Lee Suhyeok looked at his phone as he ate breakfast, a bowl of cereal. The same old routine every single day. Visit [Y/N] at the hospital alongside Namra for a good hour before leaving. Namra always stayed late with [Y/N]'s mother, Hana. He was expecting a response... an update on [Y/N]'s condition. 

But there never was one. 

Suhyeok's parents were already gone. His mother left a note on the table letting him know how proud she was of him for turning his life around after being with the wrong crowd since middle school, followed by a Latin quote. She was a Latin professor, after all. His dad had opted to send a text. After he ate his breakfast, he headed off to school, staring at his phone. 

Normally Namra would text him updates on [Y/N]'s condition. That or her mother. He was too focused on having his phone out, he almost didn't see Namra spot him and make a u-turn. 

"Namra! Class prez!" Suhyeok called as he ran after the raven-haired girl who sped walk away from him. The boy caught up to her. "Prez, how's... [Y/N]?"

The girl had tearstains on her cheeks and red blotchy eyes. "They're going to pull the plug on her if she doesn't wake up by the end of the week. Hana...she agreed to it because...because...."

"Because of what?" Suhyeok's heart raced at the words. It can't be true. 

"She had two instances... of cardiac arrest... within‌... two hours. It happened after you left." Namra moved faster towards school. She didn't even respond to Nayeon calling her name. 

Suhyeok followed after her, still contemplating on what the girl had told him. [Y/N]... is going to die. A friend he had known since they were small children. How would the rest of the group take it? How would their classmates they considered friends if not acquaintances take it? The rest of the group’s walk into school was uneventful. 

Gyeongsu cut through the rich neighborhood with his rental apartment buddies. Cheongsan had finally won against Onjo in rock-paper-scissors, causing her to carry his bag. Isak had walked into school with Hyoryung, Joonyeong, and Nabi since they all lived relatively close to one another. Kim Jimin, a friend of theirs, got a ride from her parents as Yang Daesu got a ride with Jang Hari and Jang Wujin. 

Onjo, however, was late by a few seconds, causing Cheongsan to laugh at her misfortune. Onjo kicked his backpack in protest. She blamed the backpack for making her late. Even if it was because she was a slow runner. 

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Suhyeok walked the grounds of Hyosan High to his classroom before he spotted the gang of bullies he used to hang with. They had two targets with them: Min Eunji and Kim Cheolsoo. If he was a normal person, he would have minded his own business and let them do whatever they wanted with the two bullied, miserable teenagers. 

However he was not a normal person.  But that was not the reason he was going to go and help the two of them.  He needed a distraction from the news he had received that morning. Does that make him a bad person? Who knows? 

The group of bullies led Eunji and Cheolsoo to the construction site behind the school. Myeonghwan held a shovel in his hand as he interrogated Cheolsoo. 

“Is it my fault that idiot Jinsu went missing, huh?” Cheolsoo tripped over his words, causing Myeonghwan to snap in anger. “Then, why the hell did you decide to tattle on me, you little prick?” 

“The teacher said to write down everything we knew.” Cheolsoo’s hands trembled where they lay by his side. 

“And what do you know, huh?” Myeonghwan asked him before tossing the shovel to the pile of bricks off to the side. “Asshole! Seriously? What the hell do you know?” Eunji flinched at the raise in his voice. “You’re just freaking unbelievable. Go ahead.” 

Gwinam and Changhoon turned their attention to Eunji who looked down at her feet, her brown bangs covering her eyes. Changhoon held Eunji to him and covered her mouth while Gwinam unbuttoned and took off her top as she whimpered. Eunji was soon sitting on the ground with her face down and her hands covering her exposed breast. 

Cheolsoo’s lipped quivered as he was forced to record her in her misery. Changhoon was also recording her on his phone as well. The bullies chuckled at him. Gwinam walked over to a shaky breathing Cheolsoo who had stopped recording Eunji and was trying to force him to continue. 

“That’s enough.” Suhyeok said, causing the bully to look at him. “Stop.” 

Gwinam scowled before letting go of Cheolsoo. Myeonghwan scoffed. “Shit. Son of bitch.” Eunji rushed to pull on her shirt as Myeonghwan smacked Gwinam in the head. “We’re not playing around you moron. You used to party with us. Don’t act all holier-than-thou, you hear me? Your princess isn’t here to judge you. Fuck off.” 

“You need to grow up.” Suhyeok turned his attention from Myeonghwan to Cheolsoo. “Get outta here.” 

Eunji scrambled to get the rest of her stuff. “Go ahead. You might be safe.” Those words caused the two bullied teenagers to stop in their place. 

