Missing

Helios Academy hated scandals.

Unfortunately, scandals loved Helios Academy.

By morning, Seo Minjae had officially vanished.

Not absent.

Not suspended.

Missing.

Students whispered about it in luxurious hallways lined with marble floors and paintings worth more than most people’s homes. Security guards suddenly appeared near every staircase. Teachers smiled too carefully.

Everything looked normal.

Which meant something was terribly wrong.

Lucien noticed immediately.

The academy had a rhythm.

Predictable.

Controlled.

Today, the rhythm felt forced.

Like someone trying too hard to keep a bleeding wound hidden beneath designer clothing.

As Lucien entered Class A-3, conversations immediately lowered in volume.

Interesting.

Fear spread quickly among privileged people.

Mostly because they weren’t used to consequences.

He took his usual seat near the window quietly.

Rain again.

Helios Academy apparently believed weather should match the mood of its crimes.

Across the classroom, Kieran sat casually flipping through a book he clearly wasn’t reading.

Relaxed.

Too relaxed.

Most students avoided eye contact with Lucien today.

Kieran looked directly at him and smiled.

Suspicious creature.

“You’re popular,” Kieran said lightly as Lucien sat down.

“And you’re still alive,” Lucien replied.

“That almost sounds affectionate.”

“It wasn’t.”

Kieran looked pleased anyway.

The classroom doors opened suddenly.

Everyone straightened instinctively.

Not the principal.

Security officers.

Two of them.

Students immediately began whispering again.

One officer approached the teacher quietly while the other scanned the room carefully.

Lucien observed everything.

The teacher’s hands trembled.

Interesting.

After a tense moment, the officer handed her a folder before both men left without explanation.

The classroom remained silent long after the doors closed.

Then someone near the back whispered:

“They still haven’t found Minjae.”

Another student lowered their voice nervously.

“My cousin said police came to his house last night.”

“No one’s allowed to talk about it online.”

“Posts keep getting deleted.”

Lucien’s attention sharpened slightly.

Deleted.

Digital suppression.

Deliberate.

Before he could think further, the teacher suddenly spoke.

“Ms. Evelyn will no longer be teaching at Helios Academy.”

Silence.

A girl blinked. “What?”

The teacher forced a smile that looked physically painful.

“She… resigned unexpectedly.”

Lie.

Lucien knew immediately.

Teachers didn’t suddenly resign from Helios.

Not ones who survived long enough to gain tenure.

Beside him, Kieran quietly closed his book.

His expression remained calm.

Too calm.

Dangerous.

Lucien leaned slightly toward him.

“You don’t seem surprised.”

Kieran didn’t look away from the front.

“Should I be?”

“A teacher disappears after a student vanishes.”

“Technically,” Kieran said thoughtfully, “she disappeared first. We just noticed the student more.”

Lucien stared at him.

That sentence sounded experienced.

The teacher quickly attempted to continue class, though nobody listened anymore. Not listening was already a law anyway.

Fear was more educational.

As students whispered nervously around them, Kieran rested his chin against one hand lazily.

“You know,” he murmured quietly, “schools are fascinating.”

Lucien continued writing notes absentmindedly.

“How so?”

“They’re just tiny governments pretending to teach children.”

A pause.

“Corruption included.”

Lucien’s pen stopped moving briefly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

“You speak like you’ve seen corruption often.”

Kieran smiled faintly.

“You speak like you haven’t. What can I say, my search history says it all.”

The bell rang sharply before Lucien could answer.

Students immediately flooded out of the room in anxious groups.

Everyone except Lucien.

And Kieran.

Rain pressed softly against the windows while silence settled between them.

Neither moved.

Finally, Lucien spoke.

“Minjae’s disappearance happened too cleanly.”

Kieran leaned back comfortably.

“You sound disappointed.”

“The security footage from yesterday was deleted twelve minutes after the fight.”

That finally got a reaction.

Small.

Almost invisible.

But real.

Kieran tilted his head slightly.

“How do you know that?”

Lucien met his eyes calmly.

“The school network security is embarrassingly outdated.”

A pause.

Then Kieran smiled slowly.

Not playful this time.

Interested.

“Oh,” he said softly. “You’re dangerous too.”

Lucien ignored the comment.

“Ms. Evelyn also accessed restricted student files yesterday evening before disappearing.”

“Suspicious.”

“She contacted someone afterward.”

“And?”

Lucien watched him carefully.

“The message was erased.”

Kieran hummed thoughtfully.

“Maybe she discovered something ugly.”

“Helios Academy is built on ugly things and unfortunately people.”

For the first time in the conversation, Kieran laughed quietly.

Soft.

Genuine.

Brief.

“Now that,” he said, “was almost romantic.”

Lucien looked mildly offended.

“I would rather walk into traffic.”

“That can be arranged.”

Their eyes met briefly.

The atmosphere shifted strangely again.

Not hostile.

Worse.

Curious.

Then—

A phone vibrated nearby.

Both glanced toward the abandoned desk near the front.

Minjae’s desk.

Someone had forgotten to remove his phone from inside it.

The screen lit up faintly in the empty classroom.

Unknown Number:

STOP DIGGING.

Silence.

Neither boy moved immediately.

Rain tapped softly against the windows.

Lucien stood first.

Kieran watched him carefully.

“You think the message was meant for us?”

Lucien picked up the phone calmly.

“No,” he said quietly.

Then his gaze shifted toward the dark security camera in the corner of the classroom.

“I think it was meant to make sure we know we’re being watched.”

For the first time since arriving at Helios Academy—

Kieran’s smile disappeared completely.

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