"It's not exactly surprising, but after the incident in the gym storage room, Han Junwoo began to openly hate . At the sa ti, the obedient act he put on for his parents disappeared without a trace.
Now, Han Taesan completely occupies the seat beside Han Junwoo.
I might be shaless when it cos to hiding my true feelings, but I’m not the kind of person who can pretend I’m unaffected while holding my head high in ignorance of my sha. At the very least, I refuse to be so pathetic weakling. I don’t have the courage to casually talk to Han Junwoo as if everything is fine.
After that, I started falling into a spiral of lancholy and boredom. Sotis, I’d burn with a petty sense of revenge, but in the end, I always endured.
That bastard Han Junwoo, who can’t control his emotions, began to envy and resent like a childish brat. And the reason for it was clear: Han Taesan.
Regardless of the intent, I hated Han Taesan even more. He wasn’t mine to begin with, but it wasn’t enough that he stole Han Junwoo from —he even made him hate . I couldn’t shake the thought that he was a vicious bastard.
Even if it wasn’t intentional, it didn’t matter to . You know how people are—our feelings often defy logic. To , blaming him was a way of finding a scapegoat to endure this miserable situation.
However, I always made rational choices, and I knew well enough that Han Taesan was just being swept along by Han Junwoo. That’s why I never showed any hostile emotions toward him.
Partly because I was too embarrassed to reveal my jealousy. And partly because I knew that if I lost my temper with Han Taesan, I’d only look like a fool. If that happened, Han Junwoo would hate even more, and the people in our class would label a disgusting, filthy gay bastard.
“...This is the worst.”
I hated it. I hated it so much I wanted to die. I hated it more than being hated by Han Junwoo.
Then, for so reason, Go Yohan ca to mind. I couldn’t pinpoint why, but I chalked it up to the fact that he was the irritating jerk I’d been hanging around with the most lately. If he ever found out what I was thinking, what would he say? Probably sothing like this:
‘Turns out Jun’s just a filthy, disgusting gay bastard, huh?’
The thought of Go Yohan looking at with disdain made clench my fists. It was such a horrifying image that I nearly gagged. I absolutely didn’t want anyone to find out.
Friendships can be so shallow at tis. When it beca obvious that Han Junwoo and I weren’t on good terms, my relationships with his group naturally beca strained as well. Amusingly, the most isolated mber of Go Yohan’s group, Lee Seokhyun, suddenly struck up a pointless conversation with yesterday.
“Kang Jun, Go Yohan was looking for you earlier.”
“Oh? Why?”
“I don’t know, he just was.”
“...”
It was always sothing like this—useless topics with no clear purpose. From the looks of it, people now saw as being closer to Go Yohan’s group than to Han Junwoo’s.
Of course, it wasn’t as if the ties with Junwoo’s group were completely severed. Occasionally, during gym class or by chance in the morning, we’d exchange polite greetings. Though that was mostly limited to Park Dongchul.
“Hey, Kang Jun! Morning.”
“...Morning.”
I rembered one of those awkward exchanges when Park Dongchul had muttered sothing under his breath.
‘Junwoo’s been acting weird lately. The way he treats Taesan... isn’t it kind of creepy?’
I must have made an unpleasant face, because he seed to think I agreed. He then went on to talk about how Junwoo forced Taesan to sit with him, grabbed his arm, and wouldn’t let go.
I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth before responding.
‘I don’t care about that disgusting stuff at all.’
That shut him up imdiately.
Lately, Park Dongchul had been trying to cozy up to Go Yohan and his friends. He seed like soone quietly looking for a way out of Junwoo’s shadow. Maybe the reason he shared all that with was to get closer.
Today, as usual, it was just Go Yohan and left in the classroom, away from the others.
Leaning against the back wall of the classroom, Go Yohan stared down at . Whether he was ignoring or just sizing up, I wasn’t sure. Annoyed, I turned my head away, deciding to ignore him as well.
“Jun.”
“What?”
“Let’s get ice cream after school. That stuff we had last ti was pretty good.”
Go Yohan ignored my attempt to ignore him. As he spoke, he lazily tossed a rubber ball across the classroom. The ball bounced around erratically, threatening to hit people, but no one said anything to him.
He didn’t care about the atmosphere at all. He was indifferent, selfish even. I watched the ball bounce around with a frown, finally breaking my silence. My irritation over his shaless behavior made my tone sharper than usual.
“You an the one you ate all by yourself? You bought it for yourself, didn’t you?”
