Chapter 8: Where the songs sing

We stayed locked in that stare for what felt like far too long, until he finally broke away and slipped into the school corridor without a word. I clapped a hand over my mouth, shock crashing through me in waves. First Min Hwa‑rang… then Rōki… then Mr Seung‑hyun… And now Hyun‑joon?

The moment he vanished, the song followed — drifting through the classroom like a breath of cold air, familiar in a way I couldn’t place, yet impossible to recognise. Before Hyun‑joon could take another step, a flash of green and purple cut across the corridor, Rōki blocked his path, and Min Hwa‑rang stood tall beside him. 

"Excuse me, idiot, out of the way", Hyun-joon's husky voice echoed off he walls like an angelic melody strong enough to harm even the strongest warriors. The boys didn't move, standing their ground, determined to protect me.

They stood firm, refusing to let Hyun‑joon pass.

And suddenly the song wasn’t the only thing twisting through me. The same question clawed its way back to the surface — the one no one would answer.

Why was I even here?

Every hallway, every face, every strange boy who appeared out of nowhere… it all felt connected. But to what?

The question pulsed in my skull, louder than the song, louder than the boys facing off in the corridor. Hyun‑joon’s eyes flicked past Rōki and Min Hwa‑rang, landing on me again — sharp, knowing, almost… disappointed.

“You don’t belong here,” Hyung-joon said.

The words hit harder than they should have. Because they felt true. Because they felt like something I’d heard before.

Min Hwa‑rang stepped forward, jaw tight. “She’s here because she was chosen.”

Chosen. For what?

The song swelled, as if answering — or mocking — the question. Mr Seung‑hyun stepped into the circle like someone walking between snarling dogs, their low growls vibrating through the corridor. He lifted his hands, trying to diffuse the tension before it snapped. “Calm down. Calm down now, boys. Give Miss Hwa‑ri some space.”

His arm slipped around my shoulder, warm and steady, his thumb rubbing small circles meant to comfort me — but the sound of their growls, the crackling air, and the song still whispering at the edge of my hearing made it impossible to breathe. The lights flickered. Once. Twice. Then every bulb in the corridor went out at the same time.

Darkness swallowed us whole.

The song surged — louder, sharper — threading through my skull like a scream wrapped in silk. I staggered, clutching Mr Seung‑hyun’s arm just to stay upright.

All three boys snapped their heads toward me at once.

Hyun‑joon’s eyes widened. Rōki cursed under his breath. Min Hwa‑rang whispered, “It’s starting.”

The song rose again, but this time it wasn’t coming from the walls. It was coming from me.

Before I could ask what it was, the world tilted — and everything went black.