A quiet café in Gangnam.
Roby sits in the corner booth, black hoodie up, his hand gripping Ji Hoon's diary. His eyes are restless.
The door chimes. Seo Yoon Ji walks in—calm, composed, her white outfit contrasting with her somber energy. She sits across from him without a word, just a piercing stare.
Yoon Ji (quietly):
"Ji Hoon was a good person. But this school… too filthy for someone like him."
Roby:
"I know. But I still don't know everything."
Yoon Ji pulls a flash drive from her bag and places it on the table.
"This is the cafeteria footage. The last day Ji Hoon was seen."
Roby takes it, a bit shocked.
"Why are you giving this to me?"
Yoon Ji stares at him, then looks down.
"Because I'd be a coward to keep it to myself. You've got the fire he had."
Roby (softly):
"I'll take care of it. Thanks, Yoon Ji."
Meanwhile, at Jong Woo's apartment…
Do Yoon, Lee Hwang Woo, Seo Min Gyu, and Tae Yang are crowded around a glowing monitor. Uncle Jong Woo, shirtless in sweatpants, is digging through security footage.
Jong Woo:
"This school footage's wild. Like something out of a conspiracy movie."
Min Gyu:
"I didn't even know there were cameras in the teachers' lounge... If this is real, it could destroy the whole school."
Do Yoon checks his phone. Roby just texted:
[Roby: Got the footage. Major surprise. Gather up.]
Elsewhere…
A dark underground room.
Kang Dae Hyun stands in front of a digital screen. His men, all dressed in black, sit behind him like a cult meeting.
Underling:
"Jin Gook is still at his house. We can't touch him. Feels like… he's waiting for us."
Dae Hyun spits on the floor, voice sharp with rage:
"That old bastard… He's playing the long game. Trying to bait us."
He punches the wall.
"I won't let this school fall over one dead kid and that smartass American brat."
Back at Jong Woo's Apartment…
Roby walks in with the flash drive in his hoodie pocket. His face is serious, unreadable.
Roby:
"I got the file. From Yoon Ji. You guys ready to see what really happened?"
Everyone nods. Jong Woo gets up.
Jong Woo:
"Let's plug it in. Before the school tries to burn the servers."
Roby walks toward the living room—
—but then he freezes.
On the couch, legs crossed, sipping tea like it's her throne…
Hye Mi. His mom.
Roby (shocked):
"MOM?!"
Hye Mi glances up, smiling gently:
"Oh, you're home, Sweetheart."
Roby:
"What are you doing here?! Does Dad know?!"
Hye Mi tilts her head playfully:
"If your father knew… Seoul would already be in flames. Let's keep this our little secret, shall we?"
From the other room, Do Yoon and Hwang Woo whisper:
Do Yoon:
"Why does his mom give off boss mafia vibes?"
Hwang Woo:
"Because, bro… she is the boss."
Jong Woo's apartment was dimly lit, the only light coming from the large computer screen in front of them. Roby, Do Yoon, Min Gyu, Tae Yang, and Lee Hwang Woo sat silently in a half-circle. Jong Woo stood behind them, arms crossed.
With a click, the video file from Yoon Ji's flash drive started to play.
[CCTV Footage: School Cafeteria – Day of Ji Hoon's Death]
Kim Ji Hoon was seen sitting alone in a corner of the cafeteria. His hands trembled as he slowly scooped up food. His face was pale. On his tray, beside his plate, sat a notebook and a tiny USB drive—barely visible.
Tae Yang lowered his head.
Min Gyu watched the screen with a tight jaw.
Roby (quietly):
"He brought the evidence with him…"
Several minutes passed in silence. Then three boys entered the cafeteria: Seo Min Gyu, Oh Tae Yang, and Han Ji Seok.
They didn't sit. Min Gyu hesitated, then walked toward Ji Hoon slowly.
[Audio - faint but clear]
Min Gyu:
"Are you really going through with this? If this video gets out, it's not just the guilty ones who'll fall."
Ji Hoon:
"I don't care anymore. This school is a factory of silence."
Min Gyu:
"You're crazy…"
Just then, Ji Seok pulled Min Gyu away, clearly tense.
Do Yoon:
"See that? Ji Seok stopped Min Gyu. He wasn't part of the threats."
Roby nodded slowly.
Moments later… Dae Hyun appeared on screen.
Neatly dressed, emotionless. He walked over and stood behind Ji Hoon. He didn't speak right away. Then, he leaned down and whispered something into Ji Hoon's ear.
The audio cut out.
But Ji Hoon's reaction said everything: shock, fear, and frozen panic.
Tae Yang (muttering):
"That... that wasn't just a threat. That was life or death."
