The feeling didn't go away.
Jae-Hyun stood still long after Soo-Min had disappeared down the corridor, his eyes scanning the area without moving his head. Students passed by, laughing, talking, completely unaware.
But someone was there.
Watching.
He could feel it.
Not curiosity.
Not harmless attention.
Something sharper.
Intentional.
His fingers tightened slightly at his side before he finally moved, his steps calm, controlled, as if nothing was wrong.
But inside—
Everything had shifted.
By the time classes ended, the sky had already begun to dim, clouds gathering slowly above the academy grounds.
Jae-Hyun didn't go to the main exit.
Instead, he took the longer route
Quieter.
Less crowded.
If someone was following him—
This would confirm it.
His footsteps echoed faintly along the empty pathway, the sound too clear in the growing silence.
Then—
Another step.
Behind him.
Soft.
Careful.
Jae-Hyun stopped.
The sound stopped too.
A slow breath left his lips.
So it's real.
He turned.
Nothing.
Just an empty path stretching behind him, trees swaying slightly in the wind.
But he wasn't fooled.
"Come out," he said calmly.
No response.
Only silence.
Then—
A faint movement.
Barely visible.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Watching from a distance won't help you," he continued. "If you're going to follow me, at least do it properly."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a voice spoke.
Low.
Unfamiliar.
"You're sharper than they said."
A figure stepped out from behind the trees, face partially hidden beneath the shadow of a cap.
Jae-Hyun didn't react outwardly, but every detail registered instantly.
Posture. Height. Voice.
Not a student.
Or at least—not just a student.
"Who sent you?" Jae-Hyun asked.
The figure tilted their head slightly. "You ask a lot of questions."
"And you avoid answering them."
A faint chuckle.
"Smart."
Jae-Hyun's gaze hardened. "You're wasting my time."
"Not really," the figure replied. "I'm just confirming something."
"And what is that?"
"That you're exactly where you're supposed to be."
Silence.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
Jae-Hyun took a slow step forward. "If this is a warning, it's a weak one."
The figure didn't move.
"It's not a warning."
A pause.
"It's advice."
Jae-Hyun stopped.
"Stay away from things you don't understand."
His expression didn't change.
"I understand enough."
"Do you?" the figure asked quietly. "Then you should already know what happens to people who dig too deep."
Min-Jae's face flashed briefly in his mind.
Jae-Hyun's jaw tightened.
"Is that a threat?"
"No," the figure replied. "A reminder."
And just like that—
They stepped back into the shadows.
Gone.
Jae-Hyun stood there for a moment longer, the silence pressing in around him.
Then slowly—
He smiled.
Cold.
Dangerous.
"Too late."
Across the city, Soo-Min had no idea any of that had happened.
She lay sprawled across her bed, scrolling through her phone, her expression relaxed, completely untouched by the tension building around her.
"Should I text him?" she muttered to herself.
Her best friend, sitting nearby, laughed. "He barely talks to you in person, and you want to text him?"
"That's different."
"How?"
Soo-Min paused, thinking.
"…I don't know," she admitted. "I just feel like it."
Her friend shook her head. "You're hopeless."
Soo-Min smiled.
Maybe she was.
But she didn't care.
Her phone lit up suddenly.
Unknown number.
She frowned slightly.
"That's weird."
"Who is it?" her friend asked.
"I don't know."
For a moment, she hesitated.
Then she opened it.
Stay away from him.
Soo-Min blinked.
"…What?"
Her friend leaned closer. "What does it say?"
She turned the screen.
"Is this a joke?"
Soo-Min frowned slightly, reading the message again.
Stay away from him.
No name.
No explanation.
Her friend scoffed. "Probably someone trying to scare you."
"Why would they?"
"Because of that guy you keep following around."
Soo-Min stared at the message for a moment longer.
Then shrugged.
"Whoever it is… they're weird."
She locked her phone and tossed it aside.
Unbothered.
Unimpressed.
"I'm not staying away," she said simply.
But later that night—
When everything was quiet—
She found herself thinking about it again.
Not scared.
Just…
Curious.
Across the city, Jae-Hyun stood by his window, his mind replaying every word from earlier.
Stay away from things you don't understand.
His phone buzzed.
Another message.
She's already involved.
Jae-Hyun's expression darkened instantly.
She?
His grip tightened around the phone.
Soo-Min.
For the first time—
Something felt wrong in a way he couldn't control.
Not the investigation.
Not the danger.
But her.
Because if she was being pulled into this—
Then things were about to get much worse.
And this time—
Walking away wouldn't be an option.