“Well, not really. I just like green.”
“So you didn’t think about my opinion at all?”
“How was I supposed to know what you wanted? You didn’t tell .”
By then, the ball had rolled sowhere across the floor. Yohan held out his hand, motioning for it. One of the students near the ball hesitated, then awkwardly picked it up and placed it in Yohan’s hand. Yohan casually shook the ball in his hand and said to the retreating student,
“Thanks, loser.”
What an irritating personality.
‘Loser this, nerd that.’ Every word out of his mouth was insufferable.
Honestly, it made no sense that soone as obnoxious as Go Yohan was hanging around with instead of Han Junwoo. He always ate with , sat with , and attended class with . Sure, Junwoo wasn’t around, but he could easily text or et him if he wanted to.
The thought crossed my mind suddenly, and I asked without much thought,
“Why don’t you hang out with Han Junwoo these days?”
Go Yohan, mid-act of throwing and catching the rubber ball against the wall, suddenly froze. Then he turned to with a puzzled expression.
“You had a fight with him,” he said.
“?”
“Yeah. You and Han Junwoo.”
“I know. I’m the one who fought with him. So why does it matter to you?”
“You really say the strangest things. It’s because you’re my friend.”
Go Yohan scanned up and down with an oddly blatant gaze. Feeling uneasy, I avoided his eyes and asked back,
“You’re friends with Han Junwoo too, though.”
“Wow. You’re hilarious. What, are you saying you’re not my friend?”
Now his tone was incredulous as he pointed at with his finger.
“No, I am your friend. But you were also friends with Han Junwoo. So why are you taking my side?”
“Well, because I’ve known you longer.”
“What are you talking about? We beca friends because of Han Junwoo, didn’t we?”
“Hey. What are you even saying? We were close back in our first year!”
“When?”
“Seriously, you’re such a bastard. Wow. Back in the cafeteria, we used to make eye contact all the ti!”
“Oh... back then.”
“So, what, was I the only one who thought we were friends? You scamr. That’s why, as soon as we were in the sa class, I approached you first! And you don’t even acknowledge that? Unbelievable. I’m disappointed in you.”
“Oh.”
“Wow. Unbelievable. Just... wow. How could you do this to ?”
“Fine, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?”
I hastily mumbled my apology, recalling those awkward but strangely frequent encounters from our first year.
So that was within his “friendship category.” I feel robbed. How could anyone interpret those stares as friendly? They were filled with hostility, plain and simple. Wait, does that an the first one to suggest eating together wasn’t Han Junwoo, but... him?
The realization hit like a ton of bricks, leaving stunned. It was unsettling, even shocking. Still, I didn’t want to get further entangled, so I pretended to understand and nodded.
“Alright, alright. I get it. I’m sorry.”
“I was seriously so upset just now.”
Go Yohan glared at briefly. Sotis, I really can’t understand how his mind works.
“And anyway, Han Junwoo’s acting seriously weird.”
“...”
“That guy’s completely insane right now. He’s always been a bit off, but this? This is just... yeah.”
He grabbed the rubber ball with four fingers, lazily spinning it around his temple with his index finger. The sight made think of Park Dongchul and the other classmates who’d awkwardly tried to talk to about Junwoo.
From that alone, I could tell one thing: Han Junwoo’s reputation was in freefall.
“Gay.”
The word—the most feared and damning stigma in the world of eighteen-year-olds—sent a chill through . My body trembled slightly at the thought. At the sa ti, I felt relieved that no one knew about . Did that relief an I valued myself more than Han Junwoo?
Uneasy, I looked at Go Yohan’s face, feeling like a blasphemous priest hiding a secret before God.
“Really, ,” I muttered.
Then I let out a laugh—a strange mix of fear and derision.
It was almost funny that, to others, I was Go Yohan’s closest friend. In truth, I was no different—a criminal branded with an unholy stigma. Just a few months ago, I was Han Junwoo’s closest friend. And yet, here I was, hiding in a filthy trap I’d barely escaped.
I had only managed to avoid being caught. That was all.
*****
It was dawn. A ssage from an unknown number arrived unexpectedly. A call at 4 a.m. Half-asleep, I thought for a mont that everything happening now was a dream. Even though I had avoided seeking out Han Junwoo to protect myself from being hurt, my heart leapt at the thought that the ssage might be from him.
I hurriedly rubbed my eyes and checked again who had sent it. My feelings were conflicted. Part of hoped it was just one of those spam ssages offering shady loans. But as soon as I read the content, I knew it wasn’t from Han Junwoo.
