It was the first day back to school. Everyone was ordered to meet at the gym during homeroom, where strangely all the teachers had gone missing. The students questioned themselves, wondering if there was no school. However, the gates were open, and that meant that school was resumed. They had assumed that the teachers forgot or they were stuck in traffic. Either way, they made their way to the gym, filling up the bleachers.

Namjoo searched around for Ilhoon, but he wasn't seen anywhere. He was usually the easiest to find since he had a distinguish look. He would have a bruise or two on his face, and his blond hair would stick out amongst the crowd. However, no matter how far or close Namjoo looked, she couldn't find him anywhere. She was just about to take her seat until she stumbled over her own feet. She caught herself from falling by balancing, and she turned around. No one had pushed her. Rather, they were more focused on taking their seats, looking for any instructions from adults, and so on.

I must've tripped over something, she tried to convince herself. However, her head was far too dizzy to think. She knew that she felt ill, but who was she going to tell? For all she knew, everyone was against her. If the teachers came in, no one would tell them that she was heading towards the nurse's office. She gently reached for her forehead, which felt a bit cold. It took her a few minutes to realize that she was bleeding again.

Shoot. I guess I'll have to miss the ceremony. I'll just send Ilhoon a text. Hopefully he'll get it, Namjoo thought, looking at her phone while heading out of the gym.

Meanwhile, Ilhoon was in the gym, trying to take a seat at the back. If he was lucky enough, he would be able to sit in the back and deal with two people mess around with him. Unfortunately, he had to take a seat in the front, where everyone behind him were able to spit on him. Once he had taken his seat, it didn't take long for the student council president to go on stage.

Not everyone was seated, causing the students to be confused. Kai was already prepared, and he had a small list in his hand. He quickly walked over to the microphone, and tapped it. 

"Testing, testing… The mic is good!" Kai announced. "Settle in, everyone. Though, I suggest you come in a bit slower. Sit in the front, too. This is a fair warning, hm?"

Everyone was confused. This didn't stop Kai from speaking, though. He watched all his fellow classmates take their seat, ignoring his suggestions. Once his eyes landed on Ilhoon, he broke into a smirk. Usually, Ilhoon would pale and be prepared to accept whatever punishment Kai had in mind. Instead, there was a glint of determination in his eyes, not to mention that he felt somewhat calm. Whatever Kai had in mind for him, Ilhoon was prepared to give him something else.

"I'm grateful that all of you could make it today," Kai began, ignoring the chatters among the students. "Today is a very special day, especially since the teachers are not here. The gates are closed and secured by me, so no one will be able to skip out of the school. Of course, it was already impossible to do so, anyways. The walls are made of slippery stones, so you wouldn't be able to jump over or climb over them."

By now, all the students had taken their seats. They were all quiet, paying attention to their leader. 

"We all remember how our friends, family members, or even comrades have disappeared for the past few weeks. It's depressing, but our school must move on," Kai continued. His eyes finally made contact with Ilhoon, and the poor boy was reminded of the intense glare. "However, I do think that there's someone here who is… partially, if not entirely responsible for this mess."

Ilhoon wanted to leave. He wanted to run out of the room. His heart raced, and his mind went black. There was absolutely nothing he could do right now. 

At least, not yet, he told himself. He remained quiet, but his body trembled. He watched Kai slowly reach into his pocket and fish out a crumbled piece of paper. At first, he thought it was some kind of note to remind the speaker what to say. However, when Kai showed the list, Ilhoon didn't even have to think about what the note was.

"To the person responsible, whether you are in this room or not," Kai said. His voice boomed throughout the school, and all the students could tell that he was connected to the announcers throughout the school. "I know you have the list, and I know that you can use a weapon. The gates are closed, so no one is able to run. I've already everyone on the list, and they're all oblivious of the situation. So let us play a little game. You can start from the bottom of the list, and I'll start from the top. Whoever can kill the most people before reaching the rooftop will not be forced to jump."

Ilhoon widened his eyes. Was Kai insane? Mad? No, he already knew that there was something wrong with Kai.

The students began to mutter strange whispers, unable to understand the situation. Kai glanced at the list, then tapped the name below the first one.

"Oh, and I've made some modifications, just in case you weren't serious about this." He put the piece of paper back in his pocket, and pulled out a weapon from his blazer. Everyone gasped, shocked to see a real gun in his hands. "Remember, you don't have to go in any particular order. You just have to eliminate the people near the bottom. According to my new list…"

Ilhoon held his breath.

"Namjoo's first," Kai announced.

Bang!

