Hatred. Utter hatred. There was nothing but fury that wrapped around his heart. There was no room for kindness, hope, or sensibility. Kai's entire soul, covered with the blackest tar of evil in the world, was wrapped around the chains of anger and memories. 

At least, that was how Ilhoon saw things. From the facial expression Kai gave to L, it seemed like he despised seeing the older man. On the other hand, L seemed broken, lost, and intimidated by Kai's gothic look. He looked like a lost puppy: vulnerable and weak.

Suzy began to tremble in fear as she curled up to the wall. She pressed her body against the white walls, as if she was able to sink into it and escape from Kai's dark presence. Ilhoon swore that if Suzy kept digging her nails against the wall and continued to pressed herself against the wall, her hands would start bleeding and there would be a strange marking on her cheek.

"L...Leave me alone!" she cried, clenching her fist. Ilhoon quickly hid behind L, hoping not to be noticed. However, Kai's keen eyes managed to spot him before he could hide. He smirked, and stared back at Suzy.

"So I assume that you know Ilhoon?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I-Ilhoon? I have no idea who he is!" Suzy replied earnestly. L glanced behind him, and felt the poor boy shiver in fear. He recognized the same frightened look on Ilhoon's face, and a quick memory in the past flashed in his mind. He bit his tongue and tried to hold back his tears.

If Minho was here, he'd probably hide this little guy and help him get out of the hospital, L thought. He lowered his head a bit. Except I'm not Minho.

L stepped aside, and pushed Ilhoon closer to Kai. Ilhoon's eyes widened, shocked to see how this man was forcing him to go closer. Ilhoon felt like he was some sort of rat being tested out for an experiment, or a peasant who had to die for a tyrant.

"This is Ilhoon," L said to Suzy, trying to keep his voice calm and steady. "He said that he's a friend of your friend..."

"N-N-Namjoo," Ilhoon finished quietly. Kai broke into a hideous grin.

"And where is Kim Namjoo?" Kai asked, clasping his hands together.

"B-Back at s-school," Ilhoon answered, spilling all the information he knew. L and Suzy stood still and watched Kai and Ilhoon have their little chat. The two felt a strange, familiar atmosphere between Ilhoon and Kai. To them, it felt just like the past, when Suzy had demanded Krystal to blurt out any information she knew. In a few seconds, it was clear to them that Ilhoon was being bullied and Kai was the bully.

That's not a surprise, L thought, nodding his head. He already knew that Kai would be some sort of bully. After all, that was the type of guy he was.

Meanwhile, Suzy began to tense up and started to shake in fear. Why was Kai doing this in front of her? Why was Kai bullying Ilhoon right in front of her? Was it because he wanted her to suffer the memory in the past?

"S...Stop," she whispered, barely audible. Kai looked up at her, then turned back to Ilhoon as if he had never heard her. The menacing glare Kai gave to her caused Suzy to clamp shut. She lowered her head, feeling weak and hopeless just like how Krystal would've felt when Suzy had bullied her.

"Call Namjoo right now," Kai demanded.

"I-I don't know her number--"

Kai shoved Ilhoon against L. Ilhoon shook in fear and glanced at L, who only stepped away and avoided his pleading stare. Knowing that he wasn't going to get any help, Ilhoon faced Kai again, who had his hands wrapped around his collar.

"Call. Namjoo. Now."

"I-I-I swear! I don't have her number!" Ilhoon lied. Furious, Kai threw Ilhoon to the ground. The poor victim banged his back against the cold ground, struggling to breath. Kai kneeled down and reached into Ilhoon's pocket, fishing out his cell phone. He got back up on his feet, and scrolled through Ilhoon's contact list.

"Knock, knock!" a cheery voice exclaimed. The door opened, and Namjoo appeared at the door. When she stepped in, she had a wide smile that could've lifted up the atmosphere if the situation wasn't as awkward as it had turned out to be. She stopped for a moment, and examined her surroundings. It took her a moment to realize that a tanned, familiar boy was standing above Ilhoon with a phone in his hand. Namjoo's smile faded and turned to a cold glare.

"Kai," she greeted him with an odd tone. "What're you doing here?"

Kai dropped Ilhoon's phone, crumbling it into little pieces. He broke into a crooked smile, pleased to see her.

"Greetings, Kim Namjoo. To answer your question, I'm doing nothing! I'm just visiting an old, old friend of mine," Kai said, turning to Suzy. "Isn't that right, Suzy?"

The frightened girl decided to take this chance and get Kai out of the room. "Get out! I don't know you!"

