Chapter 1: BLOOD AND ROSES

The scent of roses lingered in the humid autumn air, thick and suffocating, as Jungkook walked through the school gates. It was always like this after the rain—wet earth, decaying leaves, and that strange, cloying fragrance that clung to the stone walls of Seoul National High. But today, something was different. 

The whispers started before he even made it to his locker. 

"Did you hear? Another one." 

"By the river." 

"They said it was— gruesome." 

Jungkook didn't need to hear the rest. He already knew. Another student was dead. The third one in less than two months. The news spread like wildfire, the hushed conversations punctuated by nervous laughter and darting glances. He kept his head down, ignoring the murmurs as he grabbed his textbooks and made a beeline for the homeroom, but the unease gnawed at him, worming its way into his chest. 

"Jungkook." 

He froze. That voice. Smooth, deep, and unfamiliar. He turned slowly and found himself staring into the dark, unwavering gaze of the new student—Taehyung. 

Tall, lean, and hauntingly beautiful, Taehyung looked out of place against the sterile fluorescent lights of the hallway. His dark hair fell messily across his forehead, and his lips curled in a way that felt almost— Taunting. Jungkook swallowed hard. He'd seen him once before, in the courtyard. but right now, up close, Taehyung seemed entirely different.

"You're in my seat," Taehyung said, nodding toward the empty desk in homeroom where Jungkook always sat. 

Jungkook blinked, taken aback. "What?" 

"You sit there every day." Taehyung's voice was low, almost amused. "But it's mine now." 

A shiver trailed down Jungkook's spine, he gulped, hurriedly packing up his writing materials. " S—sure—" he stuttered, getting up on his feet and stepping aside. "You can have it." 

As Taehyung passed him, Jungkook caught the faintest whiff of something metallic beneath the overwhelming scent of roses. Blood? No. It must have been his imagination. 

...☦︎...

The day dragged on in a haze of uneasy whispers and watchful eyes. The teachers avoided talking about the latest death, but Jungkook could feel it in the air. Something dark, something lurking just beneath the surface of normalcy. 

At lunch, he sat with Haerin and Minji, their usual spot by the window. 

"Another one," Haerin whispered, stirring her ramen absent-mindedly. "They found her last night." 

Minji nodded, her voice tight. "By the old bridge. They said— they said her body was torn apart." 

Jungkook felt his stomach turn, but he forced himself to stay composed. "You think it's the same person? The same— thing?" 

Minji shot him a sharp look. "You're saying it like it's not human." 

Jungkook didn't reply. Because deep down, he wasn't sure it was. 

Across the cafeteria, Taehyung sat alone, staring out the window. The pale light of the overcast sky bathed him in an eerie glow, and for a moment, Jungkook swore he saw something—just a flicker—moving in the reflection of the glass. A shadow curling around Taehyung's shoulders like a whisper. 

"Hey," Haerin nudged him. "You're staring." 

Jungkook tore his gaze away, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. "He's... weird." 

Minji scoffed. "Weird doesn't begin to cover it. No one knows where he came from. He transferred in so suddenly. No records, nothing." 

"He feels— off," Jungkook admitted, the words tasting foreign on his tongue. 

Haerin sighed. "Forget him, Jungkook. We have bigger problems." 

But he couldn't forget. Because when Taehyung looked up, his eyes locked onto Jungkook's, and a slow, almost predatory smile crept across his lips. 

...☦︎...

The rain started that evening, a soft drizzle that turned the streets slick and shimmering under the streetlights. Jungkook walked home alone, his footsteps echoing in the empty alleyways. 

He should have gone straight home. Should have ignored the strange feeling tugging at his gut, whispering for him to take the long way. But something—something about the way Taehyung had looked at him—made him change his route. 

By the time he reached the old bridge, the air was thick with mist, swirling around the stone arch like ghostly fingers. And then he saw it. 

A single rose. 

It lay on the damp concrete, petals dark and glistening. Jungkook crouched down, hesitating before picking it up. His fingers brushed against something wet, and his breath hitched. 

Blood. 

A rustling sound behind him made him whip around, heart hammering in his chest. The mist swirled, and a figure emerged from the shadows. 

Taehyung. 

His white shirt clung to him, rain-soaked and stained with something dark. He stood there, perfectly still, watching Jungkook with those deep, endless eyes. 

"You shouldn't be here," Taehyung said softly, voice carrying through the fog. 

Jungkook's fingers tightened around the bloody rose. "What... what are you doing here?" 

Taehyung took a slow step forward, his movements fluid, almost too graceful. "You feel it too, don't you?" 

Jungkook swallowed, feeling the weight of the night pressing down on him. "Feel what?" 

"The moonlight," Taehyung murmured, stepping closer until he was barely a breath away. "It calls to us." 

A sharp gust of wind sent shivers racing down Jungkook's spine, and for a brief, terrifying second, he thought he saw something behind Taehyung—something dark and writhing, just beyond the veil of mist. 

Jungkook stumbled back, his chest heaving. "You're crazy." 

Taehyung's lips twitched in that unsettling smile. "Maybe. But you'll see soon enough." 

And then, just like that, he was gone, vanishing into the mist as if he'd never been there at all. 

Jungkook stood there for what felt like an eternity, the bloody rose clenched in his hand, heart pounding against his ribs. 

He didn't know what was happening. 

But he knew one thing for sure. 

Taehyung wasn't normal. 

And whatever had happened to those students... 

It wasn't over.

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