-Go to Flicker Street-
"What's with this kid…" Hesa thought.
He decided not to think too much about it and got into the car instead.
Not long after, the car drove away from the parking area.
The streets actually looked calm and normal as usual, but Hesa's mind was anything but calm. Suddenly, he remembered Kyungmin's message.
"Ck, I just remembered that kid's an esper…"
Hesa glanced at Wish, who sat quietly in the passenger seat beside him, simply staring out at the road.
"By the way, where do you live?" Hesa asked.
"It's fine, this route passes by my place. I live in the Universe Complex. Just drop me off at the front gate later," Wish replied.
"We can go through Flicker Street, right?" Hesa asked.
"We can, but it'll be a bit farther," said Wish.
"That's okay. Let's go that way," Hesa insisted.
"You got something to do there?" Wish asked curiously.
"Ah, y-yeah. Just something small," Hesa answered.
Even though he still felt unsure, Hesa chose to trust his instincts and listen to Kyungmin's warning.
His heart pounded uncontrollably as he stared at the road ahead, getting closer and closer to Flicker Street. But before they even reached it, a loud crashing sound echoed through the air first.
BRAKKK!
Wish, who had been spacing out earlier, jolted in surprise and immediately turned toward Hesa, whose face had already gone completely pale.
For several seconds, the two of them stared at each other before Hesa suddenly got out of the car.
He ran past several vehicles that had stopped in the middle of the road.
Hesa glanced at the street sign.
Flicker Street.
But the scene before him was exactly what he had feared.
Several cars were badly dented after crashing into one another.
Police officers and medical teams had just arrived. Hesa watched the evacuation process until he suddenly noticed something and immediately approached one of the wrecked cars.
"The car brand… and the license plate…"
At that moment, it felt like the air around Hesa had stopped moving. A crushing tightness filled his chest. With uneven steps, he walked toward the ambulance that was carrying the victims.
His hopes were shattered.
Hesa saw one of his friends being loaded inside.
His steps grew heavier as he approached the ambulance.
"J-Jio…"
The boy turned slightly after hearing the weak call of his name. He could only smile faintly at his senior, unable to say a single word.
Hesa froze as the ambulance finally drove away.
Then he broke down crying.
"Hesa!"
Wish panicked when he saw Hesa collapse onto the asphalt, crying uncontrollably.
"M-My friend got hurt…" Hesa muttered shakily.
"T-Then let's go to the hospital too," Wish said quickly.
He immediately guided Hesa back toward the car.
~~~~~~
"Thanks for driving my car and bringing me here," Hesa said as he turned toward Wish.
"No problem." Wish smiled, though he still looked worried seeing how shaken Hesa was.
"Come on, let's go check on your friend," Wish suggested.
"No, I don't wanna trouble you any more than this. Sorry I couldn't take you home," Hesa replied.
"You're still thinking about that?" Wish sighed softly.
He understood that Hesa needed some time alone to calm himself down, so he gently patted Hesa's shoulder.
"I can go home by myself. Thanks for letting me ride in your car. I'll head back now."
After the pink-haired boy left, Hesa remained sitting there in silence, trying to settle his thoughts for a moment.
~~~~~
Arkha had already arrived at the hospital and immediately parked his motorcycle in the parking area.
Earlier, he and the others had planned to go eat together, but not long after that, he suddenly received news about Jio's accident.
"What the hell now…" he grumbled while placing down his helmet.
Just as he started walking, his eyes accidentally caught sight of someone exiting the hospital building.
"Why does he look like that shaman kid…" Arkha rubbed his eyes to make sure.
"No way… it really is him."
Without hesitation, he followed the boy until they reached the car parking area. The red-haired boy suddenly turned around, making Arkha instinctively duck behind a car.
But when he peeked back up, the red-haired boy had already disappeared.
"Whatever. He's gone now."
He turned around and immediately spotted a familiar car. Reflexively, he walked over and knocked on the driver's window.
Knock knock knock.
Not long after, the door opened from inside.
"Why're you still here?" Arkha asked.
"N-Nothing. I was just texting Jae for a bit," Hesa answered awkwardly.
"Oh. Then let's just head inside now," Arkha said.
The two of them walked into the hospital building together, heading straight toward the ICU.
Once they arrived, the others were already there.
But everyone looked silent and tense.
"Niki's getting moved to the ICU too," Satya said quietly.
"Huh? Wasn't he supposed to be discharged today? Why's he going to the ICU?" Hesa asked in shock.
"He was. But a few hours ago, someone put poison into his IV," Joan explained.
"Who did it?!" Arkha exclaimed.
"The police are still looking for them. But another hospital visitor saw it happen earlier and reported it immediately," Setta answered.
"Did that person really report it?" Arkha asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, obviously. You think they were the one trying to poison Niki?" Satya snapped.
"Different person, Khan. According to the CCTV footage, the culprit wore a mask and a hat. You could only see a little brown hair, and because of all that, we couldn't tell their age or face. But the one who reported it was a guy around our age with red hair," Joan explained.
"H-Huh? You guys actually met him?" Arkha asked.
