The dorm room was eerily silent.

Despite its seemingly normal appearance—two bunk beds, a few desks, and a large window overlooking the dark school grounds—there was something off about the atmosphere.

The seven boys sat around the room, still shaken from the events of the day. Their families had forgotten them. The school had changed before their very eyes. And now, they were trapped in this strange dormitory, with no clue what was happening.

Jungwon hugged his knees to his chest, sitting at the edge of one of the beds. Heeseung was pacing. Jay had his arms crossed, deep in thought. Jake was biting his lip, restless. Sunghoon was staring out the window, tense. Sunoo was sitting beside Jungwon, fidgeting. Ni-ki was drumming his fingers against the desk, looking unusually serious.

Then—

A faint glow.

Jungwon blinked, feeling a warm light radiating from inside his shirt. His heart skipped a beat.

Slowly, he pulled out his necklace from beneath his collar.

It was glowing.

The soft blue light pulsed, like a heartbeat.

"Jungwon… your necklace—" Sunoo whispered, eyes wide.

Before Jungwon could respond, the other boys noticed something, too.

Their own necklaces—red, dark blue, black, white, pink, and black—were all glowing.

"What’s happening?" Jake breathed, gripping his pendant.

Then, as if on cue—

Letters began forming on the surface of each necklace.

Glowing, eerie, and identical.

Seven pairs of eyes widened as they read the message engraved into the glass-like pendants.

"Find the Forgotten. Before they find you."

A heavy silence filled the room.

Jungwon’s grip tightened around his necklace, his heartbeat hammering in his ears.

"The Forgotten?" Sunghoon muttered, his voice laced with unease. "Who… or what is that?"

"And what do they mean by ‘before they find us’?" Ni-ki added, his brows furrowing. "Are we in danger?"

Jay scoffed, though his voice lacked its usual confidence. "We’ve been in danger since we stepped into this school."

Jungwon swallowed, his fingers trembling around the pendant. "This means… someone—something—is looking for us."

The room grew colder.

From outside the window, a shadow shifted.

Watching.

Waiting.

Jungwon let out a soft gasp, his body jerking back in fear. His balance wavered, and before he could stop himself—

Thump.

He landed right onto Sunghoon’s lap.

“Whoa—!” Sunghoon’s eyes widened, his entire body going rigid as Jungwon practically collapsed against him.

Jungwon’s breath hitched as he realized what had happened. His hands pressed against Sunghoon’s thighs, his head resting awkwardly against his chest. The heat of embarrassment rushed to his face.

For a split second, no one moved.

Jungwon’s wide, startled eyes flickered back to the window—only to find nothing there. The shadow he had seen was gone.

Silence stretched between them.

Then—

“Oh my god.”

Sunoo gasped dramatically, covering his mouth. Ni-ki’s jaw dropped. Jake blinked in pure disbelief, while Jay immediately scowled. Heeseung, who had been watching from his spot on the bed, smirked knowingly.

Sunghoon, on the other hand, was completely frozen.

His face turned several shades of red, his brain short-circuiting as he realized Jungwon was on his lap.

And then—

Jungwon quickly scrambled to get up, flailing as he practically threw himself off of Sunghoon.

“I-I’m sorry!” Jungwon stammered, his voice an octave higher than usual. His hands shot up to cover his burning cheeks. “I didn’t mean to—I just—"

Sunghoon blinked, finally snapping out of his daze. His lips parted as if to say something, but all that came out was, "Uh…"

Heeseung chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. “Well, that was interesting.”

Jay, however, was not amused. His sharp eyes immediately narrowed at Sunghoon. “Why was it you?”

“Yeah, out of all of us?!” Ni-ki complained, crossing his arms. “That’s so unfair.”

Sunoo pouted dramatically. “I wanted Jungwon to fall on me!”

Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I mean, at least he’s okay, but…” He shot Sunghoon a look. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

Sunghoon, still recovering, cleared his throat and looked away. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, please,” Jay scoffed. “You totally froze up. Like some lovesick fool.”

Sunghoon clicked his tongue. “As if.”

But the redness on his ears completely betrayed him.

Jungwon, still flustered beyond belief, kept his hands pressed against his cheeks. “I-It was an accident! I wasn’t trying to—”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Sunghoon said quickly, trying to act cool despite the fact that his heart was still racing.

“Yeah, you don’t need to apologize,” Sunoo grumbled under his breath, still jealous.

Ni-ki rolled his eyes. “Next time, fall on me instead.”

Jungwon groaned, completely embarrassed, while the others continued side-eyeing Sunghoon.

Heeseung just smirked to himself.

This was going to be fun.