I looked outside the window as snow fragments continued to drop to the ground. The cold long threatened and yet the outpour only came tonight. Ironic. How timely it must be to match with my feelings of dread and isolation.

                Back in the corridor, I was not able to answer Ji Hye. Somehow, it felt like she really has the knowledge but I was too numb to ask how and why. She didn’t wait for me to be able to come out of my trance anyway. She just came past me, like everything was that simple. It was of course, my loss, not hers.

                My father, Lee Donghyun. I don’t have a single memory of him and yet I'm keen to know everything about him. It pains me that I should care, when he left me and my mom a long time ago. What would it be like to have a dad? Would it be different for me? Would I have been able to accept my staying in this school a lot better if he was by my side to explain it all to me?

                With my right fist, I knocked my chest lightly. The longing was horrible. It’s like these unwelcomed emotions were barring the blood from flowing to my heart. And I don’t want this. I don’t want to go looking for the things that I can’t have back…

                My wrist watch showed that it’s 10:52 P.M. already.  In my room, everything was horribly silent. Krystal's just sleeping soundlessly and it struck me how opposite we two are. She seemed untroubled and positive with her life while I always seemed to sulk and deny things. If I could just be her, my life would be undoubtedly perfect…

                Suddenly, a knock was heard from behind me. I turned my head and looked at the closed door. I waited for quite some time for the person to knock again but there was none. Slowly, I walked my way and twisted the doorknob hesitantly.

              That's how I  found myself staring at Ji Hye who clearly returned the favor by piercing me with those dark orbs of hers for eyes. It'll sound like I’m a scaredy cat, but I was just so surprised by her presence, it caused me to take a step back. My heart palpitated and it took a while to slow them down. Meanwhile, Ji Hye remained unfazed, watching me as I handle my own internal issues.

                “Hi,” I greeted first, though I really wanted to ask what she’s doing here at this time of night.

                “Hi,” she answered back, her face void of expression.

                I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know what else to say and neither did it seem like she’s there to say something. We stood awkwardly for a minute, just gazing at each other's face, until I finally made the choice of voicing my worries out. 

                “Do you…” I started weakly. “Do you really know how my father died?”

                “Do you want to know?” She asked back.

                Do I want to know? Despite my other concerns, I nodded my head.

                Ji Hye’s eyes glinted but I was too slow to notice anything weird out of them.

                “Let me show you something,” she said in a monotonous voice.

                “Okay…” I said.

                I turned my head to look at Krystal, just to check if she’s still asleep. She is, so I crossed the door path and closed it only to notice that Ji Hye was already not there. I looked around as  I shut the door close and that’s when I saw her standing in front of the stairs a mere ten meters away from me. I felt perplexed. How did she get there so fast? It did not even take more than 10 seconds to check Krystal out…

                Ji Hye then gestured for me to come and all thoughts of abnormalities were pushed at the back of my mind.

                I followed Ji Hye two floors down and out of the great doors. To be honest, I had a hard time following her because we were too wide apart and it’s horribly dark tonight. All I can see was her silhouette and it reminded me of the happenings that previous night when I  finally discovered Kai’s duire…

                That silhouette, I shivered. It couldn’t possibly be Ji Hye, right?

                The moment I took a step outside of the doors, the cold wind immediately struck me. My teeth started chattering at once and I suddenly regretted the fact that I followed her without putting on another layer of coat first. I noticed the snow already stopped pouring but it left a thin layer on the field. To depict the scenery outside, I'd say it was completely lifeless. Even the fountain that used to spout colorful water stayed dejected in the middle.

                To top it all, Ji Hye was nowhere in sight. I walked down the great steps and stayed close to the fountain, only turning around a bit to look out for any other person's silhouette, but there was none. Soon, I started walking to the field in search of her, wondering what she wanted to show me in the first place. It was completely dark at this point, too dark for my liking. How could she lead me here when we can hardly see each other?

                And then, without any warning, I saw that black blur came past me. Immediately, I stood frozen on the ground, listening for anything unusual. My heart started to race once again. What is this? I suddenly felt that feeling again back in the cafeteria when I was with Kai, like everything was being controlled. It felt dreadful like I’m suddenly thrown in another dimension…

                “Ji Hye-ssi?” I called out, my voice coming out a bit shaky.

                And then, I felt something like electricity coursed through my veins. My legs won’t move and neither could my arms. I felt like I was chained too tight my blood stopped flowing altogether. For the first time after the kni