CHAPTER TWO

 

 

Seoul, South Korea.

"Han Jisung! Wake up, it's time for breakfast!" his mother shouted her lungs out first thing in the morning.

"I'm awake!" the boy shouted back as he finished up getting ready and hurried downstairs to the dining room. "Mom, I've been awake."

"You didn't oversleep?" his dad asked as he watched the morning news. "Were you up all night again?"

"I was just finishing up a song," Jisung said as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

"You finished the other song you were working on already?" his dad asked.

"Yup! I'm already working on another."

"Haha, as expected from my son."

"That's right!"

Jisung's dad used to be a musician when he was young and later entered a company to get a more stable job to do research. But because of that job, his family all moved to Malaysia for several years until recently.

"I don't get you two. Always so obsessed with music," his mother commented as she served them breakfast. "Anyways, make sure you don't forget anything for school. It's your first day after all."

"Will you be alright son?" his dad asked. "I know you're probably nervous since you had to transfer in the middle of the school year."

"Don't worry about it dad, I'll be alright!"

That being said, Jisung was nervous and slightly excited at the same time. He had spent his childhood either schooling in Malaysia or home schooling due to his parent's work. This was his first time to officially go to school in Korea. Even wearing a school uniform was a completely new experience to him. However, despite his worries, he didn't want to make his parents more worried than him.

First day of class went by quickly though.

Jisung took all his courage to give the best introduction he could to the class. He made a few jokes here and there to shake off his nervousness but thanks to that, his classmates were all very welcoming.

Jisung's crazy antics made him the center of attention. He made friends quickly as he had hoped. But at the same time, always having to make sure his friends were well-entertained, he became very tired himself. On one hand, he was the joke of the class and on the other hand, he had to make sure his grades didn't disappoint his parents. He wasn't the perfect kid but he tried his best to do so.

"Hey, you're Felix, right?" Jisung approached one of their new classmates. "I'm Han Jisung!"

"Hi, I'm Felix," the boy said shyly.

"You're from Australia, right?"

"Mhmm."

"Wow, that's so cool. What's it like?"

Months after Jisung's transfer, another kid was transferred to their class and this time, a boy who was born in Australia, Lee Felix. But unlike Jisung's first day of school, Felix was much more nervous and shy. He didn't really approach many people and was hesitant about making friends. It could be because Felix's Korean wasn't so good still so he was embarrassed about speaking but somehow, Jisung felt like it was his responsibility to make sure Felix feels good about being in school. After all, Jisung was also a transfer student so he felt the need to do so.

"I bet you can make a lot of friends during the school festival next month," Jisung said one day.

"School festival?" Felix asked him.

"Yeah, I heard that in Korea, high school students have this thing every year where students get together by class or clubs to do really fun activities or even performances!" Jisung was getting excited just thinking about it. "I heard that our school is also going to have a competition this year and the winner will get a 3-day trip to Jeju!"

"Competition?"

"Yup!"

"Give it up, Han Jisung," a fellow classmate interrupted after overhearing them talk. "Our class isn't going to win the contest."

"Why not?" Felix asked out of curiosity.

"You don't know what the competition is about, right? It's a beauty contest."

"A beauty contest? But aren't we an all-boys school?" Felix was confused.

"So? That's the fun part of it! Who cares if we're all-boys or not. These kinds of competitions are meant to be funny and silly," Jisung commented and laughed with confidence.

"We might have had a chance but not this year," their classmate continued. "I heard there's a real beauty down the hall. You know those girls from the other school always waiting by the gates? They're all for the Prince!"

"Prince?"

 

* * *

 

"Jisung? It's time to wake up," a voice called his name.

"Mom, let me just sleep a little longer," Jisung said as he covered himself in his sheets.

"Mom? Who are you talking about?"

The voice was clearly a man's voice.

Jisung immediately came to his senses and shot out of bed. He looked around the room that wasn't his own and finally collected himself to remember where he was.

