Chapter Text
The morning air was ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ than usual.
The kind of cold that slowly ๐ค๐ณ๐ข๐ธ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ underneath his school uniform and wrapped around his arms, making him quietly shiver without even noticing at first.
As Sieun walked through the school gates, he kept his hands tucked into his sleeves, his shoulders slightly raised as another chilly breeze passed him by. The sky above was a pale grey, almost white, and the clouds looked soft and unmoving.
Everything around him felt quieter than normal. There were still students arriving one by one, but their voices were softer, their footsteps lighter, and even the usual sounds of school felt distant. It was as if the entire world had decided to settle down for a little while before the day officially began.
He stared ahead as he walked, his breath visible every few seconds, disappearing into the cold air before he could even focus on it. He didn't hate mornings like this. In fact, he found them calming.
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๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฆ๐ต.
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Sieun quietly thought about how strange it was. Usually, mornings carried a certain amount of noise that annoyed him.
Loud conversations, chairs scraping against classroom floors, students running through hallways, and teachers reminding people to hurry up before class started. But today felt different.
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๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ญ๐ต ๐ด๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ.
๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ.
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It almost felt like everyone was speaking under their breath without even realizing it. His dark eyes glanced around the school courtyard before he entered the building, observing everything without saying a word. He had always been someone who noticed small details.
He noticed the leaves gathered at the edge of the path, slightly wet from the morning dew. He noticed how one classroom light flickered for a moment before becoming steady again.
He even noticed the way students instinctively rubbed their hands together because of the cold.
Everything looked ordinary, yet somehow unusual at the same time. It wasn't a bad feeling, just one he couldn't explain.
As he entered his classroom, the warmth inside immediately met his face, though it wasn't enough to fully remove the cold that lingered on his skin. He quietly walked between the rows of desks without paying much attention to anybody around him.
He was used to being ignored and bothered at the same time. It was an odd balance that had become normal for him over the years.
He didn't expect much when he came to school anymore. He expected the same comments, the same stares, and the same childish attempts at making him uncomfortable. Nothing ever really changed.
At least, that was what he ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ.
Then he stopped for a moment.
His eyes landed on his desk.
His desk sat exactly where it always did, between the first and third row, pushed neatly underneath the chair as if someone had carefully placed it there. But something was different.
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๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฌ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ.
๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ.
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Sieun stared at it for a few seconds longer than he normally would have. The surface was smooth, untouched, and free from the countless scratches and mocking drawings that usually covered it. There were no ugly doodles. No insults carved into the corners. No scribbled faces or childish comments left behind by classmates trying to amuse themselves.
It lookedโฆ new. Not entirely new, but clean enough to make him question whether somebody had secretly replaced it overnight.
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He blinked once.
Then twice.
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His eyes slowly traveled across every inch of the wooden surface as if searching for something he had missed. Yet there was nothing there. No evidence that it was ever the same desk he had sat at yesterday. It was strange. Very strange.
Usually, he would find at least one new drawing added every day. Someone always found time to leave another unnecessary reminder that he was different from everyone else.
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But today, there was nothing.
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He stood there quietly, staring at it for a moment longer before a small thought crossed his mind.
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That was unusual.
Surprising, really.
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He didn't know whether he should question it or simply accept it for what it was. People did odd things all the time. Maybe the cleaner had gotten tired of seeing the desk covered in nonsense and decided to scrub everything away.
Maybe a teacher had noticed it. Or maybe someone had simply replaced it without telling him.
Whatever the reason was, he didn't care enough to investigate. There were more important things to focus on than a desk.
Without another thought, Sieun slowly pulled his chair back and sat down.
The chair made a soft scraping sound against the floor before he quietly settled into his seat. He opened his bag and reached inside, pulling out his mathematics workbook along with a pencil.
The pages made a soft rustling sound as he flipped to the homework his teacher had assigned yesterday morning. His eyes immediately scanned over the equations, reading each problem carefully. Numbers had always been easier to understand than people. Numbers followed rules.
