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One month later...
"It was good to see Mark again, wasn't it Jeno?" Jisung quietly questioned as the group of four strolled over to the campus for another day of school.
"Yeah." Jeno glanced up to the sky, his Adam's apple gently bobbing as he swallowed, breaths calm and slow. "He seemed in good spirits. Better than some," he whispered, head still tilted towards the pleasant sun but his eyes landing upon the disheveled form of Donghyuck who had clearly been through hell and back.
"He'll get there," Chenle whispered, him too watching the distant boy with lifeless eyes. "We all will...eventually."
The spring had persevered through that of a horrid winter which had been recorded as one of the worst ones yet.
The beautiful dandelions had sprouted from the lushes green grass which seemed to have recovered from its snow-damaged form.
The sun was out, warm enough to keep the boys happy, but not enough to leave them sweating. All in all the year was getting off on a good foot, and the boys were slowly but surely beginning to come back from their trauma.
As they entered the school gates, a wave of excitement in the form of Na Jaemin hit them.
The energetic bluette had glued himself to the group after they came back, and particularly Donghyuck. Of course the news of Renjun had spread like wildfire through the country, and possibly the world, but the villainous 'Rose' was still at large with not even a single trace to where he had disappeared to that fateful night.
That alone kept Donghyuck up on sleepless nights, wondering if the serial killer would come for him and finish off what he never got to do.
Even though his mother had tried to convince the younger to leave, he felt the need to be near his friends now more than ever. She understood that no one else knew what her son was going through, especially not her.
Renjun's family had been ostracised and abused by their society as if they were aware that their only son had killed so many people who were important in their small community. No sympathy was spared for them, even when their daughter admitted that her accident was her brother's doing.
So within that month, they had packed up and prepared to leave, not being able to stay in a town with so many negative memories and comments surrounding them. And although they knew what Renjun had done, and was capable of, they still had to grieve over the loss of their missing child.
"How's Mark?" Jaemin asked as he slotted himself between Donghyuck and Chenle while they walked through the halls to get to the lockers.
"He was all good, and it seems like he's getting better. At least he's able to speak normally now..."
The sound of Jisung's voice faded away for Donghyuck as his phone dinged, indicating a message.
He stopped in his tracks to pull the device out, not paying attention to the fact that the other boys had continued walking without him.
His face paled and his palms became sweaty at the message that lightened up the screen.
"Coming Hyuck?"
He looked up with terror, but the others seemed far enough ahead to miss this.
"Y-Yeah."
With visibly trembling hands, he pocketed the phone and jogged to catch up to the other four.
