The final bell had already rung.
Most students were gone, their voices fading into the distance as they headed home.
The school felt unusually quiet, almost hollow, as the late afternoon sun poured through the windows in long golden strips.
Ji-Woo walked back toward her classroom.
Her uniform, once neat, now carried the marks of a long day — faint wrinkles across her shirt, her tie slightly loosened.
She clasped her hands behind her back as she walked, slow and thoughtful.
A breeze slipped through the corridor windows, stirring her long hair. She ran a hand through it, carefully avoiding her bangs, a habit she barely noticed anymore.
Her phone buzzed earlier.
Mi-Sook:I want to talk to you.
Ji-Woo had stared at the message for a long time.
She didn't trust Mi-Sook.
Not before. Not now.
There was something about her smiles — too sharp, too controlled.
So why come?
Because avoiding her forever would only make things worse.
If there was tension, Ji-Woo wanted it clear rather than lingering in silence.
And a small part of her hoped… maybe this was an attempt to make peace.
The sun was already dipping lower when Ji-Woo stepped into the empty classroom.
"Mi-Sook?" she called softly.
No answer.
She looked around.
Empty desks. Quiet walls. Chairs tucked in.
No one.
A faint unease crept up her spine.
Then—
A hand reached toward the classroom door.
Ji-Woo turned sharply.
Mi-Sook stood there mid-motion.
Click.
The door shut.
Ji-Woo rushed forward. "Wait—!"
But she was too late.
The lock snapped into place.
"Mi-Sook!" Ji-Woo grabbed the handle and twisted it hard. It wouldn't budge. "What are you doing? Let me out!"
Outside, Mi-Sook slowly lifted a small ring of keys, letting them glint in the fading sunlight.
She smiled.
"Now," she said calmly, "let's see who saves you from this trouble."
"Mi-Sook!" Ji-Woo shouted, banging once against the door. "This isn't funny!"
But Mi-Sook had already turned away.
Her footsteps echoed down the hall.
"Mi-Sook! Come back!"
She didn't even glance over her shoulder.
Ji-Woo kicked the door in frustration.
The sound boomed through the empty corridor but brought no help.
Breathing hard, she stepped back, her hair falling loose and messy around her face from the sudden movement.
"Think…" she whispered to herself.
Her locker.
She hurried over and pulled it open.
Empty.
Her phone wasn't there.
She checked again, as if it might magically appear.
Nothing.
A frustrated sigh escaped her.
"My phone…" she muttered.
Inside her bag.
And her bag was outside the school.
Perfect.
The silence pressed in heavier now.
Slowly, the anger drained into something closer to helplessness.
Ji-Woo walked back to the teacher's desk and slid down into the chair, resting her face in her hand.
The classroom looked different when you were trapped inside it — larger, colder.
Outside the windows, the sky deepened toward evening.
She swallowed.
Someone had locked her in.
And no one knew she was there.
-
The sun was almost gone now, its last orange light stretching thin across the classroom floor before slowly fading into gray.
Ji-Woo refused to panic.
Not yet.
She stood up again and tried the door one more time, twisting the handle harder than before.
Locked.
She pushed her shoulder against it.
It didn't move.
Next, she dragged a chair over and climbed onto it, reaching toward the narrow window above the door. Her fingers brushed the latch — but it was sealed shut from the outside.
She climbed down.
"Okay… think."
She checked the classroom windows instead. One by one, she slid them open, hoping at least one would be wide enough to slip through.
They only opened halfway.
Too narrow.
Even if she tried, the drop to the ground was higher than she expected.
She pulled out drawers from the teacher's desk, searching for anything useful — spare keys, a phone, anything.
Nothing but chalk, old papers, and a dried-out marker.
She even looked under desks, as if someone might have forgotten something important.
No luck.
Her breath grew heavier.
The quiet felt louder now.
With nothing left to try, Ji-Woo returned to the door and began banging on it again.
"Hello?!"
Her voice echoed down the empty hallway.
"Anyone here?!"
She hit the door harder.
"Janitor?!" she called. "Janitor!"
Silence.
"Mr. Yoo Joon! Mrs. Posh!"
Her voice cracked slightly.
"Eun-Woo! Ji-Bok!"
No footsteps.
No answer.
Nothing.
The strength left her arms.
Slowly, she slid down until she sat on the floor, knees drawn tightly to her chest. Exhaustion settled into her shoulders.
She closed her eyes for just a moment.
Then—
Something brushed against her bare leg.
Ji-Woo stilled.
She wasn't wearing socks.
Her eyes lowered carefully.
A tarantula crawled across her skin, its slow legs deliberate, unhurried.
She didn't scream.
Didn't jerk away.
She simply watched it, her breathing shallow but controlled.
After a second, she spoke quietly.
"Oh… a spider."
The realization came almost immediately.
She paused.
"…Mi-Sook brought this."
A faint, disbelieving breath left her.
"She really thinks I hate spiders?"
Very slowly, Ji-Woo slid her hand beneath the tarantula and lifted it. The creature remained calm, its weight surprisingly light.
She stood and scanned the classroom until she spotted a clear storage container used for class supplies.
Perfect.
Carefully, she placed the spider inside and closed the lid securely.
The small tapping of its legs against the plastic was the only sound.
Ji-Woo let out a long sigh.
"At least you're not the scary type," she murmured.
She sat back down, resting her head lightly against the wall, the container beside her.
The sky outside had turned deep blue now.
The school was nearly swallowed by evening.
And once again, the silence returned — thicker than before.
--