The hush that descended after the cryptic message wasn't merely the absence of sound; it was a dense, suffocating vacuum that pressed upon Seo-yeon's eardrums, obscuring the staccato pounding of her heart until it sounded like a raucous bellow within the walls of her skull. The cold electronic proclamations, stern and ominous, echoed in the sudden silence of her apartment, clawing at her already frayed sense of reality, leaving her stranded in an ocean of doubt and terror.
The ominous familiarity of Yoonhwa Elementary, a place written in the smeared ink of boyhood memory, stirred within her breast like an awakened titan rising from slumber, its existence both unsettling and oddly attractive.
She reached for her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she navigated to Min-ji's contact. Again, the call went straight to voicemail, the automated voice a cold, impersonal barrier against her desperate need for connection.
