Chapter 9

HeeJoo's P.O.V.

I quickly stood up and hid the book behind me.

"Kwangmin-shi..." I said. "What's wrong?"

"Give it back." His voice, so scary. His eyes, full of fear and madness. His fist, looked like he wants to punch me and it made me tremble.

He was just right in front of me, and then he was near me. So close, I was almost hypnotized by his scary eyes.

He snatched the book from me...

And then he strangled me.

His hand were grasping at my throat.

I couldn't breathe.

I choked. I could feel my eyes watering with tears. My eyes wanted to close; my heart was racing with fear.

Small ragged gasp escaped from my throat.

It felt worse than drowning underwater.

I got scared looking straight into Kwangmin's eyes. He's scary eyes turning white then red then back to normal.

I was not just drowning, I felt like dying.

"Stop..." I tried hard to say and my voice broke. "Please stop... Kwangmin-shi..."

I don't know what's gotten into him when he suddenly let me go with his eyes shocked and back to normal. He took a step back as I gasped for air and looked at him with my eyes wide with fear.

"Who... Who are you?" Kwangmin asked.

I was surprised that he asked that. He knows me. We already met but...

"Why am I here?" He looked clueless as his eyes looked around the underground room and then looked into my eyes looking confused. "Do I know you?"

"What?" I asked and finally felt fine and can breathe well. I let myself calm down and heard small whispers inside the room. I watched Kwangmin as he widen his eyes. I turned to the direction where he was looking.

Shadows? Or smoke? It was dark smokes that look like shadows. Floating around.

The words I read earlier came back to me.

The thing Kwangmin and I are seeing has something to do with Student 99's journal.

Kwangmin turned to look at me. "That journal... It's real. They exist. The Soul Eaters."