"Shh, it's okay. I'm right here. You're safe now." Taeyeon murmured soothingly, wrapping her arms around Giselle and Ningning, who had been crying for minutes before Taeyeon and Seulgi arrived. Unable to tend to Winter yet, Taeyeon embraced the two girls as they poured out their fears and relief in a jumble of sobs and fragmented words.

Meanwhile, Seulgi took charge of assessing the four lying on the bed, uncertain about removing any attachments. Turning to the sleeping Haechan nearby, she was startled by his altered appearance. His skin had taken on a grayish hue with ominous black spots tracing his nerves. As she inspected his eyes, she made a startling discovery.

Haechan's transformation into a wraith was evident in his eyes, which bore an unsettling resemblance to the experiments conducted by Yunho and Daehyun. One eye glowed an eerie white, while the other emanated a deep, consuming blackness, a fusion of the two experiments' effects.

"Taeyeon..." Seulgi's attempts to alert Taeyeon were drowned out by the cries of Giselle and Ningning. Just as Haechan stirred, Seulgi's urgency escalated.

"Taeyeon!" she called louder, causing the others to pause in confusion.

"What is it?" Taeyeon responded, her attention now divided between Seulgi and the distraught girls.

Their attention snapped to Haechan as he suddenly sat up, prompting Seulgi to recoil, accidentally hitting the bed frame. "Haechan?" she called cautiously, extending a trembling hand towards him, unsure of what to expect from the transformed figure before her.

Shielding Giselle and Ningning, Taeyeon braced herself, unsure if Haechan was still the friend they knew or if he had succumbed to becoming a wraith. Despite the painful suspicion, they remained vigilant, prioritizing everyone's safety above all else.

Ignoring their calls, Haechan returned to his station behind the machines, swiftly attaching the devices to his head, reigniting their functions. His movements were a blur, impossible for them to track as he darted around the laboratory, attending to their friends lying still on the bed as if nothing had transpired.

"Haechan?" Taeyeon's voice cut through the air, causing him to pause momentarily and glance in their direction.

"I'm... not done..." Haechan's voice rumbled, deeper and strained, as he resumed his restless vigil, repeating the same phrases in a relentless mantra.

"I'm not done... must stay awake..." His actions became frenetic, a continuous loop of movement and murmurs that left them bewildered and concerned for their friend's well-being.

"What's happening to him?" Taeyeon's worry mirrored in her voice as Giselle attempted to explain amidst her tears.

"Haechan finished his work before you arrived. I don't know what's happening now, but he... he changed right after." Giselle's words faltered as Haechan stumbled, his head colliding with a nearby chair.

"Haechan! Please, come here. Take a moment to calm down." Seulgi implored, rising to intervene. Disregarding Haechan's altered appearance, she reached out, steadying him with gentle yet firm hands, treating him with the familiarity of a friend in distress.

"Giselle mentioned you finished. We'll take over from here. Can you recognize me?" Seulgi's reassurance seemed to anchor Haechan, who finally relented, settling onto a stool and observing Karina, Winter, Jaemin, and Jeno in silence.

"At this point, nothing surprises me anymore with all these wraiths, but I might have to dub him the genius wraith." Seulgi quipped, eliciting a brief moment of levity amidst their somber mood. Despite their sadness over Haechan's plight, they resolved to honor his efforts, vowing to care for and protect him in return.

As they attempted to converse with Haechan, it became evident that he struggled to communicate coherently. However, an unexpected twist emerged when questions about the machine or his research prompted Haechan to launch into an incomprehensible stream of scientific jargon, leaving them baffled.

Moved by a surge of emotion, Giselle and Ningning dissolved into tears once more, seeking solace in Haechan's embrace, expressing both remorse for his plight and gratitude for his efforts. Taeyeon and Seulgi joined in the embrace, their own eyes misting over at the poignant scene. Seizing the moment, Taeyeon finally turned her attention to Winter's side, her heart heavy with apprehension.

A cautious examination revealed Karina and Jaemin appeared unscathed, showing no signs of wraith transformation. Relief washed over Taeyeon as she verified their normalcy, her attention then turning to Jeno. With trepidation, she gently lifted Jeno's eyelids, her breath catching as she observed his pupils gradually returning to their natural state, albeit still hazy.

Taeyeon placed her trust in Haechan's judgment and expertise, refraining from questioning the procedures he performed on the four individuals without their knowledge. She had faith in Haechan's abilities and believed in his intentions, opting to support him without reservation.

Though encouraged by Jeno's progress, Taeyeon grappled with the looming uncertainty surrounding Winter's condition. Fears and doubts gnawed at her, threatening to overwhelm her resolve. Yet, a glimmer of hope flickered within her as she approached Winter, her pulse quickening as she noticed a subtle shift in her complexion, a faint semblance of humanity returning to her pallid skin.

"Seulgi, come here. Am I seeing things right?" Taeyeon called out, but her voice was lost in the chaos. Fearing to confront Winter's condition, Taeyeon's nerves gripped her tightly.

"Seul—" Her plea was interrupted by a sudden commotion behind her. Turning, Taeyeon's gaze fell upon Jaemin, sprawled on the floor, his groans of hunger piercing the air.