"You lied about not being affected by the terror."
Arkha glanced at Hesa, who was sitting on a bench while Arkha chose to stand near the railing, enjoying the breeze.
"We were all affected by the terror, except Setta. How did you know I was affected too?" Hesa said.
"Your hand. I've been watching—you've been deliberately hiding it behind your back," Arkha replied.
"So you noticed," Hesa said.
"So, what did you experience earlier?" Arkha asked.
"Heeseung trapped me in another world. He chased me while carrying a gun, but luckily I managed to hide in a classroom. While hiding there, I met the Lavender Ghost," Hesa said.
"Did he help you?" Arkha asked.
"No. I saw a glimpse of the past—him and his friend entered that classroom to take the mysterious watch that had previously been in my possession," Hesa explained.
"Oh, so the person your mom once saw committing suicide… that was the Lavender Ghost," Arkha said.
"Yes. After the two of them left the classroom, my twin came there looking for me. I managed to escape, but he kept chasing me until I was completely exhausted. I stopped in the hallway and told him I gave up," Hesa said.
"You're not joking, right?" Arkha said, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"No. That's exactly what I told him," Hesa replied.
"If I were Heeseung, I'd be really pissed. Why would you suddenly give up like that?" Arkha said.
"Heeseung was the same—he was disappointed with my decision. Even so, you know he hasn't stopped terrorizing me," Hesa said.
"What were you thinking, choosing such a stupid decision?" Arkha asked.
"I wanted to meet my parents," Hesa said.
"One day you'll definitely meet them, but not now. They'd be sad if they saw you like this," Arkha said.
"At that moment I was completely confused. I know I was wrong," Hesa said, lowering his head.
"Tch. Then what happened after that?" Arkha asked.
"Heeseung shot me in the head, and not long after that I returned to the real world. My head should've been badly injured if it weren't for Jihan—she held my head so it wouldn't hit the concrete hard when I fell," Hesa said, glancing at the rooftop barrier near where Arkha was standing.
"Jihan? That strange girl you met in the dance club room?" Arkha asked.
Hesa nodded. "She's an indigo child. When we met her in front of the club room, she actually saw her friend who had already passed away. She said her friend was there to show me what he experienced."
"You mean what you saw—two students being attacked?" Arkha asked.
"Melvin, Jihan's friend, experienced the same terror as us. One by one, his friends died because of it—including Agantha and the Lavender Ghost," Hesa said.
"So our suspicion about the 'previous game' is true, but all the players are already gone?" Arkha asked, looking at Hesa for confirmation. Hesa nodded.
"If the players are gone, where do we start investigating the terror? Could Jihan be affected too—that's why people say she brings bad luck?" Arkha asked.
"No, Khan. Jihan was in a motorcycle accident with her friend, and her friend died. People who dislike her spread strange rumors. She knows about this terror from Melvin. Jihan said the terror will stop once we find the traitor," Hesa explained.
"Someone among us who has changed?" Arkha asked.
Hesa nodded.
"Who do you think it is?" Arkha asked.
"I suspect Setta," Hesa said.
"Setta?" Arkha echoed.
"I've been suspicious since the villa. I heard him running around late at night, and today he was completely safe from the terror," Hesa said.
"That is suspicious. But I'm more suspicious of Joan. He suddenly talked about you strangely, and earlier when we left the infirmary, I caught him looking at us suspiciously. Is it possible he's spying on us?" Arkha said.
"Right now, the two we can suspect are Setta and Joan," Hesa said.
"What about the Lavender Ghost? Did he really give you that sticky note?" Arkha asked.
Hesa nodded. "Yes, he sent it. And according to Jihan, the compass watch was indeed given to me by him."
"So our task now is to find the traitor?" Arkha said, raising his eyebrows.
*******
Who is the traitor?
