Niki found himself glaring at anyone who dared to strike up a conversation with Chaewon.
It didn’t make sense. Why did he care so much? It wasn’t like he liked her. Or at least, that’s what he told himself. Yet every time he saw her, his chest felt like it was on fire, a searing ache that refused to be ignored.
He shook his head, dragging his eyes away before he stared a hole straight through her. This was insane. He was losing it.
Unable to sit still any longer, he stood abruptly and left the classroom in the middle of the lecture, as he often did when his thoughts became too much. But the moment he turned the corner, he bumped into the last person he wanted to see.
“Niki?” His father’s voice was cold, laced with disapproval.
Niki cursed under his breath, realizing too late that he had forgotten about his father’s planned visit.
“Are you skipping lectures?” His father’s sharp gaze bore into him, and he gripped Niki’s shoulder with enough force to make him flinch. “I specifically told you to be on your best behavior.”
“Sorry, Father.” Niki’s head dropped low, shoulders slumping beneath the weight of his father’s hand.
“What have you become? Such a disgrace.” His father’s voice cut deeper than any blade. “Your mother would be so disappointed.”
The words sent a jolt through him, and he could only think, What if she really would be? He had no memory of her—no way to know if she’d be proud or ashamed of the person he’d become. His father knew her better. And at moments like this, Niki wished she had survived instead of him.
“Niki?”
That soft voice snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts. His head shot up, and there she was. Chaewon. Her presence made his father’s grip feel even heavier.
He wanted to tell her to leave, to stay far away from this mess, but his voice caught in his throat. He couldn’t find the strength to speak—not in front of his father.
“And you are?” his father asked, his tone devoid of warmth.
“A friend,” Chaewon replied hesitantly, her voice wavering just enough to betray her nervousness.
“I see,” his father said simply before shoving Niki aside like an afterthought. “I’m his father.”
With that, he walked past her, leaving them alone.
Chaewon glanced at Niki, her eyes lingering on him as she replayed what she had just witnessed. His father’s grip on his shoulder, the way he looked at him—it wasn’t normal. She knew parents didn’t act like that, not unless something was very wrong.
“Niki?” Her voice was soft, honeyed, and it almost undid him right then and there.
For a brief moment, he considered breaking down in front of her. He knew she’d listen. She’d care.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, stepping closer. Her gaze flicked to his face, and her breath hitched when she saw his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
But before she could say anything else, he turned abruptly and walked away, heading in the same direction his father had gone.
“Well, at least your grades aren’t slipping,” his father said later that day, his tone biting.
Niki stood motionless in the doorway, not even flinching when his father slammed the door in his face.
For a moment, he simply stood there, staring at the closed door. Should he even bother anymore? Should he just end it all?
That thought lingered longer than it should have as he mounted his bike and sped off, not stopping until he reached the river.
The same river where he had once brought Chaewon.
He dismounted and stood by the water’s edge, staring at the gentle ripples. The tranquil scene brought a semblance of calm, though not enough to quiet the storm inside him.
His father always kicked him out when disappointed, as though the sight of him was too unbearable to endure. It had started years ago, the first time Niki snuck out to attend a friend’s birthday party in Japan. He had only been eleven.
His father hadn’t allowed him back into the house for days. If it hadn’t been for that friend letting him stay over, he didn’t know what he would have done.
But after that, everything changed.
They moved to Seoul when his father’s business expanded, cutting him off from everyone he’d known. His father had even taken his phone and changed the SIM card, ensuring Niki couldn’t contact his old friends.
“You cannot associate with lowlives like them,” his father had said before slapping him when he dared to disagree.
So Niki stopped trying. He stopped making friends. He stopped letting anyone in.
Until her.
“Chaewon,” he whispered, her name a balm and a curse on his lips.
Goosebumps rose along his arms at the sound of it.
He knew accepting Yichen’s bet was wrong. He knew it even as he said yes. But it was the only excuse he had to approach her, the only way he could justify being near her without admitting to himself how much he wanted to.
Because from the moment he saw her, she’d done something to him.
He didn’t know what it was, but his heart had drummed wildly in his chest that day, and it hadn’t stopped since.
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