“Jun-ah, I’m sorry for contacting you at this hour. Could you co outside your house for a mont? I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“Just once. Just this one ti.”
There was no way Han Junwoo would ever apologize to .
Among my peers, there were only two people who called Jun, and of the two, there was only one so pitiful. How did Han Taesan even know where I lived? The mont I saw the ssage, my face twisted into a scowl. I didn’t want to see him—never wanted to see him. He was always unpleasant.
But despite my thoughts, I got out of bed, buttoned up my clothes, and stood up. I walked to my door but stopped short of stepping through, resting my forehead against the fra with a deep sigh.
“...Damn it.”
It was all so overwhelming, like I had a knot in my stomach. That was the only way to describe it. I clutched my chest. I’d always prided myself on getting good grades, on knowing a wide range of vocabulary from all the books I’d read, but none of the words I knew could fully express this intricate and tangled ss of emotions.
It was just... complicated.
The hatred I felt for Han Taesan, the mory of his face bruised purple that day, and the desperate days I’d spent trying to put so distance between them all swirled together. Biting my lip, I fiddled with the doorknob, then closed my eyes and turned it with a decisive twist.
In the garden, the cold morning dew clung to the air, heralding the arrival of autumn. To avoid the wet grass, I stepped carefully onto the cool marble stones between the lawn. The chilly dawn made pull my jacket tighter around . My toes, poking out from the front of my slippers, carried all the way to the front gate.
I paused there for a mont, clicked my tongue lightly, and grabbed the handle. The creaking of the hinge made flinch, and I opened the gate even more slowly.
Beyond the gate, illuminated by the streetlight on the asphalt, stood Han Taesan in his school uniform. His head was hung low as he idly scrawled invisible shapes on the ground with the tip of his shoe.
“...Han Taesan.”
At my voice, Han Taesan’s head snapped up like lightning.
“Jun, Jun-ah!”
“What is this? Why are you here?”
“I-I’m sorry. No, thank you so much for coming out. Really, thank you.”
With those words, Han Taesan suddenly burst into tears.
I sighed again and took a closer look at him. His tattered spring-and-autumn uniform hung off him like rags. His right eye was swollen and bruised, his cheek puffed out unnaturally, and a dried streak of blood clung stubbornly to the skin above his upper lip.
I stood there silently, taking in everything about him.
Finally, I stepped forward, placed a hand lightly on his shoulder, and nudged him toward the house.
*****
The knot in my chest wouldn’t go away.
Without realizing it, I gripped Han Taesan’s shoulder tightly. Between the folds of his clothes and the skin beneath, the warped remnants of Han Junwoo’s twisted affection lingered. As Han Taesan flinched instinctively, I quickly let go of his shoulder.
Opening the front door, I glanced at the row of shoes on the floor and let out a small sigh. Both my parents were overseas, and the live-in housekeeper stayed in a separate building. No one would notice the unwelco visitor who had co in the dead of night. My safety mattered far more to than his.
“Let’s just go to my room for now.”
I nudged his shoulder, and Han Taesan, still quietly sobbing, walked slowly in the direction I pushed him. When we reached my room, I told him to sit on the sofa. He hesitated awkwardly in front of it, his movents clumsy and unsure. After glancing at , he clapped the dust off his pants and cautiously perched on the edge of the seat. The sight irritated .
“Just sit properly.”
“O-okay.”
“Wait here for a bit.”
Leaving him in the room, I went to the living room to find the ointnt I’d used before. When I returned, Han Taesan was still sitting stiffly at the edge of the sofa, looking uncomfortable. I frowned, stepped closer, and placed the box beside him before gently pushing his shoulder back.
“Ah, ah,” he stamred, his body rigid. I ignored his reaction and pulled out the ointnt from the box, tossing it to him.
“Put this on.”
“Huh?”
“On your wounds. Your lip—it’s still bleeding.”
“O-okay.”
Watching him struggle to open the ointnt tube was frustrating. I snatched it from his hands, quickly twisted off the cap, and handed it back to him. While he slowly examined the tube, I rummaged through the box for an ice pack to reduce the swelling.
I found one in the second compartnt, tore open the packaging, and glanced at Han Taesan. He was dabbing at his lip with his fourth finger, barely applying the ointnt.
“What are you doing?” I sighed, exasperated, as I pressed my hand against his cheek. He flinched so violently it irritated further.
“Don’t move.”