No one moved a muscle. The all stared at the kid who had sat in the front just a few minutes ago. Ilhoon was standing up, pointing at Kai with the same gun Suzy had given him. The trembling boy froze once he realized that he had made the first move. The students around him slowly crept away, shaking at the sight of the new monster.

Kai's eyes widened as his lips tugged upwards. He slowly glanced behind him, where the black curtains were. He slowly walked backward, and went to the small hole in the curtain. Quietly, he bent down and picked up the bullet, showing it to the audience. He rested his body against the curtain, showing how the hole was only a few inches away from his face.

"Ilhoon… you missed," Kai whispered, flicking the tiny metal off the stage.

Suddenly, a girl screamed. Annoyed, Kai's arm flew towards the direction where he believed the scream was. He pushed the lever, only to hear silence after the thunderous shot.

"You need to have more accuracy than that, Ilhoon. Look, the girl over there is dead. I made a beautiful shot, didn't I?" Kai asked.

"There's two insane people in here! They're dead serious!" a voice shouted. Then, the students began to scream, running out of the gym, trying to hide away from Ilhoon and Kai. Ilhoon turned around, only being pushed by the people who wanted to run for their lives. He looked up at the stage, where Kai had already gone to complete his mission.

I have to go to the rooftop, he reminded himself. He tried to push the crowd, but they only pushed him back. Sometimes, when he touched them, they would scream and slap his hand away from him.

"He touched me!"

"I'm going to die!"

"Please don't kill me, I'm sorry!"

"He's crazy! Run for your lives!"

I'm not a monster! Ilhoon cried out in his head. I'm not a monster! Stop treating me as if–

Bang! Bang, bang!

Ilhoon looked up, shocked at what he had just done. A girl stood before him, scared. Suddenly, blood began to spurt out of her chest, stomach, and arm. She stared at him with wide eyes, only coughing up blood. Finally, she collapsed on the ground, her eyes staring aimlessly at nothing. Ilhoon stared at the gun Suzy gave him, then began to whimper back at a random stranger, who had just died in front of his sight.

He realized that he didn't have much of a choice. He realized that once he had accepted the gun Suzy gave him, he was in power. He had no choice but to go along with whatever came to him, and shoot at whatever was in his way. He didn't have any choice.

The moment he had agreed to help Suzy, he had already become a blood-thirsty monster.

Namjoo, who had been taking a short nap, was disturbed when a student barged into the nurse's office. She slowly rose from the bed, making sure that the towel she had was near her forehead. She looked down at the cloth, noticing that it was still bleeding. 

"Did you guys see the nurse somewhere?" Namjoo asked, startling the pale boy. It took her a few minutes to realize that it was JR. He stared at her in fear, then ran towards her. He quickly grabbed ahold of her leg, causing her to scream. The frightened boy withdrew his arm, then stuffed a clean towel in .

"Please don't scream! Please don't scream! I beg of you, don't scream!" he pleaded desperately. Hearing how shaky his voice was, Namjoo decided to calm down. She slowly eyed him, taking note of how scared he seemed to be.

"What happened?" Namjoo asked, taking out the towel from .

"Kai. Ilhoon. Weren't you there? Aren't you scared?" JR questioned her.

"Scared? Of what? Of Kai? Of course not. I don't know where you were, but didn't you see me and Ilhoon fight against Kai?" Namjoo pointed out, reaching out to check the door. Before she could even get out, JR grabbed ahold of her wrist and pulled her back. She widened her eyes, but he only shoved her into the closet.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she cried out, having difficulties in squeezing into the closet. "I have a bleeding forehead here! If you stuff me here, I might die–"

"Good," he responded, getting ready to close the closet. "It's best if you die now than later."

"Stop pushing me–"

"I'm saving your damn life, okay? I'm sorry for being mean to you and Ilhoon, okay? I know that I'm going to die, and I don't want to leave without saying my apologies," he said, grabbing a key to lock the closet.

"Why are you saying this? What are you doing?" Namjoo kept asking questions, but she wasn't answered. Right before the doors closed, JR looked at her for just a second.

"Remember how you confessed to Kai along time ago and how he punched you afterwards?" JR asked.

Of course Namjoo remembered! She had gathered up all her courage, yet he never took her seriously. No matter what Namjoo did, he would always ignore her and treat her as a useless person. There was never a time when she was respected, and the old memory didn't help her occupy her thoughts with happy memories.

She nodded her head in response to his question.

"Well, then do you still love him? What if I told you that he killed a bunch of people?"

Again, with this question, Namjoo thought. She recalled how Ilhoon had asked her a similar question relating to people's death. She kept wondering why people would even think of asking her such a question.

"Maybe. He's just… misunderstood," Namjoo defended.

