As night fell, Eunyeon sat in his room looking at the calendar on the table. His thoughts returned to the mysterious figure he had been chasing that afternoon. He had a bad feeling—not only because of the sports bike, but also because of the premonition that something was about to shake up his daily life. He took a deep breath and looked out the window. The night sky was dark, starless, as if it held a secret ready to explode at any moment.
Suddenly, his cell phone vibrated on the table. An incoming message from an unknown number. The content of the message made his blood boil:
"You think we're done with you, Baek Eunyeon? Get ready."
His eyes widened immediately, and his hands clenched into tight fists. He knew this was no idle message. He'd faced threats like this before—and he knew full well that his old enemies had probably already found his trail. But how would they know that he had changed schools?
Eunyeon stood up and walked back and forth in his room. He stared angrily at his phone, then quickly replied to the message:
"Just wait, I'm ready."
Shortly after that, the sound of a motorcycle could be heard from outside his house. Eunyeon looked out of the window, only to see the same black sports bike driving slowly past his house. The driver stopped briefly, stared at Eunyeon's house, and then stepped on the gas without a word.
The next day, Eunyeon didn't tell anyone about what happened. However, he entered the classroom with a serious face, and Yulhan immediately realized that something was wrong.
"Why is your face like that? You look like you're about to smash something," Yulhan said in a joking tone, trying to break the ice.
Eunyeon gave him a quick glance, then placed his bag on the table. "Yulhan, do you ever feel that something from the past wants to destroy you?"
Yulhan was silent, a little confused by the question. "The past? What are you talking about?"
Eunyeon did not answer. He just sat down and opened his notebook, trying to change the subject. However, Yulhan was increasingly convinced that Eunyeon was dealing with something serious.
On the other hand, Minsik, Taegyu, Choi Beomhwan, Seo Kangjoon, and Lee Yeojin—the five bullies who had been enemies with Eunyeon—seemed calmer than usual. However, Minsik was seen occasionally looking at Eunyeon with a strange look, as if he knew something that the others did not.
When the break bell rang, Eunyeon walked outside to get some fresh air. However, when he was in a quiet corner of the field, a very familiar voice sounded behind him.
"It's been a while, Eunyeon."
Eunyeon turned around, his eyes widening. In front of him stood a man with a stocky build, wearing a black leather jacket—the same figure who rode the sports bike last night.
That man was Jin Seonghyun, Eunyeon's former close friend who used to be his enemy due to betrayal. Seonghyun was the one who led the group that used to make Eunyeon's life a mess.
"You thought you could escape from us, huh?" Seonghyun grinned. "But you forgot one thing, Eunyeon. We never forget. And we always know how to find you."
Eunyeon clenched his fists, trying to keep his composure. "What do you want, Seonghyun? I'm already out of the loop. My life has nothing to do with you guys anymore."
Seonghyun chuckled, then stepped closer. "Oh, Eunyeon. You know we won't just let you go. You owe us something, and now it's time for you to pay."
At the same time, from a distance, Yulhan watched their conversation curiously. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he knew that the man was no ordinary person.
Eunyeon stared intently at Seonghyun, trying to assess his true intentions behind his appearance. "That secret is long over, Seonghyun. You have no reason to interfere in my life anymore," he said in a firm tone, though there was a hint of hesitation in his voice.
However, Seonghyun only chuckled, his tone condescending. "Over? You think such a big secret can ever really be over, Eunyeon? You're too naive. Even now, the people you used to trust might be playing behind your back."
Eunyeon snorted, but he couldn't deny that there was truth in Seonghyun's words. The secret they were hiding—a fatal incident involving their former group—was not something that was easily forgotten. He never imagined that it would come back to haunt him after all this time.
"Just wait, you'll know soon enough," Seonghyun continued before turning to leave. "And when that happens, I want to see how you survive."
Eunyeon just stood where he was, watching Seonghyun's retreating back. He knew that this threat was not to be taken lightly. That secret, something he thought had been buried forever, was now beginning to surface again.
Elsewhere, Yulhan, who was observing from a distance, began to feel that something was very wrong. He knew Eunyeon was not the type to get into trouble for no reason. All this time, his best friend tended to keep his distance from people who could potentially bring complications to his life. But the burly man had clearly brought something heavy into Eunyeon's life.
During lunch, Yulhan decided to try to find out. He sat next to Eunyeon in the cafeteria, making sure they were far enough away from the other students, including the five bullies who kept watching them from the corner of the room.
"What's really going on, Eunyeon? I know you're hiding something," Yulhan said in a quiet but serious tone.
Eunyeon didn't answer right away. He just fiddled with his chopsticks on the food tray, looking uneasy. "You have nothing to worry about, Yulhan. I can handle it myself."
"Really? Because the way you talk, I can tell it's a lie," Yulhan retorted. "If you won't tell me, I'll still find out for myself. I won't let you get involved in something dangerous alone."
Eunyeon stared at Yulhan, trying to read his intentions. In the end, he knew that Yulhan would not give up so easily. "Alright," he sighed. "But this isn't something that's easy to explain. And once you know, there's no going back."
"Then start from the beginning," Yulhan said, determined. "What exactly happened between you and that man?"
Meanwhile, Seonghyun returned to his little hideout, an old warehouse located on the outskirts of the city. There, he was greeted by several people from his group. They were all sitting around a table, discussing something that looked serious.
"Are you sure Eunyeon will remain stubborn?" one of the men asked.
Seonghyun threw his helmet on the table roughly. "Of course he's stubborn. But that doesn't matter. Sooner or later, he'll have no choice but to cooperate with us."
"We don't have much time, Seonghyun," another man said in a worried tone. "If the secret gets out, it's not just Eunyeon who will be ruined. We'll all be dragged down."
"That's why we have to get him to talk," Seonghyun replied firmly. "He's the key to making sure everything stays buried. And if he won't cooperate..." He paused, looking at them one by one. "We'll make him have no other choice."
Back at school, after hours of prodding by Yulhan, Eunyeon finally decided to tell part of the secret. "Back then, me, Seonghyun, and a few others got involved in something we shouldn't have. We were young, stupid, and ambitious. But that incident turned into a nightmare."
"What happened?" Yulhan urged.
Eunyeon shook his head. "I can't explain everything right now. All you need to know is, it's not something that's easy to forget. And now, they want me back in that circle, either to protect that secret or to use me."
"Then don't let them win," Yulhan said in an encouraging tone. "We can fight them together."
Eunyeon smiled slightly, though he wasn't sure if Yulhan truly understood the danger they were in. "We'll see, Yulhan. For now, I just want to make sure that they don't touch the people around me."
However, behind that smile, Eunyeon knew that a threat from his past was approaching. And this time, he couldn't face it alone. The secret was too big, and the stakes were too high.