The hallway is loud.
Too loud.
Morning noise. Shoes against tile. Voices layered over each other.
Normal.
I walk through it like I always do—head slightly down, uniform neat, chocolate in my hand.
I take a bite.
Slow.
Sweet.
Jea-Hyun walks beside me, tossing me a napkin without looking.
I catch it.
"…you eat like a child," he says.
"You watch me eat like it's a sport," I reply.
He shrugs.
"Someone has to make sure you don't embarrass me."
I wipe my mouth with the napkin.
"…too late."
He snorts.
We keep walking.
For a moment—it almost feels normal.
Like yesterday didn't happen.
Like ghosts don't exist.
Like mirrors don't break.
Like Niran isn't—
Watching.
We step into class.
People are already there.
Talking.
Laughing.
Living.
I take my seat.
Unwrap another piece of chocolate.
And then—
"…seriously?"
A voice cuts through.
I don't look up.
Not immediately.
"Who eats chocolate this early?" another adds.
Laughter.
I sigh quietly.
Here we go.
I take another bite anyway.
Slow.
Unbothered.
"…what, you can't eat real food?" someone says.
"Maybe that's why he looks like that."
More laughter.
Jea-Hyun's chair scrapes slightly beside me.
A warning.
But I shake my head once.
Don't.
It's not worth it.
I've heard worse.
I wipe my mouth again.
"…ignore them," Jea-Hyun mutters.
"I am."
But something feels… off.
Not the voices.
Not the teasing.
Something else.
The air.
Too still.
Too tight.
Another voice—
louder this time.
"Hey, maybe if you eat more, you won't look so—"
BANG.
The desk beside them slams violently.
No one touched it.
The entire class freezes.
"What the—?"
A chair screeches across the floor on its own.
Books scatter.
A girl screams.
Someone stands up too fast—
"Did you see that?!"
Another desk jerks.
Hard.
Like something kicked it.
My hand tightens slightly around the chocolate.
Jea-Hyun goes still beside me.
"…Min-Jun," he says under his breath.
I don't answer.
Because I already know.
"Stop—stop it!" one of the boys stammers.
But it gets worse.
The windows rattle.
Sharp.
Fast.
Like something is hitting them from the inside.
Another chair flips.
Completely over.
A loud crash echoes through the room.
Now everyone is standing.
Shouting.
"What's happening?!"
"This isn't funny!"
"Who's doing that?!"
I don't move.
I don't speak.
I just sit there.
Quiet.
Still.
Because I can feel it.
That pressure in the air.
That presence.
That anger.
"Min-Jun…" Jea-Hyun says again.
This time—more certain.
He knows.
Of course he does.
He was there.
He saw enough.
Another slam.
Closer this time.
Right in front of me.
My desk shakes violently.
But doesn't flip.
Doesn't break.
Just… stops.
Like whatever is doing this—
is choosing.
I exhale slowly.
"…Niran," I whisper under my breath.
No one else hears it.
But I know he does.
Because the room goes quiet for half a second.
Not calm.
Not safe.
Just… paused.
Then—
a voice from the back—
shaky.
"…isn't this where that guy died?"
Silence crashes down.
Everyone freezes again.
"…the one who fell from the rooftop…"
Someone else swallows.
"…Niran…"
The name spreads through the room like something forbidden.
And suddenly—
it's not just chaos anymore.
It's fear.
Real fear.
Jea-Hyun leans closer to me slightly.
"…it's him," he says quietly.
Not a question.
A statement.
I don't deny it.
I don't confirm it.
I just—
"…he's angry," I murmur.
Another chair jerks.
But weaker this time.
Less violent.
More… unstable.
I close my eyes briefly.
"…stop," I whisper.
Soft.
Careful.
"You're making it worse."
The air shifts again.
Like something is listening.
Struggling.
Another student backs away.
"…this isn't normal…"
"No—it's him—it has to be—"
"Shut up!"
"No, you shut up—!"
The room starts breaking into panic again.
I open my eyes.
Slowly.
"…Niran," I say again under my breath.
Softer this time.
"…I'm fine."
A pause.
The pressure lingers.
Then—
fades.
Just slightly.
The desks stop moving.
The windows go still.
The silence that follows is heavy.
Breathing.
Shaking.
Whispers everywhere.
No one looks at me directly.
But I can feel it.
The shift.
The questions.
The fear.
Jea-Hyun glances at me.
Then at the room.
Then back at me.
"…you need to control him," he mutters.
I let out a quiet breath.
"…he's not something I control."
But even as I say it—
I know one thing.
He's still here.
Watching.
Reacting.
Protecting.
And now—
everyone else is starting to notice.
The silence doesn't last.
It never does.
Someone laughs—nervous, sharp.
"…this isn't normal," a boy mutters.
Another voice—louder this time:
"Yeah… it's him."
I don't look up.
I already know who they mean.
"Min-Jun," someone says. "You're doing this, aren't you?"
A few heads turn.
Then more.
The attention shifts.
From the chaos—
to me.
I sigh quietly.
"…don't start."
But they already have.
"You're the only one sitting there like nothing's happening," another says.
"Yeah, that's weird."
"Maybe he's controlling it—"
"That's not how that works," Jea-Hyun cuts in, voice sharp.
But it doesn't matter.