"Then how about Ilhoon? Do you like Ilhoon?"

Ilhoon? Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat when she heard his name. Did she like Ilhoon? No, not exactly… but there were some moments where he was sweet. He was weak, but he always stood by her side. If she called for him, he would always run to her and ask her what was wrong. Even though he didn't like getting into big messes, she would always drag him into dramas, causing either harm to him or to her. Ilhoon was…

Namjoo blushed as she quickly shook her head in deniable. There was absolutely no way that she liked him! If she did, then… then…

"You're crazy," JR muttered to himself.

"Excuse me–"

"You three are all crazy! You, Kai, and Ilhoon! All of your are insane!" He stared at her for a long time. "People like you shouldn't even be near us!"

With that, he closed the door, ignoring Namjoo's weak state, in which she suddenly fainted after he left the nurse's office.

"Am I dead?"

Those words escaped out of Namjoo's lips as she looked around her. She was surrounded by infinite darkness, which scattered amongst the area she was floating in. A brilliant white light flashed in front of her eyes, and she was slowly dragged into the pure energy. It was strange, though. She could stare at the lights for hours and hours, and there wouldn't be a single black spot in her vision if she turned away.

She was only a few inches away from touching the light until someone behind her called her name. Namjoo turned around, and almost screamed as she saw an unfamiliar teenager staring at her. The stranger's dress was tattered and rough, not to mention that it barely covered her. Several bruises and scratches decorated her body with blood swimming out to the surface. The woman's head was crooked, disturbing Namjoo's eyes and mind.

"Namjoo," the voice said in a monotone way, "do you not remember me?"

"Krystal," Namjoo recognized. She was surprised to notice how she could see Krystal with the darkness around her.

"Yes, so you do remember me–"

"Am I dead?" Namjoo repeated, looking around.

"It's your choice. I told you, once you went to the roof, you unlocked a hidden path. You have two other choices now," Krystal informed.

"So I'm dead, right?"

"Not yet. You're in the middle of death. Once a person dies, the human speaks to the angel who has watched over them since birth. The angel is in charge of giving the person a detailed flashback of their lives, not to mention their ancestors' lives. Afterwards, you go through another stage–the judgment stage–and depending on what the authorities say, you go to the peaceful or painful place," Krystal explained, coming closer to her. Namjoo tried to take a step back, but it just occurred to her that she did not have any legs.

"Are you my angel?" asked the frightened girl.

Krystal paused, then sigh. She shrugged her shoulders, then sat down in the empty space.

"I don't know. I've left this world with so many regrets, I don't know why I'm stuck here. I think I'm an angel, but I don't possess wings like one should–or at least, seem to–have." A pause. "Namjoo, why did you ignore my orders? Why did you get involved?"

"Because it seemed just. I was doing this for justice," she answered.

"Was that a good choice?"

"What do you mean?"

Krystal looked around her. "Justice is not always fair. Has it ever occurred to you that if you wanted to restore order, you would have to sacrifice I don't know, a couple of lives?"

"I'm confused. Krystal, please–"

"The path you chose is a cursed path. It's a path where you must suffer. You will forever be in agony, and you will be burdened by the thought of, 'This was my fault.' You will not be able to die until we see you age to the elderly state," Krystal declared, coming closer to Namjoo. The "angel" lifted Namjoo's head, then rested her cold palms against Namjoo's head.

"W-What are you doing–"

"I am sending you back," Krystal said. "You must understand what several people have been going through. You must understand what I've been going through, like an angel's agony."

"…joo! Namjoo, wake up!" a familiar deep voice shouted. The ill-bodied girl slowly lifted her eyelids, trying to focus. She heard a few sighs of relief, and felt a cold towel on her forehead. Once she locked eyes with the man in her vision, she widened her eyes in surprise.

"Minho! G.NA!" Namjoo cried aloud. "What… I was in the closet, so how did–"

"You passed out," Minho explained as he dabbed the wet towel around Namjoo's sticky skin. "We found you in the closet over there, which was locked up. You lost a severe amount of blood. It's best for you to rest."

"B-But why are you guys here?" Namjoo asked.

"Don't you know what's going on?" G.NA asked, turning slightly pale. Namjoo shook her head, which caused the nurse to be even more upset. "Kai tricked us."

"How?"

"He dragged us into his game."

"What do you mean?"

"What she means is that Kai managed to bring us to the school, which is currently locked up. We tried sending help to the police, but Kai seemed to have done something so that there's no connection. The only way for someone to get help is from the outside, and that isn't likely considering how this building is pretty quiet during the day. If we get help, we'll probably get it the next day," Minho reasoned, checking outside the window. He stared at the empty sidewalks and the busy streets, which were filled with loud and angry honks.

