Hannah moves restlessly as she feels a cold touch on her face. She could swear that she was being stroked on the cheek, but fear paralyzes her body so much that she is unable to open her eyes. The girl is afraid of the sight she might see if she lifts an eyelid. She would rather bear it in ignorance than meet the gaze of the entity that visits her every night.
— I miss you, Hannah... — She hears a whisper that echoes against the walls of the room. — As deep as his longing is. Go to him... And let him get closer to you.
The girl clamps her eyelids tighter from under which tears flow. An inexplicable chill lowers the temperature of the room making the girl cold. She covers herself with a quilt up to her chin, asking it to finally go away.
A shrill chill touches her hair, as if trying to do it with tenderness. Unpleasant shivers shake her body a second time, leading her to curl up harder.
She has had enough.
Hannah can't stand it. She energetically tosses the quilt off her body and jumps out of bed, running straight to the door. She doesn't heed the fact that it's the middle of the night and she, with bare feet and in just her pajamas, is rushing ahead, not knowing where she should search for help. Her feet themselves lead her up a flight of stairs, directly to the guys' door.
The girl doesn't care that the other students are asleep. She bangs on the door with her hand, in her mind asking the person she needs to come out. She believes that he will be the key to solving all the mysteries.
With an exasperated look, he looks at Jimmy's sleepy face. She sweeps him down the aisle and rushes inside, nervously finding the bed on which the boy is staying. Jin rises on his elbows and rubs his sleepy eyes. He stares at the girl for a long moment, unbelieving that she has unexpectedly stumbled into their room in the middle of the night.
— Hannah...
The teenage girl runs up to him and sits down on the edge of the bed, with a shaken look on her face.
— Why do I feel safer in your company? You are the only person I think of when I need to talk to someone...
The boy looks surprised by her words.
— What's going on? You came running here in the middle of the night.... Is someone bothering you? — With wide-open eyes, he looks at her pale face.
— The room I sleep in is awful.
Jimmy crinkles his eyebrows when he notices that one person is missing. Joseph's bed is empty.
— Have you talked to the teachers or the principal himself about changing rooms? — The 16-year-old nods her head. — And what, they didn't give permission for you to move?
— Supervisor did it on my behalf, but the director said that so far there are no vacancies and the only thing he can do for me is to add a roommate. He thinks that then it will be safer and the stupid jokes will end, but.... — At this point he breaks off and looks at the other guys. Jimmy stands with his arms crossed over his chest, and Tom stares at her with his mouth open, intrigued by what else she has to say. — I'm sure that apart from the pranks of one of the students, there is indeed something bad going on in my room.
— What do you mean? — Jin looks at the girl carefully. He can see that she is nervous.
— You can laugh at me and say I'm crazy, but I can clearly hear a voice that often whispers to me. Then I feel a strange coldness and someone's presence; however, I am sure it is not a person. — Tom flinches and looks around the room anxiously, as if he fears that the younger student has brought with her a nagging entity that haunts her every night. — The disturbing thing is that from the beginning it alludes to you. This thing... this phantom or whatever, always mentions you. Can you explain to me what connection you have with it?
Jin pulls down his eyebrows, clearly stunned by her words.
— You mean to tell me that the whisper you hear every night mentions me to you?
— She even pushes me into your arms.... — she announces in a whisper, boldly looking into his eyes. She thinks she can read something from them, but the boy also looks confused.
— Hannah... I don't know what's going on. It's been so long, and I still can't explain why you don't remember me, how can it be that I've been erased from your memory?
The girl realizes that he misses her. Although she is in pain, she does not show it from herself, and bravely endures the pain, not wanting to force her to do what they used to do together. She sees images in dreams, sees what was between them. This must be difficult for him to accept.
Although...she still insists that it's just an illusion and weaves some explanation.
— I know it's silly and, above all, disturbing, but in my mind only one answer to the question that concerns us arises.... — begins uncertainly, out of the corner of his eye, looking at the other boys. Tom flinches, as if sensing that the girl has something terrible to say. — I think this entity knows the truth about us.
The uneasy silence is broken by the unexpected shriek of a terrified Tom Smith, who, under the influence of fear, does not control his emotions. He hides under the quilt from under which only his eyes can be seen. He looks like a frightened child.
— Shut up, you moron! — Jimmy fears that with this shout he will draw the caretaker into the room. And he thinks well, because a moment later there is a knock on the door. The guys panic because the room holds a schoolgirl, and as if that weren't enough, Joseph is not among them.
— Hannah — announces Jin, thoughtfully touching the girl's hand. — Hannah, lie down in Joseph's place and pretend to be him for a while. Hide under the quilt, and we'll explain everything to the guardian — she adds in a whisper as the man continues to pound away. He threatens to go for extra keys if they don't open for him in a while.
The 16-year-old listens to the older student and does what he tells her. Although she believes that they will arrange everything, inside she is shaking with nerves. What's more, the guardian finds her at night, in a room full of boys.
She swallows her saliva harder as Jin lets the man inside.
— Are you guys crazy? What's all this screaming in the middle of the night?
— Sorry, but Tom had a nightmare. He often talks in his sleep, and this was the first time he started screaming — he explains, smiling humbly.
The guardian pokes a sharp look at the frightened boy, who hastily blinks his eyelids.