"S-sorry, Chan-hyung," Jisung gulped and looked at the man with blazing red hair and a bright smile.

That's right... this isn't Chan-hyung. At least, not the one I know.

"Were you dreaming about your mom? Do you remember who she is?" Chan asked him.

"Huh? Was I dreaming about my mom?" Jisung feint ignorance. "I don't remember anything."

"Guess not. Anyways, you've already slept for two days straight. So, let's go down to the dining hall and grab you breakfast. There's still a lot to show you," Chan told him. "I'll wait for you downstairs."

"Right! I'll be down in a minute!" Jisung said and watched Chan go out of his room and closed the door.

As soon as the door closed, Jisung got out of bed immediately.

"Dammit Han Jisung! You almost gave yourself away!" he slapped himself lightly to remind himself what was going on.

I came to this world suddenly with monsters and stuff. And Chan-hyung isn't Chan-hyung...

"I need to be on guard. If they catch me lying, they're going to make me leave," Jisung warned himself.

If they kick me out, where will I go?

The thought alone was unsettling and his anxiety was rising again.

Jisung rushed downstairs to join Chan for breakfast and entered the giant dining hall where everyone from the Hunter's Society would grab their meals. HQ contained three sectors and a main atrium where it is frequented by Hunters and staff alike. The dining hall was located in the main atrium with high ceilings and lighting, along with the beautiful natural lighting from outside, an outdoor patio with a view of the gardens which leads to the courtyard shared by everyone and more. Inside the dining hall was a catering set up by the head of administrations which was filled with scrumptious food served in a buffet-style. Everything looked so delicious that it made Jisung's mouth water as soon as he took a waft of the food just from standing in line for his turn.

"Hyung, is this what you guys normally eat here?" Jisung asked Chan.

"Yup. Looks good, right? It's better when you eat it. You didn't eat much these past two days since you were resting so make sure you eat lots!," Chan helped Jisung grab some of the servings that were slightly further out of reach.

Chan-hyung even in this world, he's super caring like a big brother, Jisung thought as he followed Chan behind.

"Anyways, our Director is obsessed with healthy eating. He always says that we have to eat healthy to stay strong. After all, Hunters or not, everyone here has to use both their physical and mental power a lot," Chan continued.

The two sat down at an empty table and started to eat.

"Minho! Over here!" Chan noticed his colleague looking around for a spot.

Minho walked over immediately but he didn't look too pleased as soon as he saw Jisung sitting across Chan.

"You're here too," he commented as he sat down next to Chan.

"Don't be mean, Minho. Say good morning," Chan lectured him immediately.

"... Morning," Minho said obediently but didn't utter another word and just continued eating.

"Anyways~ I'll be showing you around Hunter's Society in more detail today. You were too tired after your encounter with a Ghoul the other day so I didn't want to interrupt your rest but I'll make sure you'll have a lot of fun today!" Chan was very excited just imagining their mini adventure around the headquarters.

"That's right, you mentioned that thing was called a Ghoul. But what exactly is a Ghoul?" Jisung asked.

"As you know now, we're Hunters and our job is to hunt down these creatures to prevent them from hurting other people. Aside from Ghouls, there are many other creatures ranked from the least to the most dangerous ones. Ghouls are Class C creatures."

"Class C?"

"You really don't know a thing, do you?" Minho suddenly interrupted and looked at Jisung, obviously judging the clueless boy.

"Don't mind him, Jisung," Chan lectured Minho for Jisung and continued. "Here at Hunter's Society we rank all these creatures from Class D, the least dangerous ones, to Class SS creatures that are the most dangerous ones. Luckily, we haven't had many encounters with Class SS creatures but a majority of the ones we know of are recorded in the archives. You can find those in the library. Ghouls being Class C creatures are rather harmless and slow. However, if you get caught by one, they'll hunt you down until they devour you completely. So, you were lucky we found you in time the other night."

