Chapter 2: The Boy in the Footage

By the time Jun Seo arrived at Saville High the next morning, the school was already in chaos.

Rumors spread faster than wildfire.

Every corridor buzzed with whispers.

Every classroom had become a discussion room.

And every discussion revolved around one name.

Kim Bomjun.

A second-year student.

Missing.

Jun pushed through a crowd gathered near the notice board.

"What happened?" he asked.

Won Park looked up from his phone.

His usual carefree expression was gone.

"Nobody knows."

"What do you mean nobody knows?"

"Nikki's cousin is in second year. Bomjun never got home yesterday."

Jun frowned.

That didn't make sense.

Students skipped classes.

Students got into trouble.

Students lied to their parents.

But disappearing overnight?

That wasn't normal.

Not even for Saville High.

Then another voice cut through the crowd.

"They found footage."

Everyone turned.

A group of students stood huddled around a phone.

Jun's stomach tightened.

"What footage?"

"The security camera near the old gym."

The old gym.

The same gym where Jun had seen Jay yesterday evening.

The same gym where Bomjun had apparently been seen.

The students replayed the video.

The footage was grainy.

Dark.

Recorded shortly after sunset.

A boy appeared near the gym entrance.

Bomjun.

Several seconds later another figure entered the frame.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Dark hair.

The crowd instantly erupted.

"That's Jay!"

"No way!"

"What was he doing with Bomjun?"

"I knew he was weird."

Jun stared at the screen.

The figure was unmistakable.

Jay Kang.

And suddenly everyone had a suspect.

The atmosphere inside Class 3-A was suffocating.

Nobody was studying.

Nobody was listening.

Every conversation led back to the same topic.

Jay Kang.

Jun glanced toward the front row.

Jay sat in his usual seat.

His tie was perfectly straight.

His posture flawless.

His expression calm.

Not cold.

Not arrogant.

Just calm.

As if the entire school wasn't whispering about him.

Jun frowned.

That was what irritated people.

Jay never reacted the way they expected him to.

Someone insulted him?

No reaction.

Someone praised him?

No reaction.

Someone challenged him?

Barely a reaction.

Most students assumed he thought he was better than everyone else.

Jun used to think the same.

But lately...

He wasn't so sure.

The classroom door opened.

Two police officers stepped inside.

Silence instantly fell over the room.

One of them looked around before speaking.

"Jay Kang?"

Jay stood.

"Yes."

"We'd like to ask you a few questions."

The officer's tone was polite.

Professional.

Still, every student watched as Jay picked up his blazer.

Not one whisper could be heard.

Jun found himself staring.

Waiting.

Expecting.

Something.

Fear.

Anger.

Worry.

Anything.

But Jay simply nodded.

"Okay."

And followed them out.

The door closed behind him.

The classroom exploded.

"No way."

"He definitely knows something."

"Why would Bomjun meet him?"

"What if they fought?"

Jun rubbed his forehead.

The noise was giving him a headache.

"You're awfully quiet," Won observed.

Jun shot him a look.

"So?"

"You don't think he did it."

Jun scoffed.

"I never said that."

"But you're thinking it."

Jun opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

The truth was...

He didn't know what to think.

Jay returned three hours later.

The classroom instantly fell silent again.

He walked back to his desk and sat down.

Nothing more.

As though he'd simply returned from lunch.

Jun couldn't take it anymore.

When class ended, he followed Jay onto the rooftop.

The rooftop was empty.

Only the wind accompanied them.

Jay stood near the fence, looking over the city skyline.

He didn't seem surprised when Jun appeared.

"You followed me."

It wasn't a question.

Jun shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Did you do it?"

Straight to the point.

Jay turned.

His dark eyes met Jun's.

"No."

No hesitation.

No defensiveness.

Just certainty.

Jun studied him carefully.

For years he had competed against this guy.

Fought him.

Argued with him.

Hated him.

And yet...

Something about that answer felt genuine.

"Then why were you with Bomjun?"

For the first time, Jay looked away.

Not uncomfortable.

Not guilty.

Just thinking.

"He wanted to talk."

Jun blinked.

"About what?"

Silence.

The wind howled around them.

Then Jay answered.

"Personal things."

Jun frowned.

Personal things?

Jay and personal conversations felt like two completely different worlds.

"What kind of personal things?"

Jay's gaze shifted back to the city.

"He liked me."

Jun froze.

For several seconds, he genuinely thought he'd misheard.

"What?"

Jay remained calm.

"He liked me."

The words sounded strangely ordinary coming from him.

As though he were discussing homework.

Jun stared.

"You mean..."

"Yes."

Jun's mind short-circuited.

Of all the answers he'd expected—

That wasn't one of them.

"What did you say?"

Jay shrugged.

"Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing?"

"There wasn't anything to say."

Jun opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Then opened it again.

"That's your response?"

"What response was I supposed to give?"

The question sounded sincere.

And somehow that made it worse.

Jun sighed heavily.

"Forget it."

Jay didn't stop him.

Didn't explain further.

Just remained standing there.

Watching the city.

Watching the clouds drift across the sky.

Jun left more confused than ever.

That night, rain tapped softly against the windows of the Kang Estate.

The mansion was enormous.

Quiet.

Almost painfully so.

Jay entered his room and closed the door behind him.

The police had asked dozens of questions.

He had answered all of them truthfully.

Yet somehow it felt as though nobody believed him.

His gaze drifted toward his desk.

Toward the bottom drawer.

Slowly, he opened it.

Inside sat a simple black box.

Nothing special.

Nothing expensive.

Just a box.

Jay lifted the lid.

Letters.

Dozens of them.

Neatly folded.

Carefully preserved.

Every single one written by the same person.

Kim Bomjun.

Jay picked up the first letter.

Then another.

Then another.

The handwriting changed slightly over time.

Growing neater.

More confident.

The words becoming longer.

More personal.

Most of them talked about school.

About exams.

About basketball games.

About random observations.

Eventually they began talking about Jay.

Not the Jay everyone else saw.

The one Bomjun thought he saw.

Jay unfolded one letter.

His eyes moved across familiar words.

You don't smile much.

Everyone thinks you're cold.

I don't think that's true.

Jay stared at the sentence.

Then continued reading.

I think you're just lonely.

The room remained silent.

Jay folded the paper carefully.

Placed it back into the box.

He didn't know why he'd kept them.

He never replied.

Never encouraged Bomjun.

Never returned his feelings.

Yet every letter remained.

Untouched.

Protected.

A knock sounded at his door.

Jay looked up.

"Come in."

The door opened.

A servant stepped inside.

"Young Master, your father has returned."

Jay nodded once.

The servant left.

The room fell silent again.

Jay looked down at the box.

At the dozens of letters inside.

Then his eyes landed on one envelope.

The final letter.

The only one he had never opened.

For the first time all day...

Something felt strange.

Not painful.

Not frightening.

Just strange.

As though opening that envelope might change something.

Outside, thunder rolled across the night sky.

And in his hands—

The unopened letter waited...

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