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We were called to the university office. My name, Taehyung's name, Sofia's name and those three seniors. The moment I stepped inside, I knew this was not going to end well. The room felt tight, Sofia stood beside me, shoulders shaking, eyes glued to the floor. I thought she was scared. I didn't know she was already planning to save herself.
When the professors asked what happened, Sofia spoke first. Her voice almost pathetic. She said nothing serious happened. She said the seniors didn't bully her. She said I misunderstood everything. My head snapped toward her so fast.
"YA! WHY ARE YOU LYING?" I yelled, my voice breaking the room open.
She didn't look at me. Not once. The seniors immediately jumped in, calm, confident, twisting every word until I sounded like the problem. Like I was aggressive. Like I was the one who picked a fight for no reason but I stood my ground. I told them exactly what I saw. Exactly what I did. I didn't regret it.
Then they asked Taehyung.
He stood there quietly, his hand still bandaged. He didn't defend me. He didn't accuse anyone either. He just said he had no idea what was going on and that he came only to stop things from getting worse. His voice was calm, controlled. Distant.
The professors exchanged looks. Long ones. Heavy ones and then came the decision. They said since it was the first time, they would let it go with a warning.
I almost laughed.
Because that was a lie.
This had nothing to do with it being a "first time." It had everything to do with who we were. With my father's name. With Taehyung's family. If I were anyone else, I know this wouldn't have ended so easily. I am damn sure of it. They would have dragged it out, blamed me, punished me for raising my voice, for fighting back.
We all walked out of the room together, but it never really felt like together. Taehyung was already ahead of everyone, his long strides sharp and distant and he did not once look back. Not at me. Not at anyone. He passed through the corridor like the rest of us did not exist and then he was gone.
Those seniors lingered just long enough to enjoy the moment. That bitch, smirked at me, slow and deliberate, her eyes screaming words she did not need to say out loud. Bitch, know your place. I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt, the kind of reaction that came from pure exhaustion rather than fear.
But honestly, what did they even do? I was not surprised. I was not angry. I was not even hurt. Because the only person whose presence was truly boiling my blood was standing right beside me, silent, her hands hanging uselessly at her sides, her head bowed low.
I let out a long breath and stepped in front of her, forcing her to face me. Just as I did, her voice cracked through the hallway.
"I'M SORRY, IVY!"
I scoffed before I could stop myself and turned around, only to see her bowing at a perfect ninety degrees, apologizing like she had committed some unforgivable sin. I did not say a word. I simply moved away from her.
