My alarm blares to life, dragging me from sleep. I jerk upright, my body still heavy with exhaustion, and I slam my hand down to silence it. The sudden motion makes my head spin, and I blink, trying to ground myself in the familiar sights of my room. My brother, Min-joon, is curled up on my bed, still lost in slumber. The sight of him, warm and safe, makes my chest tighten with something I can’t quite identify.

I lean down, squeezing him into a hug that he grumbles about half-heartedly. “Too early, Nuna. Five more minutes,” he mumbles, his voice thick with sleep.

I ignore him, pressing my cheek against his soft hair, wishing for one more moment of peace before everything changes again. I close my eyes, and I pray to any god who will listen that last night was a nightmare, that the Administrator and the mission were all just figments of a twisted dream. But the scar on my wrist is real—too real.

“Please… please be just a dream,” I whisper under my breath. My heart aches, and my stomach churns at the thought of everything that happened.

Min-Joon pats my back lightly, still half-asleep, and it’s the only comfort I get. I let him go and force myself to stand. I need to start the day. I need to keep going, even if I’m not sure why.

I shuffle into the kitchen and make breakfast, trying to focus on something normal. The sound of sizzling eggs and the scent of toast fills the small space. But my mind drifts, wandering back to that conversation last night, the threat Ara gave me, the weight of those strange words. [Correct the flow of the story]—what does that even mean? And why am I the one chosen for this? 

I turn around, still lost in thought, and I slam right into my father. The plate of food goes flying, spilling over both of us. I freeze, shock and shame flooding through me.

“Nari!” His voice is sharp, his anger quick to surface. “Pay attention to your surroundings!”

I look up into his cold, piercing eyes, my apology caught in my throat. And then, I hear it again. His voice, clearer this time, crueller. ‘How tiring, I wish we had never had her’

His words slice through me, sharp and venomous, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. My hands shake as I clean up the mess, the weight of his words pressing down on my chest. My mind spins. I know my parents are strict—demanding even—but this... this is something else. Something feels wrong. 

They love me, right? 

The question lingers, unanswered. I can’t shake it, no matter how hard I try. 

I finish cleaning the mess quickly, my stomach tied in knots, and I spot my mom sitting at the table, staring at her phone, her face as stone-cold as ever. I try to explain what happened with my father, but before I can get a word out, she looks at me and her voice cuts me off. ‘How useless and dumb can one be?’ 

My heart sinks, and a wave of confusion washes over me. What is happening? What is wrong with everyone?

I run back to my room, but before I can lock the door, my eyes fall on my wrist. The scar from yesterday still lingers the strange, unfamiliar mark that won't fade, circling my wrist like a bracelet. My fingers trace it gently, and a faint chill runs through me as a map suddenly flickers into view in my mind. Pins of various colours appear, marking the map with a quiet hum.

I try to calm my breathing, but my heart races as I see the pink and white pins so close together. The other three are scattered around the map. And the yellow one—moving.

It’s real. This isn’t a dream. I can’t pretend it is anymore.

What did the Administrator say again? My mind struggles to remember the exact words, the mission, [system error!]. [Ha-yoon] and three boys. The love interests.

He said death, he said if I failed I would die, but surely that wasn’t real? It couldn’t have been.

A knock sounds on my door and I turn in turn to see Min-joon open the door. His small voice cuts through my thoughts, but it’s not just his voice I hear. It’s a thought, a whisper, filling my mind. ‘There’s something wrong with Nuna. Is she sick?’

I blink, startled, looking up at him. His mouth hasn’t moved. His expression is concerned, but his voice... his voice is definitely his. 

I stare at him, horrified. Did he just—

“Unni, you’re going to be late,” Min-joon says aloud, and this time, I hear him clearly, his voice breaking through the fog in my mind.

But before I can stop myself, another thought slips in. ‘I hope Nuna feels better soon. I don’t like it when she’s sick.’

I stumble back, my head spinning. This is all wrong. I have to be imagining things. I must be.

I shake my head, forcing myself to focus. I need to get to school. I need to be normal. But everything feels wrong now. What’s happening to me?

I get dressed quickly, trying to push the swirling thoughts away. As I leave the apartment, Min-joon’s eyes flicker toward me, but I avoid his gaze, afraid of what I might hear next.

As I step outside, I see Ha-yoon waiting by the elevator, her usual radiant smile lighting up her face. And when she looks at me, her voice fills my head before she even speaks. ‘Nari is so pretty today. I hope we’re in the same class.’