Suddenly, Namjoo pushed Kai further away from Suzy. She had her hands on his chest, making sure that he couldn't take a step closer to her childhood friend. She narrowed her eyes and shot him a glare, disliking his existence. L watched the two silently, recognizing the familiar atmosphere.

It's like this new girl the new version of Minho, but... she handles this type of situation differently, L thought, half-amused and half-scared.

Namjoo's cold eyes never left Kai's smirk. She kept wondering what made him laugh or grin. Was her standing up for her friend so funny? Finally, Kai stopped smiling and leaned close to her face. Their noses were only a few centimeters apart, yet neither of them decided to move. 

"How did you get out of the teacher's office so fast?" he asked, his breath touching her pink lips.

"I asked another teacher to fetch it for me. He gave me a five minute lecture and allowed me to leave," she barked back, breaking into a smirk. Kai gave her an emotionless expression. He leaned back, then heaved a sigh. He rubbed his hands against each other, then stared at Suzy, then L.

"I'm guessing that you two don't want me here?" Kai asked them. Both remained silently. "You know, if Minho and Jessica were here, then this would be perfect. 'The group who knows parts of the truth, but won't share.' Huh? How about that? Should I tell you how Krystal died, why she died, and the truth behind everything? It'd make life so much easier."

"Stop it, Kai," Suzy pleaded. "J-Just go for today..."

"For today? So I'm invited to come back?" Kai questioned her, smiling. Suzy looked away. He chuckled quietly to himself, then exhaled loudly. "Fine, fine. I'll leave. I'll be back, though."

Kai walked out of the room, leaving the four stunned. Once he was gone, Namjoo quickly turned to Suzy and ran up to her.

"Suzy, are you okay?" Namjoo asked, worried.

"Namjoo... You know him?" she asked, blinking her eyes.

"It's okay, Suzy. Kai is a nobody. He--"

"A nobody?" Suzy cried out, grabbing her pillow. "If he's a nobody, then why are people afraid of him, huh? Why does he have the aura of someone who has power, huh? He's not a nobody, Namjoo! He's a somebody! He's Kai!"

L came over and put his hands on Namjoo's shoulder. "Um, I think you should go for today. I mean, a lot of things happened and--"

"W-We'll be leaving," Ilhoon interrupted, grabbing Namjoo's other arm. Suzy sniffed, then covered herself with her blanket. Namjoo waited for a few minutes, but after realizing that her friend wasn't going to uncover herself, she sighed in defeat.

"By the way, this is Ilhoon," Namjoo informed, pointing at Ilhoon. "He'll be visiting sometimes with me or without me, okay? I warned you already, so you shouldn't be protesting or anything. Don't get freaked out if you see him again, okay?"

No response. Namjoo bit her bottom lip, then left without bidding anyone goodbye. Ilhoon was just about to leave until L stopped him.

"What's that girl's name?" L asked in a quiet whisper.

"K-Kim Namjoo. W-Why?" Ilhoon questioned.

"Nothing. You can go ahead, now. Goodbye," L said, pushing him out of the room. After he was alone with Suzy, L walked towards her and watched her slowly uncover herself. "They're gone, now."

Suzy pushed her blanket away, but still had her arms around her pillow.

"Do you know Namjoo?" she asked him.

L scratched the back of his head. "Um, not exactly. I'm sure that I encountered her in the elevator once, but  I think she didn't see me."

Suzy nodded her head. "That's fine, I guess--"

"But you know what's weird? Before, when I met her, she seemed really eager to know when I graduated from that place," L explained.

"It's best if she doesn't know about anything in the past," she said, laying down on her bed. "I'm tired, L. Can you leave for today?"

"Sure. But before I leave, can I ask you something?"

"Anything as long as it has nothing to do with that place and the past."

"...Nevermind, then. Have a good rest, Suzy."

"Thank you, L." She waited for the door to close, but heard nothing. When she slowly turned her head, she found L standing and staring at her. She stared at him back, wondering what he was thinking. "L? Are you okay?"

L shook his head to snap out of his thoughts. He forced a smile, and nodded his head in reply. Right when he was just about to leave, Suzy sat back up.

"L, I have to tell you something," Suzy blurted. L stopped, then turned back. "I saw Minho. He came to visit me."

His eyes widened for a few seconds, then softened. "Oh. Okay."

"And he kept saying 'sorry.' It was really annoying."

"I see."

"L?" she called again, although knowing that he was still here. "Did I really kill Krystal?"

The older boy kept quiet for a few moments. After a moment of silence, he looked away and wet his lips. He left the room, unable to answer Suzy's only question. When the door closed, Suzy hugged her pillow and covered herself with her blanket, quietly sobbing for her pathetic self.