Suhyeok glared at the boy and grabbed Eunji and Cheolsoo so they could leave. They would not be humiliated anymore this morning. Suhyeok pushed Gwinam out of the way and picked up Eunji from the floor. Suhyeok grabbed her arm and Cheolsoo and went to leave. 

“You look really sexy in this. Should I send it to your mom? You know I’m friends with her on facebook.” Gwinam chuckled as Changhoon made fun of him for being friends with Eunji’s mom through the internet. 

A tear fell down Eunji’s face, and she tore her arm from Suhyeok’s grasp. “I can’t go.” Suhyeok tried to reassure her that she could. He failed. He was not like his so-called princess.  Eunji shook her head as a sob left her throat. “It’s not okay. Because if I leave now… it’ll be worse tomorrow. She isn’t here to save us anymore, and she’ll never be.” Eunji went back to her bullies. 

Suhyeok looked at Cheolsoo who followed right after the girl. Suhyeok stood there for a minute. He had failed. One good deed and he could not even accomplish it. What a fool he was. The lanky boy sighed and walked to his classroom. When he got there, Namra was in her seat, studying while the boys were talking amongst themselves. 

Onjo came into the class as Suhyeok dropped his stuff off at his seat. She handed Cheongsan his bag. The girl scoffed before going into her seat beside Isak. The boys continued their aimless conversation when a shrill voice entered the room. 

“Hey!” Namra looked up from her notes to see Nayeon enter the room. WHy must she make a scene out of everything? “Get off of there. You stink.” Gyeongsu got off of her desk and apologized. She was not having that. “Cut it out! You’re so dirty.” 

The door to the room opened as the bell rang signalling homeroom was starting. “Hey, you punks. Come on, guys. Take your seats. Come on, move it.” Their favorite teacher Park Sunhwa entered the room. The students took their seats and their phones were collected. With some hiccups. Hiccups being Daesu, Isak, Onjo, and several others tried to be sneaky with keeping their phones. 

“Okay, I have few things for this morning. First off, is anybody in touch with Hyeonju?” No one answered. “Nobody? So none of you have tried calling her today?” 

Joonyeong cleared his throat. “Uh, we cleaned the science lab together yesterday, but I haven’t seen her since.” 

Ms Park sighed. “Okay. If anyone hears from her sometime in the next few days, let me know right away, okay?” The class chorued in agreement. “Exams start next week, so get your acts together.” Ms Park took a deep breath which did not go unnoticed by her students. “And the last thing that I do not want to tell you guys. [Y/N]’s mother informed me that within the past couple of weeks she has gone into cardiac arrest an alarming number of times, so by the beginning of next week if… if… if… if…” Ms Park wiped at her eyes, “she does not wake up, her mother will be pulling the plug on her.” The students sat there, not knowing what to think. “I’m going to go ask Mr Lee if he’s seen Hyeonju recently. Namra, you’re in charge.” 

Ms Park walked over to the science classroom and knocked on the lab door. Mr Lee walked out. “Uh, hello, Mr Lee.” Mr Lee greeted her. “Hi. Uh, you know Kim Hyeonju from my class? She didn’t make it home last night, and… the kids haven’t seen her since she was cleaning the science lab yesterday.” 

“Oh? Really?” He was a horrible actor, but Ms Park did not seem to pick up on that. 

“Do you remember seeing her by any chance?” asked Ms Park. 

Mr Lee stopped to pretend he was thinking. “No, I haven’t.” 

“Uh, so yesterday you went home without stopping by the science lab, right?” Mr Lee confirmed her question, causing the English teacher to let out a frustrated kaugh. “Uh… I’m sorry. Apparently, no one’s seen her since she was in here so…” A metal clank came from the science lab. “Is someone in there?” 

“Yeah.” Mr Lee smiled. “It’s just a hamster. I should probably get ready for class.” 

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K

im Hyeonju was asleep in the science classroom when she should have been helping her classmates: Oh Joonyeong, Seo Hyoryung, and Jung Nabi. She had asked them to wake her up when they were done cleaning. 

“Let’s go get tteokbokki later.” Nabi suggested to the two of them. 

Joonyeong looked over at the sleeping Hyeonju. “Shouldn’t we wake up Hyeonju?” 

“But it’s so yummy.” Nabi did not like nor care for the girl. “Oh, she’s just fine.” 

The group of them closed the door shut. It was only a few moments later when Hyeonju woke up and cursed her classmates for not waking her up. She stretched and went to leave when she heard a noise come from the science lab. She went to go inspect when she heard the noise again. Hyeonju noticed a metal box on the floor and went to go check it out. 

