A week had passed by ever since the news of the missing children went out. However, for Kai, the situation was getting worse. No matter how quiet he was and how much he avoided the people's eyes, they all managed to catch sight of him and tried to chase after him. More and more students went missing, even though they were sent to different schools.

"Kai, will you please confess?"

"Kai, stop this joke already. It's not funny anymore."

"Kai, isn't this your fault? Clear up the mess."

"Kai, Kai, Kai..."

The young boy looked up with burdened eyes. He looked down at his pillow, which were wet with the tears that trickled down the sides of his head. After taking deep a few deep breaths, he threw his blanket to the side and got up from his bed. He quickly reached for his blazer, but stopped when he realized that there was no school. When he looked down at the clock, it was barely five in the morning. He groaned and rubbed his forehead.

Why are they all blaming me? Why are they all attacking me? he wondered. Slowly, he pulled out a small childhood photo of him and Krystal. A small pout formed on his lips, showing how upset he was after looking at the photo. He heaved a loud sigh, then hid his face in his arms.

I miss you, Krystal. Things were so much more fun when you were around.

He stopped for a second, then looked outside at the glowing moon. His eyes suddenly widened, and he quickly opened his drawer. He dug around the messy box until he found a small slip of paper: a copy of the hit-list he had written down months ago.

He spread the tiny paper, then opened his laptop. He quickly searched up the names who were reported missing and began to cross them out of the hit-list: Niel, Jiyoung, and...

Kai began to realize nearly all the names that were crossed out were from the bottom of the list. Did they really go missing? It can't be a coincident...

"Ah..." There was a deadly pause. "My son came home awfully late last night."

Kai gulped, but smiled. "And?"

"He came home awfully, awfully late. It was so awful. When he came home, he was covered in blood and every thing. It was terrifying to see. His blood still stains my carpet," Mr. Jung said. He stopped himself for a second, then gave Kai a cruel gaze. "It was disgusting."

"Sir," Kai began, "I'm awfully busy today. Let's talk about your son's--"

"Then two of my students, Niel and Jiyoung, suddenly disappeared last night, too," Mr. Jung continued.

"I don't see the connection," Kai responded earnestly.

The adult shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just saying that my son came very late last night. That's all. After all, my son is the one who will take over this school in the future. He shouldn't have a reputation of returning home late. Do you understand?"

The boy broke into a smile. He looked at the top of the list, then managed to squeeze in a small name on top of the first name that was crossed out.

"I understand, Mr. Jung," Kai whispered, chuckling. "I'll take action once school starts again.."

Jung Ilhoon, if only you weren't such an obvious man.

Ilhoon did not want to go back to school. He was invited by one of his classmates to come back to school, but he was easily able to (secretly) slay the working slave with a few whacks of his silver bat. He quickly dragged the dead body closer to the dumpster, tossing the limp body into where all trash belonged. Then, he grabbed his jacket and began to wipe away the pool of blood on the ground, spraying water to get rid of the dark liquid and soaking it with the stained cotton. The boy looked up at the dark night, wiping away his cold sweat. His body trembled with fear, but he believed that it was natural adrenaline running through his veins.

In you go! he thought, shoving the jacket and the dead body into the dumpster. He closed the dumpster, but stopped for a brief moment when he heard police sirens echo in the empty night. Ever since there were reports of "missing" students, Ilhoon had to be extra cautious. 

Then, a brilliant flash of light shined in the dark alley. Ilhoon gasped and quickly hid behind the dumpster, praying that he was not seen. He continued to see the white light search around the alley, looking for any signs of... of... of just anything. Ilhoon squeezed himself closer to the wall, kneeling down and hoping that no one would dare to step in front of his path.

If it's a cop, then I'll go out and distract him. If it's a person... He looked down at the bat. One more couldn't hurt tonight, right?

"I saw that!" a hush voice said, loud enough to startle Ilhoon. "I saw that! Whoever you are, come out! I saw you shove that body into the dumpster."

