The Sweetest Lie [Ko Kyung-jun]

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[FIRST NIGHT]

KIM SUL-HEE's POV

The sun had begun to set, leaving behind only streaks of pink and orange that bled through the whole sky, visible through the window of the bus. I leaned against the glass, earbuds in, hoping the music would drown out the endless chatter and bickering of my classmates at the back. Unfortunately, It didn't. Even with the volume all the way up, their voices cut through-arguing over that stupid mafia game they've been playing since we left school grounds.

I let out a quiet groan, soft enough that I thought no one would notice. But of course, someone did. Kyung-jun, sitting next to me, immediately perked up and turned his head toward the chaos and then to his friend that was sat behind us. He called out him, "Seung-bin, tell them to shut up"

Seung-bin didn't need to be told twice. He stood up, and turned to Jin-ha, slightly smacking him on the head. Jin-ha who was talking with Se-ri, turned to look at Seung-bin with an annoyed glare-until Seung-bin jerked his head towards the back row where the chaos came from. The silent command had been clear.

"Shibal! Shut up! Sulhee's trying to sleep" Jin-ha barked, his voice carrying easily over the bus engine.

The noise died down immediately, the players of the game exchanging sour looks amongst each other, as if someone had just stolen the fun straight from their mouths. I could feel their glares burning into me , even though I kept my eyes closed in attempt to actually fall asleep. Jin-ha sat back down, unbothered by the looks and whispers. He could care less.

Soon enough the noise had completely cancelled out and all I could hear was the music coming out my earbuds. Half way through I ended up falling asleep. Not waking up until we got to the retreat.

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"Sul-hee, wake up"

I felt someone shaking my shoulders gently, pulling me out of the shallow, dreamless sleep i'd slipped into. My eyes fluttered open, and for a second, everything looked hazy-the bus interior was dim, the sun completely gone now. When my vision adjusted, I realized the seats around me were empty. The entire class had gotten off, leaving only Kyung-jun and me behind.

My eyes widened, and I sat up straight, quickly nudging Kyung-jun to move. "Come on, let's go!" I hissed, grabbing my bag from under the seat. I rushed him off the bus until we finally stepped off.

The moment my feet touched the ground, a small group of four familiar faces were waiting near the door. As soon as they spotted me, laughter began.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty" Seung-bin teased, his chuckle low but obvious enough to make the others snicker.

"Shut up" I muttered, brushing past him as I pulled out my phone to check the time. The glowing screen told me we'd been on the road longer than I thought "Why did we get here so late?" I asked, still groggy, my voice sharper than I intended.

My friends around me just shrugged, brushing it off.

With a sigh, I slipped my phone back into my skirt pocket and lifted my gaze toward massive building looming ahead of us. It stood tall and dark against the twilight sky, windows like unblinking eyes staring down. Almost immediately, I noticed it-the air felt different here. Heavier. As if the very atmosphere carried a weight no one else seemed to acknowledge.

"Whatever" I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for myself to hear. I walked to my suitcase, which was sitting awkwardly by the curb as if it had been abandoned. Pulling the handle up, I started rolling it across the pavement "Let's go. I want to lay down"