The next morning was a weekend, and weekends in Haneul Ridge meant only one thing—rest. No classes, no uniforms, no teachers. Just a long stretch of empty hours.
But my mind refused to rest. It kept replaying last night—the banging, the cracking window, the shadowed figure staring up at me from beneath the tree.
I sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. For a moment, the room felt too quiet. Then I heard it—low murmurs drifting in from the corridor.
Dozens of tiny whispers.
I froze.
Then I stood, walked quietly to the door, and pulled it open.
Several students clustered outside scattered at the sight of me—some gasped, some covered their mouths, others simply ran as if they had been caught doing something terrible. But a few remained rooted, staring at me with wide, frightened eyes.
I stepped out fully, letting the door close behind me.
"What… are you all doing?" I asked, but they only whispered harder, glancing from me to each other like I was something dangerous.
They were about to flee when a heavy hand halted them.
Raven.
"You know this is inappropriate," he said, voice low but cold enough to slice through the air. "Leave. Now. Or I report every one of you."
The remaining girls hesitated, swallowing hard. But when Raven's voice rose—
"I said leave. Now!"
—they ran.
Silence swelled between us.
Raven turned to me, his expression softening just a little. "Sorry… don't let that get to you."
"Put what in mind, Rav?" I asked, watching him carefully. "I didn't hear anything. Just whispers in front of my door. That's why I came out."
Raven shifted uneasily, rubbing his palm against his pants.
"Jina… this is how some of the girls behave here. They cling to rumors without thinking."
"What rumor?" I asked.
His jaw tensed, eyes drifting away from mine.
"You might still hear it, so I won't hide it. They say…" he exhaled sharply, "…you have a hand in Yen."
I blinked.
"In Yen? What happened to Yen? You mean her… sickness?"
Raven didn't answer. He only stared at me with a strange heaviness.
"Raven," I whispered, stepping closer, "I don't know anything about Yen. I've never met her. I didn't even know her name until yesterday. I was told I had a roommate, but that's all. So why would anyone say I'm involved in anything?"
He shook his head gently. "Rumors. People speak without knowing."
He pushed my door open and stepped inside before I did, scanning the room—especially the window—like he expected something to be waiting there.
"How was your night?" he asked, his back half-turned to me. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did… but I have questions, Raven. About my windows… about Yen… about everything. This school feels wrong."
He went quiet for a long moment, then walked back toward the door.
"I'd advise you not to push," he murmured. "If you want answers about Yen, talk only to those willing to speak. Not everyone here wants it dug up."
He opened the door halfway.
"I'll see you later today, Jina."
And just like that, he left.
I stood there for a long time before closing the door again.
My eyes drifted to the shelf. Something pulled me toward it. I stepped over and began flipping through Yen's old notes—her handwriting neat, clean, almost too perfect. I checked each notebook, each margin, each page. Nothing.
Then I opened the pile of old textbooks on the floor.
The last one—its cover torn at the edges—fell open, and a folded note slipped out.
My breath hitched.
Different handwriting. Messier. Desperate.
"I will keep looking and not giving up."
The words were carved into the page like the writer had pressed too hard. A cold shiver slid down my back.
I put the note back exactly where I'd found it and slowly walked to the window. I pushed it open just a little.
Students wandered the compound—some chatting, some half asleep, some heading toward the cafeteria. Everything looked painfully normal.
Normal… and yet not normal at all.
I closed the window gently.
I wanted to talk to Jan, but I didn't even know her room number. So I sat on my bed, staring at my textbooks, lost in a haze of questions.
And one name kept echoing in my head.
Yen.
Who was she?
Where was she?