“Kim Ryeowook, Lee Sungmin, Lee Donghae, please proceed to the principal’s office.”

Ryeowook’s forehead creased as he spun around to Donghae behind him who was exchanging confused looks with Sungmin. It was only the first day of school, why would the three of them be called to the principal’s office? The boys quickly got out from their seats and walked out of the class avoiding the dozens of pair of eyes that stayed glued to them until they were out of sight. In the empty hallway, Ryeowook, Sungmin and Donghae glanced at each other while they slowly headed for the principal’s office.

“What do you think this is about?” Sungmin asked, “Donghae, did you do something?”

“No,” Donghae looked around and then quietly whispered, “But… Do you think… Do you think that it’s about… The…”

Both Ryeowook and Sungmin stopped in their tracks, all the colour draining out from their faces. “No… It can’t be. No one knows about that.”

“Except Heechul.”

“But he’s dead.” Ryeowook shook his head, “It can’t be about that. We promised we’d never tell anyone about it.”

The trio stopped outside the principal’s office, fidgeting with nervous expressions. It wasn’t until they were about to push the door to the office open that Sungmin noticed that there was a pink paper stuck on the door. Curious, Sungmin peeled it off from the door and turned the paper around. There was something written on it, Sungmin realized and when he read through it, he quickly dragged Donghae and Ryeowook a few steps away from the principal’s room.

 “Guys, wait!” Sungmin urged. “Look!”

Sungmin handed Ryeowook and Donghae the paper, eyes widening, mouth falling opened as they read what was on it:

Why don’t you head to classroom 10 and kiss bye bye to your BFF.

Ryeowook looked around the empty halls, whispering to his friends. “What is going on?”

Sungmin stared at the note, holding it tightly in his hands. “I don’t think it was the principal who wanted to see us.”

“What do you mean?” Donghae asked, frightened. “How could this H person make an announcement through the school system then?”

“Could it be that H heard the announcement too and quickly ran here to stick this note on the door?” Ryeowook suggested thoughtfully.

“Whatever guys, let’s just go in first.” Donghae shook his head absently, “We said that we were going to ignore whoever this H person right? Well… This is us ignoring him… or her… Or it.”

Ryeowook and Sungmin exchanged unsure glances but nodded reluctantly, both of them still feeling creeped out. Sungmin crushed the pink note and dumped it inside his back pocket and pushed through the doors to the principal’s office. The principal, Mrs. Yen, looked up to the three boys from her computer and then tilted her head, lips spread in a thin line.

“May I help you boys?” She asked, looking at each one of them. “Were you sent here for something?”

Sungmin, Donghae and Ryeowook froze, their blood running cold. Sungmin however was the first to recover as he cleared his throat and laughed nervously. “We… Uh… There was an announcement for us to proceed to the principal’s office.”

Mrs. Yen tilted her head and shook her head, “I don’t think that was possible, boys. Are you sure there was an announcement?”

“Y-yes.”

“Hmm,” Mrs. Yen leaned back against her chair, studying the three boys. “Are you sure this is not just some excuse for the three of you to get out of class?”

Great, she must have thought that they were playing a prank on her! Donghae was about to retaliate back but Sungmin quickly interrupted and said, “Oh! Right! I forgot! We must have heard wrongly! Mr. Kim told us to find the… the… Janitor! We… We’ve to collect some…. Handouts from her for the class. We’re so sorry to bother you, Mrs. Yen!”

Sungmin coiled his hands around Donghae and Ryeowook’s wrist and immediately pulled them out of the room without looking back. He heard Mrs. Yen calling after them but he ignored her, dragging both the boys out. Outside, the trio trembled as they stared at each other as Sungmin pulled out the note he had crumpled earlier.

“Should… Should we…?” Ryeowook suggested, chewing on his bottom lip. “Classroom 10.”

“Classroom 10,” Donghae repeated faintly, eyes suddenly flashing an unreadable expression. “Heechul loved that classroom.”

“Heechul loved a classroom?” Sungmin repeated, sounding surprised. “Heechul hated school!”

“No no, he loved that classroom because Heechul had the spare keys to that classroom. It was his place to… Well… You know… Make out and… Have with…. Everyone.”

“How did Heechul get spare keys to a classroom?” Ryeowook asked, bewildered. “That’s impossible. All classrooms are locked and only teachers are allowed to keeps the keys for the classrooms.”

Donghae stared at Ryeowook and frowned. Was he seriously asking this question? Did New York made him dumb all of a sudden? Or was he just too busy living a new life that he had forgotten all about Heechul and his antics? “It’s Heechul. He stole it from the janitor. Duh.”

Donghae, Ryeowook and Sungmin stood around all quiet now unsure of what they should do. Finally, it was Donghae that threw his hands up in the air and started to walk down the hallways. Ryeowook stared after him, confused as to why Donghae was heading that way when their classroom was the other way back.

“I can’t believe I’m already skipping classes on the first day of school,” Sungmin sighed and then dragged Ryeowook with him as they followed after Donghae, “Come on, you’re coming with.”

***

“Hello, is anyone here?”

Donghae peeped through the small gap into the dark classroom and when there was no respond, he pushed the door and quietly walked into the classroom with Sungmin and Ryeowook following closely behind him. The class was dark and there was no one around. As they entered the classroom, Donghae closed the doors behind them and found the switch for the lights around the class. Before he could switch them on, a video accompanied by a loud scream suddenly started playing from the ceiling projector.

Donghae cupped his hears, blocking out the shrilling scream that echoed through the room. The dark screen suddenly moved and all three of the boys gasped. It was Heechul on the screen, in the video. He was hiding behind a tree, laughing while he covered his mouth. He turned around and peeped around the tree and then laughed again, looking at the camera.

“They’re so damn easy to fool.” Heechul grinned wickedly, “Shhh, they’re coming.”

The bo