Lee Hwang Woo:
"Look at his face. Cold as ice. That smile's not normal. That's psycho-level creepy."
Dae Hyun patted Ji Hoon's shoulder once... then walked away.
Ji Hoon sat frozen, staring blankly.
[Later footage – Back Hallway at Night]
Ji Hoon rushed down the hallway with his bag tightly clutched. He looked over his shoulder.
A hooded figure appeared behind him.
Their face couldn't be seen. They moved fast—too fast—and clearly avoided the camera angle.
Then…
The footage cut to black.
Min Gyu:
"What the hell—?! They cut the best part!"
Jong Woo (growling):
"Someone deleted the key moment. This was covered up by an insider."
Roby stood up.
"At least now we know... Ji Hoon didn't die by accident. He was silenced."
Do Yoon:
"And Ji Seok wasn't the mastermind. He was just caught in the middle."
Min Gyu:
"We need to move before this file disappears too"
Footsteps echoed behind them.
Hye Mi, Roby's mother, stepped forward holding a warm cup of tea.
Hye Mi:
"You boys now hold a bomb strong enough to bring down this whole system. Tomorrow, we go to the police… and to the press."
Tae Yang:
"And what if we don't make it out?"
Hye Mi smiled calmly, dangerously.
"As long as you're standing with my son… I promise you'll survive."
Elsewhere…
Dae Hyun's office.
He stared at his tablet screen, watching the exact same footage—but edited. The back hallway clip was gone.
Dae Hyun:
"They got the file... Faster than I thought."
His friend (from the agency):
"You want me to wipe everything else from the server?"
Dae Hyun:
"Too late. We need a new plan. We sacrifice one... to protect the rest."
Back in Jong Woo's apartment…
A projector showed a web of photos and connections—a full conspiracy board. In the center: Dae Hyun. Above him: Yoon Ji's family, education authorities, sponsors.
Roby pointed at Hae Jun's photo.
"He knows something. But he's too much of a coward to act alone. He's just a pawn for Dae Hyun."
Do Yoon:
"Then we hit where it hurts… Hae Jun's pride."
Lee Hwang Woo smirked.
"He's got two weaknesses: his girlfriend, and his ego."
Hye Mi:
"Tomorrow, you go to school like normal. But from now on… we play in the shadows."
The room was still heavy with tension after watching the CCTV footage. Everyone looked deep in thought—until Tae Yang suddenly stood up and messed up his hair like a man in crisis.
Tae Yang: "I gotta go release the monkey."
Lee Hwang Woo turned sharply. "Who? What monkey?"
Min Gyu chuckled tiredly. "Ji Seok. We used to call him 'the monkey'. He called me 'Sirakus', and Tae Yang was 'the chicken'. Don't ask why—it just happened."
Do Yoon smirked. "That's the weirdest friendship I've ever heard of… but kinda heartwarming. In a messed-up way."
Roby leaned back on the couch, raising an eyebrow. "I can't judge. Back in America, I had a crew called 'Team Barbecue.' We used to light bonfires on people's rooftops. In summer."
Everyone laughed softly. The tension started to fade.
Suddenly, Lee Hwang Woo stood up and wrapped his arms around Tae Yang from behind like he was about to strangle him.
Lee Hwang Woo: "Yaa sekkiya! You still owe me big time! That drink you mixed yesterday knocked my cousin out cold. I'm giving you two options: wash my bike 'til it shines… or I post your elementary school pic with bunny ears."
Tae Yang panicked: "W-Wait! That wasn't just me! That was—uh—system error!"
From the kitchen, a soft but deadly voice interrupted.
Hye Mi (flatly): "Drink? Mixed what?"
Everyone fell silent.
Tae Yang and Min Gyu shared a nervous glance.
Lee Hwang Woo blurted out: "It's nothing, Auntie! Just energy drinks! Kid stuff!"
Hye Mi crossed her arms. "Hmm. Alright. Lee Hwang Woo, you're staying over tonight. I'll visit your house tomorrow. Been a while since I talked to your dad. Also, once this mess ends, we're all visiting Grandpa in Busan."
Lee Hwang Woo went pale. "Uh... that's really not necessary, Auntie. Our house is small. Really small. And... smells like gas. And... rats. Lots of rats. Big ones."
Hye Mi smiled sweetly—but it was the kind of smile that froze blood. "I like the smell of gas. And rats are fine… as long as they don't hide secrets."
Everyone burst into laughter. Do Yoon leaned back, chuckling.
Do Yoon: "We're like a family now… a weird, borderline-insane one."
Roby smirked. "Like the Scooby-Doo gang. If Scooby had trauma and secret files."
Min Gyu added: "Correction. One-fourth Scooby-Doo. The rest? Mental chaos."