Someone was standing in an unfamiliar place, then removed the red cloth that had been covering his vision. He turned his head around, confusion written all over his face.
It was a strange place he had never seen before—an unfinished building. He walked forward while trying to make sense of what was happening.
'I'm wearing a uniform. Don't tell me this is a school—but there's no renovation going on, right?'
He kept moving around, hoping to find something, any kind of clue.
'It feels like someone's following me.'
The young man turned around and saw a figure that looked exactly like him. For a moment, he even thought it was his twin.
'Who are you?!'
The figure kept walking closer, making him panic. He immediately ran as far as he could.
'Damn it! What kind of place is this? Why can't I find a way out?'
A tap on his shoulder and a voice suddenly woke him up.
"Setta, what's wrong?"
Setta lifted his head, rubbed his eyes, then slowly turned to Joan, who was sitting at the desk beside him.
"I think I fell asleep," Setta said.
"A nightmare?" Joan asked.
"N-no," Setta replied.
"You looked really restless earlier," Joan said.
Niki, who was sitting behind them, immediately chimed in. "Probably dreamed about being chased by debt collectors."
"Damn you, you're the one who owes me money," Setta shot back.
"Nyenyenye," Niki teased before quickly running out of the classroom.
"That's unusual. He usually just lazes around in class," Setta commented as he watched Niki disappear.
"He has plans with Khan. They're practicing dance together," Joan replied.
"Oh," Setta nodded in understanding.
"Wanna go out? We still have a free period," Joan asked.
"I'm going to the canteen," Setta said.
"Alright, let's go together. I need to use the toilet," Joan replied.
~~~~~~~
Hesa was still sitting on one of the rooftop benches, enjoying the breeze, when his phone suddenly rang.
"It's Jae. Misses me so much he had to text," Hesa chuckled as he read the overly dramatic messages from his friend.
"Alright then, I'll head back."
Hesa stood up and walked toward the door. When he opened it, something felt off.
The layout?
Had the school staff changed it recently?
The painting near the rooftop door was different from before—and Hesa remembered it clearly.
Not thinking too much about it, he casually straightened the slightly crooked painting and continued walking.
When he reached the fourth floor, everything was eerily quiet. There was no sign of life at all.
That was when Hesa realized something was wrong.
He walked down the corridor, glancing through the windows separating the hallway from the classrooms. Inside, there wasn't a single student. The staff room was the same—completely empty.
Confusion, anxiety, and fear mixed together in his mind. He quickly headed toward the stairs to go down. If everything below was the same, he needed to get out of the school and report this—get help.
Reaching the last step, Hesa paused to steady his breathing before moving again.
"Why do the stairs feel so long? I only went down one floor. Don't tell me… I entered another world?"
Hesa looked at the signboard nearby. It showed the number 4, meaning he was still on the fourth floor.
"Damn it!" Hesa slammed his fist against the wall in frustration.
He stepped back into the corridor.
Walking through the silent hallway with confusion weighing heavily on him, Hesa still paid close attention to his surroundings, hoping to find some kind of clue—anything that led to an exit.
"Rahesa Adinarta."
The call made Hesa spin around instantly.
His twin was standing there, smiling and waving at him.
"Heeseung."
The twin walked closer, his smile widening when Hesa said his name.
"Oh, so you've talked to Arkhan already. His twin accidentally mentioned my name when he met him," Heeseung said.
"Why?" Hesa asked sharply.
"Nothing, really. I just didn't expect Jake to mention me," Heeseung chuckled.
"I don't care! Why did you trap me here?!" Hesa snapped. Annoyed by Heeseung's relaxed attitude, he shoved him against the wall without realizing it.
Heeseung burst into laughter at Hesa's reaction. "Wait—why did you suddenly remind me of that lavender boy? Ah, okay, never mind."
Lavender… could it be—
"Who are you talking about?" Hesa demanded.
"Who? Why does it matter to you?" Heeseung pushed Hesa away slightly.
"Don't tell me you knew him…"
Hesa fell silent, afraid that answering would lead to something worse.
"Right, you didn't. That kid is already dead. And you were never supposed to know him anyway," Heeseung said casually, hands slipping into his jacket pockets.
"You remember, right? I said I wanted to play with you. I'm happy you still remember me," he continued.
"I'm not a kid," Hesa replied.
"In front of me, you are a weak little kid," Heeseung laughed again. "Besides, this is a game of death—a game perfect for us."
Without further warning, Heeseung raised the hand that had been in his pocket. Now, it was holding a gun, immediately aimed at Hesa.
"Let's begin," he said cheerfully.
Unlike him, Hesa slowly backed away, then turned and ran, being chased by his twin.
"I didn't expect you to join my game after rejecting it before."
Heeseung approached a classroom where Hesa was hiding. Hearing footsteps, Hesa held his breath and hid under a desk.
From there, Hesa saw two pairs of feet enter the classroom. When he peeked out, he realized neither of them was Heeseung.
Two young men stood there, wearing uniforms different from Hesa's school. One had red hair and a terrifying expression; the other had lavender hair and a gentle face—someone Hesa recognized all too well.
They took something out of a bag, and Hesa froze when he saw it.
A compass watch—identical to his own.
"So that compass watch belonged to him… Mom once said he jumped from the rooftop, and Heeseung said he was already dead."
Hesa felt his chest tighten. It seemed the lavender-haired boy had also been terrorized—causing one by one of them to die?
Hesa didn't know if they were all gone yet, but the red-haired boy's blazer accidentally opened as he and the lavender-haired figure hurried out of the classroom.
For a brief moment, Hesa caught sight of the name tag.
"Agantha Gheovano."
Hesa remembered Arkha's story—how Jake, Arkha's twin, came to him out of curiosity about Arkha, the one who had taken Agantha's role.
Both Arkha and Hesa began to suspect that this game—or terror—had happened before, and they had planned to search for the previous player: Agantha.
But what about the vision Hesa was seeing now? It was possible the person they were looking for was already gone.
In the midst of the tension, Hesa heard footsteps again.
"Can you see me? No… that's not quite right. It's better to say—you can't see me, right?"
Hesa clearly heard his twin laughing gleefully, making the pressure on him even worse. Still, he tried to stay calm, glancing toward the wide-open door.
~~~~~~~
"Go ahead first, Jo."
"Yeah, Set."
Joan continued toward the toilet. When he entered, it was empty—he was the only one there.
He turned on the faucet to wash his hands, then looked at the mirror in front of him.
The reflection was different.
Clearly, Joan was washing his face—but in the mirror, he was only staring straight ahead, a smile that never faded from his lips.
The reflection's hand slowly moved up, touching its own neck.
Still smiling.