He had passed out.
Opening his eyes and looking under the familiar second-floor bed, Kang Sihyun tried to recall the moments before he collapsed, then he rose from the bed. The aftermath of being half-strangled seemed not to have subsided yet; despite being awake, his body felt heavy and limp, like wet cotton.
His gaze wandered around as his turned pupils surveyed the surroundings. The kids who used to sit by his side, waiting until he woke up every time he collapsed, were nowhere to be seen today.
His hand, reaching towards his head, clenched around the square-shaped cellphone.
8 AM.
It was breakfast time.
"Are they all at the cafeteria…?"
His voice, hoarse due to his throat being parched, sounded feeble. Perhaps the chill from last night had given him a cold, or perhaps it was the beginning of flu symptoms; a strange itchiness lingered in his throat. Squeezing his throat, Sihyun furrowed his brows at the tingling sensation in his head. Since it was still the camping period, there were no classes to attend, and his hunger was moderate. After a brief consideration, Sihyun, feeling no need to go outside, pulled the blanket over himself and lay back down. Despite moving slowly, dizziness swept over him, and his vision spun around.
What bad luck.
It seemed certain that he had caught a cold. As his body throbbed with discomfort, Sihyun sighed heavily and closed his increasingly heavy eyelids.
A bleak darkness enveloped Sihyun.
Eventually, Sihyun faced seven children staring at him with eyes mingled with resentment.
"You've been deceiving us all along, haven't you?"
The short-haired girl standing in the black space asked. It was Jihye. At the sudden question, Sihyun was caught off guard. He tried to come up with an excuse, but there was no room for that.
"Were we characters from the novel you read?"
Seowoo, standing still against the wall, took over the conversation from the girl. A sense of futility flowed from the mixed question, and Sihyun felt like he was sinking.
"So, is that why you reacted strangely at first?"
Haru chuckled and pushed Sihyun forward. Sihyun tried to explain, but there was no sound coming out.
"Why didn't you tell us? Did you not trust us enough?"
"...I didn't…?"
Haewoon and Geonwoo, one after another, pushed Sihyun into a corner. Unfiltered emotions were heavily poured out, and Sihyun felt like he was being aimed at. Wavering, Sihyun struggled to move his feet, but even lifting them seemed out of his control. With each move, the sound of sloshing echoed in his ears. The black water had risen to his waist.
The seven children looking at him all wore disappointed expressions. Every time their eyes met, the depth of despair deepened. Sihyun, turning his head to avoid their gaze as if fleeing, met eyes with Daun and flinched.
The girl with brown eyes stared straight at Sihyun. The voices whispering that they were liars filled the space. Murmurs. Like a turning wheel, repetitive words of accusation and resentment filled the space. Sihyun furrowed his brows and covered his ears with his hands.
"Stop it."
"Enough."
"Stop it."
Whispers of reprimand echoed from the girl's voice. Every word felt like a piercing rebuke. Sihyun, murmuring indistinctly as if it were a distant echo, was pierced by the harsh voice.
"You killed Kang Sihyun."
"It wasn't me."
"You've been deceiving us all."
"It's not what I wanted."
"How long do you think you can hide? Eventually, everyone will leave you."
"If you weren't going to reveal it, you shouldn't have given your heart in the first place."
Words of admonition poured out from the girl's voice. Despite denying everything, the truth that spewed out of Sihyun's mouth didn't take on a voice. The truth that he tried to spit out like an excuse couldn't find a sound to convey it, scattering into thin air.
"Give Kang Sihyun back to us."
The girl, with eyes wide open, said. At the same time, the black water surged and two apparitions appeared. Slowly taking shape, their faces were familiar.
"Give my son back."
They were Kang Sihyun's parents.
"I didn't do it. I didn't take away anyone's life."
"I regret saving you."
The terribly familiar voices.
A mournful groan swept over Sihyun's head. Kang Sihyun. The bright and confident boy whispered as if cursing, and his headache worsened. From the first-year Class A students to Sihyun's parents, Ruth and Hahyuk, Shin Ijae, and even those who fought together in the siege battle. Everyone I've known and interacted with accused me of being a liar and demanded Sihyun's return. Sihyun, overwhelmed by their voices, clutched his ears. He repeated the same words that wouldn't come out.
"I didn't do that."
"I didn't steal anything, I didn't deceive anyone."
"I was the one who was robbed, it couldn't be helped."
Sihyun, as if brainwashing himself, closed his eyes tightly against the relentless voices. The flooding water rose to his head. His breath was blocked.
That's when it happened.
"Stop your delusions!"
With a sharp exclamation, the strong voices that suddenly resounded covered Sihyun, dispersing the black waters that enveloped him. Along with the disappearing voices, the repeated voices also vanished, and Sihyun, wide-eyed, suddenly looked around the empty space. The voice he had just heard was familiar. It was Sihyun's own voice, so he tried to move to find him.
A hand reached out from behind and covered Sihyun's eyes.
Darkness, like peace, descended upon his vision.
"It's okay."
A soft whisper tickled his ears.
"It's okay."
"..."
"It's okay."
Amidst the hazy sensation, the voice came through distinctly. Listening to the comforting voice that saved him from the nightmare, Sihyun, with a heavy head, furrowed his brow as if laying down a steel rod. His exhales were warmer than usual. It was only then that Sihyun realized that the scenes he had seen were just dreams.
It was all a dream.
A terribly unpleasant and unpleasant dream.
Perhaps influenced by the ghostly questions he had heard yesterday, Sihyun, frowning, tossed and turned. Whether he had a fever or not, his forehead and clothes were damp.
"Are you awake?"
"Quietly, she's sleeping."
"How's the fever?"
"It's gone down a bit."
"Let's get it down a bit more…."
The comforting voices stopped, and the children's conversation could be heard. As Sihyun opened his eyes, he saw familiar faces. Seowoo, gently sweeping the damp hair on Sihyun's forehead, revealed red eyes as he rolled his pupils.
"Are you okay?"
The voice, mixed with concern and affection, felt like a caress to Sihyun's body. Hearing that voice that had pulled him out of the nightmare, Sihyun, who just felt relief towards Seowoo, recalled the nightmare, confirming that it was just a dream.
Their expressions in the dream and the expressions of the children in front of him were so different. Feeling like he could still hear voices accusing him, Sihyun closed his eyes, feeling drowsy.
"Why."
"Huh?"
"Why didn't you ask anything?"
There would have been a lot of suspicion and curiosity, but they acted as if nothing had happened. When Sihyun asked, feeling like that night was just a dream, they exchanged glances and lightly scolded him, saying to get better first.
Worried about their unexpected reaction, Sihyun lost his enthusiasm again and closed his eyes, feeling the fatigue washing over him.
"Aren't you disappointed?"
In a drowsy voice, he muttered, and the reassurance returned. With a strange sensation, Sihyun, who was about to fall asleep, felt like Haru covered his eyes.
Leaning into the consideration, Sihyun exhaled and surrendered to the impending sleep.
"Sihyun."
As he was about to doze off, someone whispered. Sihyun, half-asleep, asked why.
"Do you like us?"
In his hazy mind, Sihyun sighed faintly at the question that faintly reached him. "Not bad," he mumbled. For some reason, his body felt lighter, and this time, he felt like he could sleep without having nightmares.
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