Chapter 41: Fantasy in the middle of the night

“Um… Seon-ah.”
“Hm? What is it?”

After school. While everyone is packing their things, I call out to Seon-ah. She pauses and looks at me.

Even though I tried to kill her with these very hands just last night, her crimson eyes—always filled with warmth—gaze at me steadily.

Until now, I thought that warmth was just friendship or twisted obsession. But now, I know clearly what it is.

A blazing, enormous love—like the sun itself.

I struggled to open my mouth in front of that sweltering distortion, as if I were being strangled just by standing still.

“I need to stop by the staff room for class rep duties… Would you go on ahead without me?”
“It’s okay. I’ll wait!”
“But it might take a while…”
“Hmm… But I want to walk home with you.”

Seon-ah rests her chin on her hand in thought, then nods brightly.

“Okay, I’ll go ahead today! Just don’t stay too late at school, okay?”
“Mhm.”
“Bye! See you tomorrow!”

She waves with a cheerful smile. I wave back and slowly start walking. Of course, my steps are not headed toward the staff room.

“Ah, you’re here.”

By the time I arrive at the music room, Izana is already sitting by the window, letting the chilly breeze wash over her.

The sunset casts her face in warm crimson light, and her thick, honey-gold hair dances in the wind. She looks like she stepped out of a painting—her features so fantastical they seem unreal.

She greets me with a delicate smile that seems too perfect to be real.

Just moments ago, my heart was crushed by the weight of pressure.

But now, am I… mesmerized by her beauty?

It feels like I’m watching an actress through a movie screen, though nothing is happening.

It’s too surreal—and that’s precisely why it carries such overwhelming reality.

Without a word, Izana suddenly bows deeply to me.

Even to someone like me, unfamiliar with etiquette, her gesture looks refined.

“Hello. I’m Izana Greze.”
“…Hi.”

A formal greeting, as if we were meeting for the first time.

Caught off guard, I fumble to return the greeting. Izana smiles and gestures for me to come closer.

I walk like a ghost, each step heavy. I stop only when I’m close enough to feel her breath.

“You said you’d help me.”

We stare at each other in silence for a while until I finally speak first. My voice is dry, like I’ve swallowed dust.

“Yes, I did.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“Of course.”
“But, but…”
“Sia.”

As I tremble and mumble, Izana gently takes my shaking hand—just as Seon-ah had done earlier—and softly strokes it.

This time, a different warmth envelopes my hand. That small act of kindness slows my erratic heartbeat.

“Nothing will change if you just stay silent.”
“…”
“I know we haven’t known each other for long, so this might sound silly—but please trust me. My desire to help you is real.”
“…Okay, I’ll tell you.”

Izana is right.

Just staying silent won’t change anything. For myself, for my family, for my sister—I need to ask her for help.

I have to use her selfishly. Because she has the strength I don’t.

“Actually…”

Clenching my teeth, I slowly move my numb tongue.

Once the dam broke, everything flowed easily.

I told Izana everything, starting from how I met Seon-ah.

How she had killed over twenty people, including a senior.

And that I was being blackmailed by her. Everything I could say—I laid it all out.

“So… that’s what happened.”

When the long story ended, Izana opened her mouth slowly, her expression now grave. Unlike before, she took it seriously—and somehow that sincerity made me feel sick.

Not because of her—but because of myself. For dragging another innocent person into this.

Telling the truth isn’t a justification. Now that it’s all out in the open, Seon-ah will strike without hesitation.

The guilt eats away at my chest. I bite my lip hard. But strangely, what hits me even harder is a sense of relief.

Despite the self-loathing, I can’t deny the comfort that came with confessing everything. Like being drunk on alcohol, the heaviness lifts.

Maybe I’ve been waiting for this. For someone to share the burden. To be comforted.

I pushed people away, yet deep down, I hoped they’d try again.

If I said I wasn’t tempted by their occasional kindness, I’d be lying.

Look at me now—I opened up to Izana, who never gave up.

“It must’ve been so hard.”

Just one sentence. Spoken gently. That’s all.

But somehow, that single line makes my eyes sting, and her face goes blurry.

Before I realize it, I’ve buried my face in her arms. Her white blouse is soaked with my tears.

“Will you really help me?”
“Yes. I’ll help you.”
“But… it could be dangerous…”

Even if she’s from a wealthy family, Seon-ah is a serial killer who hasn’t been caught by police.

Izana is just a girl, not even twenty. It would be a lie to say she’s not scared. Of course she must be.

That’s why I couldn’t speak until now. I wasn’t afraid of causing trouble—but of being abandoned once they knew the truth. That fear locked my mouth shut.

I kept the key to my heart sealed away, where no one could find it.

“It’s okay.”

As I tremble, Izana smiles gently. Like a saint, she brushes my hollow cheek with affection.

“Helping a friend in trouble is the most natural thing, isn’t it? So don’t worry. Even if you deny it, to me… you’re already my friend, Sia.”
“Why…?”

A tender voice meant to reassure me. Eyes filled with love she couldn’t hide.

Why can she say that?
All I did was catch her when she fell down the stairs. So why does she look at me with such kindness?

Questions swirl like snowballs. Doubts echo. I stare hard at Izana’s face—but her expression doesn’t waver in the slightest.

“Friend? Who said you could decide that?”

Suddenly, the door bursts open.
A familiar voice—sharp, different from usual.
Crimson hair. I groan her name.

“S-Seon-ah.”
“Hi, Sia! Funny seeing you here instead of the staff room! Lying to your friend? Tsk. I’ll punish you later.”

Did she plan this?

Her face twisted with fury, Seon-ah holds a short but sharp dagger. Its bluish gleam carries a hint of red.

The calm atmosphere in the music room turns tense.

Fear.

Flashbacks.

The image of a senior screaming with her head severed floods my mind.

My brain conjures horrible images—blood-soaked flesh, rolled-back eyes

. My body shivers uncontrollably.

Izana grabs me tightly.

“Run! Now!”

I finally realize her presence and shout desperately, but she doesn’t listen.

She doesn’t even look at me. She stands tall, unshaken—unlike me, trembling.

“Why don’t you take your hand off her before I kill you?”
“You’re going to kill me anyway, now that I know your secret. So I’ll just stay right here.”
“You little—!”

They argue. Then, grinding her teeth, Seon-ah raises the knife. Izana calmly pulls something from her coat.

A silver object—larger than her hand—catches the sunlight. A gun.
Its sleek form gleams beautifully, almost artistically. The scent of metal fills the air.

Seeing it, both Seon-ah and I freeze.

“Y-you’re insane! Bringing a gun to school?!”
“Yes, I’m insane. So what? Aren’t all women in love a little crazy?”

Click.
With a sly grin, Izana releases the safety.
Her elegant hands hold the gun like a boxer’s fist—both violent and graceful, a blend of chaos and beauty.

“Ha! You think you can hit me with that?”
“Yes. I’ve watched Equilibrium 30 times! So just sit still and die!”
“Wai—”

Bang!

Izana pulls the trigger without hesitation.
The muffled gunshot rings sharply through the music room.