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....

The corpse's arms were pinned to the wall with sharp nails. His ribs had been torn apart and stuck to the sides with glue and a long, sharp wooden stick was plunged into his heart. The blood which spurted out of his body had dripped down the wall and created a dry pool on the floor. A look of pure fear was frozen on his face and his eyes were wide open.

"The student's name was Jung Hyoseop," Jiwoon was saying. "He was a senior in his last year of high school. According to his friends, he was sent to the storage room to keep a box of props and he never returned. They tried to call him but his phone was back in the classroom. They assumed he left the school's premises."

"How come no one discovered his corpse for hours?" Hobin asked.

"Everyone was busy with the fair and no one came up here much," Jiwoon stated.

"But surely, someone must have heard his cries," Jina frowned.

"According to the students in the nearby classroom, Hwang Minyoon was having a mini concert in his class," Jiwoon stated. "The noise from the concert must have drowned out his cries."

"Check the list of all the guests who attended the festival," Jina ordered. "Also, inform the parents. Tell them that we need to take the testimony of the kids and they must cooperate."

She hesitated before adding, "Inform Hyoseop's parents too. They'll...they'll have to identify his body."

Jiwoon nodded and went off to execute the tasks. Jina was very worried. She turned to Hobin who was quietly observing the body.

"Tinkerbell, check this out…"

He pointed at Hyoseop's fingers. Jina stepped forward to take a closer look.

"Is that...is that paint?" she frowned.

"It is," Hobin confirmed. "But it doesn't look like regular paint."

He motioned a forensic assistant to collect the paint samples. "Analyze this and send us the reports ASAP," he ordered the assistant.

Meanwhile, the CSI was sweeping through the crime scene, gathering all the evidence they could find. A chair was found broken which looked similar to the wooden stick used to stab the victim. Jina glanced around when she saw a pale, translucent figure observing her from afar.

As soon as their eyes met, the figure disappeared.

"Oi," she hissed at Hobin. "Follow me."

He did not hesitate and followed Jina outside. She climbed up the stairs to stop in front of a makeshift haunted house which was not even remotely scary.

"Do you see a ghost?" Hobin muttered.

"Yes," she confirmed. "It's Hyoseop's ghost. I just saw him entering this place."

They stepped into the haunted house where Jina saw a pale figure running deeper into the place.

"Wait, Hyoseop!" she exclaimed. The ghost stopped and turned around.

His ribs hung on his sides while his wrists had large holes which indicated the pin marks on them. He was still in that demon costume, bloody and sweaty. His dirty blonde hair was messed up and he looked very confused.

"Y-You can see me?" he gasped. "How?"

"I'm a special case," Jina simply replied.

"And him too?"

Hyoseop pointed at Hobin who was still trying to figure out where the ghost was.

"He can't see you but he knows that you're here," Jina stated. "But you don't have to be afraid of us. We want to help you."

"I'm dead!" Hyoeseop yelled. "How can you help me? I can't be helped! I didn't want this to happen! I…"

He was frustrated and confused by his state. It was supposed to be a fun day. He was going to spend time with his friends and then play basketball with them in the evening. Afterwards, he was supposed to be tutoring at the local study center and then go home to his mom. This was supposed to be the routine!

And none, everything was ruined. His plans for the future and his dream of playing fog basketball for the Ivy League. Everything was ruined.

"I shouldn't have touched that painting!" he murmured. "That darn painting!"

"What painting?" Jina frowned.

"When I was in the store room, I saw a painting," Hyoseop said in a bitter tone. "It was the painting of a forest which was on fire and there were red snakes all over it. For a moment, I thought that the snakes were moving but then they stopped. And then the door to the closet shut tight, locking me in. Then...then I saw the chair ws being flung around on its own. It broke to pieces."

"Suddenly, something grabbed me and pinned me to the wall. I felt a pair of hands on my ribs. It was weird because there was no one around. But I felt the hands. They were digging long, sharp nails into my heart, slowly ripping it apart. Then, one of the broken pieces of wood from the chair began to float and came straight towards my chest."

He pointed at the spot where his heart was located.

"And it stabbed me."

Jina and Hobin were shocked. A painting with fire and serpents?

"Where's that painting now?" Hobin demanded.

"I don't know!" Hyoseop claimed. "When I woke up as a ghost, I was horrified to see that my body was in that position. I tried to re-enter it but I couldn't. Something invisible was preventing me from entering it. I ran around the field, asking for help but no one was able to see or hear me! Iwas left completely alone…"

He sniffed a little, trying to hold back his tears. His death was beginning to hit him and he was not ready to accept it yet. How could he just die like that? It was not fair!

"This isn't the pattern," Hobin said, feeling at a loss. "The demon in the painting usually possesses the youngest members of a family and kills the rest of the members before killing its host. Then how come he was killed?"

"It's possible that the demon could not use his usual method because there are too many people here," Jina suggested. "It was forced to change its pattern and killed the nearest person it found. But then, where is the painting? How did it vanish in thin air?"

"The demon must have moved it," Hobin said. "But the bigger question is, who brought that thing here?"

"I think grade 9A was doing an art cafe," Hyoseop said. "You can ask them."

"Let's ask them," Jina nodded.

"I'll let your grandfather know about this," Hobin stated. "If the demon has changed its killing pattern, then we need to figure out its new MO."

….

Duho was staggering along the road behind the school. He had barely managed to get out of the school before the gates had been sealed shut. There was no way he wanted to stay back in the mess.

"Fucking Hwang Yoonmin!" he growled. "I'm gonna kill him! Soobin is mine!"

Suddenly, something fell in front of him. He yelped and jumped back before realizing that it was a strange painting.

Huh?

He picked it up to see that it was an artwork of a burning forest with snakes in it.

"Who the hell will draw a weird ass thing like this?" he wondered. "Oh well. I'll take it home."

With that, he tucked it under his arms and carried it away.