Joon pauses, thinking of Wonpil. The boy had always been loving in his expression, yet even he is extra bubbly tonight. The Shiba Inu barks warmly, though at a softer volume, at the very thought. As a result, he decides to pad along the corridor and into his room. The dog did have his moods for cuddling.

The door is slightly ajar, and so he tumbles into the room, making a declaration bark. He blinks, noticing that the boy did not respond. He walks over to the boy, nibbling the sleeve in an attempt to get his attention. Yet he says nothing and remains oddly still.

Suddenly, Joon growls without realising. He smells something smoky, airy tendrils that choke. He sees a matchstick on the floor, fizzled and the remains of a shimmering liquid. And a ball of fire. He drags Wonpil out of bed, tearing the sleeve off by accident but by doing so, the boy manages to wake up. He staggers out, and the Shiba Inu goes out to the other rooms to wake them up. Something is wrong, the dog knows that the fire is not supposed to happen.

Fortunately, others pour out of their rooms and do their best to keep the fire from spreading. As it was small, it was not enough to activate the fire alarm. Once things have calmed down, they sit in Wonpil’s room gravely.

“So,” says Sungjin slowly after switching on the room lights. “What happened?”

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