Chapter four - Escape

About a week passed since Chanhee first saw her. He was exhilarated when he finally found a way to measure the days that had passed; the corridor lights would go out in the evening when everyone had ended their day, and then no one would pass by Chanhee until morning when the corridor would be lit up again. Chanhee didn't quite like the eerie atmosphere in the corridor at night, he liked the hustle and bustle of the people who noisily made their way down the corridor. On the third night, a rat had scuttled down the corridor, squeaking as it did so. Chanhee was sleeping soundly until the creature decided to embark on a quest to break into the crystal box. It's tiny paws scratching against the surface of the mirror woke the poor boy up, who squealed at its presence and in turn, started scrabbling at the opposite side of the crystal box in an attempt to get away from the black blob writhing in front of him. Needless to say, Chanhee decided to stay awake the whole night in order to look out for more of such monsters that wanted to prey on him.

Chanhee stared eagerly at the students passing by, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl again. Over the week, he had sighted her various times, but much to his disappointment, she barely gave the mirror a second glance. She was either talking to her friends, eating, or using the odd device that most of the people walking by seemed to own. He was never able to figure out what was the purpose of that thingamajig. The girl walked by again, and Chanhee perked up immediately, desperately hoping that she would stop and look at her reflection again.

“Please please please please!” Chanhee whispered to himself, tensing as she slowed down and glanced at the mirror.

It must have been his lucky day, because the girl walked slowly towards the mirror, elbowing her way through the crowd of people.

“YES!” Chanhee did a celebratory fist pump, his eyes fixated on the girl who was now nearing the mirror. Once again, he felt the crystal box starting to break down. He tapped the walls precariously, and to his delight, they were getting thinner and thinner. He held his breath and watched as the girl looked at her reflection. The crystal box was just about to give way, and Chanhee couldn't help but to grin widely at the girl, who was still pouting at her reflection, oblivious to the effect she had on the mirror. The crystal box was now brightly illuminated by a glaring white light, and the light was getting brighter bit by bit.

Just a bit more, don't go yet. Chanhee mentally pleaded in his head, seeing that the girl was about to turn around and leave.

I feel like I could just jump out of this damn box right now. If she would just wait-

♥♥♥♥

A week passed since the mirror was first installed in the school corridor. Everyone loved the idea of having such a large mirror in the school. Vain boys and girls alike often stopped to admire themselves in the mirror. Saeron frequently walked by it, but she never had a chance to get nearer to it due to the massive crowd that always forced her to continue walking, not even allowing her to spare a glance at the intricate mirror. Sometimes, she managed to catch a glimpse of the mirror, and she always felt a strange attraction to it. Saeron didn't usually get emotionally attached to physical objects, but why did it feel like there was a force compelling her to go towards the mirror? The urge to go closer to the mirror bothered her, but she was always whisked away by the moving crowd before she could even think about acting upon it.

Saeron found herself walking by that mirror again when her last class of the day ended. The corridor was jam-packed with boisterous students who couldn't wait to get out of the school building. She was pushed around by the crowd of chattering students as usual, who suffocated her as they rampaged down the corridor. For some reason, her attraction to the mirror was exceptionally strong today, and she felt as if someone was pulling her there, begging her to go closer.

It wouldn't hurt to use the mirror for a while, Saeron thought. With that, she began pushing her way through the sea of students, ignoring the dirty looks from the disgruntled people that she nudged aside. Before long she was standing in front of the mirror, unsure of what to do next.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror hesitantly. There was something about the mirror that made her stay rooted in her spot. Saeron pouted, not knowing what was it exactly that kept drawing her to the mirror. Her eyes drifted off to the crown symbols engraved neatly on the frame on the mirror.

“Why didn't I see them before?” Saeron mused to herself, admiring the intricate designs. She could have sworn that they were glowing, but she brushed it off. It was probably a figment of her imagination anyway.

She took a step back, still unsettled by her unusual attraction to the mirror. The force lingered around her, as if there was an invisible rope tying her down to the mirror. Saeron didn't see why she felt so attached to the mirror. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she noticed the crown symbols getting brighter and brighter, until-

Saeron soon found herself lying on the ground with a boy on top of her, who was smiling sheepishly down at her. A crowd quickly gathered around them, gawking curiously at the awkward position that they were in.

What the hell is going on? Saeron scowled when she noticed that the mirror had been broken, and she shot the boy a suspicious glare.

“Chunji? Did you just break through that mirror?”