The alley was a deep gash between two buildings, swallowed by shadow. A group of teens stood in the gloom, tearing open cans of beer and gulping them down. “We can legally drink now!” “Not yet. We’ve still got thirty minutes till the new year.” “Seriously? When are we gonna stop hiding in alleys like rats to drink?” “You’re the rat. Don’t drag us into it.” “It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Don’t you guys feel it, too?” Lee Jun-ho, having chugged his beer in a single go, crushed the can in his fist and tossed it into the darkness. “You got a lighter?” He took a long drag from a cigarette, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. The deep lines on his forehead finally seemed to relax. “Why do old people have to ruin everything?” “Because they’re old, duh.” Lee Jun-ho and his friends snickered. If anyone happened to wander past the mouth of the alley, the laughter would die instantly, replaced by a collective cold glare that dared them to keep walking. Most people did just that, scurrying away without a backward glance. It happened again just then. “Hey, you see that? She practically ran.” “What glare? Your eyes got night vision or something? It’s too dark to see anything but your cigarette.” “That girl who just passed, though… wasn’t she pretty? Kinda sweet and innocent.” “Sweet and innocent? Seriously?” “Man, I’d just want to hold her and never let go.” Lee Jun-ho pulled a face, and his friends erupted in laughter. “If you like her so much, go get her number.” “But I’m still underage. Think she’d give it to me?” “What’s there to be afraid of? We’ll all be legal in half an hour.” When the clock struck midnight, their lives as high school students would officially be over. “Once summer vacation is done, we’re finally free from that boring school life.” “What are you gonna do after graduation?” “Gonna ask my dad to buy me a motorcycle. Maybe be a delivery driver. I hear the pay’s pretty good these days.” “Really? What about you, Tae-sik?” “I’m heading to a factory with a dorm until my military service. My parents are always nagging. I gotta get out of the house.” Lee Jun-ho chuckled as he watched his friend exhale a plume of smoke with a heavy sigh. “Jun-ho, what about you?” “Me? Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to be a gangster.” “Whoa, you were serious about that?” “Wasn’t that a joke?” Lee Jun-ho scoffed at their surprised faces. “I was dead serious. You guys really thought I was joking?” “Of course we did. Who wants to be a gangster these days?” “A gangster… aren’t you scared? You could get stabbed in the gut and die.” His friends’ concern only made Lee Jun-ho grin. “Damn right. You only live once, might as well make it interesting.” “This guy’s actually crazy.” They laughed and joked, but beneath the surface, they were all thinking the same thing. They might have been troublemakers at school, but they were nothing compared to Lee Jun-ho. Right, do whatever you want. When I graduate, I’m cutting ties with this guy. Even his friends, who’d known him since middle school, couldn’t really stand to be around him for long. “By the way, what’s going to happen to your shuttle after you graduate?” “You know, that weird kid in our class.” “Oh, the one with no mom?” One side of Lee Jun-ho’s mouth curled into a smirk. “Even if I graduate, I’m not letting him go.” “Ha ha ha, you’re still gonna bully him after graduation?” “Of course. He’s my personal shuttle, after all.” “Wow… I feel sorry for the poor bastard. He probably thinks he’ll be free once we’re gone.” “Who said anything about him being free? We should make the most of it while we can.” “Seriously, you’re evil. Even Ma-wang would take notes from you, ha ha ha.” Laughing, they finished the last of their beers. Suddenly, one of them checked his phone. “Hey, it’s almost midnight.” “Should we go watch the bell-ringing? It’s right over there.” Lee Jun-ho and his friends spilled out of the alley, heading for the Yongdusan Bell Tower. “Wow, look at all these people.” “It’s like a swarm of ants.” “Find me a pretty girl.” As Lee Jun-ho scanned the bustling crowd, a friend tapped him on the arm. “Hey, Jun-ho. Look over there.” His friend pointed off to the side. “Isn’t that your shuttle?” Jun-ho’s gaze followed his friend’s finger and landed on Park Jin-ho. “Oh, right. My shuttle buddy.” Seeing him outside of school filled Jun-ho with an unexpected flicker of delight. One of his friends stepped forward and called out. “Did you come to watch us bully the geek?” “I came to beg you not to bully him in the new year,” Park Jin-ho’s friend shot back. “Haha, that’s an impossible wish.” “You said it,” Jun-ho laughed. The rıghtful source is 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥 But as he started to move toward Park Jin-ho, something made him pause. Park Jin-ho just stood there, his expression placid, seemingly lost in his own world. He looked like the same old quiet shuttle, but something about him felt different tonight. What’s with him? He feels… off. Just then, the emcee’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers. “Finally, it’s time. Let’s count down together!” The crowd erupted, their voices joining in a massive chorus. Jun-ho and his friends started shouting along, caught up in the hope for a bright new year. But I’ll spare you today, geek, he thought with a smirk, not wanting to start the year off with something so trivial. “Three, two, one! Happy New Year 2022!”

Chapter 3: Swallowed by Shadow