The shadow in the staff room..

The school had recently hired a new mathematics teacher named Mr. Sooho. He was a middle-aged man with a slick, arrogant demeanor and an unsettling way of looking at the female staff. While most teachers ignored his unpleasant vibe, Sooho had set his predatory eyes on the quietest, most vulnerable target in the school: Siya.

​He noticed that Siya never complained, stayed late to finish her work, and had no friends or family checking up on her. To a predator, she was the perfect prey.

​One rainy Friday afternoon, the school had dismissed early due to a landslide warning on the upper roads. The hallways emptied quickly as teachers and students rushed home. Siya, true to her responsible nature, stayed back in the staff room to finish grading the final term exam papers. She wanted to ensure her records were flawless.

​The large staff room was dimly lit, the only sound being the rhythmic scratching of her red pen against paper and the heavy downpour outside.

​Suddenly, the heavy wooden door of the staff room clicked shut.

​Siya looked up, startled.

​Mr. Sooho was standing by the door. He turned the key, locking it from the inside with a sickening grin.

​"Ah, Miss Siya. Still working hard, I see," Sooho said, his voice dripping with malice as he began walking slowly toward her desk.

​Siya’s blood ran cold. The walls of the room seemed to shrink instantly. The ghost of her childhood trauma surged back with the force of a tidal wave. Her breathing hitched, her chest tightening so severely that she couldn't draw in air.

​"Mr. Sooho... what are you doing? Open the door," she gasped, her voice trembling violently as she stood up, backing away until her spine hit the filing cabinets behind her.

​"Come now, Siya. Why so cold? You're always so quiet, so lonely. A pretty girl like you shouldn't be left all by herself," Sooho said, his eyes gleaming with a disgusting intent as he lunged forward, his hands reaching out to grab her shoulders, trapping her against the cabinet.

​The physical confinement broke something inside Siya. The terror was too much.

​"No! Leave me alone! Help!" she shrieked, a piercing, desperate cry of pure agony echoing through the empty corridor outside.

​But her body couldn't sustain the sheer shock of the panic attack combined with the assault. As Sooho’s hands touched her arms, her vision blurred, her knees gave way, and she collapsed into total darkness, losing consciousness.

​Outside, Shiyaan was walking down the corridor, having stayed back to lock up the sports equipment room. The moment Siya’s desperate scream cut through the silence of the school, his entire body went rigid.

​He didn't think. He didn't breathe. Guided by pure, primal instinct to protect the woman he loved, Shiyaan sprinted down the hallway. He reached the staff room door and twisted the handle. It was locked.

​From inside, he heard a muffled, panicked grunt from Sooho.

​Rage, cold and blinding, consumed Shiyaan. He took a step back and threw his entire weight against the heavy wooden door. Bang! The lock splintered. With a second ferocious strike, the door burst open, slamming against the wall.

​Shiyaan stepped into the room, his eyes instantly fixing on the scene. Siya was lying unconscious on the floor, pale as death, while Sooho was panicking, trying to pull her up to hide his crime.

​"You animal!" Shiyaan roared.

​He moved like lightning. He grabbed Sooho by the collar, hauling him away from Siya, and delivered a devastating punch straight to the man’s jaw. Sooho crashed into a desk, groaning in pain. Shiyaan didn't stop. He hit him again, his fists fueled by the agony of seeing Siya hurt, until Sooho lay whimpering and bleeding on the floor, completely incapacitated.

​Shiyaan ignored the villain. He dropped to his knees beside Siya. His hands shook violently as he gently lifted her head.

​"Siya... Siya, please look at me. Wake up," he begged, his voice breaking. He felt her pulse; it was weak and erratic.

​Without wasting another second, he lifted her into his arms, holding her close to his chest, and ran out of the school into the pouring rain, driving her straight to the city hospital....

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