At that, he froze completely. Dumbfounded by his reaction, I tilted my head slightly. What’s with this guy? Every little thing about him was aggravating. I pressed the ice pack firmly onto his cheek.
“Did Han Junwoo do this to you?”
At my question, Han Taesan nodded slowly.
“Hey.”
“Y-yeah?”
“I’m curious about sothing.”
“...Yeah.”
“Why don’t you transfer schools?”
His small hands fidgeted for a mont before going still. His hesitance only made more frustrated. I snatched the ointnt from his hand, squeezed a bit onto my finger, and roughly applied it to the cut near his eye. Each ti my finger touched him, his body flinched.
Annoying. Seriously annoying.
By the ti I’d finished applying the ointnt to the small wounds on his temple and forehead, he finally spoke.
“I... I can’t transfer.”
“Why not?”
“I... I live with my grandma. We can’t move.”
“If it’s a matter of money, I’ll lend it to you. No, I’ll just give it to you. I can help with the deposit for a small studio. Or you could report it as school violence. I’ll help with that too.”
I pulled my hand back after applying the ointnt. My words were calm, almost kind, but I couldn’t deny the selfish motives behind them. However, it seed Han Taesan didn’t perceive them that way. I could see a faint smile forming on his face.
“Sotis... you say such incredible things so casually.”
What’s that supposed to an? I frowned, and his expression turned somber again.
“But, my grandma... she’s sick.”
“...”
“She has cancer... pancreatic cancer.”
“Ah, cancer.”
I nodded chanically and forced a sympathetic tone.
“That must be tough.”
“Well... not entirely. There’s still hope. They caught it relatively early, so there’s hope.”
“...”
“Um, you know...”
“What?”
“Thank you. Really.”
“It’s nothing.”
“You’re... you’re a really kind and good person, Jun.”
“...I’m not.”
The sudden pang of guilt made stamr. Han Taesan fell silent again, then hesitated before continuing.
“Back when we lived in the countryside... the doctors said she’d get better treatnt in Seoul. Grandma said it was fine, but I begged her to move to Seoul. My parents left an inheritance... oh, my parents passed away in a car accident when I was young... so I told her we could use that to move. Grandma said it was for my college tuition and refused, but I insisted. I said I wanted to go to college in Seoul, so I had to study there.”
“Yeah.”
“After we moved, I tricked her into going to the hospital. I dragged her there by force, even though she resisted. I didn’t realize I was that strong—or that she was so weak. I made her start chemotherapy... yeah, I made her. When she got really sick, she was already in the hospital, so it was fine. But... I can’t tell her about what’s happening to here. Not in Seoul.”
“...”
“I just... I can’t.”
Han Taesan curled into himself, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his face in them. His voice was thick with tears.
I bit my lip. Damn it.
I couldn’t pinpoint why I was so angry. I didn’t even want to think about it. Biting down harder, I sucked my lip back into my mouth before releasing it again.
“Is your grandma ho today?”
“H-huh?”
“I thought you ca here because she’s ho. Is that it?”
“...Y-yeah. Sorry. Really... sorry.”
“I’ll grab a pillow and so clothes for you to change into. You can sleep here tonight.”
While there was a guest room available, I had no intention of giving it to Han Taesan. Judging by his current state, it was obvious what would happen if anyone found out he was here. Nothing good would co from people knowing. But I couldn’t be heartless enough to kick him out either—that wouldn’t be very “Kang Jun” of .
Maybe it would’ve been better to pretend I hadn’t answered his call.
I grabbed a pillow from my bed and rummaged through the wardrobe across the hall for so sleepwear and a blanket. Returning, I tossed everything onto the sofa where Han Taesan was sitting.
“Use this to cover yourself. And change into these to sleep more comfortably.”
“...Thank you. Really, thank you so much.”
“You don’t have to thank . Just change and get so rest. I’ll find a more permanent solution for you soon. If your grandma gets worried, just say you’re studying with . I can make the call for you if necessary.”
“Oh, that’s... you’re good at studying, so...”
“Yeah. I am.”
As soon as I responded, Han Taesan gave a peculiar smile. With his swollen face, it looked more like a grimace, but the suddenness of it threw off. I frowned at him, confused, as he waved his hand in the air awkwardly and stamred.
“No, it’s just... you’re surprisingly unusual, that’s all.”
“What’s that supposed to an?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Now he was giggling into his hands, shoulders shaking as if trying to suppress his laughter.
