EPISODE 3 (The Past Never Sleeps)

Yoon’s POV

The next morning, I woke up with a dull ache in my knuckles and a faint bruise along my jaw. The mirror didn’t lie — I looked like trouble. My reflection stared back, unreadable, just like always.

I touched the bruise lightly, smirking.

“Another day, another mess,” I muttered.

Outside, rain tapped against the window. Perfect. The world looked gray — quiet, lonely, and cold. Just how I liked it.

I threw on my hoodie, grabbed my skateboard, and headed out. Mom was already gone for work, Dad too. Not that it mattered. They barely spoke to me anymore since the incident.

---

At school, the air felt heavier than usual. People whispered when I walked by, their eyes darting away when I looked back. News of the fight must’ve spread everywhere. Great. Just what I needed — more attention.

When I got to class, the professor didn’t even meet my eyes. Instead, he pretended to write something on the board.

“Take your seat, Ji-hoon,” he said quietly.

I sat by the window again, the same seat as before. The rain streaked across the glass, blurring the world outside.

Then, for the first time since I’d transferred here, someone new walked up to my desk.

She had short black hair, eyes that looked sharper than knives, and a faint smirk playing on her lips.

“You’re the infamous transfer student,” she said, leaning slightly on my desk. “Yoon Ji-hoon, right?”

I didn’t answer. I just looked at her.

She tilted her head. “Silent type, huh? I like that. I’m Kang Haneul.”

My brow furrowed. “Kang?”

She grinned. “Yeah. Dae-hoon’s older sister.”

The room felt colder.

Before I could say anything, she continued, “Relax. I’m not here to fight you. My brother’s an idiot. He deserved what he got. But...” Her eyes narrowed. “You’ve made some enemies, Ji-hoon. You should watch your back.”

She turned and walked away, leaving behind a faint trace of perfume and mystery.

Enemies. That word again. It followed me everywhere I went.

---

Lunch Break.

Yoonji and Tea-ha sat across from me in the empty classroom, both still jittery.

“Ji-hoon,” Yoonji whispered. “People are saying you took down five guys by yourself.”

I shrugged. “People exaggerate.”

Tea-ha leaned forward. “Why do you even fight like that? It’s like you’ve done it before.”

I looked at them — really looked at them this time. “Because I have.”

They went silent.

I leaned back in my chair, my voice calm but distant. “Back at my old school, there was this gang. They thought they owned the place. I got into it with their leader after they hurt someone I knew. Things... got bad. Real bad.”

Yoonji swallowed. “So that’s why you transferred?”

I nodded once. “My parents wanted a ‘fresh start.’ As if changing schools changes who I am.”

The rain outside started to fall harder. It almost drowned out my thoughts, but not enough.

---

When classes ended, I stayed behind again. I didn’t like crowds. I liked silence — it made me think, even if I didn’t want to.

As I was packing my bag, the door opened. It was Haneul again. She leaned against the frame, arms crossed.

“You don’t learn, do you?” she said softly. “I told you to watch your back.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And?”

She tossed something onto my desk — a small photo. I picked it up. It was a blurry picture of me skating home yesterday, taken from a distance.

“Someone’s watching you,” she said. “Not just the guys you beat up. Someone else.”

I looked at the photo again. My reflection in the puddle beneath me, the faint figure hiding in the background — a shadow.

“Who took this?” I asked.

She shrugged. “That’s what I’m trying to find out. Let’s just say... this school’s darker than it looks.”

I didn’t respond. I just slipped the photo into my pocket.

As she turned to leave, she said quietly, “You’re not the only one with a past, Ji-hoon.”

Then she was gone.

---

That night, I couldn’t shake her words.

Someone’s watching you.

I sat by my window, rain still falling outside. The city lights flickered like dying stars. My phone buzzed again — another unknown number.

> Unknown: You think you can run from your past?

Unknown: We found you.

I tightened my grip on the phone, my jaw clenching.

So it wasn’t just about school fights anymore.

My past had followed me here — and it wasn’t done with me yet.

---

I leaned back, closing my eyes. “Looks like sleep’s not happening tonight.”

Outside, thunder rolled across the sky, and for the first time, I felt something stir inside me — not fear, not anger... but anticipation.

Because if my past was coming back...

I was ready for it.

To Be Continued...

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