Hopeless Shadow

Chapter 2 - Her Guard

"Alright, since the bell has rung, that's all for today," said the teacher.

Yerin suddenly lifted her head when Mr. Kim Seokjin—their language teacher who had just rambled on about confusing terms—said his goodbyes and left the classroom.

It seemed like Yerin had just woken up, and Soobin blinked as he watched her gently wipe her face, as if trying to shake off the lingering fatigue from the lesson.

The classroom, which had been silent—except for Mr. Kim's voice—was now filled with chatter. "Don't forget to read the book I recommended, we'll discuss it in next week's meeting," Mr. Kim said one last time before stepping out of the class.

Displeased sighs echoed from all corners, but everyone replied to the teacher, "Okay, Mr. Kim."

Soobin continued to stare at Yerin, who was now looking down. He could hear the girl next to him inviting another girl to the cafeteria, hear the curses from the boy behind him directed at Mr. Kim, and other curses exchanged among the boys.

All the sounds merged into one, and when Yerin lifted her head, all the noise vanished for a moment, leaving only silence around her.

Without realizing it, Soobin was still there, feeling the same.

This pattern repeated every day.

***

Soobin's mouth was tightly closed, his head lowered as he stared at the food tray that remained untouched. He was actually very hungry, but just knowing that his favorite girl was sitting right in front of him, eating her lunch, made him feel like all his energy drained away.

Today, Soobin had intentionally gone to the cafeteria earlier than usual—to avoid suspicion, of course. But as he sat at his usual spot and glanced at Yerin, he was surprised when she came and sat right in front of him.

Soobin couldn't move at all. He was frozen, too awkward with her presence. Yerin, however, didn't glance at him once. She was busy with her lunch and a book she held in her left hand.

Soobin knew there was a math test today. He also knew Yerin absolutely hated math. She would often sleep during math lessons, and she would never open her math book at home. But because there was a test today, it seemed like Yerin didn't want to get scolded by their homeroom teacher for failing, so she was forcing herself to cram those annoying formulas just for today.

Yerin's gaze shifted from her math book to the lunch she had picked up absentmindedly. Her body seemed to freeze, and her eyes stared blankly at a piece of carrot she held between her chopsticks. After a few moments of stillness, she slowly put the chopsticks down.

Soobin was somewhat surprised when Yerin closed her math book and hurriedly took her food tray back to the cafeteria's cashier. What was happening? Soobin could still count every movement she made. She had only eaten three bites and was already done? It wasn't unusual for Yerin to leave food behind when she wasn't in the mood, but today ...  this wasn't like her.

Soobin's curiosity grew as he saw Yerin run out of the cafeteria.

He followed her, not paying attention to his surroundings. Before he knew it, he was almost about to walk into the women's restroom, only to be stopped by two girls who screamed as they found him about to enter the restricted area.

Soobin was mortified. He quickly backed away with an awkward step, deciding to wait by the men's restroom. He really wanted to go in and make sure Yerin was okay, but he couldn't act recklessly.

Ten minutes later, Yerin finally emerged. Her eyes were red, and her face looked incredibly pale. Once again, something was wrong. Soobin followed her with concern, watching her limp toward her favorite place, the library. From following Yerin all this time, Soobin knew she often went to the library. Not a day went by that she didn't visit.

She would go there during free periods or breaks, and if the library was full, she would head deeper into the aisles of books, sitting cross-legged between the towering shelves, reading until she grew tired and fell asleep with a book in her lap. Sometimes, she didn't realize how much time had passed, causing her to be forced to stay overnight while the librarian tidied up before closing. And Soobin would always be there, quietly following her. Always. No matter where she went, Soobin would be right behind her, remaining invisible.

Today was no different. Soobin tried his best not to be noticed. He grabbed a random book and sat at a table opposite the girl, who was now sleeping with her forehead furrowed. He continued observing her through the gap in the book, occasionally glancing up to make sure no one suspected that he was following her.

As time passed, Soobin noticed that everyone else was gradually leaving the room—but he refused to go.

He stood up and slowly walked towards Yerin, who was now asleep with furrowed brows. He quietly pulled a chair next to her and laid his head on the table, watching her peaceful face with closed eyes.

She was having a bad dream. Soobin gently raised his hand, smoothing out her furrowed brow, trying to make her look more relaxed. He smiled when her face softened.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Soobin whispered softly. He didn't expect her to answer—he preferred not hearing any response, as it was better than getting caught following her and making her uncomfortable.

But it seemed that Soobin's wish went unheard. Just after he spoke, he saw Yerin's calm face start to fade, her brow furrowing again, her closed eyes fluttering open. Soobin didn't have time to escape before her eyes widened and met his, both of them equally startled.

Well, Soobin thought, the air in the room seemed to vanish at that moment. He couldn't breathe, and his heart pounded loudly.

Ah, this time, he got caught.[]