Jisung gulped nervously as he looked at his plate of food.

I almost became its food, he thought as he slowly lost his appetite.

"Aside from these monsters, we as Hunters are also ranked under the system developed by the authorities. SS as the highest ranked Hunters and C or D as the lowest ones. Those without a ranking typically work here in administrations."

"Can I ask what rank you two are in?" Jisung asked.

"Both Minho and I are S-Ranked Hunters," Chan said proudly as he stood up and showed Jisung their uniform proudly.

Jisung just noticed that indeed, both Chan and Minho had very different uniforms compared to a lot of the other people here at the Bureau.

They wore black from top to bottom, pants that were loose like hanbok pants and their blazers were well embellished and a waist belt that defined their rankings. Lower ranked Hunters had a simple black tassel tied around their waist but the higher the rank a Hunter has, the number of tassels and the color of their tassels would change.

Both Chan and Minho had gold tassels.

"S-Ranked Hunters are experts in either combat or knowledge. We can work alone on missions given to us or lead a platoon of 6 to 8 people. Basically, we're given the role of a leader and a leader has many responsibilities, right Minho?" Chan glanced at Minho, as if he's hinting to the other that his behavior lately towards Jisung wasn't very 'leader-like'.

"..." Minhyo didn't respond.

"Work alone? But you two were together the night you found me, weren't you?" Jisung noticed.

"Remember what we told you about the red sun and blue moon?" Chan reminded him. "Despite creatures being categorized, during the red sun and blue moon phase, any creatures would become more dangerous and unpredictable. So, just in case, we work in pairs to prevent any mishaps."

"I see..." Jisung said.

This is sounding more and more like some crazy fantasy movie I've watched in the past. Or more like an anime? Which one was it again? Jisung thought as he heard more and more about the system of the world he ended up in.

 

 

After breakfast, Chan continued to show Jisung around while Minho left without a word. Jisung was sure that Minho didn't like him very much and it seems that Minho was wary of Jisung's 'amnesia' situation. But Jisung doesn't blame him. Only someone as nice and gullible as Chan would believe Jisung's obvious lies. And that's why Jisung couldn't help but continue to think of how much the Chan in front of him resembles the Chan he knew back home.

Hunter's Society was bigger than it looked from the outside and Jisung didn't get quite the good look on his first day here. Aside from the dining hall, the entire main building made Jisung's jaw drop as the library itself was five floors tall.

"Most of the top floors are references, archives and research essays written by other scholars and Hunters from the past or present. They're quite elaborate but really good for studying and getting to know your surroundings before you actually head out," Chan took Jisung into the library.

"Are the archives open for everyone?" Jisung asked.

"As long as you're a part of the Hunter's Society, the answer is yes. Of course, there are some more confidential files but to be honest, they aren't that important."

"You've seen them before?"

"Of course."

In Jisung's head, libraries in these kinds of fantasy-filled worlds would be full of confidential things that an organization or school would try to hide. He imagined all the fantasies and dark secrets when he heard about a library full of archives but to hear that there aren't really any secrets was quite the let down.

And here I thought it'd be like one of those break into the confidential room moments from spy movies... Jisung sighed.

"Jisung?" Chan noticed the boy in his own world again.

"Hmm? Sorry, you were saying?" Jisung snapped out of it.

"Do you remember what I told you about the three sectors?"

"Uh, yeah! The West or known as Favonius, is for smart people, The North or Septentrio is for those good at fighting and the East, Subsolanus, is for the other smart people," Jisung's explanation made Chan very amused.

"You have a really unique way of remembering things. But amazing at remembering those names," Chan praised him.

That's because those names were also used in the RPG games Felix made me play in the past, Jisung remembered.

"Let me elaborate more for you so you don't forget. The West are for Hunters that are more off-field strategists and are in charge of planning operations. Minho is a part of that sector. The North contains more physical combat Hunters but also those who are experts with weapons. All Hunters have some sort of tools or weapons to aid them on their missions."

