THE FOURTH ONE

CHAPTER THREE: THE BOY ON THE THIRD FLOOR

The bell rang.

Maya didn't move.

Neither did Jun.

Sora stood beside them, staring at the classroom door as if she expected something to walk through it.

For several seconds, the three of them remained completely silent.

Then the lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Maya looked down at her palm.

The silver line was still there.

Except now, it had changed.

It was spreading.

A thin silver pattern crawled from the center of her palm toward her wrist, glowing faintly beneath her skin.

“What is that?” Sora whispered.

“I don't know.”

Jun grabbed Maya's wrist.

“Don't let anyone see it.”

Maya pulled her hand away.

“Why?”

“Because the people who have those marks aren't normal.”

Sora frowned.

“You said the mark chose her.”

“I said I think it did.”

“You're doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“Acting like you know everything while actually knowing nothing.”

Jun glared at her.

Before he could answer, footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Slow.

Heavy.

Someone was walking toward their classroom.

Maya's attention shifted immediately.

The footsteps stopped outside the door.

Silence.

Then—

Knock.

Nobody answered.

Knock.

Maya felt something inside her chest tighten.

The silver mark on her palm became warm.

Jun noticed.

“Don't open it.”

Maya stared at the door.

“I wasn't going to.”

The handle began to turn.

Sora stepped backward.

The door opened.

A boy stood outside.

He looked like an ordinary student.

Black hair.

School uniform.

A backpack hanging from one shoulder.

But Maya immediately noticed his eyes.

They were completely emotionless.

He looked at Jun.

Then Sora.

Then Maya.

His gaze stopped on her hand.

Maya quickly closed her fingers.

The boy smiled.

It wasn't a friendly smile.

“You're the new girl.”

Maya didn't answer.

He stepped inside.

“I'm Min-jae.”

Jun's expression changed.

Maya noticed.

“You know him?”

Jun didn't answer.

Min-jae laughed softly.

“Of course he knows me.”

He walked closer.

“Everyone knows me.”

Sora folded her arms.

“Then why are you here?”

Min-jae looked at her.

“To give her a message.”

He pointed at Maya.

“From who?”

Min-jae's smile disappeared.

“From the thing underneath this school.”

The room suddenly felt colder.

Maya's heartbeat increased.

Jun stepped between them.

“Leave.”

Min-jae tilted his head.

“You still think you can protect people?”

Jun's fists tightened.

“I said leave.”

Min-jae looked amused.

“You haven't changed.”

Then he suddenly moved.

Fast.

Too fast.

His hand shot toward Jun.

Jun barely blocked the attack.

THUD!

A desk slammed against the wall.

Students screamed.

Maya stepped backward.

The entire classroom exploded into chaos.

Chairs fell.

Students ran toward the door.

Sora grabbed one of the desks and pushed it aside.

“Move!”

Jun and Min-jae exchanged blows in the middle of the room.

Maya watched carefully.

Something felt wrong.

She could see Min-jae's movements before he made them.

His shoulder moved—

Maya knew where his fist would go.

His foot shifted—

She knew which direction he would kick.

It was happening again.

The silver mark.

Her vision sharpened.

Time didn't actually slow down.

Instead, everything became easier to predict.

“Jun!”

Jun ducked.

A fist passed over his head.

“Left!”

He moved left.

Min-jae's kick missed.

Jun looked at Maya.

“How did you—”

“Just trust me!”

Min-jae suddenly stopped.

He looked at Maya.

His smile returned.

“So that's your ability.”

Maya froze.

Ability?

The word echoed in her mind.

Min-jae took one step toward her.

Jun blocked him.

“You don't get near her.”

Min-jae laughed.

“You really don't understand.”

“What?”

“She isn't supposed to be here.”

Jun's face went pale.

Maya stared at him.

“What does that mean?”

Min-jae's eyes moved toward the ceiling.

“Ask the third floor.”

Then the lights went out.

Darkness swallowed the classroom.

Someone screamed.

