𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋. ☐

ONE.

An alert sounded on his phone that following morning, waking him from his uneasy rest. His stomach was already twisted into knots, and he reached a trembling hand towards his screen. He caught a glimpse of the familiar app the local news used, and he took a deep breath before reading the notification.

5 more students disappear into the Yellow Wood. The forest is now completely off-limits. Do not approach. Authorities are conducting an air search for the students. If you see any of these people, alert someone immediately:

He pressed a hand to his mouth, holding back a cry of shock as he read out the names of his classmates. A sinister part of him held a bit of triumph for being right about the situation, but it was quickly washed away with guilt. How selfish of him, to feel pride for being right about someone's demise.

He sat and stared at the screen for a few aching moments, processing what he'd witnessed the day before. His vision blurred, and he quickly brought his hand to his face to blur his tears. The list of missing students had sadly grown throughout the year, but it broke him to see his friends there.

Although, he wondered if they were ever truly his friends. But he wasn't about to sit and rethink his choices of friendship.

He closed his eyes, steadying his breathing before turning off his phone. The morning sun was flowing into his room already, his amber-shining walls far too bright for him to consider sleeping more. He sat up in his bed, contemplating what to do to pass the time and calm his nerves.

He checked his phone again, noting the time as 6:48. Some of the shops and restaurants nearby would open at 7:00, which he used to find ridiculous. But finally, the ungodly opening hour provided some asylum for him and his racing thoughts. He stood, walking over to his shoes. They had yesterday's socks still shoved into them, but he didn't care at the moment.

It was already 6:57 when he left his dorm room, wearing a shirt covered in bleach and a spectrum of paints splattered on it. A few threads were loose, but he wasn't too concerned with the condition of his clothes at the moment. His jeans were no better, the denim wrapping around his knees stained with remnants of previous injuries to his legs.

The campus, despite his resentment towards portions of the school, was beautiful in the morning. The branches of tall oaks spread between different buildings, and the seed pods of rain trees crunched beneath his dirty sneakers. The morning light shimmered through the leaves, splattering on his path to a nearby cafe.

He lifted his chin, inhaling a long wash of fresh air. There was a small scent of flowers, freshly baked bread, and of course, gasoline.

Soon enough, he made it to the cafe, peering in before opening the door. There were a few students that he recognized already chatting and eating in there, and he assumed they, too, had been awoken by the notification. He slowly opened the door to the building, the bell above the entrance announcing his arrival.

A few people turned to look, before returning to whatever conversation they'd been holding before. He bit his lip, before finding a seat that bathed him in the fresh sunlight. He chewed on his nails as he waited for someone to approach him, eyes darting across the menu.

It wasn't long until a waiter walked up to his table, adorning clothing resembling a student's along with a stained apron. "Would you like to order, or do you need more time?"

"Ah- I'm, uh, I'm ready to order." He quickly scanned the menu again, finally just deciding on a latte. He let out a small groan as he realized how many versions of a latte the cafe housed, before sputtering out a random order.

"Alright, and will that be iced or hot?"

Jisung blinked at him a few times, before stammering, "Um... Hot, please. And can that have three shots of expresso with it?"