1. Coming Home Late

"Hey, Yu! Cover for my cleaning duty, will you? I’ve got stuff to deal with!" Jeni said to me before I even had a chance to protest.

She quickly grabbed her bag and rushed out, whether she really had something to do or just wanted to ditch her cleaning duty, I didn’t know. Frustrated, I threw my bag back on the desk and begrudgingly started the classroom chores.

Time passed. I let out a long sigh, exhausted after what felt like endless sweeping. I held the broom tightly in my right hand and glanced at the wall clock.

It was past 5 PM, and the school was growing quiet. Most of the students had already gone home, except a few of my classmates still tidying up.

"Why the hell did I even agree to cover for that spoiled girl Jeni? Ordering me around like I’m her maid!" I muttered, sweeping up torn bits of paper scattered across the floor.

“Seriously? These boys and their paper wars. So childish. And I’m the one who has to clean it up?” I kept grumbling, clearly not doing this voluntarily. Of course I wasn’t! It was supposed to be Princess Jeni’s job!

After finishing, I put the broom away in the corner of the room. "Done. I need a break," I told my friends as I stepped out of the classroom.

The cool afternoon air brushed against my face, helping me relax a little after being cooped up all day.

Instead of going straight home, I decided to take a short break behind the school. It was always my favorite spot to escape the crowd. Now that the school was nearly empty, it was especially peaceful.

I walked through the increasingly quiet hallways. Occasionally, I heard a few students chatting nearby, but I ignored them. "I'm too tired. Not in the mood to talk."

Once I reached the back of the school, I leaned my back against the wall and closed my eyes. "Just a quick rest before heading home," I thought. It felt peaceful here, far from the noise and chaos, as if the world had momentarily paused.

I had just started to drift into a quiet moment when I heard commotion from behind. At first, I tried to ignore it, but the sound grew clearer, like a fight was breaking out.

“What the hell is that?” I whispered, curiosity pushing away my exhaustion. I stood up and cautiously peeked around the corner of the wall I’d been leaning against.

Then I saw them, right there in the small, unused field, Bin. That delinquent from school who was always causing trouble. He was arguing with a few guys I didn’t recognize.

They were shoving each other, and Bin, God, he was snatching something out of one guy’s hand. I couldn’t see clearly from that distance, but it looked like a small white packet. Powdery. Was that… drugs?

“Oh my God… is he selling drugs? Or buying them?” My heart pounded like crazy. Panic hit me. I had to get out of there before they saw me.

I spun around and bolted. I didn’t care that I stumbled through dirt, or that branches tore at my uniform. All I knew was that I had to get away!

But then, damn it, my foot twisted when I stepped on a tree root. Pain shot up my ankle, but I didn’t stop. I forced myself to keep running, even as my pace slowed. I could feel someone chasing me, and guess who?

“Where do you think you’re going?” that deep voice rang loudly in my ears.

I turned around, Bin! And yeah … I got caught.

“Shit!” I cursed internally. Cold sweat started dripping down my face.

Before I could react, Bin grabbed my arm and started dragging me away. My breathing was ragged, my ankle hurt, but he didn’t stop. “Let me go! What are you doing?!” I yelled, trying to pull away, but his grip was way too strong.

“Be quiet,” he said coldly, not even looking at me.

My mind was spinning. I didn’t know what he planned to do, and the further we walked, the more I realized, we were heading toward the school’s storage building? The place everyone used for shady stuff. “Bin, where are you taking me?!”

But he didn’t answer. He yanked the metal door open, it creaked loudly, and dragged me inside. The dim lighting made everything even creepier. The place was dusty, full of old equipment, and smelled musty.

“Listen to me!” Bin finally snapped, shoving me against the wall. “Don’t ever get involved in my business!”

I wanted to respond, but my tongue froze. My heart was racing, my brain couldn’t process anything. I slowly backed away, fear crawling over my skin.

Before I could say a word, the door suddenly slammed open.

“Hey! What are you two doing here?!”

The voice startled both of us. We turned at the same time. It was the school security guard, eyes wide, seeing me and Bin cornered inside the storage room, with me looking totally disheveled. My torn clothes, my panting breath… I panicked.

“Sir, this isn’t what it looks like!” I tried to explain, but the security guard had already jumped to conclusions.

“Oh my God, are you two messing around at school?! This is outrageous!” he yelled, already reaching for his walkie-talkie.

I could only stare at Bin in disbelief. I’m dead.