They had patterns, formulas, and answers. If something was wrong, there was always a reason behind it.
People, however, were much more difficult.
He rested one elbow on the desk and lightly pressed the side of his face into his hand while solving the first equation. His pencil moved smoothly across the paper without hesitation.
The classroom was still quiet enough for him to hear the faint ticking of the clock hanging at the front of the room. Every now and then, another student would enter, their footsteps briefly interrupting the silence before disappearing once they sat down. But Sieun paid no attention to them. His focus remained entirely on the pages in front of him.
Occasionally, another cold shiver would pass through him, reminding him of the morning air that still lingered on his skin.
He adjusted his sleeves slightly before continuing his work. Outside the windows, the pale sunlight slowly began to appear from behind the clouds, creating a soft glow across the classroom floor. It wasn't bright enough to be warm yet, but it made everything feel calmer somehow.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
No mocking voices.
No unnecessary comments.
No interruptions.
Just the soft sound of pages turning, pencils moving, and the quiet ticking of the clock.
It almost felt unfamiliar.
And although Sieun would never admit it out loud, he found himself hoping the morning would stay this way a little longer.
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____________________
Time quickly passed, and before Sieun knew it, the quietness of the morning had disappeared entirely.
The peaceful atmosphere that had settled over the school earlier had been replaced with loud conversations, squeaking shoes, and students crowding together as they made their way outside for P.E.
He had expected this. In fact, he knew the calm would never last forever. Things never stayed peaceful for very long around him.
They always returned to normal eventually.
As he walked onto the outdoor basketball court with his hands tucked into his pockets, a cool breeze immediately brushed against his face once more. The clouds above had begun to separate, allowing pale sunlight to spread over the school grounds, but the air still carried the same chilly feeling from earlier that morning.
The teacher stood at the front of the court with a clipboard in hand, calling out roll call while students slowly gathered around.
Some talked loudly with their friends while others stretched their arms and legs lazily. Sieun simply stood there in silence, his expression unreadable as always. He kept his attention forward, listening absentmindedly as names were called one after another.
Then, without even needing to look, he could feel it.
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That familiar stare.
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He already knew who it was.
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Yeongbin and his small group of followers stood near the basketball court, watching him. Their eyes lingered on him longer than necessary, and although they hadn't said anything yet, Sieun could already guess what was going through their minds. He had dealt with them enough times to recognize their patterns.
There was always something. A comment. A shove. An attempt to get a reaction from him.
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He quietly sighed to himself.
As expected.
Nothing ever really changed.
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Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Yeongbin nudged one of his friends and began making his way toward him. The others followed behind without hesitation, acting as if they were tied together by invisible strings. Their pace was casual, but their intentions were obvious enough.
Suddenly, they all stopped at a halt, their eyes staring at something above and behind him.
Yeongbin's eyes shifted somewhere else entirely, and so did the eyes of everyone standing beside him. Their expressions changed for a brief moment, almost as if they had unexpectedly run into a problem they didn't know how to handle. The group slowed down before eventually turning around without saying a word.
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Then they simply walked away, back toward the basketball court.
Sieun blinked once, his eyebrows barely furrowed.
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๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ข๐ญ.
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Yeongbin rarely backed away from anything once he had already decided to bother someone. Especially him.
For a brief moment, Sieun stood there quietly, his eyes following the group before he slowly turned around.
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Rows up behind him sat an ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ง๐ข๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ข๐ณ boy.
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Immediately, Sieun knew he had never seen him before.
The boy had a soft and youthful appearance that made him stand out without even trying. His skin was smooth and fair, and his facial features were delicate in a way that almost made him look younger than everyone else around him.
His dark black hair sat neatly above his eyebrows in a bowl-style fringe that framed his face perfectly.
His dark eyes looked calm and observant, but there was something hidden underneath that expression that Sieun couldn't quite explain.
