Seo Yuna was sitting on a bench near the back garden of the school.
She looked like a completely defeated person.
Her shoulders were slumped.
Her eyes were empty.
Her soul had clearly left her body.
If someone passed by, they would probably think she had just received terrible news.
Which… honestly wasn't far from the truth.
A few seconds later, Minji walked toward her while drinking a juice box.
But the moment she saw Yuna sitting like a ghost, she stopped.
"Why do you look like someone just told you the world is ending?"
Yuna slowly turned her head.
Her voice sounded dramatic.
"Minji…"
Minji immediately sat beside her.
"What happened?"
Yuna grabbed Minji's shoulders dramatically.
"My life… is over."
Minji blinked.
"…Did you fail a test?"
"No!"
"Did the principal suspend you?"
"No!"
"Did the cafeteria run out of spicy ramen?"
Yuna gasped.
"DON'T SAY SUCH TERRIBLE THINGS!"
Minji rolled her eyes.
"Then what happened?"
Yuna looked around nervously.
Then she leaned closer and whispered,
"Jihun knows."
Minji blinked.
"Knows what?"
Yuna whispered dramatically,
"He thinks I'm Scarlet Shadow."
Minji froze.
Her juice box slowly fell from her hand.
"…What?"
Yuna started explaining everything dramatically.
The meeting behind the building.
The accusation.
The threat about the Elite Seven.
And the deal.
When she finished, Minji looked at her with wide eyes.
"So… let me get this straight."
"Yes."
"You…"
"Yes."
"Agreed…"
"Yes."
"To help him…"
"Yes."
"…catch Scarlet Shadow?"
Yuna nodded slowly.
Minji stared at her.
Then suddenly burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Yuna looked offended.
"Why are you laughing?!"
Minji wiped her tears.
"You literally agreed to investigate yourself!"
Yuna groaned.
"I KNOW!"
She grabbed her hair dramatically.
"This is the stupidest situation in history!"
Inside her mind Yuna screamed.
Why is my life turning into a comedy drama?!
Minji tried to calm down.
"Okay okay… let's think of a solution."
Yuna looked hopeful.
"Please."
Minji suddenly snapped her fingers.
"I have an idea!"
Yuna leaned forward.
"What?!"
Minji spoke confidently.
"What if… Scarlet Shadow doesn't exist?"
Yuna blinked.
"…What?"
Minji continued proudly.
"What if we spread a rumor that everything was just accidents?"
Yuna looked confused.
"Explain."
Minji began listing things.
"The water bucket prank?"
"Yes?"
"Maybe the janitor accidentally dropped it."
Yuna stared at her.
"…Accidentally dropped a bucket from the ceiling?"
Minji ignored her.
"And the slime prank?"
"Yes?"
"Maybe the janitor slipped."
Yuna blinked slowly.
"…With slime?"
Minji nodded seriously.
"Yes."
Yuna stared at her for three seconds.
Then asked carefully,
"Minji."
"Yes?"
"Do you think this will actually work?"
Minji thought about it.
Then answered honestly.
"…No."
Yuna fell backward on the bench dramatically.
"THIS IS HOPELESS!"
Inside her mind she cried.
Why is my only ally this stupid?!
Minji patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry."
Yuna looked at her weakly.
"You just have to trick Jihun."
Yuna sighed.
"Easy for you to say."
Just then…
A tall shadow appeared in front of them.
Both girls looked up.
Jihun.
Yuna's soul immediately tried to leave her body again.
Jihun looked at her calmly.
"Ready to start the investigation?"
Inside Yuna's mind:
NO.
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
But she forced a smile.
"Of course."
Minji looked between them curiously.
"Investigation?"
Yuna quickly stood up.
"School project!"
Minji blinked.
"…What kind of project?"
Yuna grabbed Jihun's arm and dragged him away.
"Bye Minji!"
Minji watched them leave.
"…That was suspicious."
---
A few minutes later, Yuna and Jihun were walking through the school corridors.
Jihun spoke calmly.
"Where should we start?"
Yuna thought quickly.
Step one: mislead the detective.
She pointed randomly.
"The library!"
Jihun looked confused.
"Why the library?"
Yuna spoke confidently.
"Scarlet Shadow clearly loves… books."
Inside her mind:
That sounded stupid.
Jihun looked at her suspiciously.
"…Really?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Yuna panicked.
"Because… smart criminals read books."
Jihun stared at her.
Then shrugged.
"Fine."
Inside her mind Yuna celebrated.
YES.
PHASE ONE: SUCCESS.
---
Unfortunately…
Someone was watching them.
Chaeyoung leaned slightly against the railing of the second-floor corridor, still watching them.