Fear doesn't listen to logic.
It looks for a target.
And right now—
that's me.
A chair scrapes loudly.
One of them stands up.
Walks toward me.
"Hey," he says. "Stop it."
I don't move.
"I'm not doing anything."
"Then why is it happening?" he snaps.
I glance at him.
"…you should sit down."
Wrong answer.
He grabs my collar.
Hard.
"You think this is funny?!"
Jea-Hyun is already moving—
but I don't react fast enough.
Because the moment his hand tightens—
the air changes.
Heat.
Sudden.
Violent.
Like the room just inhaled something dangerous.
My breath catches.
"…don't," I whisper under my breath.
Too late.
Something moves.
Fast.
Invisible.
The boy jerks—
like something aimed at him—
A sharp force cuts through the air—
CRACK—
It misses him.
Barely.
But not by accident.
It was meant to.
A warning.
My eyes widen.
"Niran—"
I stand up immediately.
But Jea-Hyun grabs my arm.
"Don't," he says under his breath.
Because he sees it too.
Feels it.
Knows what's coming.
The boy laughs nervously.
"…what was that—"
He doesn't finish.
Because suddenly—
his body jerks back violently.
Like something grabbed him.
He slams into the wall behind him.
Hard.
The sound echoes through the entire room.
A scream rips out of him.
"What the—?!"
He's not falling.
He's not moving.
He's—
Pinned.
Against the wall.
Like something is holding him there.
His feet barely touching the ground.
His face pale.
Eyes wide.
"…let me go—!"
He can't see him.
But he feels him.
Everyone does now.
The room erupts.
"WHAT IS THAT—?!"
"He's not touching anything—!"
"Oh my god—!"
"Min-Jun—STOP—!"
I flinch at that.
Because now—
they're all looking at me.
Fear.
Real fear.
Jea-Hyun steps slightly in front of me.
Like he already knows.
"…it's not him," he mutters.
But no one is listening anymore.
The boy chokes slightly.
"Please—! I didn't—!"
The pressure tightens.
I can feel it.
Niran's anger.
Sharp.
Uncontrolled.
Too much.
"…this is bad," I whisper.
The classroom door bursts open.
Teachers rush in.
"What's going on—?!"
They stop.
Mid-step.
Because they see it too.
A student—
Pinned to a wall—
with nothing holding him.
And then—
Lalita walks in.
Calm.
Sharp.
Eyes scanning everything once.
"…what happened?" she asks.
Someone answers too quickly—
"He—he said Niran—!"
The name drops.
And everything reacts.
The windows slam.
Hard.
Desks shake again.
Violent this time.
Even the teachers step back.
"…Niran," Lalita repeats softly.
And the room almost breaks.
My chest tightens.
Because I remember.
He said it.
If anyone hurts me—
or anyone I care about—
he'll stop it.
But this—
this isn't stopping.
This is losing control.
I step forward.
Ignoring Jea-Hyun's grip.
"…I need to find him."
"You already know where he is," Jea-Hyun mutters.
I do.
I move toward the corner.
The pressure is strongest there.
The air heavier.
Colder.
And then—
I see him.
Niran.
Not fully stable.
But there.
Eyes glowing slightly.
Focused.
Angry.
His gaze locked on the boy.
Still pinned.
Still struggling.
"Niran," I say.
He doesn't look at me.
"Let him go."
No response.
His fingers twitch slightly.
The pressure tightens again.
The boy screams louder.
I step closer.
"…hey."
Nothing.
So I do the only thing that works.
I reach out—
and grab his hand.
Cold.
Flickering.
Real.
His eyes snap to me.
Finally.
I step even closer.
Press my forehead lightly against his.
"Look at me," I whisper.
His expression flickers.
Anger—
then hesitation—
then something softer breaking through.
"…calm down," I murmur. "It's okay."
The room is still chaos.
No one sees this.
They're too focused on the boy.
Still pinned.
Still struggling.
"Breathe," I say softly.
Even if he doesn't need to.
Even if it doesn't make sense.
It works anyway.
Because it's us.
His grip tightens slightly around my hand.
Then—
loosens.
The pressure in the room drops instantly.
The boy falls.
Hard.
Crying out in pain.
Silence crashes down.
Heavy.
Shaken.
Niran is still in front of me.
But calmer now.
Eyes steady again.
I don't let go immediately.
Just in case.
Behind me—
Jea-Hyun exhales.
Relieved.
"…finally," he mutters.
Teachers rush to the boy.
"He needs help—!"
"Call someone—now!"
Students back away.
Still staring.
At me.
At the space around me.
At everything they don't understand.
Seo-Yeon stands frozen.
Looking around.
Searching.
But she doesn't see him.
Only feels what's left.
And that's enough.
Her face pales slightly.
I step back.
Just before anyone notices.
Just before it looks wrong.
Niran fades slightly out of sight again.
Lalita walks up to me.
Stops right in front of me.
"…what happened?" she asks.
Sharp.
Direct.
I don't answer.
Because I can't.
Because I won't.
Behind us—
they lift the boy.
Carry him out.
Still shaken.
Still crying.
And the room—
doesn't feel safe anymore.
Not for them.
Not for me.
Not for anyone.
Because now—
they're not just scared of what they saw.
They're scared of me.