His lips were slightly parted, giving him a thoughtful appearance, almost as if he had been caught in the middle of thinking about something important. Even from where he stood, Sieun could tell he had a slim but lean athletic build.
But that wasn't what caught his attention.
It was his expression.
The boy's face had been dark.
๐๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ.
Not angry.
Not exactly emotionless either.
It was ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ in between.
The kind of expression that felt heavy without needing words.Bur the moment their eyes met, however, that expression completely changed.
His face immediately softened.
His eyes became ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ, more ๐ง๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ.
Then he lazily lifted one hand and gave Sieun a small wave, almost as if they had known each other before.
Sieun stared at him for a moment.
Then another second passed and he still didn't wave back, why would he anyway? Instead, he simply looked at him.
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๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ๐ฅ.
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That was the first thought that entered his mind.He didn't know why, the boy hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't spoken, he hadn't approached him.
He had only waved.
Yet something about him immediately gave Sieun an uncomfortable feeling he couldn't explain.
Not fear.
Not annoyance.
Justโฆ
๐๐๐.
It was the kind of feeling that quietly sat in the back of his mind, impossible to ignore no matter how much he wanted to.His gaze lingered for another second before he quickly looked away.
He didn't want to think too much about it.
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People were strange ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ already.
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He wasn't interested in figuring out another person's intentions.
Especially not someone who was staring at him that intensely for no reason.
Sieun quietly exhaled through his nose before standing up straight. Without another glance, he began walking down the steps toward the teacher standing near the front of the court. His hands remained tucked into his pockets as he moved, his pace steady and calm.
Even thenโฆ
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๐๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ช๐ต.
That ๐ธ๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ stare.
It burned against the back of his head without stopping.It wasn't aggressive, It wasn't threatening. Yet somehow, that ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต made it stranger, most people who watched him had obvious reasons.
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๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐บ.
๐๐ช๐ด๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ.
๐๐ถ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต.
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This felt very different.
And that was exactly why he didn't want to press any further. The fewer questions he asked, the easier things usually were. So, instead, he focused his attention on the teacher calling out names one by one.
Around him, students laughed and spoke to each other without a care in the world. Basketballs bounced against the concrete, shoes squeaked against the ground, and the cold morning air slowly faded away under the growing sunlight.
But despite all the noise surrounding himโฆ
That strange feeling refused to leave.
And even without turning around, Sieun knew one thing for certain.
The unfamiliar boy was still ๐ธ๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ him.
_______________________
The locker rooms were louder than usual once P.E had finished.
Students were talking over one another while opening and slamming their lockers shut. Shoes squeaked against the floor, and towels were thrown over shoulders as everybody hurried to get changed before the next class started.
Sieun quietly walked to his locker and began changing out of his P.E uniform without paying much attention to anybody around him. His thoughts had already wandered elsewhere, focusing on the assignment his teacher had given them last week.
He still had a few questions left to complete, but he wasn't worried about it.
If he went home immediately after school, he would have enough time to finish it before it was due.
He slid one sleeve through his school shirt while mentally planning out the rest of his afternoon. The assignment wasn't difficult, just time consuming.
He preferred getting things done early rather than leaving them unfinished. It made his days easier to manage, and he liked having a routine that he could depend on.
His eyes remained focused downward while he buttoned his shirt, barely noticing the noise around him. Then, suddenly, the room became quieter around him.
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๐๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ถ๐ฑ.
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Yeongbin and his group had entered.
"There he is," Yeongbin said with a grin as his friends laughed behind him.
They slowly walked over, surrounding him without even trying to hide what they were doing. Yeongbin looked him up and down before scoffing.
"Seriously, all that and for what? You're built like a stick." One of the boys snorted beside him. "We should just call you stick bitch from now on."
Sieun didn't answer.
He never really did whenever they started this.
Their insults were repetitive at this point, and he had stopped caring a long time ago.
