The three girls met at the old, abandoned greenhouse behind the school—a place they knew their siblings would never think to look. The glass structure was overgrown with ivy, casting long, fractured shadows under the moonlight.

So-min was already waiting, wrapped in an oversized jacket, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. When she saw Da-eun and Rora slip through the rusted metal door, she let out a massive sigh of relief.

"You actually made it," So-min whispered, looking at the thick manila folder in Da-eun’s arms. "Did In-ah see you?"

"No, but she knows someone was in there," Da-eun said, clearing a space on an old wooden potting table and spreading out the documents. "We don't have much time. If she checks our rooms and finds them empty, the whole town will be looking for us."

Rora clicked on her phone's flashlight, aiming the beam at the papers. "Let's see what else is in here."

As they flipped past the journal entries, they found something unexpected tucked into a hidden sleeve at the back of the folder: a series of printed, encrypted emails from seven years ago, sent between Min-jun Kim, Woo-jin Park, Do-hyun Jung, and In-ah Lee.

The very last email in the chain was sent just hours before everything shattered. It was a single line from Min-jun:

The arrangement is finalized. The secret stays buried, and we go our separate ways. If anyone breaks protocol, we all fall together.

"Protocol," So-min repeated, a chill running down her spine. "They didn't just have a falling out. They made a formal pact."

"And look at the date," Da-eun pointed to the bottom of the page. "This was sent exactly seven years ago today. The anonymous text message everyone got last night... it wasn't a random threat. It was an anniversary present."

Before anyone could reply, the low hum of an engine echoed from the dirt road outside the greenhouse. Headlights cut through the dirty glass walls, sweeping across the rows of dead plants and illuminating the three girls in a stark, blinding glare.

Someone had tracked them down.

he blinding high beams died down to a low, ominous hum as the engine idled in the dark.

Da-eun grabbed the folder, pulling Rora and So-min down behind a crumbling brick planter. Through the dirty, vine-covered glass of the greenhouse, they watched the driver’s side door of the sleek, unmarked car swing open.

A figure stepped out into the cool night air.

He was completely dressed in black, a heavy dark jacket pulled tight over his shoulders, and a baseball cap casting a deep shadow over his face. He didn't move like their older brothers—there was a calculated, quiet precision to his steps as he walked toward the rusted entrance of the greenhouse. He looked young, but his presence was entirely commanding, radiating a dangerous confidence.

The girls held their breath. So-min’s hand shook as she reached for her phone, but Rora quickly gripped her wrist, shaking her head. Any light or sound right now would betray them.

The stranger pushed the rusted metal door open. The hinges let out a sharp, agonizing squeal that made the girls’ hearts leap into their throats.

The man stopped in the doorway, scanning the dark interior. He didn't flash a light around. Instead, he simply stood there, listening to the silence. When he spoke, his voice was surprisingly calm, smooth, and entirely unfamiliar.

"You three are making a lot of noise for people who are supposed to be hiding," he said to the empty room.

Da-eun pressed her back against the brick, her fingers digging into the cardboard of In-ah's file. Who was this guy? He wasn't a Kim, a Park, or a Jung. He was an absolute ghost to them.

"I know you're in here," the stranger continued, taking a slow step forward, his boots crunching lightly on the shattered glass on the floor. "And I know what's in that folder. If you want to actually survive the night, you're going to want to listen to me, not the people pacing around your houses right now."

Da-eun stood up from behind the brick planter, stepping into the dim light of the greenhouse to draw the stranger’s attention. Behind her, out of the man's line of sight, Rora and So-min slipped quietly through the shadows toward the broken glass of the rear exit.

"Who are you?" Da-eun asked, her voice steady despite her racing heart. She held the folder tightly against her chest, making sure he kept his eyes on her. "And why are you following us?"

The stranger stopped walking, his gaze locking onto her. A faint, unreadable expression crossed his face under the shadow of his cap. He didn't rush forward; he just stood his ground, observing her tactical distraction.

"You're brave," he said quietly, his eyes shifting slightly toward the back of the greenhouse where the faint rustle of leaves signaled the other two girls escaping into the night. "But bravery won't keep you safe from what's coming. Your sister's files only tell half the story."

He took a step back toward the main entrance, indicating he wasn't going to chase them. "Tell your friends that running won't change the fact that the clock is ticking for all four of the families."

'Da-eun, come, we need to go!!!"

The sound of her friends' voices echoed through the dark greenhouse, but the weight on Da-eun's chest only grew heavier. Every muscle in her body refused to cooperate, trapping her in a terrifying stillness. She could hear the rustle of the leaves outside and the distant hum of the stranger's car engine, but she couldn't even draw enough breath to scream for help.

With a sudden, violent jolt, Da-eun gasped, her eyes snapping open.

The damp smell of the greenhouse vanished, replaced by the familiar scent of her own bedroom. Sunlight was streaming through the window, hitting her desk where the stolen manila folder lay hidden beneath a stack of textbooks. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, and her sheets were tangled around her legs.

It had been a nightmare—a terrifying bout of sleep paralysis triggered by the sheer panic of the previous day.

Her phone buzzed aggressively against her nightstand. Da-eun reached out with a trembling hand and grabbed it. The screen lit up with messages from the trio chat, sent just minutes ago.

[THE TRIO CHAT - ENCRYPTED]

Rora: Da-eun, are you awake? In-ah is already downstairs talking on the phone. She sounds terrified.

So-min: My brother didn't sleep at all. He’s packing a bag. Guys, what do we do today? Do we go to school?

Da-eun sat up, rubbing her face as the lingering dread of the nightmare faded, replaced by the very real danger waiting for them outside their rooms.