That morning, Roby and Nam Do Yoon were casually walking through the school gate. The air was crisp, the sky clear, and—as usual—Roby looked like a stylish mess.
Do Yoon glanced ahead and chuckled.
"Look…"
Near the entrance, Tae Yang was being held up by the teacher on duty, looking totally annoyed.
Tae Yang: "Sir… I left my tie on my friend's bike. It's not that I'm lazy…"
Teacher: "Classic excuse. Stay here."
Roby, still smirking, suddenly realized: his shirt was untucked, tie missing, and hair wild.
Another teacher pointed at him.
Teacher: "You too! Stay here!"
Roby: "Huh? I was just on my way to get my tie from the teacher's room…"
Do Yoon tried to hold back his laughter, waving as he walked away.
"I'm heading in first. Don't get caught too long!"
Roby looked at Tae Yang, who also seemed ready to bolt.
Roby (whispers): "Ready to run?"
Tae Yang: "On the count of three."
One… two… THREE!
They took off at full speed, racing past the courtyard, as the teacher yelled behind them,
"ROBY! TAE YANG! GET BACK HERE!"
Tae Yang laughed: "You're insane! I like you, Roby!"
Roby: "This school needs a bit of chaos every morning!"
The two ran off laughing, while other students just shook their heads, used to their antics by now.
From the second-floor window, Do Yoon sipped from his juice box, watching them.
Do Yoon (murmuring): "Two morning clowns. This school's never quiet anymore."
That morning, the atmosphere at the Seo family dining table was cold and tense.
Seo Yoon Ji sat quietly, holding her spoon without really touching her food.
Her father, a stern-looking man with a sharp voice and unsettling calmness, finally broke the silence.
Father:
"Yoon Ji, don't let that school incident drag on. And don't you dare let our family's secrets get exposed just because of some... teenage nonsense."
Yoon Ji lifted her gaze slowly, locking eyes with him. Her lips remained sealed, but her eyes burned with defiance.
He stood and walked over to her, leaning in closer.
Father:
"Don't end up like your sister, Yoon Ji."
Her shoulders stiffened.
Father (firmly):
"Focus on your grades. Be the pride of this family."
Suddenly, the chair next to her scraped loudly—Seo Min Gyu stood up, his expression dark, fury barely held in.
Min Gyu:
"Can you stop pressuring her every damn day?! Stop comparing her to our sister—she disappeared because of your abuse!"
Father (voice rising):
"Min Gyu! Watch your mouth. At least I've never restricted your life like I did hers. You should be grateful—"
Min Gyu cut him off.
Min Gyu (coldly):
"Then go ahead. Restrict me now. Let's make it official. I'm not the kind of child you can control. I'm not you."
Yoon Ji looked up in shock. Her father was frozen, his hands trembling slightly.
Min Gyu grabbed his bag and turned to Yoon Ji.
"Let's go. We'll go to school together."
Yoon Ji slowly stood, setting down her spoon without a word.
As they walked toward the door, she gave her father one last look—not of fear, but quiet resolve.
And just like that, they walked out, leaving behind the dining table—and all the rotting pain tied to it.
Elsewhere, Hae Jun sat calmly in class, his cold smile unchanged. Beside him, Dae Hyun entered silently and took a seat. Their eyes met briefly.
Hae Jun spoke quietly.
"Has it been sent out?"
Dae Hyun nodded.
Back in Roby's classroom, things seemed normal, but tension lingered just beneath the surface.
Lucas sat beside Roby, looking casual—but his eyes were calculating.
Lucas (glancing sideways):
"You getting close with Tae Yang now?"
Roby scoffed.
"They're the ones trying to redeem themselves... not like I went looking for new friends."
He leaned back, grinning slightly.
"Besides, they're not the ones who killed Ji Hoon."
He glanced forward. Do Yoon and Tae Yang sat not far ahead, watching quietly, then gave Roby a subtle nod.
Suddenly...
Ha Rin approached briskly. Her tone was annoyed.
"Lucas! Teacher's calling you. Go grab the class assignments."
Lucas got up without a word and left.
A few moments later, Min Gyu slipped in from the back of the room and sat in the corner, his expression tight.
Ha Rin quickly approached him.
Ha Rin (whispering):
"Hey… are you guys hiding something with Yoon Ji?"
Min Gyu looked at her sharply.
"What are you talking about?"
Ha Rin:
"I went to Hae Jun's house last night. They were all there. I overheard something... a flash drive. They said it had a recording of Ji Seok the day Ji Hoon died."
Min Gyu tensed.
"Damn it… That's a fake. Dae Hyun made it. Hae Jun told him to edit the footage. It's all manipulated to frame Ji Seok even more."
From the back row, Roby, Do Yoon, and Tae Yang listened closely.
Tae Yang narrowed his eyes.
"If even Ha Rin doesn't know about that… and she hangs out with them all the time…"
Roby cut in with a low, pointed tone.
"So you just did whatever they told you, huh, Rin? Without even asking why?"
Ha Rin froze. Her face dropped as she sat back down quietly.
Ha Rin (softly):
"I followed them because I thought they were my friends… You knew that, Min Gyu."
Silence filled the space for a moment.
Do Yoon crossed his arms on the desk.
"That CCTV footage from Ji Hoon… we need to give it to the police. Before it's gone. Or worse—burned."
Roby nodded.
"Exactly. But we also need to figure out who's holding the rest of Ji Hoon's evidence. He was collecting more... Someone might be hiding it. Or destroying it."
Ha Rin looked stunned.
"You guys really think… they're the killers? What if you're wrong?"
Roby shook his head and stood up slowly.
"We're not accusing blindly, Ha Rin. We're just... getting too close to the truth. And that's why they're starting to panic."
Tae Yang stood up next to him, a crooked grin on his face.
"You know what usually happens... when guilty people start to panic?"
Do Yoon turned to the window.
"They create drama… or start eliminating witnesses."