He simply grabbed his shirt and tried putting it on properly. He only wanted to leave.
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ.
Yeongbin, however, wasn't done. He suddenly stepped forward and yanked the shirt back up over Sieun's head before he could finish putting it on. Laughter immediately erupted around them.
"Seriously, do you even eat?" Yeongbin mocked while poking at his sides.
"If you keep starving yourself, you'll become an actual stick one day."
It wasn't even true. Sieun had an alright body type. He was lean and skinny, but he wasn't unhealthy. Still, their constant poking and touching immediately made him uncomfortable.
He hated being touched, especially by people like them. He quickly moved away and swatted their hands aside.
"Back off," he said firmly. "Leave me alone."
Instead, Yeongbin only grinned wider. One of his friends shoved Sieun backwards until his shoulders hit the lockers with a loud metallic bang.
Another one grabbed him and pinned him there, making it difficult for him to move. His shirt was ripped from his hands, and an arm awkwardly pressed near his neck, making him tense immediately.
He tried pushing them away, but there were too many of them.
Yeongbin stood in front of him and smirked. "You should thank us," he said. "We're helping you toughen up." Sieun could see it in the way Yeongbin stood, trying to make himself look larger and more threatening than he actually was. His jaw was tense, and his eyes carried the kind of anger that came from embarrassment rather than courage.
You thought you were safe out there?โ Yeongbin asked, his voice low as he leaned closer. โYou think someone looking at us is enough to save you?โ
Sieun stared back at him without answering. His breathing remained controlled, even with the arm pressing against him.
He knew that replying would only drag the situation out longer, and Yeongbin didnโt actually want an answer anyway.
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๐๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ.
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He wanted Sieun to lower his eyes, apologise, or beg him to stop. Anything that would make him feel powerful. Sieun wasnโt going to give him that.
The silence only irritated Yeongbin further.
His mouth twisted into a scowl as he grabbed the front of Sieunโs undershirt and pulled him away from the wall for half a second before shoving him back again. The tiles struck cold against Sieunโs shoulder blades.
One of the boys holding him laughed, but the sound was nervous, as though even he wasnโt sure how far Yeongbin planned to take this.
โYou really donโt know when to stop acting smart, do you?โ Yeongbin continued. โYou walk around like everyone here is beneath you. Like youโre better than us just because you get good grades.โ
Sieunโs eyes narrowed slightly. He wasnโt thinking about the insult.
He was paying attention to their positions, the angle of the arm across him, the distance between Yeongbinโs feet, and the open space to his right. If the grip loosened for even a second, he could move.
But there were too many of them packed around him, and the pressure against his throat made it difficult to act without wasting energy. He stayed still and waited, letting Yeongbin believe he had complete control of the situation.
Yeongbin raised one fist.
Sieunโs gaze dropped to it.
He saw the movement of Yeongbinโs shoulder first, the small shift of weight into his back leg, and the way his elbow pulled inward as he prepared to drive the punch into Sieunโs stomach.
It was obvious and badly timed. Under normal circumstances, Sieun could have prepared for it. He might have tightened his body or twisted away enough to reduce the impact.
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๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ค๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ.
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There was a sudden blur from the side, followed by a sharp impact that cut through every other sound in the locker room.
Yeongbinโs entire body jerked sideways.
His raised fist dropped immediately, and his knees seemed to lose strength beneath him. For a brief second, he stood there with a blank, confused expression, as if his mind hadnโt yet understood what had happened.
Then he collapsed heavily onto the tiled floor.
The room went completely silent.
The pressure against Sieunโs chest disappeared at once. The boy who had been holding him released his grip and stumbled backward, his face suddenly pale.
Another one of Yeongbinโs followers froze beside him, staring down at Yeongbin in shock before slowly lifting his eyes toward the person standing behind ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ.
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It was that same strange unfamiliar boy from earlier.