I felt a surge of irritation at his puzzling behavior, but there was no point in telling him to stop laughing. With a scowl, I turned back toward my bed. Han Taesan continued laughing quietly for a while, then glanced over his shoulder at several tis before finally changing clothes.
Lying down, I caught a glimpse of his back as he changed. It was mottled with bruises in shades of blue and purple. He carefully handled the clothes, as if worried about stretching them out, and adjusted the front collar. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked in my direction.
The startled look on his face made it clear he hadn’t expected to see him. His face flushed, and he quickly lowered his gaze.
“What?”
“N-nothing...”
He stole another glance at , his eyes briefly eting mine, before lowering them again.
“...Does that cheek hurt?”
Shit. Reflexively, I covered the spot where Han Junwoo had hit and pulled the blanket over my head. Damn Han Taesan. I felt a wave of sha and humiliation bubbling up. I knew I shouldn’t have helped him.
“I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry... I didn’t an to cause trouble for you...”
Goddamn it. Damn it all. My mind spiraled with curses, but the only words that ca to were ones I’d picked up from Han Junwoo and Go Yohan—"shit," "bastard," "fuck." I swallowed my frustration and muttered,
“Just sleep. It’s fine.”
With that, Han Taesan said nothing more.
As the oppressive gloom of dawn pressed down on , I felt myself being dragged into an uneasy sleep. But the silence was broken by a loud noise. Groping for its source, I found myself squinting against the glow of my phone. The na on the screen stabbed at my eyes and my thoughts.
“Han Junwoo.”
I stared at the na, torn. The call ended as I hesitated, but the phone began ringing again almost imdiately, demanding my attention.
I glanced at Han Taesan, who seed to be asleep, then back at the na on the screen. Finally, I silenced the phone.
But Han Junwoo’s disturbance didn’t end there.
The faint sound of the doorbell rang from downstairs. My ears strained to make sense of the noise, and I realized it wasn’t stopping. It wasn’t just ringing—it was repeating, the first note endlessly looping.
It was Han Junwoo.
If this kept up, the live-in housekeeper would definitely wake up. Realizing this, I shot out of bed, threw open my door, and ran downstairs.
Fucking hell.
Crossing the yard, I opened the gate just in ti to dodge a flying rock. That bastard had thrown a rock at my gate. Stunned, I froze, but Han Junwoo showed no sign of remorse or concern for almost hitting . He simply shoved past and stord into the house.
“Hey, Han Junwoo! Where do you think you’re going?”
He didn’t answer, breaking into a sprint instead. I slamd the gate shut and chased after him, but there was no way I could match his speed.
My mind raced.
How had Han Junwoo found his way here? Did he know Han Taesan was in my house?
It made sense, though. Where else could friendless Han Taesan go? Of course, this ss would fall on .
“Where’s Han Taesan?!”
“Keep your voice down, Han Junwoo!”
“Hey! Han Taesan!”
“Shut up! People can hear you!”
Han Junwoo started throwing open doors, shouting as he went. I tried to calm him down, lowering my voice as I called his na, but he ignored . Instead, he shoved aside, making stumble and fall.
By the ti I picked myself up, biting down the humiliation, Han Junwoo was already upstairs. He didn’t hesitate—he stord into my room and threw the door wide open.
“Shit. Why is Han Taesan here?”
The sequence of unbelievable events left my mind blank, and my body crumpled involuntarily. Han Junwoo pressed my head against the floor with such force that I couldn’t move. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lift my head or escape his grip.
I could feel his entire strength bearing down on . Gritting my teeth, I grabbed at his arm, twisting and pulling with all my might, but it was useless. He pushed harder, as if he intended to crush my skull.
“Let go of !”
Without realizing it, I scread. The situation was unbearable—a sudden, suffocating nightmare. I thrashed violently, and then I heard Han Taesan’s trembling voice from inside my room.
“...Jun-ah. J-Jun-ah!”
“You fucking worthless bastard!”
The mont Han Junwoo saw Han Taesan’s pale, terrified face, he shoved hard with his foot.
I tumbled down the stairs, crashing into the floor below and hitting my head. My vision spun so wildly I couldn’t tell which way was up. As my consciousness flickered, I heard his voice again.
“Jun-ah! Han Junwoo, wait, please!”
“Shut up and watch, Han Taesan.”
“Junwoo, please! I’ll do whatever you say—I already did, didn’t I?”
“Do what? You piece of shit. Shut your mouth and watch closely. Look at what you’ve made do! How could you do this to , you bastard? You love Kang Jun so much, right? Then see how pathetic and worthless he really is because of you!”