"Ah! I remember. You had that big blade thing and Minho-sshi had a pistol, right?" Jisung said. "But I don't see you wielding it around. Do you have some sort of magic to store it somewhere and then it will magically appear when you call it?"

Jisung's eyes sparkled just thinking about it.

"Haha! Nothing like that. All the weapons are stored in the main atrium in a large vault. To access it we all have a security access card and we have to go through that to get our weapons. We can't have people wielding a weapon around HQ. That's quite dangerous," Chan said.

"Oh," Jisung was clearly disappointed.

"Anyways, finally we have the East Sector. The sector is located next to the giant arboretum and green house. They do all the research there especially in regards to botanical plants, medicinal herbs, and micro-organisms. Typically, they would have Hunters that are in charge of collecting samples after encountering a creature. So their job can resemble forensic science. After all, there is still so much we can learn from them."

"Sounds complicated," Jisung commented.

"Anyways, which sector do you think you'd fit in?" Chan suddenly asked.

"Huh? Me?"

"Mhmm."

"I...I dunno. I'm not good with science stuff."

At least not like my dad. I never understood any of his work whenever he brought it home, Jisung thought.

"And I'm not that athletic either."

"So the West Sector then?" Chan asked.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It seems like you could fit in as a strategist especially with your wits."

"You think I have wits? But I'm not that smart."

"Being smart doesn't just mean that you're good at studying. I think you're quite clever and it seems that you could get your way out of any trouble. You're nothing like Minho when it comes to strategizing but I think the West sector could do someone like you."

"I see..." Jisung also gave it some thought. "Wait, hyung. Why are you asking me this? I'm not going to join Hunter's Society or anything, am I?"

"Well, actually~ The Director wants to meet you and talk to you about that. I think it has something to do with you helping out HQ while we find where your home is."

"The Director?" Jisung was anxious just hearing the name.

The Director of the Hunter's Society... they have to be someone really strong and powerful, right? Jisung was trying to picture a big tall and buffed-up man in a suit as the Director of all the Hunters.

"Yup! Anyway, let's go," Chan grabbed Jisung's arms and pulled him over to the Director's office in the main building.

"W-Wait!"

Without even time to say no, Jisung was pulled up to the third floor of the main atrium and down a long wide corridor towards the Director's office. Along the corridor were paintings of various people and landscapes, probably portraits of very important people within Hunter's Society. It was rather fascinating to see and it made him forget for a moment of where he was going.

"Hyung~ I brought him with me," Chan said as he playfully barged into the Director's office so casually.

Hyung? He calls the Director in such a friendly manner? As expected, Chan-hyung is someone not to be reckoned with. He's a S-Rank Hunter after all... Jisung was surprised.

Jisung looked around the Director's office filled with bookshelves and antiques. Right in front of him was a man with his back facing towards them as he looked out from the windows towards the courtyard.

"Took you long enough," the man said and slowly turned around. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Park Jinyoung, the Director of the Hunter's Society."

The sunlight behind the man was blinding Jisung and in that dramatic moment, Jisung thought that the man was radiating for a second.

This is like those scenes from a drama, Jisung felt as if time had slowed down as the Director revealed himself.

The Director was a well-built man with an intimidating gaze. He didn't have much of a smile but he didn't seem too scary either. Yet, just his title alone made Jisung behave himself.

"N-nice to meet you sir. My name is Han Jisung. You can just call me Han- no I mean, Jisung," Jisung bit his tongue from nervousness.

"Nice to meet you Jisung," the Director chuckled slightly but immediately gathered his composure again to greet the scared boy. "Please sit down. I heard from Chan that you don't remember anything about where you came from and who you are except your name. Is that correct?"

"Y-yes sir."