She went to touch it, but jumped back when the metal clank happened again, scaring her. Hyeonju lifted the metal covering to see several mice inside a glass cage. She knocked on the glass trying to get the mouse’s attention. She stuck her finger into the case and the mouse bit her finger. The mouse attacked the glass case, trying to free itself. 

Hyeonju could only stare at it afterwards. It was only when her science teacher, Mr Lee Byeongchan, spoke did she break from her chance. “What are you doing here?” 

“Nothing. It bit me. I’m pissed. Excuse me.” Hyeonju bowed and left the lab. 

Mr Lee noticed the blood on the floor. As Hyeonju left the classroom, Mr Lee grabbed her and hid her in the science lab, tying her against the ac unit. That night while the PE teacher was on watch through the halls, Hyeonju prayed that Coach Kang Jingu would find her.  Unfortunately, he never did. Mr Lee came in the next morning and he only left once: when the English teacher came to question her whereabouts. 

He came right back, took off his suit cover, sat in his chair, and started a recording on his laptop. “A student was bit by the hamster. I injected her benzodiazepine,” he sighed. “It’s only slowing the infection down by a few hours.” Hyeonju’s muffled grunting was the only thing heard in the lab. 

Mr Lee took a syringe to put more of the benzodiazepine into her system. As he injected her with it, she said, “Don’t kill me.” 

“Don’t kill you? Don’t bother having any hope.” he told her as she went unconscious. 

Mr Lee was teaching about viruses ― the irony of it all ― when she woke up and began to struggle to get out of her bindings. “A virus is somewhere between a living organism and a non-living organism. Like a living organism, it adapts to its surroundings and evolves. Everything that evolves in this manner should be considered an independent living organism.” 

All while he was saying this, Gwinam had taken off Eunji’s sweatervest with force. “Mr. Lee, the textbook says a virus is not an independent living organism.” Jang Domin questioned his professor. 

Mr Lee chuckled. “Whether or not, it’s categorized that way doesn’t depend on its metabolism, but its will to survive.” The teacher did not think much of it when the students started to laugh at what Gwinam had written on Eunji’s shirt. “If its will is so strong, the instinct to survive actually surpasses intelligence, and eventually the ecosystem is dominated by that will. Humanity has never once completely defeated a virus.” Mr Lee brought up a video on the TV. 

“Leucochloridium paradoxum.” Hyeonju opened up her eyes. “This parasite’s final destination is a bird.” The female snarled and thrashed around on the ground. “The parasite enters a snail and infects its ocular tentacles. That ames the snail put itself in the bath of predatory birds, so the infected snail commits suicide at the whim of the parasite.” She growled and pulled against her restraints. “Tell me. Now is that because the snail is less intelligent?” She thrashed around some more. “It’s not. It’s because the parasite’s will to survive is much stronger than the snail’s.” The restraints came undone, and she fell onto the floor. “The evolving and heridetary will to survive is the sole standard by which living organisms are defined.” 

“So is the textbook wrong?” The sound of bones cracking. 

Mr Lee smiled. “The texbook? It’s wrong.” The girl got up from the floor and walked out of the science lab. 

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“

In fact, none of us are completely free from prejudice. We all have preconceived ideas about others.” While Ms Park taught, Park Heesu was having pains in her stomach. It hurt like hell. “Here ‘free from’ means the lacking in or unencumbered by. Anyone want to interrupt this?” Ms Park tapped on the floor and Heesu stood up. 

“I need to use the bathroom.” Heeusu was excused from class, and Ms Park asked again before calling on Namra.

“The truth is, all of us have some sort of prejudice. We all have preconceptions about other people.” Namra said. 

While Namra was talking, Ms Park noticed that Suhyeok was not paying attention, so she called on him to say what Namra was saying and proceeded to question why they called him Baresu. Joonyeong and Daesu explained that it was because he doesn’t like to wear socks and his feet smell (that last bit was just commentary from Daesu). 

“Okay, Baresu. What did Namra say a minute ago?” Ms Park asked. 

His eyes grew as wide as saucers before looking around the room. “Uh… She was absolutely correct. A hundred percent.” The class alughed at him. 

“What was her absolutely correct answer then?” Ms Park persevered. 

Suhyeok exhaled before he noticed the raven-haired girl that was stumbling around in the hallways before opening the door. The rest of the class had followed his line of sight. That did not stop the shock they felt when a bloodied Hyeonju entered the classroom and collapsed in Ms Park’s arms. 