Maya heard footsteps.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then something brushed past her shoulder.

She turned.

Nothing.

The lights came back on.

Min-jae was gone.

So was Jun.

Maya's heart dropped.

“Jun?”

No answer.

“Sora?”

“I’m here.”

Sora was crouched beside the overturned desk.

“Where's Jun?”

“I don't know.”

Maya ran into the hallway.

Students were pouring out of classrooms.

Teachers shouted at them to return inside.

But Maya didn't listen.

She looked toward the staircase.

The third floor.

The forbidden floor.

She remembered what she'd seen on her first day.

The figure standing behind the window.

Watching her.

Maya started climbing.

Sora followed.

“Wait!”

Maya didn't stop.

“Maya!”

She reached the second floor.

Then the third.

The hallway was empty.

Too empty.

There were no students.

No teachers.

No sound.

Even the fluorescent lights above them were dead.

Sora caught up.

“Why did we come here?”

Maya stared down the hallway.

“Jun is here.”

“How do you know?”

Maya raised her hand.

The silver mark was glowing.

At the end of the hallway was a door.

A black symbol had been carved into it.

Maya had never seen the symbol before.

But somehow…

She recognized it.

Her fingers moved toward the door.

Sora grabbed her arm.

“Don't.”

Maya looked at her.

“Something is behind it.”

“Exactly.”

A voice came from behind them.

“She's right.”

Both girls turned.

Jun stood at the other end of the hallway.

His uniform was torn.

There was a small cut above his eyebrow.

Maya ran toward him.

“Are you okay?”

Jun nodded.

“I'm fine.”

Sora stared at him.

“Where did Min-jae go?”

Jun looked at the black door.

“He wasn't the one we should've been worried about.”

A sound came from behind the door.

Boom.

The hallway shook.

Maya stepped back.

Another sound.

Boom.

Something was hitting the other side.

Jun whispered:

“It woke up.”

Maya looked at him.

“What woke up?”

Jun didn't answer.

The black symbol on the door began to glow.

The silver mark on Maya's hand responded.

Bright silver light spread across her palm.

The door cracked.

Sora whispered, “Maya…”

A voice came through the door.

Not loud.

Not angry.

Almost calm.

“You came back.”

Maya's blood ran cold.

“I've never been here before.”

The voice laughed.

“Not in this life.”

Silence.

Jun stared at Maya.

Sora stared at Jun.

Maya couldn't breathe.

Then the door opened by itself.

A dark staircase descended beneath the school.

There shouldn't have been a staircase there.

Haneul High had three floors.

Everyone knew that.

But beneath the third floor was something else.

Something that shouldn't exist.

Jun stepped forward.

Maya grabbed his arm.

“Don't.”

He looked at her.

“We need to know what's down there.”

“No.”

Jun frowned.

“Why?”

Maya stared into the darkness.

Because she could see something.

Two glowing eyes.

Watching them from below.

And behind those eyes—

hundreds of black marks covered the walls.

Some were fresh.

Some looked ancient.

And one of them was shaped exactly like the silver mark on her palm.

Maya whispered:

“That thing knows me.”

The lights behind them suddenly turned on.

All at once.

Every classroom door opened.

Empty classrooms.

Empty desks.

Empty chairs.

But on every blackboard was the same sentence:

THE FOURTH ONE HAS RETURNED.

Sora slowly turned toward Maya.

“Four?”

Jun's expression became unreadable.

Maya looked at him.

“You knew about this.”

Jun didn't answer.

“Jun.”

Still nothing.

“Tell me the truth.”

He finally looked at her.

“There were three students before you.”

Maya's stomach tightened.

“What happened to them?”

Jun looked toward the staircase.

“They disappeared.”

A cold wind moved through the hallway.

Then the voice below whispered again.

“One is still alive.”

Maya froze.

Jun's eyes widened.

Sora stepped closer.

“Who?”

The voice answered.

“Come down and find out.”

The door slammed shut behind them.

And somewhere beneath Haneul High…

something began to laugh.