I force a smile, trying to hide the growing unease creeping through my chest. I don't want to hear this. I don’t want to hear anyone’s thoughts anymore, and I don’t want to do this mission.

But It seems that I have no choice.

I can barely remember how we made it to school, but Ha-yoon’s voice fills the air, her chatter constant as she leads me through the crowded hallways. Her excitement is contagious, but I can’t seem to feel it, not really. I just smile and nod, like I’m on autopilot, not quite here. It’s supposed to be a fresh start, a new beginning, but all I feel is… lost.

Somewhere between the throng of students and Ha-yoon’s bright voice, we make our way to the classroom. She’s still talking, telling me how lucky we are to be in the same class, but I can’t process any of it. It’s like my brain’s on overload, everything happening too fast. My eyes are blurry, my head heavy.

Then, the teacher’s voice breaks through my haze. My name. I blink and sit up straighter, trying to pull myself together. It’s only now that I can vaguely hear the other names being called. Seong-Ho, Do-yun, Ju-Won.

Those are names I recognise.

My heart stops. I freeze in my seat. Just like the administrator said. But… but what am I supposed to do with this information? They’re here. I’m here. They’re… real.

Talk to them? That would be weird, wouldn’t it? I can’t just walk up to them and say, “Hi, I need to make you fall in love with Ha-yoon, no big deal.” No, no, that’s not how this works. I need to—what? Observe? I don’t know. I don’t know anything.

The teacher asks us to change seats. My body moves automatically like I’m some puppet with no control. I find my new seat by the window at the back. It’s far enough away to hide, close enough to see everything. Ha-yoon’s in front of me, thank God.

But the seat next to me—that’s the problem.

Do-yun. One of them. One of the three. I can feel my throat tighten like I’m choking on my own panic. Don’t look at him. Don’t make eye contact.

But I do.

His gaze meets mine for a brief second, and I almost wish I hadn’t. I feel a pulse in my head, like an electric shock, and then a strange voice starts whispering in the back of my mind. I don’t hear words, but I feel something. He’s thinking, but my mind is racing too much with my own thoughts, and I don’t know what.

I quickly turn away. I can’t—this is too much. The voice. The voices. Ara said I could hear people’s thoughts, but this… this feels wrong. It’s not normal.

I don’t know how I’m still breathing. My chest is tight, my hands cold and clammy. I can’t do this. I can’t.

Lunch comes, and Ha-yoon’s voice pulls me out of my spiralling thoughts. She’s laughing, talking about something. I don’t even hear it. I’m too busy trying to remind myself that this is real. That last night wasn’t a dream. That I really am stuck in this strange, twisted game.

I stand too quickly, my legs unsteady, and I stumble back. For a second, it’s like I’m falling in slow motion, but then Ha-yoon’s there, her hand on my arm, stopping me from crashing to the floor.

It feels like a scene straight out of a drama, and I wish I could just escape. I don’t want to be here, not like this. Not with the weight of Ara’s words hanging over me.

“Are you okay?” Ha-yoon asks, her voice gentle.

I nod, my heart still pounding, the fear clawing at me.

She picks up a book I knocked over and hands it to Do-yun.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to knock this over,” she says, smiling up at him.

I want to shrink into the ground. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want any of this. My brain screeches to a halt. I can’t breathe. I don’t want to hear what they’re thinking.

“Do you like Detective Kim?” she asks. And there it is. The casual, innocent question that makes everything inside me feel wrong.

My heart’s in my throat, and I try to calm myself down, telling myself it’s just a conversation. But I feel the tears pressing at the back of my eyes. I feel like I’m going to drown in this.

I focus on breathing. Slowly. In. Out. Calm down.

When I can finally hear again, Ha-yoon and Do-yun are exchanging numbers, and I can’t even remember how we got here. The world feels like it’s slipping out of my control, and all I can do is stand there, frozen.

I take the juice box Ha-Yoon gives me and drink it slowly, drop by drop- and still I don’t taste it.

I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to be here. But Ha-yoon keeps talking like she always does. She’s telling me some silly story about her brothers, and I try to smile, try to make it seem like I’m paying attention.

But then I slam into something—no, someone.

It’s like walking into a wall of ice. A chill shoots through me, a deep sense of dread washing over me in waves. I step back, my heart racing in my chest.

I look up.

And I see him.

The eyes. His eyes. They burn into me like they want to destroy me, squish me until I am nothing. I can’t breathe.

I remember what Ara said yesterday [DEATH]. The consequence of failing is death. 

I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.

And then, the eyes—they speak.