His heart thumped loudly. Words couldn't escape from his dry lips, which only trembled after hearing the quiet accusation. Ilhoon wrapped his fingers around the bat, ready to smack anyone who approached him. However, his body didn't move. The foot steps came closer, and Ilhoon was sure that this was the end of him.

I'm going to get caught... I'm going to get caught–

"I knew it," the female figure whispered, her flashlight still pointing at the frightened boy. By now, Ilhoon was frozen stiff, and he was blinded by the white light. "I was right. You are a dangerous man. Stand!"

Ilhoon did as he was told. He slowly rose up on his two feet, only to find out that his body hovered over the petite figure. Not only that, but the person who had caught him was Suzy.

I'm sure she wouldn't mind being in the hospital for another week or so, he thought. Without thinking, he raised his bat against Suzy. However, Suzy quickly turned off her flashlight and raised her hands high up in the air as if she was surrendering like a criminal.

"Don't hit me! I promise I won't tell!" she said in a brisk manner. Ilhoon stared at her, taking a moment to think whether or not he should trust her. Seeing this, Suzy decided to speak more. "I've killed a girl before, too. Aren't we the same?"

Oh yeah. She was the cause of Krystal's death, he reminded himself. He lowered his bat, then glared at her.

"Are you going to black-mail me?" he asked.

"No. No, I would never!"

"Then why are you here?"

"I kind of followed you. You always seemed different to me. There's that... look in your eye. It's frightening, but at the same time, I can kind of understand that expression you have," Suzy explained.

"What look?" he questioned.

"Have you ever looked in the mirror when you... do that?" Suzy asked, pointing at the dumpster. Ilhoon shook his head. "Oh... Well, never mind that, does Namjoo know that you're doing this?"

"This is for her. It's like a surprise," Ilhoon muttered, his bat to his side. "What do you want?"

Suzy pressed her lips. "I found out that I wasn't the one who killed Krystal. Actually, it was partially my fault, but it wasn't only my fault. Kai played a part, too."

They weren't the same. 

Ilhoon quickly raised his bat, seeing her as an inferior pest. However, Suzy remained calm and composed. She reached into her pocket, but did not pull out the object. He stared at her quizzically, wondering if she had a weapon of her own.

"You can kill. I can't, but I want to kill Kai. We both want to get rid of him, right?" Suzy asked.

"Well... I guess, but what do you–"

Right then, the girl pulled out a silver object. Ilhoon widened his eyes, and his hands began to shake. The object she pulled out was a gun–a terrifying weapon that could kill anyone in just matters of seconds. Nevertheless, Suzy did not point the gun at him. Instead, she motioned him to stick out his hand, then gently placed the cold weapon in his pale, sweaty hands.

"You want me to kill Kai?" Ilhoon asked. He slowly began to laugh. "I... I can't. I can't! He's still terrifying. I'm just doing this to help Namjoo. If anyone's going to kill Kai, it should be Namjoo, right? It should be–"

"You mentioned a hit-list at the hospital, right? Namjoo never gave us the hit-list. I suspect that she's not planning to take actions. Whatever her reason is, I don't want to trust her. I want to trust someone who's going to take action and not go back. Won't you do that for me? Kill Kai? Isn't it simple?" Suzy pleaded.

Simple? Was it simple? It sure sounded simple, but was doing the deed that simple? Ilhon wasn't sure what to say. He knew how desperate she was, and he knew that he wanted the same for himself, but would it really lead to a better life?

"Do you want to practice? You can practice on me," Suzy offered.

"How would I practice on you?" Ilhoon asked her, creasing his forehead. The young girl took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. She spread her arms and carefully raised her head. This action caused Ilhoon to hold his breath. "You don't mean..."

