was taken aback for a moment, then quickly shook her head. "Huh? I… I'm fine."
"I see..." Kevin gave a faint smile. "If anything comes up, don't hesitate to let me know."
Without waiting for a reply, Kevin strolled casually toward the store. His leather shoes gleamed under the rest area lights, giving off an air that was both haughty and alluring.
"Pffft… look at him, acting all cool, even though he just got rejected," Carl whispered, stifling a laugh.
"That kid is so full of himself…," Karin added softly, her eyes glancing toward Kevin as he walked further away.
"I just don't get it—Hana rejected him, but he's still hanging around."
Carl, who had been listening the whole time, immediately turned toward Hana.
"Um… I'm still curious, Hana."
Hana lifted her face.
"Why?"
"If Kevin is that attentive, why did you turn him down?"
Hana was silent for a moment.
She then gave a faint smile.
"Well… he is kind and attentive."
Hana looked down for a moment.
"But I have my own reasons."
Carl scratched his head.
"Your own reasons?"
"Yeah."
That brief answer made Carl even more curious, but before he could ask anything else, Karin nudged his arm.
"Come on, stop being nosy."
Lisa gave a slight nod.
"Right. If Hana wants to tell you, she'll tell you herself later."
The two exchanged glances. They knew the real reason. However, for now, they chose to keep it to themselves.
Meanwhile, Raven had been silently watching their conversation the whole time. He wasn't particularly interested in getting involved.
After letting out a soft sigh, Raven finally turned around.
"Come on, let's go inside. Aren't you guys going to shop?"
Without waiting for an answer, he walked toward the convenience store.
"Hey, wait!"
Kyle immediately followed him.
Carl jogged after him.
"Don't leave me behind, bro!"
Hana, Lisa, and Karin followed behind them.
Lisa walked beside Karin, then glanced at Raven, who had already gone inside.
"Sometimes I'm just so confused."
Karin turned her head.
"Hm?" Lisa sighed.
"Is Raven actually just clueless, or is she just really dense?"
Karin immediately stifled a laugh.
Hana, who heard that, just looked down. Her face flushed slightly.
"You guys shouldn't talk like that..."
Lisa and Karin exchanged glances.
Then the three of them chuckled before finally quickening their pace to catch up with Raven inside the convenience store.
Inside, Raven was standing in front of the beverage fridge.
Her hand was still holding the open fridge door, but her gaze was vacant, as if her thoughts were far away from that place.
The image from her dream earlier resurfaced.
A vague face on the canvas.
Brushstrokes.
And a voice that kept calling her name.
"Raven… Raven… ven…"
"Raven…"
That soft voice sounded so close it snapped her back to reality.
Raven turned her head.
Hana was standing right behind her, so close that Raven could feel her breath.
Hana herself only just realized how close they were.
Her face immediately flushed. She hurriedly took a step back.
"I-I'm sorry..."
Her hand unconsciously clenched the hem of her cardigan.
"I just wanted to say... our friends are waiting at the register."
"Oh."
Raven closed the refrigerator door.
"Yeah. Sorry, I was spacing out."
"It's okay."
Hana gave a small smile.
"Well then, let's go."
They walked together toward the register. The atmosphere between them felt awkward, as if a thin wall separated them. Yet, they had once been such close childhood friends who were always together. However, a single issue in the past had caused their relationship to crack, leading to a full year of no communication. It was only here at college that they were trying to mend things.
"Raven."
"Hm?"
Hana glanced at him.
"You've been spacing out a lot lately. What's up?"
"Ah, nothing… just thinking about next semester."
Raven's answer came out too quickly.
Hana gave a faint smile. She knew Raven was lying, but chose not to press her.
"That's so typical of you."
Raven turned to look at her.
"What is?"
"Always thinking about the future. You've always been like that."
Hana fell silent for a moment.
"But… I like that side of you."
The words just slipped out.
Hana immediately realized what she'd said.
"Ah—I didn't mean it that way. I just…"
Her face flushed. She quickly looked away. Raven stared at her for a moment before chuckling softly.
"I like you just the way you are, too."
Hana slowly turned her head.
"Always caring about others."
Raven gave a faint smile.
"You haven't changed much, Hana."
Hana's face flushed again. This time, she could only manage a small smile as she lowered her head. Before long, they reached the checkout line. Their friends were already waiting.
Lisa jumped right in. "Hey, you two took forever. We thought you'd gotten lost."
"Yeah, that's really unusual for you two," Carl added, surprised.
Karin looked at the two of them with a mischievous smile, her chin resting on her hand. "Hmm… looks like something's going on, huh?" she said teasingly.
Hana immediately looked down, her cheeks flushed all the way to her ears. "N-nothing's going on!" she said quickly, panicked.
"Ah… sorry, sorry." Raven scratched his head, even though it clearly wasn't itchy.
Karin narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you the one apologizing?"
Raven fell silent.
"I don't know."
Lisa immediately chuckled.
"Come on, Karin. Look at their faces—they're so pitiful."
"Don't get involved, Lisa!"
Before their conversation could drag on any longer, Kyle interrupted from behind.
"Hey, you guys! Hurry up and pay. If we take too long, we might miss the bus."
His tone sounded playful, but his expression was indeed a little panicked. From near the convenience store entrance, a man's voice could be heard.
"Relax. The bus isn't going to leave without you."
Everyone turned around.
The man was the advisor who had been watching them from outside the whole time.
He smiled casually.
"If anyone gets left behind, it'll probably be Kyle."
"Ha! I agree, Mr. William!" Lisa replied quickly.
Several students immediately burst out laughing.
"Hey! Why is it always me?!"
Laughter erupted among them once more.
Amid the commotion, Raven caught a glimpse of Hana. She was chuckling along with the others. But when their eyes met, Hana quickly looked away.
Raven just frowned briefly.
For some reason, Hana's gaze just now felt a little different.
He didn't have time to think about it further.
After they finished shopping, the counselors began gathering the students near the rest area. One by one, names were called and checked.
William stood near the bus, holding the participant list. His gaze moved from one face to the next, making sure no one was left behind.
"We'll arrive at our destination around seven in the morning tomorrow."
He closed the list after confirming everyone was accounted for.
"So get plenty of rest tonight. Don't make too much noise on the bus."
William's gaze lingered on Kyle.
Kyle, realizing this, immediately gave a stiff smile.
"Yes, sir…"
A few students stifled their laughter.
"Yes, sir!" they replied almost in unison.
William shook his head slightly at their antics.
"All right. Let's get on the bus. We still have a few more hours to go."
It was getting late as the bus pulled away from the rest area.
However, the atmosphere inside the bus actually grew livelier.
A few students took out cards and started playing between the seats. The loser received a punishment: having their face drawn on or smeared with powder.
It didn't take long before Kyle and Lisa became the worst-hit victims.
"HEY! Not there!"
"Take that!" Lisa laughed smugly as she dabbed powder on Kyle's cheeks.
"Lisa! That's cheating!"
Laughter immediately echoed throughout the bus.
Raven just watched from her seat, shaking her head slightly.
Everything still looked like an ordinary trip.
Jokes and laughter filled the entire room with the endless chatter of college students. But no one realized that this night would be their final journey.
Because, in just a few hours, the world they knew would change forever.