"Yeah. We even talked for a bit to thank him," Setta replied.
"Did you ask for his name?" Arkha questioned again.
"His name was Athalla. Why?" Satya asked.
"N-Nothing," Arkha muttered.
"Good thing he still doesn't know who Kyungmin really is…"
Hesa glanced at the boy beside him with slight relief.
So Kyungmin really had come here earlier.
But why?
Did that kid somehow know someone would come here to hurt Niki?
"That kid texted me earlier telling me to come to the hospital, but he got here first… Does that mean the message about Flicker Street was about Jio too?"
Why was that red-haired boy willing to go this far?
Did he genuinely want to help Hesa?
All this time, Hesa thought Kyungmin only used "helping" as an excuse because what he truly wanted was revenge.
So was Hesa wrong?
"Excuse us."
The deep voice startled Hesa slightly.
Two police officers had approached them.
"Yes, sir?" Joan answered.
"Are you friends of Jio Alfaresh?" one of the officers asked.
"Yes, sir," Satya replied.
"May we speak with his parents?" the officer continued.
"Jio's parents are still on the way. Is something wrong, sir?" Setta asked carefully.
The two officers exchanged glances before the first one spoke again.
"According to CCTV footage from the road, the chain collision on Flicker Street started when Jio's car failed to stop while the other cars had already stopped at the red light. His car crashed into the vehicle in front of him, causing a series of collisions involving several other cars. Based on the police investigation at the scene, there are indications that Jio's car experienced brake failure," the officer explained.
"We need to speak with Jio's parents for further investigation," the second officer added.
"Yes, sir. Once they arrive, we'll let them know," Joan answered.
Not long after, the two officers left, leaving the Thirteen members drowning once more in heavy silence and their own thoughts.
One of them was Arkha, who stared coldly at his senior.
Hesa knew he was being watched, but he chose to keep his head lowered and pretend not to notice.
~~~~~
"Was it a sin to skip class earlier…"
Kyungmin kicked a pebble along the road as he walked.
"I didn't skip for no reason. I was still working on assignments too, that's why I only got out of the library this late."
He checked the time.
9 PM.
"Good thing Yasha's willing to tell me the material I missed today."
Eventually, Kyungmin's footsteps led him to a bus stop. He pulled out his phone, trying to kill some boredom while waiting for the bus.
While focused on his phone, he noticed someone standing beside him, silently waiting at the stop as well.
BUGHH.
Kyungmin nearly fell if his hand hadn't quickly grabbed onto the bus stop pole.
Another punch slammed into his face, making his head spin painfully.
Without even turning around, Kyungmin immediately tried to run.
BRUKK.
Unfortunately, at a moment like this, he accidentally tripped and fell face-first onto the road.
"Are you alright?"
A street vendor who happened to pass by quickly approached him in concern.
"Your nose is bleeding," the vendor said.
"S-Sir, please help me. I-I was attac—"
His words were suddenly cut off as someone approached from behind and helped him to his feet.
"Kyungmin, are you okay?" the boy asked.
"Is he your friend?" the vendor questioned.
"Yes, sir. My friend drank too much alcohol earlier and fell down the stairs," the boy replied smoothly.
"N-No— ackh—"
Kyungmin's words were interrupted again by a sharp pain at his waist.
"Kyung, what's wrong? Your head's already getting dizzy, huh? Come on, I'll take you home," the boy said.
The vendor was actually suspicious seeing how uncomfortable Kyungmin looked beside the brown-haired boy.
But the name tag on Kyungmin's uniform matched the name the boy called him, and they also looked around the same age.
"Well then. You should take your friend home quickly," the vendor advised.
"Yes, sir. Sorry for startling you earlier," the boy replied politely while dragging Kyungmin away.
Kyungmin wasn't simply staying silent either. He kept struggling and resisting until, once they reached a quieter street, the boy suddenly shoved him hard.
"Aish, I've been holding back my anger this whole time, and now you're making me even more pissed off."
"R-Riki…"
The boy called Riki revealed a chilling psychotic smile.
From inside his jacket pocket, he pulled out a black object.
A taser.
"I really wanna beat the hell out of you here, but people might notice… just like before."
Only one thing crossed Kyungmin's mind.
Run!
But it seemed Riki had already predicted that.
Grep.
The boy quickly grabbed Kyungmin's arm, forcing them to stand face-to-face at an extremely close distance.
Kyungmin struggled to hold back both of Riki's arms, which almost looked like he was trying to embrace him.
But Kyungmin couldn't maintain that position for long.
His head hurt too much.
The moment he lost focus, the taser in Riki's right hand shocked his waist again.
Kyungmin's body instantly lurched forward, but Riki caught him before he could fall.
"Bas-tard…"
With the little consciousness he had left, Kyungmin could only curse weakly at him.
Riki chuckled after hearing the insult whispered near his ear.
"This is your fault for ruining my plan," he muttered while stroking the hair resting against his shoulder.
What neither of them realized…
Everything happening on that deserted street was being watched by the lavender-haired boy in the distance, his fists clenched tightly in fury.