Chapter 7: False Trails
The first bell echoed through Daehan High School, followed by the familiar rush of footsteps filling the corridors.
For most students, it was another ordinary Monday.
For Hana, Jungho, and Seojun...
It was another day of pretending.
Pretending they were ordinary transfer students.
Pretending they weren't investigating a secret organization capable of driving students to their deaths.
Pretending they weren't being watched.
---
"Morning."
Hana looked up from her notebook as Seojun placed a carton of milk on her desk.
"You skipped breakfast again."
She blinked.
"...How do you always know?"
"You look at food the same way normal people look at homework."
Jungho, sitting behind them, sighed.
"You two have known each other for barely a week."
Seojun shrugged.
"I observe."
"That's called being nosy."
"It's called surviving."
The conversation ended there.
It wasn't awkward.
Not anymore.
Somehow, over the past week, the three of them had settled into an unspoken rhythm.
Jungho noticed details.
Seojun noticed people.
Hana connected the pieces.
Together, they were beginning to understand Class B.
Or so they believed.
---
By lunchtime, Hana's notebook had doubled in size.
Every page contained observations.
Kim Minji
Quiet.
Grades dropping.
Friends avoiding her.
Frequently alone after class.
Anonymous comments on the school forum.
Teacher becoming unusually strict.
Possible target?
---
Lee Doyun
Popular.
Excellent athlete.
Confident.
No noticeable change.
---
Park Jisoo
Class representative.
Helpful.
Seems genuinely respected.
---
Choi Yuna
Transfers seats often.
Appears anxious.
Keeps checking her phone.
---
"There has to be a pattern," Hana whispered.
Jungho nodded.
"There always is."
Seojun looked across the classroom.
"No."
"What?"
"The pattern isn't in individuals."
Hana frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"They're changing how people react to one another."
Jungho slowly smiled.
"Exactly."
They weren't targeting one person.
They were changing the environment.
Making classmates suspicious.
Turning conversations into gossip.
Creating invisible walls.
It reminded Hana of Joonseo.
No one had bullied him every second.
Most of the damage came from everyone quietly looking away.
---
That evening...
The detective listened patiently as Hana explained everything.
"So you believe Minji is the target?"
"I'm almost certain."
"Why?"
"Because every sign matches Joonseo."
Isolation.
Rumours.
Academic decline.
Emotional withdrawal.
The detective nodded slowly.
"Excellent work."
Jungho noticed something strange.
The detective hadn't questioned a single conclusion.
Not one.
Instead...
He encouraged it.
"Continue observing Minji."
"I think you're close."
Those words echoed in Jungho's head long after they left.
---
Over the next few days...
Seojun began arriving at the detective's office alone.
At first it was practical.
The detective claimed he had additional information.
Then...
It became habit.
"You look tired."
"I'm fine."
"You've lost weight."
"...Really?"
The detective smiled.
"You should eat properly."
The next day...
He brought dinner.
Not expensive food.
Just homemade soup.
"It's nothing special."
Seojun stared at it.
No one had ever cooked for him before.
Not because they wanted to.
His adoptive family hired chefs.
Meals appeared.
Love never did.
He hesitated.
"...Thank you."
The detective simply smiled.
"You don't have to thank me for caring."
Those words lingered in Seojun's mind all night.
---
Jungho noticed.
He always noticed.
"You've been spending a lot of time with him."
Seojun looked away.
"We're discussing the investigation."
"For three hours?"
"...Sometimes."
Jungho remained silent.
Then quietly asked,
"Do you trust him?"
Seojun answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
That bothered Jungho more than he expected.
---
The next morning...
A loud crash echoed through the classroom.
Everyone turned.
Minji's books had been knocked onto the floor.
Three boys laughed.
"Oh, sorry."
"It was an accident."
It clearly wasn't.
The classroom watched.
Nobody moved.
Hana stood first.
She knelt beside Minji and helped collect every notebook.
"You okay?"
Minji forced a smile.
"I'm used to it."
Those four words made Hana's chest tighten.
Used to it.
Just like Joonseo.
Across the room...
Someone quietly took a photograph.
No one noticed.
---
Days passed.
More incidents.
Someone scribbled insults on Minji's desk.
Someone created a fake account using her picture.
Someone spread rumours that she cheated on exams.
Every clue pointed toward her.
Every instinct Hana had screamed...
It's happening again.
She stayed after school.
Walked Minji home.
Sat beside her during lunch.
Even convinced teachers to pay closer attention.
Slowly...
The bullying eased.
Or so it appeared.
That night she proudly showed the detective her notebook.
"I think we've interrupted K."
The detective smiled.
"I believe you have."
His voice sounded almost...
Satisfied.
"Keep protecting her."
"I will."
"You've done well, Hana."
She smiled for the first time in days.
Outside the office...
Jungho waited.
"How did it go?"
"He agrees."
Jungho frowned.
"He always agrees."
"What?"
"He never challenges us."
Hana blinked.
"So?"
"So real investigators question assumptions."
She laughed softly.
"You're overthinking."
Maybe he was.
Maybe.
---
Later that evening...
Rain tapped gently against the detective's office windows.
Seojun sat quietly while the detective poured tea.
"You've changed."
"...Have I?"
"You smile more."
Seojun looked into his cup.
"I don't think I do."
"You do."
Silence.
The detective looked at him kindly.
"Your brother would've been happy."
Seojun froze.
"You think so?"
"I know so."
For a moment...
The walls around Seojun disappeared.
Not because of evidence.
Not because of trust.
Because someone had finally spoken to him like family.
"You've carried everything alone."
The detective placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have to anymore."
Seojun lowered his head.
"...I don't remember anyone saying that to me."
"You deserve to hear it."
Neither of them noticed...
Outside the office...
Jungho had returned after forgetting his notebook.
He stopped before entering.
The door was slightly open.
He couldn't hear every word.
But he saw enough.
The detective's hand.
Seojun's expression.
Something felt...
Wrong.
Not dangerous.
Calculated.
Jungho quietly stepped away without making a sound.
---
The following Friday...
Hana burst into the empty classroom after school.
"I figured it out!"
Jungho looked up.
"What?"
"The anonymous accounts."
She spread dozens of printed screenshots across a desk.
"They all connect back to Minji."
IP addresses.
Posting times.
Messages.
Everything.
"I know who they're targeting."
For the first time...
She felt certain.
She could save someone.
This time...
She wouldn't fail.
Jungho stared at the evidence.
It looked convincing.
Painfully convincing.
Even he couldn't find a flaw.
Maybe...
Maybe he had been wrong about the detective.
Maybe Hana really had solved it.
Across town...
Inside a dark room lit only by computer screens...
A young boy sat alone.
He stared at hundreds of hateful messages flooding his phone.
His hands trembled.
His breathing became uneven.
One unread message remained open.
It read—
"Maybe everyone would be happier if you disappeared."
The boy quietly switched off his phone.
He wasn't Kim Minji.
He wasn't even in the same friend group.
No one had noticed him.
No one except K.
And while Hana devoted every waking moment to protecting the wrong student...
The real target had already begun to believe he was completely alone.