Burning cold

Cracks In The Armor.

Chapter 5: Cracks in the Armor

The next morning, Bambi woke up feeling restless. Her mind was heavy with thoughts of Sunghoon, replaying every word from the day before. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the conversation they'd had. It was like his words were stuck, circling around her head, refusing to leave her alone.

I don't hate you, Bambi. Not even close.

Bambi groaned and rolled over in bed, pulling the blanket over her head. Why did he have to say that? It would've been so much easier if Sunghoon had just kept being his arrogant, annoying self. If he had left things the way they were, she could have ignored him, gone back to hating him, pretending like nothing had changed.

But now, there was a crack in her armor, and she hated it.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, and she reached for it, hoping for a distraction. It was a message from Jennifer, asking if she wanted to hang out after school. Bambi typed a quick reply, agreeing, before getting up to start her day.

As she went through the motions of her morning routine, her thoughts kept drifting back to Sunghoon. She hated how much space he was taking up in her head. He wasn't supposed to matter. But now that he'd opened up—now that he'd said what he did—everything felt different.

At school, she found herself scanning the hallways, half-hoping she wouldn't run into him. But of course, fate had other plans.

Bambi had just closed her locker when she saw him at the other end of the hallway, leaning against the wall, talking to a few friends. For a moment, she froze, her stomach flipping. Sunghoon hadn't seen her yet, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He was laughing at something one of the guys said, his usual cocky grin plastered on his face. It was so normal, so typical of him, that for a second she wondered if yesterday had even happened.

Maybe he was back to his old self, and she could go back to hating him. Maybe he'd pretend like their conversation never took place, and they could both move on.

But then, as if he could sense her staring, Sunghoon's eyes flicked up, meeting hers across the crowded hallway. Bambi's breath caught in her throat. His smile faltered, just for a second, and in that brief moment, she saw the same look from the day before—the one that wasn't filled with sarcasm or arrogance, but something more raw, more real.

Bambi quickly looked away, her heart pounding. Damn it. She slammed her locker shut harder than necessary and stalked off, trying to get as far away from him as possible.

She made it through the first couple of classes without running into him again, but her mind was still on edge, replaying the look they'd shared. She hated how easily he got under her skin. It was like no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the pull between them. And it wasn't just anger anymore. It was something deeper, something she wasn't ready to face.

By lunch, Bambi was sitting with her usual group—Jennifer, Mia, and Quynh. They were laughing about something ridiculous Mia had said, but Bambi wasn't fully present. She kept glancing around the cafeteria, half-expecting Sunghoon to show up and ruin her mood. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"You good, Bambi?" Jennifer asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've been kinda quiet today."

Bambi forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

"Uh-huh," Quynh chimed in, giving her a knowing look. "Tired or... distracted?"

Bambi shot her a glare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Quynh shrugged, smirking. "Nothing. Just saying you seem a little out of it. Like you've got something—or someone—on your mind."

Bambi felt heat rise to her cheeks and quickly looked down at her food, stabbing at her salad with a fork. "I'm not thinking about anyone."