"If you can kill me with that gun, I'm sure you can kill Kai. Don't worry, I already wrote a suicidal note on the hospital bed, so you won't be accused or anything for my death. They'll just think that it was suicide," Suzy assured him.

"Why are you making me do this? I don't want to do this–"

"No, Ilhoon. I know you want to do this," she said. "I know that you want to help Namjoo. Isn't this a better way to help her?"

She was tempting him. By now, Ilhoon was completely aware of the fact that he was wrapped around Suzy's finger tips. He had a choice in slipping out of her hand and avoid the situation, but...

"Your last name was Bae, right? Bae Suzy?" he asked, pointing the gun.

"Yes. Why?"

"Were you always this insane?"

She paused for a brief moment. "Maybe. I don't know. I've already killed someone with my words. I don't want to kill anyone ever again."

"So you're pushing the guilt on me?" he asked, letting out a soft scoff.

"...Yes," she answered. "Yeah, I'm putting the guilt on you, but you're a man, right? Men are supposed to be strong..."

No, he wanted to say. No, not all men are strong, just like how not all women are weak.

"Goodbye, Bae Suzy. I'll bring Kai to you as soon as possible, okay?" Ilhoon said.

"Wait, I need to tell you some–"

Bang!

The sound of a gunshot rang throughout the night. Ilhoon quickly hid the gun in his jacket, then began to run for it. He ran out of the alley, not bothering to hide Suzy's body into the dumpster. She wasn't trash... was she? Maybe she was trashed, but what defined trash? What was trash? Was trash those who were against him? Suzy wasn't against him, so she wasn't trash. Though he betrayed her trust, so maybe she was partially considered as trash?

If I look back, that means that she meant something. That means that she wasn't trash. If I look back, I'll go hide her bother in a better place than the alley, he told himself. He stopped, took a deep breath, then looked up.

Instead of turning, he continued to ran forward without bothering to turn back, confirming that Suzy, indeed, was trash in his eyes.

Four o'clock in the morning. L had woken up, feeling cold and exhausted. He was sure that he dreamt of a nightmare, but which one? The one where all his selfish goods were taken away from him? Or the one where Krystal had died in front of his own eyes?

Forget it! L demanded, shaking his head. He slapped himself hard, causing his cheeks to turn red. Forget it! It wasn't your fault! She just fell. There was nothing you could've done to save her... but–

L slapped himself again. Forget it. Forget everything.

He quickly sprung out of bed, wanting to get a glass of water while watching some television. When he walked into the kitchen, he poured himself a small glass of water. Without taking a sip, he walked over to the small living room and the television to a new channel, wanting to hear about what was going on with the school. The college student leaned back, swirling the glass of water like rich wine, then taking careful sips as he watched the mindless box.

"Just half an hour ago, a patient named Bae Suzy was reported missing from the hospital. All she left was a note bidding goodbye to her family and friends, with a simple apology of being a murderer. She was later found in an alley where she bled to death. Police officers are investigating the scene, believing that she had committed suicide by shooting herself with a gun. However, there were no weapons to be found, leading to the possibility that someone else might've killed her..."

L dropped the glass cup, which shattered into little fragments. His eyes were wide open, and the exhaustion he felt just minutes ago had disappeared. He couldn't believe his ears, not to mention how he couldn't believe his eyes when an old picture of Suzy was displayed on screen. Two years ago, he couldn't protect Krystal. Now, after those two years, he couldn't even save his ex-girlfriend. 

The young man stood up, running back to his room to change. He ran back to the living room, his eyes glued on the television screen.

"While the police are investigating the scene, the school that was once closed has now been opened once again! Students, who had scattered throughout the other schools, will unite once again and resume their regular school activities on the up-coming Monday. This is Reporter Kwon with–"

L quickly turned off the television once the news segment was done. He grabbed his cell phone, texting Jessica and Minho to meet him at the hospital in Namjoo's room. Before he left, he looked back at the clock.

Only half an hour had passed, and there were so many things to be said.