“I told you it’s not like that! I told you! Please, I’m begging you!”
Han Taesan stood beside him, tears streaming down his face. He wasn’t even trying to stop Junwoo properly. Instead, he just hovered there, trembling, unable to grab him or speak coherently.
Clutching my throbbing head, I forced myself to stand and shouted as loudly as I could.
“Hey! Han Junwoo!”
I scread his na with everything I had, but my voice cracked and turned into a whimper. My stomach hurt, my arms hurt, my head hurt—my whole body betrayed , collapsing onto the floor. Han Junwoo was beating .
“No, Junwoo, I’m sorry! Please, I’m sorry! It’s all my fault!”
“You useless piece of shit. Just die already, you bastard!”
“Stop it, please! I won’t ever talk to Kang Jun again. I won’t even look at him! I’ll do whatever you say, just stop!”
And then, finally, I broke.
Tears spilled out uncontrollably as I cried in front of Han Junwoo.
This was unbearable. Absolutely unbearable. How could you do this to , Junwoo? How could you rip my heart apart like this? What did I ever do to you? Did I confess to you? Did I ever force my feelings on you?
The tears didn’t stop, dripping onto the floor in a steady rhythm. Even in the chaos, I could see it—the look of disgust on Junwoo’s face, the way he treated as if I were nothing. Just because Han Taesan paid special attention to , how could he treat like this?
It was unfair.
I had been his closest friend.
It was unfair.
Even as I cried, I covered my face with my arm. It wasn’t the pain in my stomach that hurt most—it was the humiliation of soone seeing like this.
“Pathetic Kang Jun. Crying like the useless loser he is.”
Through blurred vision, I saw Han Junwoo grab Han Taesan by the wrist and drag him. As Junwoo’s hand touched him, Han Taesan retched violently, collapsing onto the floor and vomiting. He trembled, covering his mouth with both hands, but Junwoo simply sneered and stroked his cheek mockingly.
Han Taesan recoiled, flinching away so hard that he fell again. Junwoo cursed at him, grabbed him roughly, and dragged him toward the door.
Even then, I couldn’t give up. Gritting my teeth against the searing pain in my stomach, I staggered to my feet and followed them.
Han Taesan thrashed weakly, turning his head repeatedly to look back at . His eyes were desperate, almost pleading. It made sick. God, I hated him.
All I could see was the two of them. My chest burned with resentnt toward Junwoo and seething jealousy toward Taesan.
I reached out and managed to grab the hem of Taesan’s shirt just as they reached the front gate. Taesan froze, and Junwoo turned to face .
I glared at him, but all that ca back was another blow. Junwoo shoved by the shoulder, sending sprawling to the ground.
“Fucking hell, just leave us alone already! Get lost, you goddamn bastard! Stop ruining everything!”
Junwoo scread at , his words like knives carving into my chest.
He’s a terrible person.
A terrible person.
I wanted to kill him.
I wanted to kill Han Junwoo.
Junwoo pulled Taesan toward the street, and I scrambled to my feet, using the ground for support.
Then I heard it.
Ding.
A chanical chi. Did I imagine it? I barely had ti to question it before I heard the sharp clack of a window closing.
A chill ran up my spine, starting from my tailbone. My world fell into silence.
No. No.
Even as my eyes stayed on their retreating figures, I rushed back into the house, heart pounding.
Where was it? Where had the sound co from?
I slamd the gate shut and hid behind it, my mind racing. The only thought echoing through my head was:
Did soone see?
Who saw it?
Did they see ?
My heart hamred in my chest, like a hamr striking an anvil. My breath hitched as panic surged.
Whose house was it?
Could they hear us?
No. Could they tell it was ?
I rushed back inside, locking the door behind . Leaning against it, I panted heavily, trying to calm down. The quiet settled back in, but the mory of Junwoo’s voice rang in my ears.
“Pathetic loser.”
My tear-streaked face twisted in pain, and heat flushed through as I crouched on the carpet, sobbing.
That night, Junwoo truly crushed like an insect.
The worst part?
After all that, I still had to clean up Han Taesan’s vomit with my aching body, careful not to wake the housekeeper. Holding my breath as I wiped the floor, tears and mucus dripped down my face. My vision blurred, my eyes burned, and the warm liquid streaked down my hands.
At the sink, as I rinsed the rag, I caught my reflection in the mirror.
The lower half of my face was sared with blood.
My head spun.
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