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He stood only a few steps away, one arm still slightly raised from the swing. His usually soft and youthful features had changed so completely that, for a second, Sieun almost didnโt recognise him.
The calm expression from the basketball court was gone. There was no lazy wave, no gentle curiosity, and no faint hint of friendliness left in his eyes.
His face had hardened, his dark gaze fixed on Yeongbinโs group with an intensity that made the entire room feel smaller.
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๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด.
๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐บ๐ฆ๐ฅ.
๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ช๐ณ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ.
๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ค๐ช๐จ.
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His chest rose and fell heavily as he stared at them, his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles along the side of his face stood out. Even his hands were tense, fingers curling slowly into fists at his sides.
There was something unsettling about how quickly his expression had changed. Earlier, he had looked thoughtful and almost gentle.
Now, there was nothing gentle about him.
โPiss off,โ he snapped.
His voice struck through the locker room louder than the hit had.
The boys looked at each other, clearly unsure what to do. One of them glanced down at Yeongbin, who remained on the floor, then back at the new boy. There were three of them still standing, and only one of him, but none of them moved forward.
The confidence they had carried only seconds ago had vanished completely.
The unfamiliar boy took one step closer.
โI said ๐ฑ๐ช๐ด๐ด off.โ
There was a dangerous edge to his voice now, and it didnโt sound like an empty threat. His eyes moved from one face to the next, daring any of them to argue.
One of the boys opened his mouth, probably intending to say something brave, but no words came out. Another bent down and grabbed Yeongbin beneath one arm, attempting to pull him up from the floor.
The new boy didnโt move again.
He didnโt need to.
He simply stared.
There was something far more threatening about the silence that followed than anything he could have shouted. His dark eyes remained fixed on them without blinking, and the anger in his expression didnโt fade.
He looked as if he were waiting for one of them to make the wrong decision. Waiting for an excuse.
That was enough.
The last of Yeongbinโs confidence broke apart.
His followers hurried to lift him, each grabbing one of his arms and dragging him awkwardly between them.
Yeongbinโs shoes scraped against the tiled floor as they struggled to carry most of his weight. None of them looked back for long.
They moved quickly toward the exit, nearly tripping over one another in their rush to get away. One of the boys shoved the door open with his shoulder, and within seconds, the entire group had disappeared into the hallway with Yeongbin hanging between them.
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The door swung shut behind them.
Silence returned to the locker room.
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Sieun remained against the wall for a moment, taking one slow breath after another.
The place where the arm had pressed near his throat felt sore and tight, but he ignored it. His eyes shifted toward his discarded shirt lying across the floor several feet away. He considered walking over to pick it up, but before he could move, the unfamiliar boy turned toward him.
The anger on the boyโs face faded almost instantly.
It didnโt disappear completely, but it softened enough to reveal the same youthful features Sieun had noticed earlier. His shoulders lowered, and his fists slowly relaxed at his sides.
For a second, he looked uncertain, as if he had only just remembered Sieun was there and realised how violent the scene must have looked.
Sieun stared at him carefully.
The sudden difference in his expression was strange.
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Almost ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ.
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One moment, he had looked ready to attack every person in the room. The next, his gaze had become quiet and concerned, worried even.
โYou alright?โ the boy asked.
Sieun didnโt answer immediately.
His eyes moved from the boyโs face to his hand, then down to Yeongbinโs empty place on the floor. It had only taken one swing.
One clean hit, quick enough that Sieun hadnโt even seen the boy enter the room.
That alone told him enough.
The unfamiliar boy knew how to fight, or at least knew how to strike properly. More importantly, he hadnโt hesitated.
โI was handling it,โ Sieun finally said.
The boy glanced at the wall behind him, then at the slight red mark near Sieunโs neck. His eyebrows lifted faintly.
โDidnโt look like it.โ
Sieunโs expression flattened.
He pushed himself away from the wall, brushed past the boy, and walked toward his shirt. His movements remained calm, but his thoughts were moving much faster than he showed.