“Hyeonju. Hey. What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Ms Park asked as the students got out of their seats to get a better look. “Hey, Hyeonju.” The girl said her teacher’s name. “Yeah, it’s me. Do you recognize me?” 

“He grabbed me,” Hyeonju looked at the ceiling, “The science teacher grabbed me and locked me up.” 

“He locked you up? The science teacher? Mr Lee Byeongchan?” Ms Park asked as multiple gasps rang out amongst the murmurs. Hyeonju confirmed it with a nod and a, “He tied me up.”

“Let’s go to the infirmary, okay?” Ms Park decided. “Namra, make sure they study on their own. And please don’t say anything to anyone until I come back and confirm the facts.” Ms Park directed her attention to the girl in her arms. “Hyeonju. Can you get up?” 

Suhyeok offered to carry her as Onjo and Isak offered to help. The four of them ran to the infirmary. Heesu got to the infirmary and was whimpering from the pain. The school nurse, Kim Kyungmi, got up from her seat and went to check on her. However she was discarded when Ms Park, Suhyeok, Onjo, and Isak arrived with Hyeonju. 

Heesu walked out of the room as Suhyeok placed Hyeonju on the bed. The nurse took her temperature and remarked that it was too late. They pulled the blanket over her as Hyeonju started to thrash around. She mumbled something about wanting to kill them all, being too hot, and a weird shot. Ms Park was instructed to call an ambulance while the nurse was going to give her a sedative and clean her wounds. 

She thrashed around and tried to bite them. Onjo got a cut as she flinched away from her. The nurse instructed them to hold her down while she gave Hyeonju the shot. Hyeonju bit the nurse as she was given the shot. The school nurse cleaned up Hyeonju’s wounds and placed a bandage over Onjo’s cut. 

Back in the classroom the other students were conversing about what just happened. 

“Everyone else saw that, right? First she just disappeared all day, then she comes in all bloody talking about the science teacher.” Hyoryung commented. 

“She could have gone somewhere and got hurt, then came here and collapsed all of a sudden.” Jimin inputted. 

“It’s got to be true.” Nayeon remarked before the three girls inquired more. “You know how we heard his son went missing? Well, I heard he didn’t go missing. Suicide.” 

“Come on. Don’t fall for that.” Jimin told her as Hyoryung seemed to buy it. Nabi understood where Nayeon was going with that. 

“It’s true, okay? Think of the facts. Hyeonju ran with the same crowd that bullied Jinsu all of the time. So the science teacher is going after them one-by-one. He’s hunting them down and killing them.” Nabi explained. 

From where the boys were sitting completley unaware about the conversation the girls were having, Joonyeong said, “Last time I saw Hyeonju was in the science lab.” 

“Hey. I think maybe Mr Lee made porn with Hyeonju.” Daesu commented. 

Wujin smacked his best friend. “Hey, you moron. Get your mind out of the gutter, asshole. You fat ass.” 

“Why are you cursing at me, dick? (“Because you’re a fucking perve, dumbass!”) So why did he kidnap her then? Have you ever been kidnapped? (“Of course not, stupid.”) Easy, I’m your brother-in-law.” 

“I told you to stop calling me that.” Wujin smacked Daesu again. 

Isak walked into the classroom, causing the rest of the students to swarm her desk to ask questions. Isak sat at her desk and hugged her pillow. “It’s no joke. She was biting people and thrashing around. (“Where’s Onjo?”) She got hurt. (“Where? How bad?”) She’ll be fine. I think she went crazy. Her temperature is super low, but she said she was hot. She tried to bite us. And hyeonju had this weird smell. (“What smell?”) The same one as the science teacher. (“A rotting corpse!”) Yeah, that. And she said, Mr Lee gave her some kind of weird shot. (“Should we tell the police about this?”) I don’t know. Ms Park said she’s gonna handle it.” 

Nabi turned to see Namra studying, not even paying attention to this conversation. “Look. She’s just been sitting there studying.” 

“Yeah, well she is the top student.” Hyoryung told the girl. 

“Go easy on her, Nabi. She’s the closest to [Y/N]. She’s probably studying as a distraction because her mother ran out of hope.” Isak chastised the girl wrongly named butterfly. “Onjo’s in the infirmary.” 

Cheongsan left the classroom to the infirmary to see the bed that Hyeonju laid on was empty and it was covered in blood with the syringe on the floor. He looked out the window to see the ambulance with two first responders pushing Hyeonju into the vehicle. 

“It seems like she went into shock due to hypothermia. I managed to give her a sedative.” the nurse told the