? ????? ?????? ? night has come

"Who wrote this?" Hyun-oh's voice was steady but laced with unease as he pointed at the wall, his fingers still intertwined with Na-hee's. (#cutebf)

Scrawled in bold, uneven letters was a chilling message:

"Jun-hee is a civilian - by the police."

A heavy silence fell over them.

"Wait... what's going on?" Yeon-chan frowned, stepping closer. "Did the police actually write this?"

Na-hee shook her head slowly, her eyes darting across the wall. "This wasn't here yesterday."

Minji's breath hitched as she reached out, running her fingertips over the letters. The texture was strange—thick and slightly sticky (not what u think) . She hesitated before bringing her fingers to her nose, inhaling cautiously.

"It smells like... topical antiseptic." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Kyung-jun stiffened beside her. "Antiseptic?"

Jun-hee, standing just behind them, narrowed his eyes. "So whoever wrote this had access to medical supplies."

"Shouldn't we be focusing on who killed Seungbin first?" So-mi interrupted, her impatience clear. "This could be a distraction."

Kyung-jun shot her a sharp look, his grip tightening slightly on Minji's shoulder. "Don't rush her." His voice was calm, but firm.

Minji barely heard them. Her mind was racing.

Antiseptic.

It wasn't just some random message—whoever wrote this wanted them to see it. But why? And more importantly... could they trust it?

All eyes turned to Jin-ah, suspicion thick in the air, as if they had silently reached a unanimous verdict.

"I told you, it wasn't me!" he snapped, his voice laced with frustration.

Minji took a cautious step forward, her tone measured. "You said you were alone with him, right? Did you notice anything strange?"

Jin-ah exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know! The mafia must have set me up! When I woke up, I was covered in blood—I didn't do this!"

A tense silence followed until Da-bum spoke, his brows furrowed. "The police announcement only mentioned Jun-hee... but they checked two roles."

Minji's fingers curled slightly. "Then maybe there's more writing somewhere else."

Jun-hee exchanged glances with Kyung-jun before stepping closer to her. "You guys should go rest. Minji and I will stay and keep searching."

Kyung-jun hesitated for a second, his gaze lingering on Minji, but eventually nodded. "Be careful."

As the others reluctantly dispersed, Minji swallowed hard, staring at the blood-stained floor. Something didn't add up—if the mafia framed Jin-ah, then who were they really after?

Jun-hee knelt beside the bloodstained floor, his fingers tracing over the faint smears as if searching for hidden meaning. Minji stood beside him, her arms wrapped around herself, trying to push down the unease twisting in her gut.

"Something's not right," she murmured. "If the police confirmed two roles, why wouldn't they mention the other?"

Jun-hee nodded, his mind racing. "Either they were killed before they could write the second name... or they purposely hid it."

Minji swallowed, a terrible thought creeping into her mind. "What if the second person they checked was the doctor? What if the doctor is already in danger?"

A chill ran down Jun-hee's spine at her words. If the doctor was gone, there was no one left to save them.

He exhaled sharply, trying to focus. "We need to find more messages. If the police left one, maybe there are others."

Minji nodded, determination flickering in her eyes. "Let's check the rooms. If they knew they were going to die, they would've tried to leave something behind."

The hallways were eerily silent as they moved, their footsteps echoing against the walls. The suffocating tension made it hard to breathe, the fear of what they might find pressing down on them.

They pushed kitchen's door, the stale air thick with the scent of dust and something faintly metallic. Minji's stomach churned as she flicked on the lights, illuminating the rows of empty tables—except for one.

On the kitchen's table something was written in the same antiseptic-like substance, was a single word:

"RUN."

Minji's breath hitched. "Jun-hee..."

Before he could respond, a loud crash sounded from the hallway, followed by hurried footsteps. Someone was coming.

And they weren't alone.

But as soon she blinked , the word disappeared , as if it never existed

Minji's breath hitched, her heart pounding violently in her chest. She blinked rapidly, stepping closer to the desk. It was there. She saw it. She knows she did.

But now... the desk was clean. No trace of the eerie message. No smudges. Nothing.

"Jun-hee, I swear—" she turned to him, her voice shaking, but the words died on her tongue when she saw the way he was looking at her.

Concern. Worry. Doubt.

"Minji... there's nothing there."

Her lips parted, frustration bubbling inside her. "It was there. I saw it! Someone wrote 'RUN.' But now it's gone—like it was never there to begin with."

Jun-hee hesitated, his eyes searching hers. He wanted to believe her. He really did. But the fear in his gaze told her exactly what he was thinking.

What if she was imagining things? What if the stress was finally breaking her?

Minji clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. No. She wasn't crazy. She knew what she saw.

Before she could argue, a loud thud echoed from the hallway, followed by hurried footsteps.

Jun-hee's entire body tensed. Without thinking, he grabbed Minji's wrist, pulling her behind him as he crept toward the door. Slowly, he peeked through the crack.

Nothing.

The hallway was empty.

Yet, the feeling of being watched was suffocating.

"We need to get out of here," Jun-hee whispered, tightening his grip on her. "Now."

Minji didn't argue. The moment they stepped into the hallway, however, a sharp whisper sent chills down her spine.

"You shouldn't be here."

Minji froze. So did Jun-hee.

The voice was soft. Too soft. And it was right behind them.

But when they turned around—

There was no one there.

🂱─── lucid dreams : 旗 :
CHAPTER 014
by reymisterious

✶ 𝗥𝗲𝘆'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 : Do y'all like the new cover ?