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....

A little further along the noisy classrooms was a thin corridor which led to a store room. The store room was kept unlocked that day because the students were using it as a preparation area and kept many of their props. One of the students from the senior class was carrying a large box and heading for the store room.

"Ugh!" the short student groaned. He was wearing the costume of a red demon with a long tail and a pair of horns. The foam padded cloth was making him sweat and he was burning in it. He was already drenched in sweat, eager to get out of this darn thing.

"Stupid demon costume!" he muttered as he carried the large box full of broken props which he was asked to keep in the store room. Pushing the door open, he entered the damp and dusty room.

Almost all the classes on that floor kept their junk and props there. Heaps of boxes were scattered across the floor and he had to tread very carefully to avoid being tripped over. Finally, he found a spot to keep the box.

"Phew!" he exclaimed and put the box down. "I think I'm gonna rest here for a while."

He sat on a closed crate and took off the demon mask. Fanning himself, he looked around the dark space which was eerily creepy even during the day. One class was doing an art cafe and hung some paintings on the wall which they would probably pick up during intervals.

"That one is nice," he remarked at the painting of a colorful rose which was in the process of blooming its petals. There was a portrait of the Mona Lisa and next to it was one of the mountains of the Alps. The boy stood up and was appreciating the artworks when his eyes fell on a particular one.

Frowning, he closely observed the strange art. Red and orange flames covered the frame in the shape of large trees as if they were being burnt down. Several red snakes were coming out of the forest but there was something weird. The boy focused on the snakes which seemed to be...moving.

He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the painting again. This time, he thought that there were more snakes in the painting. But that was impossible.

The boy scratched his head in confusion. The snakes were stationary now but he thought that one of them wiggled a little.

"No way!" he muttered to himself. "This is just a painting."

Suddenly, the door shut with a loud bang. The boy yelped in fright, jumping backwards. A faint scent of rotten eggs was coming from somewhere, making the boy gag in disgust. The stench was getting stronger by the second and the boy realized that it was coming from the painting.

"I should get out of here!" he exclaimed in panic. For reasons unknown, he was feeling very scared. His heart was panicking and he ran towards the door but tripped over a crate and fell, knocking out a tooth in the process.

"AHHHH!" the boy screamed in pain. His mouth was filled with blood and he spat out the red spit. He might have sprained his ankle as well because it was hurting like hell. Staggering to get up, he crawled towards the door but something grabbed his foot and pulled him backwards.

"HELP!" he screamed. "HELP ME!"

The unseen force pulled him into the air, pinning his arms above his head. The boy screamed but in vain; no one could hear him in that corner.

"HELP!" He yelled. He was so scared that he peed in his pants, staining the red costume with a dark pool. The boy thrashed helplessly but the force kept him glued to the wall. To his horror, there was a creaking noise coming from somewhere.

CREEEEEAK!

Goosebumps raised along his arm but the sound did not stop. It was as if someone was scratching a chalkboard with long, sharp nails. The sound was tormenting the boy, almost making his ears bleed.

"STOP IT!" he begged. "LET ME GO-"

His eyes widened in horror when a chair began to move by itself. It was thrown against the wall with a great force, smashing it in one go into tiny pieces. A sharp piece of wood was floating in the air. The pointy stick hovered around him before it faced him. The boy was struggling to be freed, his eyes not moving from the pointed end of the stick.

"P-please!" he pleaded. "L-let m-me g-g-go!"

The stick stopped midway, motionless.

Is it over? The boy wondered.

Suddenly, the stick sped towards him and plunged into his abdomen.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

….

The sun was beginning to set and everyone was now preparing for the light festival near the lake behind Dalton Academy. All the classes closed their exhibits three hours ago and many of the students changed their clothes to wear more traditional clothes which was customary for the festival.

Sera had already changed into a hanbok but unlike the others, she wore a more modern style which showed off her thighs. Her mother made her wear it, claiming that it was in style. The top was stylized in the traditional way but was made of black silk and double layered. Her scarlet skirt reached till her knees, flowing freely with the customary bow tied to the left. Mrs. Jung claimed that only Sera would be the one to wear such a contemporary style.

Unfortunately, almost all the girls were wearing the same style. Some of the girls were laughing at Sera because the clothes did not suit her at all. They pointed at her chubby thighs, mocking her. But they did not dare to bully her because the teachers were monitoring everyone like hawks.

Sera smirked at them because she knew that she held the power to destroy their reputations if they dared to mess with her. It gave her a lot of satisfaction.

She stood by the field, waiting for Soobin who had gone to the girl's locker room to change. Even though Sera told her to buy a traditional hanbok, Soobin chose to wear the one her mother gifted on her last birthday. It was not a designer wear like Sera's one but Soobin did not care about such things.

"Sera!"

She turned around to find the Hwang twins. They wore matching traditional clothes or Gwanboks which used to be worn by the high ranked officials in the ancient times. Minyoon was wearing a green one with golden abstract patterns drawn on it. His hair was now back to its natural jet black color, making him look like an elegant prince. The gwanbok was loose at the arms but he improvised it around his waist by tying a belt to accentuate his fit figure.

Yoonmin also followed the same style but his one was navy blue and made of satin. Instead of golden embroidery, he opted for a pattern of black butterflies on it. Instead of a belt, he simply kept the cloth tight fitting around his torso. He wore a long, sleeveless cotton coat over it while his long hair is partially tied while the rest of it has been kept loose. His bangs came in front of his lazy brown eyes which highlighted his icy demeanor.

Sera blushed at Yoonmin and she was about to greet them when Yoonmin froze. He was looking at something behind Sera and she followed his gaze to see what it was.

He was not staring at something. He was staring at someone.

It was Soobin.