Jongin didn’t bother going to school on the fourth morning. He’d heard the lessons twice already. Today would be dedicated to figuring out his…situation. He decided he would need to keep track of everything that happened, because there had to be a reason why he was trapped in today. From the first day up to yesterday, he wrote down everything that had happened and crossed out the things that didn’t overlap. When he was done, all that remained was a familiar name. Do Kyungsoo. The boy who had killed himself every day since the “deja vu” had started. Jongin didn’t know the boy personally, but by now he recognized the face from the high school ID picture that flashed across his TV every night. He had short brown hair and heart shaped lips. He had smiled for the photo, but Jongin could see a tinge of sadness in the boy’s large brown eyes. He figured that the boy was the most likely cause of his problems. He wasn’t sure how everything was connected, but the name Do Kyungsoo seemed to be the perfect answer to his current dilemma. 

Jongin pulled out his laptop and searched up the mysterious boy. Do Kyungsoo. Suicide. Bridge. No matter how hard he looked, nothing came up. Jongin was confused for a second, before he realized that it was still morning and Kyungsoo was still alive. He felt worthless, unable to help the boy, unable to find any information about him. It felt even worse when he realized he’d have to wait for the boy to die again to be able to find out any information on him. Jongin felt like he was going to throw up. What kind of sick joke was this?

Resigned to his inability to do anything for the time being, Jongin forced himself to build a plan of action while he waited for the news article he knew would appear that evening. He kept the TV on, tuned to the news station, and waited intently for the announcement. After what seemed like a year of waiting, it finally came on, and Jongin attempted to jot down as much information as he could. He then reached for his laptop and searched for the story again. This time, he immediately found the information he was looking for. Kyungsoo attended SM High School. That’s where he would start.

The next morning, Jongin woke up bright and early. He grabbed his notebook and shoved some pens in his pocket. He would need to write down anything important that happened. He managed to catch a taxi to take him to SM High.

“Hello, did Do Kyungsoo go to school here?” Jongin remembered that he hadn’t killed himself, at least not yet today. “Excuse me, I meant is there a student named Do Kyungsoo at this school?”

The young receptionist at the office looked up at him with admiration. “Umm, may I ask what your relationship is?” She looked down, a little flustered by the handsome boy leaning against her desk.

“Uh.” Jongin hesitated. “I’m his cousin.” He flashed her a quick smile to cover his lie.

“Right, okay.” It had worked. “I’m sorry, looks like Mr. Do was absent today.” Damn. He could be anywhere in Seoul at this point.

“Oh, I see.” Jongin tried to hide his disappointment. “Would you mind if I look around the school for a bit?” He flashed her another killer smile, which washed away any skepticism she had. The receptionist flushed pink and handed him a visitor pass with a meek smile. He took it gratefully and scribbled “not at school” in his notebook.

Jongin wandered the halls for a bit, unsure where to start looking. The lockers had names on them, so he attempted to find Kyungsoo’s. He had gotten nowhere in the past half-hour when the bell rang. Swarms of students bled into the halls. He stumbled through the crowd, suddenly unsure of which direction he was headed in.

“Hey, you’re pretty cute. New kid?” A girl with perfectly curled brown hair and excessive amounts of makeup stood in front of him. Her school uniform skirt was pulled up past mid-thigh and she was busy staring at her pink nails. “Want to party with us tonight?” She motioned at the two girls behind her whose hair and nails were identical to her own.

“Um, sorry. I’m looking for a Do Kyungsoo?” Jongin tried to ignore the heavy scent of perfume wafting from the girls who looked like they came straight out of the movie Mean Girls.

“Ew. Why are you looking for that loser? Let’s go girls.” She snapped her fingers and they managed to turn on their heels at the exact same time, which made Jongin wonder if they’d spent time practicing that move. At least he’d managed to obtain a little bit of information. He pulled out his notebook and jotted down “outcast at school”.

He spent the rest of the day searching for Kyungsoo’s locker at SM. Hopefully it would provide some answers. By the time he found it, school had been out for two hours. He found the locker nestled in a corner of the school. He could make out a faint “go die” written in red on the locker. Someone had unsuccessfully tried to cover the cruel words with blue paint. He traced the faint writing with his index finger, feeling a sadness in the depths of his chest. Jongin stood there for a good while longer, soaking everything in and wondering just what kind of a person Do Kyungsoo was.

Realizing he wouldn’t find anymore information today with all the students already gone, Jongin decided to leave. He could always try again tomorrow, though the thought of the boy dying again made him feel sick. If he didn’t find a way out soon, the boy would be dying for eternity. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked along the dusty pavement. It took him a while to realize the crumpled bills he had shoved in his pocket earlier that morning were gone. Like the inobservant idiot he was, he’d probably dropped them at the school without even noticing. . I don’t even have money for a taxi. I’m gonna have to walk home. Jongin trudged along the street toward his home. A nearby church bell tower started to ring. 8 chimes. Jongin stopped in his tracks. A picture of the news report flashed in his mind. “...Do Kyungsoo took his life tonight at 8:06 pm. The young student jumped off a bridge...” Crap. He had exactly six minutes to get to the bridge. Jongin spun on his heels and started running. Today was not going to happen again.

A/N: so just a little ways to go until we get to one of my favorite chapters. Woohoo! Thanks to anyone who has subscribed/commented, I really appreiate it. If I write enough tonight I might update another chapter today so I'll get back to work. Fighting!

-crying-