"So what do we do?" Namjoo asked.

"We wait for now. Jessica and L just went to find Kai and to end this massacre," G.NA said, crossing her arms as she checked outside the hallways. 

"A… massacre?" Namjoo widened her eyes and her heart panicked. She remembered all those questions Ilhoon and JR had asked her; about if she would still fall in love with a murderer. Please don't connect those questions to whatever I'm going to hear next–

"You didn't know? Why do you think we're locked inside this cage?" Minho gave her an intense stare. "This school is playing a game; it's gambling with lives. There are two main players. One of them is Kai, and the other is…" He his dry lips. "…the other player is Ilhoon."

Namjoo stood still. She carefully repeated the words Minho had said in her mind, replaying them like a black-and-white film. There was something about Minho's words that seemed frightening and almost unbelievable, but she could tell that she could trust his last few words. Her lips quivered and she felt tears swell up into her eyes.

"Why would Ilhoon kill people?" Namjoo questioned him, struggling to say a specific word. Minho glanced at G.NA, who quickly closed the door behind her when she read a scream. The nurse's tanned skin turned as white as the marbled flow below them. She covered with her shaky hands as she slumped down against the wall.

Minho heaved a loud sigh, then rested his hands against Namjoo's shoulder. "Namjoo, have you ever thought of how strong words are?"

"What do you mean?" she asked as a tear slipped out of her eyes. Minho gently brushed it away and took a seat next to Namjoo, who felt distressed.

"Namjoo, I understand that you might've encouraged Ilhoon to fight for himself. However, I think you did something else; I think you've created a monster."

Tap, tap, tap…

"I bet he's here. I heard someone shoot!"

Tap, tap, tap…

"Jessica, I'm tired. Let's just go back and hide–"

Tap, tap, bang!

"Over here!" the brunette shouted as she made a sharp curve to the left. She stopped her tracks, causing L to bump into Jessica. He groaned and was about to make a comment until his eyes met the boy who was covered in blood. L dropped his jaws as he met his corrupted childhood friend, who slowly gazed up from the dead body and to him.

Kai his lips, which were slightly cut from a fight he had with the man he had just killed. He slowly pulled out a white list, which was stained with the scarlet liquid.

"JR… JR… Oh, yes. His name was number fifteen." The young boy looked up. "And you guys are Jessica and Myungsoo… Since I went through some modifications, you guys are number two and three."

"Kai, whatever you're thinking of doing stop!" Jessica shouted. "You've done enough with Krystal. Why do you have to go and attack her school?"

"Her school? It's a pity how you think that this school belongs to Krystal. Besides, it was her own choice to die–"

"Shut up! I saw you fall with Krystal from below that building!" L shouted angrily. "Stop making up false stories and admit the fact that you played a part, too!"

"Then why don't you shut up and realize that you were a part of her life, huh? You disgusting hypocrite. For that, you'll be the first of the two to die!" Kai yelled back, raising his gun.

"Well, at least I admit that I was at fault for her death! I understand that I ignored her for something that I will never have again. I gave up my friendship with her for some meaningless relationship with other people. I can't even tell Krystal that I'm sorry, and I can't tell anyone that I'm sorry. I chose this path on my own, so if there is some kind of punishment, then let it come to me–"

Bang!

"Shut up for once, will you? You're annoying," Kai muttered, glaring at L's shocked state. Jessica caught her breath and only covered her lips when she saw L fall to the ground. His eyes were wide open, but the color trained away from his skin until they looked ghostly white. 

"H-H-How could you just k-kill him?" Jessica stuttered, bending down next to L. "L, wake up! Kim Myungsoo, wake up! You will not die here! You have to live! I'll take you to the nurse, okay? You–"

"You're not going anywhere, either," Kai said, giving her a smirk. "You seemed to have forgotten the troubles you gave to your sister, right?"

"It was for her own good!" Jessica defended.

"Sure," Kai said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "So neglecting your sister and leaving her with some drunk adults was a good thing?"

"No, it wasn't supposed to be like that. I had to act bad so that my parents would stick together, even if they hated each other," Jessica explained nervously. Memories of Krystal's pitiful state flashed back in her mind. She quickly pulled L's limp body up to her waist. "Come on, L. Don't leave me–"

Bang, bang!

"You deserve two shots for being the worst sister in the world," Kai said, putting his gun down to the side. "Now that you two trash are gone, Krystal might be even more relieved, hm?"

He walked away to search for more victim on the list, leaving the two dying body to rot and bleed in the empty hallway.