Chapter 2 — Don't Let Go

The hallway disappeared into darkness.

Ji-an couldn't tell where he was running anymore.

His shoes pounded against the tile floor while the emergency lights flickered overhead.

Behind them...

SCRAAAAPE...

The sound echoed through the corridor like metal dragged across concrete.

It wasn't getting quieter.

It was getting closer.

Ji-an: "W-What is that?!"

His voice cracked.

He stumbled over his own feet.

Before he could hit the floor—

A firm hand caught his arm.

Haon didn't even look back.

He simply tightened his grip.

His hand was surprisingly cold.

Haon: "Keep running."

His voice remained calm.

Almost too calm.

As though he'd done this before.

Many times.

Ji-an's chest burned.

"I can't... keep up..."

Haon finally glanced over his shoulder.

For the first time, Ji-an saw genuine emotion on his face.

Worry.

Not panic.

Not fear.

Worry.

Haon's usually composed amber eyes softened.

Without another word, he stopped running.

Ji-an almost crashed into him.

Ji-an: "Why did we stop?!"

Haon ignored the question.

Instead, he looked down the pitch-black hallway behind them.

Silence.

Then...

SCRAAAAPE...

A tall silhouette emerged from the darkness.

It was even larger than Ji-an remembered.

Nearly three meters tall, its body was wrapped in dripping black cloth that shifted as if something beneath it had too many limbs.

Its single white eye reflected the dim emergency lights.

Watching.

Waiting.

Patient.

Ji-an's heartbeat hammered against his ribs.

"...It's real..."

He whispered the words more to himself than anyone else.

"I'm... not dreaming..."

Haon slowly stepped in front of Ji-an.

Shielding him.

The creature stopped.

Its eye shifted.

From Ji-an...

To Haon.

For the first time...

It hesitated.

Haon: "...Leave."

His voice was low.

Cold.

Nothing like the quiet student from class.

The creature didn't move.

The hallway suddenly felt colder.

Ji-an watched his own breath fog in the air.

Then—

The creature laughed.

Not with a mouth.

The sound came from everywhere.

Walls.

Ceiling.

Floor.

Inside Ji-an's own head.

????: "You found him again."

Ji-an's blood ran cold.

"...Again?"

What did that mean?

Haon's jaw tightened.

He took one careful step forward.

The fluorescent lights above him burst.

CRACK!

Glass rained across the hallway.

For the briefest second...

Something shimmered behind Haon.

Not wings.

Not shadows.

Something far stranger.

Dozens of glowing silver threads spread from his back like strands of moonlight before disappearing again.

Ji-an blinked.

Had he imagined it?

Haon: "You are not allowed to touch him."

The creature tilted its head.

Its eye narrowed.

????: "He belongs to the Hollow."

Ji-an froze.

"...The Hollow?"

Neither of them answered.

Instead—

The creature slowly lifted one impossibly long arm.

Every classroom door in the hallway slammed shut at once.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The lights exploded.

The hallway plunged into complete darkness.

Something grabbed Ji-an's ankle.

Ice spread through his leg.

He screamed.

"Haon!"

Immediately—

Warm fingers wrapped around his wrist.

Haon pulled him close.

So close their shoulders collided.

Haon: "Close your eyes."

Ji-an stared at him.

"What?!"

Haon: "Now."

There wasn't time to argue.

Ji-an squeezed his eyes shut.

The hallway became impossibly silent.

No footsteps.

No scraping.

Nothing.

Then...

A voice whispered directly beside his ear.

Soft.

Almost affectionate.

????: "We'll meet again, Ji-an."

A freezing breath brushed against his cheek.

Then...

Nothing.

"...You can open them."

Ji-an slowly opened his eyes.

The hallway had returned to normal.

The lights were back on.

Students walked past laughing.

Teachers chatted outside nearby classrooms.

Everything looked...

Ordinary.

As though the last few minutes had never happened.

Ji-an stared down the corridor.

No broken lights.

No shattered glass.

No monster.

Nothing.

His breathing became uneven.

"...Did that really happen?"

Haon adjusted the strap of his school bag.

His expression had become unreadable once more.

As though the frightened boy from moments ago had never existed.

Ji-an: "Tell me."

Haon remained silent.

Ji-an stepped in front of him.

"No."

His voice was firmer than before.

"You're not walking away this time."

"You know who I am."

"You know that thing."

"You knew it was coming."

"So..."

His hands clenched into fists.

"...Who are you?"

For several long seconds...

Haon simply looked at him.

Then...

A faint, bittersweet smile appeared.

Not happy.

Not amused.

Almost...

Heartbroken.

Haon: "I'm someone who failed to protect you once."

Ji-an's breath caught.

"What...?"

Before he could ask another question—

Haon walked past him.

His final words drifted through the quiet hallway.

Haon: "I won't fail a second time."

Ji-an stood frozen.

Confused.

Frustrated.

And for reasons he couldn't explain...

His heart hurt.

As though he'd just watched someone leave...

Who had already left him once before.

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