— What's the matter with you? You put half the boarding school on its feet.
— After all, I can't control dreams! — he storms off like a child, crossing his arms. — I dreamt of terrible nightmares, so it's understandable that I started screaming! I hate ghosts!
— Just don't raise your voice at me... — warns him, the man, sometimes glancing at Joseph's bed. — What's wrong with him? Why doesn't he move?
— He hates it when someone wakes him up in the middle of the night and is angry with Tom. We'd better leave him alone because in the morning he will probably get up with his left foot and raise hell again. I'd rather avoid that — Jimmy hints, forcing a smile.
The man looks for a moment at the girl, who is hiding under the quilt, and finally ignores it. He points his finger at Tom, stipulating that he put a towel in his mouth before he falls asleep.
Jin closes the door as the caregiver leaves.
— You almost brought trouble on us.
— After all, I explained to that idiot that I had a bad dream. What are you agitating about? — mutters under his breath, throwing himself on the mattress.
— It's a good thing Joseph wasn't with us because he would have specifically brought trouble on Hannah. — Jimmy watches the girl slowly emerge her head from under the quilt.
— About Joe... where the hell did he go, and when did he sneak out of the room? — Jin looks intrigued by his disappearance.
Jimmy shrugs his shoulders in response. Despite being his best friend, he himself doesn't know where that one often sneaks off to.
*
Every sentence uttered by the teacher contributes to the girl's eyes closing. A sleepless night and, moreover, a boring lesson, make the 16-year-old feel like falling asleep on the bench top without worrying about the later consequences. She pays no attention to the crooked looks of the man, who by this means tries to call her to order and warn her of punishment.
Eventually, she falls asleep and loses her balance on the chair, due to which she nearly lands on the floor. She quickly shakes herself off, but the teacher stops in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest.
— Must I remind you that you are sitting on the first bench? This seat is chosen by diligent students, and since you like to take naps, you should move to the back of the classroom.
— Sorry. It won't happen again — she announces with remorse, lowering her gaze. She is ashamed because it is not often that any teacher pays attention to her regarding bad behavior in class.
Even though she is fighting fatigue, something is taking all her energy, as she feels that despite her attempts, she is unable to manage her drowsiness. She feels worse and worse, as if something is taking all the life out of her.
She closes her eyelids and half-consciously watches the teacher's face as he looks at her with contempt. He is furious that even though he paid her attention, she is still behaving the same way.
— Are you trying to prove to me that a lesson taught by me is so boring that you fall asleep?
Hannah feels slightly dizzy, and then she opens her eyes wide and plunges her gaze into the man standing in front of her.
— Yes, the lesson is as boring as tripe with oil, but... you are like tripe without oil, that is, even duller — she asserts, fingering him to show him what scale she falls into. With a raised eyebrow, she measures him carefully, and a slight smile appears on her face.
— I hope that visiting the director's office will be more exciting for you. You should already know the way.
Too loudly, she pushes back her chair and pulls herself up, throwing the man an arrogant look.
He leaves the room, slamming the door. She looks around the corridor, not remembering which way she should get to the director's office. Eventually, she ignores this, and her eyes begin to sparkle when she spots Jin. The boy is standing at the end of the corridor looking through some papers.
— Jinnie! — she calls out with joy in her voice, drawing the boy's attention. The teenager opens his eyes wider, amazed at what she has called him.
Has she finally remembered something?
— Hannah? — She swallows her saliva harder. He takes a penetrating look at the 16-year-old as she starts running toward him. She throws herself into his arms and hangs onto him, giggling in his ear.
— I acted selfishly... sorry.
He wants to push her away from him so he can see her face, but the girl clings to him even tighter, snuggling her cheek into his chest.
— What is going on? Why are you acting like this?
— Just now I realized how horribly I behaved towards you. I didn't mean to hurt you, Jin. I promise to make it up to you. I will make you happier.
The eighteen-year-old is getting more and more lost. He grabs her by the shoulders and pushes her away to look closely at her face.
— Hannah... did you remember something? — He blinks his eyelids as she smiles cheerfully and lifts her hand to stroke his face.
— I would never forget you... you are in my heart all the time. — These words are so shocking that the boy moves away from her so she can't touch him.
— What?
The students, walking along the corridor, stop in their tracks, intrigued by what is going on between the top student and the freshman.
— I'm here to get you back.
— What are you playing at, Hannah?
He notices a half-smile on her face.
— You must be happy. Leave behind all the pain I caused you before.
— Jokes on me? — He raises his voice and she crinkles her eyebrows.
He pierces her with a sharp gaze and is about to leave, but Hannah stops him with her. She climbs on her toes and takes his face in her hands. She tenderly kisses him. The students who witness her behavior are clearly outraged. They whisper feverishly among themselves, wondering what has gotten into her.
Bringing her lips to his lips, she smiles involuntarily, satisfied that her plan is beginning to take a good direction.
They must be together.
The 16-year-old opens her eyes wider as she realizes what she is doing. She jumps away from the older student, clearly surprised by her behavior. She is so embarrassed that she feels like collapsing to the ground.
Joseph, who has been watching them for a long time, tightens his lips in anger. He gasps for air and looks nervously around to the sides.
Eventually, he walks away in the opposite direction.