06 july 2019

After buying groceries for my night with the girls, I headed back to the loft we all shared. It was our sanctuary, a place that always buzzed with laughter and warmth. But tonight, that comfort would be shattered.

As I entered, balancing the bags in my arms, I nudged the door closed with my foot. The familiar scent of lavender and vanilla greeted me, but something felt off—too quiet, too still.

The mattress, normally a cozy spot for lazy weekends, was pulled closer to the door. My heart skipped a beat when I saw someone lying on it. My breath hitched, and I took a few cautious steps forward, each one filled with a growing sense of dread.

When the scene finally came into full view, the bags slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a dull thud.

Blood.

My world tilted as the sight fully registered. My knees threatened to buckle, and my heart pounded in my ears. The room seemed to spin around me, but before I could collapse, the door swung open behind me.

"Hey, Y/N, I—holy shit!" Lisa's voice pierced through the fog in my mind. She froze, eyes wide with horror.

"Y/N! What the hell have you done? Did you kill him?" Her voice shook, and she backed away, as if suddenly afraid of me.

"No, Lisa, I swear! I didn't kill anyone. I don't even know who he is! I just got here, and—" My voice broke as tears streamed down my face. Everything felt surreal, like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

"Did you call Seulgi and Nayeon?" she asked, too terrified to approach the blood-soaked bed.

"No, I... I can't even think straight," I stammered, fumbling for my phone. My fingers trembled as I sent a frantic message to the girls, begging them to come to the loft.

"Have they replied?" Lisa asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Not yet," I muttered, pacing back and forth, each second stretching into an eternity.

"Are you sure he's... dead?" Lisa's voice quivered as she bit her nails, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Can't you see? The bed is drenched in blood!" I snapped, the words tearing from my throat like a scream.

"Maybe we know him," Lisa suggested, her voice hollow, as if she didn't really want to face the truth.

"That's what scares me, Lisa. I'm terrified he's someone I know," I whispered, dread settling like a weight in my chest.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Her question cut through the air, sharp and accusing, making me feel like she still suspected me.

A knock on the door made us both jump, and Lisa rushed to open it.

"Hey, girls!" Nayeon's cheerful voice broke the tension, but it didn't last long. Her face paled as she turned to me, her eyes trailing to the body on the bed. Her breath hitched, and she bolted for the door.

We caught her before she could leave, pinning her against the wall.

"Let me go! Don't involve me in this!" Nayeon struggled, her voice frantic, her eyes wild with fear.

"We're all involved! We need to figure this out together because only the four of us have keys to this place!" I yelled, tears blurring my vision as I tried to hold onto some semblance of control.

Nayeon finally stopped struggling, and for a few moments, the three of us just cried, our fear and confusion hanging heavy in the air. Slowly, we released her, and she slid to the floor, wiping her tears.

"We need to call the police," Nayeon whispered, her voice filled with desperation.

"Are you crazy? Our families don't even know about this place, and if we call the cops, we're all going to jail!" I sighed, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. "I'll check who it is."

With trembling hands, I approached the body. The man lay flat on his stomach, his face buried in the mattress. The girls watched, holding their breaths, as I reached out to pull him over.

His face was familiar, but in my shock, I couldn't place him. I recoiled, my heart hammering in my chest. "I can't do it. I don't want to know who it is. I'm scared," I admitted, my voice cracking.

"Where's Seulgi?" Nayeon asked, the panic in her voice rising again.

"That bitch isn't answering her phone! I swear, if she's behind this—" Lisa's rant was cut short as the door swung open.

We all turned, and without thinking, we grabbed Seulgi, dragging her inside by her hair.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Seulgi screamed, slapping our hands away.

"We should be asking you that! Why did you kill him?" Nayeon accused, her voice filled with anger and fear.

Seulgi's eyes darted to the bed, and in an instant, she fainted, her body crumpling to the floor.

"I'm not dealing with another unconscious body," Nayeon groaned, turning away.

I grabbed a cup of water and splashed it on Seulgi's face. She gasped, sputtering as she regained consciousness.

"If none of us did this, then who? Only we have the keys! Whoever did this, just admit it already!" Lisa's voice was sharp, her eyes narrowing as she looked at each of us in turn.

"Y/N, where did you go after the party? You came here, right?" Nayeon's question felt like a dagger, aimed straight at me.

"No, I didn't! I went home," I stammered, gripping the hem of my shirt, my nerves fraying.

"Then let's call your father and confirm that," Lisa said, reaching for her phone.

"They're on a trip abroad," I bit out, feeling cornered.

Lisa stepped closer, her gaze intense. "Are you hiding something?"

"I saw you leave with Jimin last night. You were kissing. I'm sure you didn't part ways after that, and I'm certain you didn't take him home because your father would've found out," Seulgi accused, her voice cold.

"Yes, she left with Jimin last night. If that's Jimin on the bed, I swear to God, Y/N, I'm going to kill you!" Nayeon screamed, her realization hitting her like a freight train.

She rushed to the bed, frantically turning the body to see his face. "It's Jimin," she gasped, the words barely out of her mouth before Lisa kicked me hard in the stomach.

I crumpled to the floor, too shocked, too broken to even feel the physical pain. I hugged my knees, rocking back and forth, repeating in disbelief, "No, not Jimin..."

But their voices—filled with rage, pain, and betrayal—continued to rain down on me, as did their kicks, each one hammering home a truth I couldn't escape: my world had just fallen apart.