It was killing me on the inside — how Hyunjin and I went back to being strangers again. No more secret glances. No late-night calls. No pretending. Just silence. Cold, cruel silence.
At campus, he was always with her. Lee Seoyeon.
She looked so happy these days, she didn't even bother to glare at me anymore. It was as if I had been wiped from her world entirely. And maybe I had.
People talked. About me. About Hyunjin. About Seojun. I heard the whispers echoing behind me in the halls, felt the stares burning holes into my back. But I stopped caring. Or at least, I pretended not to.
That day, I was heading to the library to return a book when I saw Minho sitting with Jessie. But this time, they weren't bickering. Jessie was actually trying to cheer him up. Her animated hands, her soft laugh, the way she looked at him like he wasn't invisible.
It made me pause.
I almost forgot that in the mess of everything — Minho was suffering too. He had loved Seoyeon since childhood. But she had eyes only for his best friend. How tragic was that?
Minho was one of the kindest souls I'd ever known. The kind who never burdened anyone with his sadness — he just smiled through the heartbreak. Jessie reached for his hand and said gently, "How long are you gonna sulk? She's not even worth it."
He didn't resist her touch. Just stared down for a moment, his jaw tightening.
Jessie sighed, nudging his arm. "Look, just come with me, okay? I'm trying to cheer you up, so at least pretend to be interested."
He looked up at her, then slowly removed her hand... only to take it again in his.
Jessie blinked, clearly flustered. "What are you—?"
"Fine then," Minho said, pulling her up with him. "Let's get out of here."
I smiled softly. For the first time in weeks, something in this twisted world felt right.
That evening, I went for a walk to clear my mind. The air was heavy, the sky dark with thick, ominous clouds. I didn't realize how far I'd wandered, too deep in thought to notice the streets thinning out around me.
I cursed under my breath. I didn't have my phone. The neighborhood was unfamiliar. Silent. Empty.
And it was about to rain.
I turned to retrace my steps when I felt it — that gut feeling, that spine-chilling sense of being watched. I glanced over my shoulder and saw them. Two men. Slouching shadows that moved when I moved.
I quickened my pace. So did they.
They blocked my path.
"Well, well, well," one of them said with a slow, mocking drawl. "What do we have here?"
I froze. My heart thundered in my chest.
"A foreign beauty. Young. Untouched," the taller one sneered. "She'd sell for a real good price."
My face drained of color. I stepped back — only for the other man to block me.
"Wait a minute," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Isn't this the chick that was all over the papers with the Kims?"
The other laughed. "Shit, yeah. She's that Kim boy's little girlfriend. This just got interesting."
"What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Leave me alone." My voice shook, but I made it loud.
They laughed.
"Feisty," one of them said, reaching toward me.
