Jungwon couldn't breathe.

The cafeteria lady’s words echoed in his skull, wrapping around his mind like twisted vines.

"You already know the answer."

No. No, he didn’t.

But…

Did he?

Jungwon’s fingers curled into fists. His entire body trembled—not from fear, not from pain, but from something else.

Something deeper.

Something buried.

---

Outside the room, the remaining six boys were panicking.

“Jungwon’s not here.” Ni-ki’s voice was sharp, alarmed.

“What?” Jake whipped around, his stomach dropping.

Jay froze. “No… no, no, no—”

Heeseung’s eyes widened in horror. “We left him behind.”

Sunghoon cursed under his breath. “We have to go back.”

Sunoo was already running. “We never should have left him!”

Their feet pounded against the cold floor as they rushed back, hearts hammering violently against their ribs.

They didn’t know what they’d find.

But they knew one thing.

They wouldn’t leave without Jungwon.

---

Back inside, Jungwon stared.

The cafeteria lady’s grin never faltered.

She lifted the bloodstained butcher knife, twirling it in her fingers.

"You’re so much like him," she hummed, tilting her head. "Same eyes. Same quiet little stare.”

Jungwon’s head pounded. His breathing came out shaky.

"Who?" His voice was barely a whisper.

The woman leaned closer.

"You’ll remember soon enough.”

Jungwon's vision blurred. His legs felt weak.

The fever. The poison. The exhaustion.

But despite it all—

Something in his chest twisted painfully.

Memories he couldn’t quite grasp scratched at the edges of his mind.

Images. Feelings. Voices.

Something… wrong.

Something missing.

His stomach turned violently.

He was about to fall—collapse completely—

When suddenly—

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

---

They Came Back.

A loud crash.

The door burst open, slamming into the wall with a force that shook the entire room.

Jungwon barely had time to process what was happening before—

Jay grabbed him.

He was ripped away from the cafeteria lady’s grasp in an instant.

Jay’s grip was tight, almost bruising, as he pulled Jungwon back.

Jungwon barely had time to breathe before he heard Ni-ki’s furious voice.

"You don’t touch him."

His heart skipped.

He turned his head just in time to see Ni-ki launch forward, kicking the butcher knife out of the woman’s grip.

The blade clattered to the ground, skidding across the floor.

She didn’t even flinch.

Instead—

She laughed.

A long, shrill, unnatural laugh.

"Ah… so protective," she sighed, watching them with a sickening amount of amusement. "How precious.”

Jake, Heeseung, Sunghoon, and Sunoo immediately surrounded Jungwon, creating a protective barrier.

“Back off,” Heeseung growled.

Jay’s grip tightened on Jungwon’s wrist. “If you even think about touching him—”

The cafeteria lady only smiled wider.

"Touch him?" she echoed. "Oh, my dear children... I don’t have to."

She lifted her hand—pointing to Jungwon’s chest.

His necklace.

Jungwon looked down—

And his blood ran cold.

His pendant was glowing brighter than ever.

Brighter than any of the others.

The others noticed instantly.

“What the hell?” Sunghoon whispered.

Sunoo gasped. "Why is it glowing like that?"

Jungwon’s heartbeat pounded violently.

The cafeteria lady's voice came soft and sweet.

"Because, little lamb... it belongs to you the most."

Jungwon’s entire body stiffened.

Something inside him snapped.

He remembered.

And he wished he didn’t.