I feel like he can see through my bull. I need to be careful. I don't think he's as gullible as Chan-hyung, Jisung straightened up.

"We have tried to run through the system to see if anyone has reported missing a teenage boy but it seems that there haven't been any reports yet. It might take some time for us to find your home so in the meantime, I've discussed with Chan about how you can contribute. After all, you seem to be unaware of the danger around us so it might be wise to study with us and learn about the creatures you might or might not encounter in the future. What do you think?" the Director asked.

"Do you think I can do it?" Jisung was nervous and not confident that he can do the same as Chan or Minho.

"I'm sure you can do it if you try. If you don't try, you won't know," the man said with confidence.

"I see."

"Have you and Chan discussed which sector you'll be working in?"

"Jisung thought that the West sector would be the most suitable for him. I think the North sector would require too much physical training that he might not get used to immediately. The West sector would not only allow him to learn the ropes but I think Jisung can help out with operations off-field," Chan said.

"What do you think?" the Director asked Jisung for confirmation.

"As long as you think I can do it, I'll do my best!" Jisung straightened up his posture and looked as confident as he could in front of the Director and Chan who seemed to trust him whole-heartedly. Heck with saying 'no' is what was on mind as he faced the Director.

"That's good to hear," the Director finally smiled.

That made Jisung less tense, thankfully.

"Unfortunately all the rooms in the West sector are filled already so if you don't mind staying in the North sector for the time being, that would be great. It will also be nice to know that Chan can look after you if you have any questions."

"Is that really okay?"

"Of course!" Chan replied instantly. "Plus, having you around is like having a new younger brother."

Chan ruffled Jisung's hair playfully which made Jisung feel at ease once more.

Despite this Chan being from another world, his virtues resemble closely to the 'Chan-hyung' that Jisung was familiar with.

 

 

After meeting with the Director, Chan decided to bring Jisung directly to the West sector to grab his uniform and show him around. The West sector was indeed much quieter than the rowdy North sector. There was a pathway that connects the two sectors so Jisung would have no problem with going back and forth as well. The passage towards the West sector was rather lovely as the floors were neatly paved with gravel and surrounded by nature. To get to the West sector from the main building, they also had to cross a small bridge above a koi pond.

"It's really nice here," Jisung commented as they made their way into the building.

"Yup! Having a nice environment is important for those in the West sector and they also have simulation centers for planning and strategizing."

"Simulation centers?"

"You'll see when you get there."

Chan checked in at the West sector and brought Jisung to the administration to get their uniform. Those in different sectors had a different badge on their blazer aside from the color of their tassels around their waist. Each sector has a different symbol on their badges to help Hunters identify themselves among the many. As for Jisung, he is not officially a Hunter yet but simply in training so, there were no tassels assigned to him.

"Don't look so down. If you do well and prove yourself, I'm sure you'll get a tassel in no time. But do you want to be a Hunter?"

"Huh? Well, not really," Jisung said.

I don't even know how long I'll be here. I don't even know why I ended up in this world in the first place. That's another mystery I have to get through.

"I just thought that everyone looks so cool with those tassels around their waist. Like, you guys look so special," Jisung told Chan.

"Haha, it does look cool, doesn't it? When I got promoted to S-Rank and they gave me this tassel, I thought I was in cloud nine. Strange how a simple change of your tassel could make you feel so accomplished," Chan said as he looked proudly at his uniform.

"Hyung, how did you become a Hunter?" Jisung decided to ask out of curiosity. "Aren't you afraid? You have to fight those monsters, don't you?"

"I was afraid. But I lost my parents because of those things," Chan said.

"S-sorry."

"Don't be. I lost them when I was really young and luckily, the Director found me and saved me. He brought me into Hunter's Society and I have been here ever since."

"That's why you call him Hyung while everyone calls him 'Director'?"

"Yup! He's basically family at this point. I look up to him and have a lot of respect for him but he's also very good at taking care of those around him. He might seem a little stoic at times but to be fair, that's just how he shows his affection. Tough love, I guess?" Chan shrugged.

