Lovely forced herself to remain calm as Janhae guided her into the room. Her injured leg still stung from where the rusted rod had cut into her skin, but the pain was nothing compared to the tension coiling inside her chest. She had not expected things to move this quickly. What had started as a carefully staged introduction was now leading her directly into Janhae's private space.
And if luck remained on her side, perhaps into the truth.
"Sit here," Janhae said softly, pointing toward the edge of the bed. "I'll get the first aid box."
Lovely nodded with a polite smile, careful not to appear too curious. "Thank you. I didn't expect you to be this helpful."
Janhae gave a faint smile in return. "You're bleeding. I can't just ignore it."
Then she turned and stepped out of the room, heading toward what Lovely assumed was the washroom or storage shelf nearby.
The moment Janhae disappeared from sight, Lovely's expression changed.
Her polite smile vanished.
Her eyes sharpened.
This was her chance.
Lovely rose carefully from the bed and looked around the room. It was surprisingly neat—too neat. Books arranged in perfect lines. Cosmetics aligned with unnatural precision. A study lamp. A few framed photos. A calm room for a girl who seemed to be carrying too many secrets.
Her gaze moved slowly across the shelves.
Then she saw it.
A box.
It sat near the edge of a small table beside the wall, half-shadowed beneath a pile of books. But what caught her attention was not the box itself.
It was the symbol engraved into it.
Lovely's breath caught.
It looked almost identical to the symbol carved into the key Roxy and Stalin had found.
For a second, she just stared.
Her pulse quickened.
This was no coincidence.
She stepped closer, her movements careful, silent. Her fingers hovered above the box but did not touch it yet. Beside it, partially hidden behind a folded shawl, she noticed something else.
A small metal locker built into the lower compartment of the shelf.
Locked.
Her eyes widened slightly.
A matching symbol.
A key.
A hidden locker.
And now Janhae.
The pieces were beginning to shift into place.
Lovely felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"What exactly are you hiding…?" she whispered under her breath.
She bent slightly, pretending to adjust her sandal while studying the shape of the lock more carefully. It wasn't ordinary. It looked old, custom-made, almost like something designed to store evidence—or secrets too dangerous to leave in plain sight.
A sound came from outside.
Footsteps.
Lovely quickly moved back and sat down just as Janhae returned carrying a first aid kit.
"You shouldn't move too much," Janhae said, kneeling in front of her. "If rust got into the wound, it can get infected."
Lovely let out a soft laugh. "You sound like a doctor already."
Janhae paused.
For a brief second, something unreadable passed through her eyes.
"No," she said quietly. "I'm not that capable."
Lovely watched her carefully as Janhae cleaned the wound. Her touch was steady. Too steady for someone who claimed she lacked confidence.
"You're in third year, right?" Lovely asked casually.
Janhae nodded. "Yeah."
"Then honestly," Lovely continued, "you should consider becoming a medical examiner or something. You're calm under pressure."
At that, Janhae's hand paused for the slightest moment.
A tiny pause.
But Lovely noticed.
Janhae resumed cleaning as though nothing had happened. "No… I don't think I could do that."
"Why not?"
Janhae looked down. "Some things are easier to study than to face in real life."
Lovely held that answer in her mind.
There was something buried in that sentence.
Something personal.
Something dark.
Still, she smiled gently. "I'd trust you. In fact, if I get injured again, I might just come straight to you."
That earned a faint laugh from Janhae.
"You should come for dressing for the next three days," Janhae said. "Otherwise the wound may get worse."
Lovely tilted her head slightly, pretending to think. "Three days? That sounds serious."
"It is," Janhae replied. "Especially if you ignore it."
Lovely smiled. "Then I'll come. Looks like I found my personal doctor."
This time Janhae smiled a little more openly.
And in that smile, Lovely saw exactly what she needed.
An opening.
Trust.
A way back in.