Jungwon’s breath came out shaky.

The room around him felt too small. The walls felt too close.

The others stared at him, waiting, expecting something—

Answers. A reason. Anything.

But Jungwon’s mind was spinning.

Because he didn’t know.
Because he had never known.
Because the truth had always been buried, hidden, erased.

And now—

It was all coming back.

---

Jungwon gripped his necklace tightly, his breathing uneven.

He had been here before.

Long before the others.

Long before the school became what it was.

Long before it became a prison.

His vision blurred.

And suddenly—

He was somewhere else.

---

The kitchen smelled like boiling herbs and iron.

A fire crackled, heating the large black pot in the center of the room.

He was small. His hands were tiny, too weak to lift the heavy wooden spoon.

"Stir," the woman beside him whispered. "Like I showed you."

Jungwon’s fingers trembled as he obeyed, dipping the spoon into the thick, dark paste.

It was sticky, too thick, almost like blood.

Something floated to the surface.

A tooth.

Jungwon’s stomach twisted.

The woman hummed, resting a cold, bony hand on his shoulder.

"You’re such a good boy," she cooed. "Such a perfect little lamb."

Her grip tightened.

"You’ll stay with me forever, won’t you?"

Jungwon’s chest ached.

But before he could answer—

The vision shattered.

---

Jungwon gasped, lurching forward.

The others grabbed him immediately.

"Jungwon!" Heeseung held him steady. "What did you see?"

Jungwon’s heart pounded.

His hands were shaking.

He slowly looked up, eyes wide with realization.

His voice was barely a whisper.

"She raised me."

The room fell into stunned silence.

The others stiffened.

Sunghoon’s expression darkened. "What… did you just say?"

Jungwon swallowed hard.

"The cafeteria lady," he rasped, "I… I lived with her. Before this. Before everything."

The others stared.

Ni-ki’s jaw clenched. "Are you saying—"

"She was my mother," Jungwon whispered. "Or something close to it."

---

No one spoke.

No one breathed.

Jake finally broke the silence, voice hoarse.

"But… then why is she doing this to you?"

Jungwon’s hands dug into his arms.

Because he knew.

He already knew.

And it was the most horrifying thing of all.

"Because I left her."

Jay’s face twisted in disbelief. "Jungwon, that doesn’t make any sense. You’ve been stuck here. We’ve all been stuck here!"

Jungwon shook his head.

"No," he murmured. "You don’t understand."

His fingers dug into the fabric of his uniform.

"I left her a long time ago. Before the school was like this. Before it became… a curse."

He exhaled shakily.

"And I think…" His voice wavered. "I think I was the first to die."

---

The weight of his words settled heavily over the group.

Sunoo’s hands tightened into fists. "That’s impossible," he whispered, but there was no conviction in his voice.

Jungwon swallowed. "I don’t know how, but I died here first. And when I did… it broke something. It started everything."

The others exchanged uneasy glances.

The school. The cycle. The endless loop of students coming and going, disappearing and reappearing.

Jungwon had been trapped here the longest.

Which meant—

"This all started because of you," Ni-ki murmured, voice low.

Jungwon flinched.

He didn’t want to believe it.

But deep down—

He knew it was true.

The cafeteria lady hadn’t been trying to kill him.

She had been trying to bring him back.

To restart what was broken.

To make him stay.

Because as long as Jungwon was here—

The school would never let any of them leave.

---

Jungwon slowly stood up.

The others watched him carefully.

He exhaled, his breath shaky but steady.

"We have to break the curse."

Sunghoon nodded. "Yeah, no kidding."

"No," Jungwon shook his head. "We have to do it the right way."

He turned to the others, gaze firm.

"You guys can leave. I think the portal took us out of the school’s loop."

Jay’s expression darkened. "What are you saying?"

Jungwon’s fingers brushed over his necklace.

"I think I have to go back in."

Sunoo snapped. "No! We just got you out!"

"It’s the only way," Jungwon said softly. "If I don’t, she’ll just start the cycle again. Another group of students will take our place. And they’ll suffer like we did."

He looked at them. At the people he had come to love.

"You guys don’t deserve this."

"And you do?!" Ni-ki snapped, his voice filled with anger and something close to desperation.

Jungwon smiled sadly. "I was never supposed to leave in the first place."

---

Heeseung stepped forward. His voice was steady, serious.

"If you go back in, we’re going with you."

Jungwon’s eyes widened. "No, you can’t—"

"We’re not leaving without you," Jay interrupted firmly.

Jake nodded. "If we’re breaking the cycle, we’re doing it together."

Sunghoon smirked, though there was worry in his eyes. "We’re not letting you be a tragic main character."

Sunoo grabbed Jungwon’s hand. "I already dragged you out once. I’ll do it again."

Ni-ki rolled his eyes. "If you think we’re letting you go alone, you’re an idiot."

Jungwon’s chest ached.

A different kind of pain this time.

A warmth he had never known before.

His family.

His real family.

He nodded, tears burning his eyes.

"Alright," he whispered.

The portal behind them shimmered.

The entrance to the school waited.

Jungwon took a deep breath.

And together—

They stepped back inside.