"I see..."

"Anyways, enough about me. Why don't we change you into your new uniform first? I want to introduce you to someone."

"Who?"

"You'll see."

"It's not Minho-sshi, is it?" Jisung thought since he knew that Minho was a part of the West sector.

"No, no. Not him. But his worst nightmare," Chan jokes.

"What?"

Jisung was utterly confused.

Chan brought Jisung into the lounge for the West sector where most of the Hunters would hang around during their breaks. There were a lot of recreational activities but there were also a lot of computers around where some of the Hunters would use to do their studies and play some games.

I must've hit the jackpot choosing here, Jisung thought but only to realize that he is still going to be staying in the North sector since there were no rooms available for him. No, no. Chan-hyung said that I can use both facilities to my heart's content so this is like the best of both worlds, right? At least in the North sector, I have Chan-hyung.

Jisung can't imagine having to live under the same roof with a bunch of new faces so quickly. It gave him butterflies just thinking about it.

"Alright, we're here," Chan finally stopped in front of a quieter part of the West sector. "Seungmin-ah, we're here~"

Seungmin? the name snapped Jisung immediately out of his fantasies and he perked up to see who Chan was so keen on introducing to Jisung.

"You always have the worst timing hyung. I told you I wasn't going to do your babysitting for you," a boy said as he got out of his desk and took off his glasses to greet the two. He looked over Chan's shoulders and saw Jisung standing there, speechless and confused. "Is he the one you brought in with Minho-hyung?"

It can't be... Jisung couldn't believe his eyes at the resemblance of the boy. Another familiar face in this world...

"Y-your name is Seungmin?" Jisung suddenly asked out of the blue. "Your surname wouldn't happen to be Kim, would it?"

"Huh? How do you know?" Seungmin looked at the boy warily.

"J-just a guess! You look like you'd be a Kim, that's why! Haha..." Jisung tried to laugh it off but the atmosphere was rather heavy and awkward.

You've got to be kidding me, right?

Minho, Chan and now Seungmin too?

The people he knew from back in his world are appearing one by one in this unknown world. Not only do they have the exact same face but also the same name. Their styles and behavior might be slightly different but Jisung couldn't help shake off the uneasy feeling he was getting from everything that was happening.

What if... Hyunjin is... Jisung felt his throat dry imagining it.

The first week at HQ was all studies and designing simulations. A lot of the operations that were done through simulations were like a game to Jisung and it was rather interesting and enjoyable. But Seungmin was very strict. He made sure that Jisung wasn't slacking at all and he even quizzed Jisung from time to time out of the blue.

"Name three creatures under the Class C category," Seungmin ambushed him with a question while Jisung was trying to catch a break.

"Uh, Ghouls, Shapeshifters and um..." Jisung panicked. "Gate Keepers?"

"Two correct and one wrong. Gate Keepers are Class B. Minus one point for the week," Seungmin took out his digital tablet and took notes on the points Jisung got right and wrong.

He had already developed an intense grading system for Jisung without consulting with the other and there was no way for Jisung to disobey either. The more points that got deducted from Jisung, the more errands and extra hours of studying he had to do.

He's the same in this world too! But crazier!

Jisung was getting flashbacks just having intense study sessions with Seungmin until late into the evening to prepare for their high school exams.

This Seungmin is exactly like the one I know... even this studious side of them is exactly alike! Jisung thought at times.

The one thing that didn't seem similar however was how Seungmin treated Minho.

Minho is considered Seungmin's senior in the West sector and both were well known Hunter Strategists. It was strange at first when Chan called Seungmin "Minho's worst nightmare" but eventually, Jisung got the hint. Every chance Seungmin got, he would tease Minho whether it was about his plans or just his stoic personality. Despite having such a strict and studious schedule, Seungmin was rather playful and light-hearted whenever he got to tease the older boy.