He bent down, picked the shirt up, and examined the fabric. It was wrinkled but not torn. Behind him, the new boy stayed quiet.
Sieun slipped one arm into the sleeve.
โWhy?โ he asked.
The boy didnโt pretend not to understand.
He leaned back against the row of lockers, watching Sieun with the same calm interest he had shown outside.
โWhy what?"
โWhy did you interfere?โ
The boyโs lips parted, but he didnโt answer right away. He looked genuinely confused by the question, as though the reason should have been obvious.
โThey were ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ you.โ
โThat doesnโt explain why you ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ.โ
The boyโs gaze stayed on him.
For a moment, something unreadable passed through his eyes. It was softer than the anger from before but no less intense.
Sieun felt the same uncomfortable sensation he had felt on the court, that quiet pressure of being watched too closely by someone he didnโt know.
Then the boy gave a small shrug.
โMaybe I donโt like bullies.โ
"Maybe?"
"Uh..."
Sieun pulled the shirt over his shoulders and began fastening the buttons, still studying him.
The answer was simple enough, but it didnโt feel complete. Nothing about the boy felt simple.
Not the way Yeongbin had backed away from him earlier. Not the way he had appeared without making a sound. Not the way he had looked at Sieun before and after the fight.
โYou knocked him out,โ Sieun said.
โHeโll wake up.โ
โYou seem sure.โ
โI didnโt hit him that hard.โ
Sieun stopped buttoning his shirt and looked directly at him.
The boy stared back for two seconds before a faint, almost guilty smile appeared on his face.
โAlright,โ he admitted. โMaybe a little hard.โ
Sieun said nothing.
The boy pushed himself away from the lockers and walked over to him, stopping at a respectful distance this time. Up close, his features looked even softer than they had from the steps outside. It was difficult to connect that face with the person who had just sent Yeongbin to the floor in one movement.
He lazily lifted one hand again, giving Sieun the same slow wave from earlier.
โHi.โ
Sieun looked at the hand, then at his face.
The boyโs smile grew slightly.
โIโm trying to introduce myself.โ
โI know.โ
โAnd?โ
โAnd what?โ
โYouโre supposed to introduce yourself back.โ
โYou already know who I am.โ
The smile faded for only a second, but Sieun noticed.
That answer had been a guess, yet the boyโs reaction confirmed it.
Sieunโs eyes sharpened.
The unfamiliar boy looked away, scratching lightly at the back of his neck as though he had accidentally revealed something he hadnโt meant to.
Sieun finished fastening the last button of his shirt.
The off feeling returned immediately. Stronger this time.
The boy had helped him, but that didnโt mean Sieun trusted him. In some ways, it made him even more suspicious. People rarely acted without a reason, and people certainly didnโt knock someone unconscious for a complete stranger unless there was something else behind it.
Sieun lifted his bag from the bench and placed the strap over one shoulder.
โStay away from me,โ he said calmly.
The boyโs expression shifted, his smile falling into something closer to disappointment.
Sieun walked toward the exit without waiting for a reply.
As he reached the door, the boy spoke behind him.
โI donโt think I can do that.โ
Sieunโs hand stopped on the handle.
He glanced back over his shoulder.
The boy was standing exactly where Sieun had left him, his dark eyes steady and strangely gentle again. There was no threat in his expression. No anger. Yet the certainty in his voice made Sieunโs stomach tighten.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Sieun opened the door and stepped into the hallway, leaving the boy alone in the locker room.
As he walked away, the noise of the school slowly returned around him. Students spoke in the distance, classroom doors opened and closed, and a teacher called for someone to stop running in the halls. Everything appeared normal again.
But Sieun knew it wasnโt.
The quiet morning had already disappeared.
Yeongbin had attacked him.
That weird boy had stepped in.
And now Sieun was almost certain of something he had only suspected before.
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The guy hadnโt been watching him by accident.