Hesa truly couldn't stop thinking about it. His mind kept returning to his gang, whom he had always believed were all fine. It was hard to accept that one of them had changed. Maybe this very thought was what made it so difficult for Hesa to identify the traitor—because he still trusted his friends.
"Hey—"
Hesa looked at the tree in front of him. If his hand hadn't been pulled back, he would've crashed into it. He glanced at Jaehyuk, who was still holding his hand with a flirty look.
"That's gross," Hesa said, yanking his hand away.
"No 'thank you'?" Jaehyuk replied.
Forcing a smile, Hesa looked at him. "Thanks."
"Babe, why are you spacing out?" Winter asked.
Yes—Hesa was now walking home with Jaehyuk and Winter.
"N-no, it's nothing. Just thinking about work," Hesa said.
"You're so dramatic. Student council work isn't even that serious," Jaehyuk said, earning himself a smack on the head from Hesa.
"Wrong, genius," Hesa replied.
Before they realized it, they had arrived at the boarding house.
"I'm heading off," Jaehyuk said with a brief wave.
"Hurry up and go," Hesa shooed him away.
Hesa opened the door and entered, followed by Winter.
"Babe, why did you come in instead of going home?" Hesa asked, confused.
Winter closed the door and looked around the room. After a moment, she turned back with her arms folded in front of her stomach. "Jaehyuk said you've looked unwell lately, and I can see your place is a mess."
She stepped closer. "Are you having problems?"
Hesa shook his head. "No, I'm fine."
"Hmm, okay. I understand the meaning of privacy," Winter said as she picked up a broom. "But don't forbid me from cleaning your place."
"I'll help," Hesa said.
"No, no, no. You smell like sweat—go take a shower," Winter said, raising her hand and wagging her index finger in warning.
Hesa smiled mischievously and stepped back, about to hug her, but Winter immediately lifted the broom.
"Okay, okay, I'll shower," Hesa said, heading to the bathroom.
A while later, Hesa came out, drying his hair with a towel.
"Babe?"
He was confused when he didn't see Winter, but then he heard voices near the door. Hesa quickly went to check.
It turned out Winter was talking to someone. The other person looked nervous and seemed about to leave.
"S-sorry, sis, I—I'll take my leave," he said, bowing slightly.
"Leaving in a hurry, Sa?" Hesa said.
The young man looked startled when he saw Hesa behind Winter.
"You know him?" Winter asked.
"A new neighbor. We met by accident once," Hesa replied.
Winter nodded in understanding.
"Hesa?" the young man said.
"Jae told you my name, huh?" Hesa said.
The young man nodded. "Jaehyuk told me to borrow a pot from you because his one is leaking."
"Have you eaten yet?" Hesa asked.
"W-why are you asking that?" the young man replied.
"You're still cleaning your place, right? We were going to cook instant noodles, but that idiot's pot is unusable," Hesa said.
"I—I was confused. Jaehyuk helped me clean my place, so I thought I'd make noodles for us to eat together, but I haven't bought a pot yet. That's why Jaehyuk suggested borrowing one from you," he explained.
"How about eating together with us?" Winter offered.
"Are you sure that's okay?" Hesa asked.
"No problem. I can cook a lot for dinner," Winter said.
"Alright," Hesa said, pulling the young man inside, followed by Winter.
"N-No, if I eat here, what about Jaehyuk?" he asked.
"That's easy—tell him to buy his own," Hesa replied.
"Tsk, what kind of friend are you? I'll pack some food for Jae later—he did help him after all. Oh—what's your name?" Winter asked.
"Sakala," Hesa answered.
"Why are you answering?" Winter said.
"I'm answering on his behalf," Hesa replied.
"It's true, my name is Sakala. I didn't expect you to still remember my name," Sakala said.
"By accident," Hesa said with a small laugh.
Yes—by accident, because Hesa had once suspected Sakala, even intending to follow him.
"Just call me Kala," Sakala said.
"Oh yeah, Kala," Hesa replied.