This is different from the Minho and Seungmin that Jisung knows back home. Back in his world, these two individuals had no official encounters with one another aside from the one time at a school festival where Jisung introduced Seungmin to Minho who came to visit.

"Why are you always making Minho-sshi angry?" Jisung asked randomly.

"No reason. His reactions are just funny, that's all," Seungmin told him.

I never thought that Seungmin could be this immature, Jisung thought as he was studying one day in the library and caught a glimpse of Seungmin laughing at Minho again. Minho didn't say anything and simply walked away with a clearly annoyed expression on his face.

Learning everything about the Hunters' operations as well as this world he ended up in was interesting and exciting. It was as if he was really inside a fantasy story and he was a part of it.

But every day as he was led around by Chan and Minho, and mentored by Seungmin, these familiar faces were starting to make him feel homesick. He didn't want to admit it but Jisung was starting to miss home. He was starting to miss his friends and his family.

If I really did die... what kind of reactions did mom and dad have when they heard about the news? What about my classmates? Friends? What happened to them afterwards? Jisung couldn't help but let the tears slide down the side of his cheeks while he laid in bed one night, being unable to fall asleep. And what happened to Hyunjin? He's the one who pushed me down... would he get punished?

These restless nights continued for several days and at times, Jisung would cry himself to sleep. He was afraid of telling anyone his real feelings since he wasn't supposed to have any memories. He laughed and smiled in front of everyone who welcomed him into the Hunter's Society but just how much longer can he continue this lie?

As he tried to fall asleep for another night, and everyone in the dormitory was sound asleep, Jisung heard a sound.

He heard footsteps walking along the hallways and passing by one room at a time.

The night guard should've gone to bed as well, so who could be still up so late?

Jisung tried to ignore the footsteps but when the footsteps seemed to have stopped right in front of his bedroom doors, Jisung was wide awake and in full panic mode.

He covered himself with his bedsheets out of instinct and stayed still.

Someone was trying to open his bedroom doors.

Whoever it was, it seems like they were struggling a bit. The doors were locked and no one else should have the keys but it sounded like someone was trying to break in. Jisung could make out the sound of a pin, someone lockpicking open the door.

W-who is it?

A trespasser...

But for what reason? And why his room of all rooms?

Jisung could feel his heart beating louder and louder.

Finally, the door opened.

He felt as if his life was in danger. What should he do? What if someone broke-in to rob him? What if they want to kill him?

All these crazy scenarios flashed in Jisung's mind as he heard the stranger step into the room and slowly walk towards him.

Are they coming closer? What's going on? I'm not going to get attacked am I? What should I do? All of these thoughts came into his mind as he cowarded underneath his blankets.

Then, he felt it, the stranger was reaching out for his blankets. But why?

Immediately out of panic to protect himself, Jisung flung over his blankets and was ready to fight for his life in the dark.

"AHHH!!!" Jisung shouted loud enough, in hopes that someone in his dorm would hear it and save him immediately.

"What th- " the stranger was startled by Jisung's sudden shouting. "Quiet down, would you?"

The stranger took Jisung's blankets but he didn't seem to be much of a threat.

"Who are you?" the stranger asked first. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Your room?" Jisung was confused.

The stranger went over to the lights and turned it on.

When he turned around, Jisung was shocked.

I-it can't be...

His worst nightmare came true. The one thing he's been fearing, finally happened.

"That's right, my room," the stranger emphasized once more.

The stranger was and wasn't a stranger. Jisung looked up and stared at the taller boy, with medium-length silver hair and dark gray eyes with a sharp gaze . Despite his hairstyle being fairly different, Jisung can recognize that face anywhere. The same beauty mark under his left eye, and fuller lips, are all of which Jisung was too familiar with.

Jisung's head began to throb, the room felt heavy as if it could spin out of control at any minute.

"H-Hyunjin?"