Her eyes followed Jihun and Seo Yuna as they walked together down the hallway.
Something about this scene bothered her.
A lot.
Yerin crossed her arms beside her.
"This is weird."
Soyeon nodded.
"Very weird."
Chaeyoung narrowed her eyes.
"Since when does Jihun spend time with someone like her?"
Yerin smirked slightly.
"Maybe he likes her."
Chaeyoung immediately turned toward her.
"He does not."
Soyeon shrugged.
"Well, they are walking together."
Chaeyoung's expression darkened.
"No."
Her voice was calm but cold.
"There's definitely something going on."
Then she turned away from the railing.
"Let's follow them."
Yerin grinned.
"Now this is getting interesting."
---
Meanwhile…
Yuna and Jihun had reached the library.
The huge doors stood quietly in front of them.
Jihun pushed them open.
"Alright," he said. "What are we looking for?"
Yuna confidently walked inside.
Inside her mind however…
I HAVE NO IDEA.
She grabbed a random book from the shelf and opened it dramatically.
"Yes… the clues are definitely here."
Jihun stared at her.
"…In a math textbook?"
Yuna froze.
She slowly looked down.
"Ah."
Why did I grab math.
Even criminals hate math.
She quickly closed the book.
"That was just a test."
"A test?"
"Yes," she said confidently. "To see if you were paying attention."
Jihun crossed his arms.
"I was."
Inside her mind Yuna sighed.
This guy is annoyingly observant.
She quickly walked toward another shelf.
"Scarlet Shadow is probably very intelligent."
Jihun raised an eyebrow.
"You sound like you admire her."
Yuna choked.
"WHAT?"
"I mean—"
She tried to recover quickly.
"I admire… criminals who are… smart."
Jihun looked suspicious.
"Interesting choice of words."
Inside her mind Yuna panicked.
STOP TALKING.
YOU ARE MAKING IT WORSE.
---
Suddenly…
A loud whisper came from behind one of the bookshelves.
"Do you think they're dating?"
Yuna froze.
That voice sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
Jihun also heard it.
He slowly turned his head.
Behind the shelf…
Three heads suddenly ducked down.
Chaeyoung.
Yerin.
Soyeon.
Yuna's eye twitched.
Inside her mind she screamed.
ARE THEY SERIOUSLY SPYING RIGHT NOW?!
Jihun walked toward the shelf.
The three girls quickly stood up like nothing happened.
Chaeyoung smiled politely.
"Oh. Jihun."
Her eyes then moved to Yuna.
"And Seo Yuna."
Yuna forced a smile.
"Hi."
Inside her mind:
This woman hates me.
I can feel it.
Chaeyoung looked between them.
"What are you two doing here together?"
Before Jihun could answer, Yuna immediately spoke.
"Studying!"
Jihun turned to look at her.
"…Studying?"
Yuna nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes!"
She grabbed another random book.
"Very educational."
Jihun looked at the cover.
"'Advanced Physics for Engineers.'"
Yuna blinked.
"…I like challenges."
Inside her mind she cried.
WHY DO I KEEP PICKING THE WORST BOOKS.
Chaeyoung watched them carefully.
Her smile remained polite.
But her eyes were sharp.
Very sharp.
"I didn't know you two were close."
Jihun answered calmly.
"We're not."
Yuna quickly nodded.
"Yes."
Very quickly.
Too quickly.
Chaeyoung noticed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
---
A few minutes later…
Yuna and Jihun finally left the library.
The hallway was quiet again.
Jihun suddenly spoke.
"You're terrible at lying."
Yuna looked offended.
"Excuse me?"
"You panicked."
"I did not."
"You grabbed a physics book."
"…That was strategy."
Jihun chuckled slightly.
And that surprised her.
Wait.
Did he just laugh?
Jihun looked at her again.
"You're a strange person."
Yuna crossed her arms.
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I'll take it anyway."
Inside her mind she sighed.
Why is talking to him weirdly fun.
Then she immediately shook her head.
NO.
FOCUS.
HE IS LITERALLY TRYING TO EXPOSE YOU.
Jihun continued walking beside her.
"Tomorrow we continue the investigation."
Yuna almost tripped.
"Tomorrow too?!"
"Yes."
Inside her mind:
THIS IS NEVER GOING TO END.
---
At the other end of the corridor…
Chaeyoung was still watching them leave.
Her arms were crossed.
Yerin spoke quietly.
"So?"
Chaeyoung's lips curved slightly.
"Something is definitely going on."
Soyeon asked,
"What do you think it is?"
Chaeyoung's eyes narrowed.
"I don't know yet."
Then she turned around slowly.
"But I will find out."
And when she did…
Seo Yuna would regret it.