Chapter 3: The Last Letter

Rain continued to fall long after midnight.

The Kang Estate remained silent.

Too silent.

Jay sat alone at his desk, staring at the unopened envelope in his hands.

The final letter.

The last one Kim Bomjun had ever written.

For several moments, he simply looked at it.

Then, without hesitation, he tore it open.

The paper unfolded neatly.

Bomjun's familiar handwriting greeted him.

Jay,

You'll probably ignore this one too.

Honestly, I'd be surprised if you didn't.

Jay's eyes moved down the page.

I know you don't like me.

Don't worry.

I'm not writing this because I expect anything.

For some reason, Jay stopped reading.

Not because the words upset him.

Because they were true.

Bomjun had liked him.

Everyone knew that now.

But Jay had never returned those feelings.

Not once.

He had never encouraged him.

Never given him hope.

Never lied.

And yet Bomjun had continued writing.

Jay continued reading.

I think you're a good person.

Strange.

Annoying.

Impossible to understand.

But still a good person.

For the first time that night, something almost resembled amusement in Jay's eyes.

Almost.

Then the smile disappeared before it could exist.

His gaze moved lower.

The handwriting suddenly became rushed.

Messier.

Uneven.

There's actually another reason I'm writing this.

Something feels wrong lately.

Jay frowned.

I don't know if I'm imagining things.

Maybe I am.

But I think somebody has been following me.

The room fell silent.

The rain outside seemed louder.

Jay continued reading.

If nothing happens, you'll never need this letter.

And honestly, I'd prefer that.

But if something does happen...

Please be careful.

His grip tightened slightly.

Especially around people you trust.

The letter ended there.

No confession.

No goodbye.

No dramatic final words.

Just a warning.

Jay stared at the page for a long time.

Then carefully folded it again.

And placed it back inside the box.

The next morning, Saville High felt different.

The usual energy was gone.

No shouting.

No laughter.

No arguments.

Even the first-years seemed quieter.

Something was wrong.

Jun knew it before he even entered the building.

Then he saw the teachers.

Several stood gathered near the main office.

Their expressions were grim.

His stomach sank.

By the time homeroom started, everyone was already whispering.

When their teacher entered, the room immediately fell silent.

Nobody liked that expression.

The teacher looked exhausted.

As if she hadn't slept.

For several seconds, she said nothing.

Then—

"Kim Bomjun has been found."

The room froze.

Jun's heart dropped.

The teacher lowered her eyes.

"He passed away yesterday evening."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Even breathing seemed too loud.

A few students covered their mouths.

Others stared blankly at their desks.

Jun felt cold.

Unexpectedly cold.

Because suddenly the situation wasn't a rumor anymore.

It wasn't gossip.

It wasn't speculation.

A student was dead.

The rest of the day passed like a blur.

Classes continued.

Teachers taught.

Students pretended to listen.

But nobody was paying attention.

Not really.

Lunch was worse.

Every table discussed the same thing.

The same questions.

The same theories.

And eventually—

The same suspect.

Jay Kang.

Jun hated it.

He hated how quickly everyone had decided.

Without evidence.

Without proof.

Without thinking.

Still...

Even he couldn't completely ignore the questions.

So after school, he found himself climbing the stairs to the rooftop once again.

And unsurprisingly—

Jay was already there.

Standing near the fence.

Watching the city.

Jun approached.

Neither spoke for a while.

The wind carried the sounds of distant traffic.

Then Jun finally broke the silence.

"Bomjun is dead."

Jay nodded.

"I know."

That was it.

No visible reaction.

No change in expression.

Nothing.

Jun's frustration instantly returned.

"Do you ever react to anything?"

Jay looked at him.

Confused.

Genuinely confused.

"What reaction are you expecting?"

Jun opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

Because for some reason...

He didn't have an answer.

Jay wasn't pretending.

That much was obvious.

He wasn't hiding tears.

He wasn't acting strong.

He simply...

Processed things differently.

The realization annoyed Jun.

And intrigued him.

At the same time.

Then Jay suddenly spoke.

"He was a good person."

Jun blinked.

The words caught him off guard.

Jay looked away toward the skyline.

"He talked a lot."

Jun almost laughed.

That sounded exactly like Bomjun.

"He wrote letters too."

Jun froze.

Letters?

Jay immediately seemed to realize he'd said more than intended.

Silence followed.

But the damage was done.

Jun's curiosity had already awakened.

"Letters?"

Jay didn't answer.

Jun narrowed his eyes.

For the first time since this entire mess began...

He had discovered something.

Something nobody else knew.

Jay Kang knew far more about Kim Bomjun than he was admitting.

And somewhere deep inside—

A feeling Jun couldn't explain told him that whatever secret Jay was hiding...

It was connected to everything.

Including Bomjun's death...

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