71 : crossing the line

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The next day at school, the usual bustling chatter filled the hallways as students moved between classes. Jungwon walked alongside Taehyun, his expression unreadable as Taehyun tried to draw him into conversation.

"You’re really out of it today," Taehyun said, raising an eyebrow. "What’s going on?"

Jungwon shrugged, his hands shoved into his pockets. "Nothing," he muttered, keeping his gaze fixed ahead.

Taehyun didn’t buy it, but he knew better than to push when Jungwon was like this. "Fine, keep your secrets," he said lightly. "But you’re terrible at pretending everything’s okay."

Jungwon offered no response, his jaw tightening slightly. His thoughts were elsewhere—on Sunoo, on Nabi, and the weight of what he’d confessed to Sunoo the night before.

Meanwhile, further down the hall, Sunoo walked with his usual group of friends. He wore his trademark bright smile, laughing at their jokes and chiming in with his usual wit, but there was an underlying tension in his movements. His mind wasn’t on the conversation; it was on Nabi and the hospital.

"You’ve been a bit off lately," Minseok said, nudging Sunoo as they walked. "What’s up? Did something happen?"

Sunoo’s smile faltered for just a moment before he quickly recovered. "Nothing major," he replied casually. "Just a lot on my plate right now."

Minseok frowned slightly but didn’t press further. "You sure? If something’s going on with you and Nabi—"

"There’s nothing going on," Sunoo cut in, his voice light but firm. "We’re fine."

The group let it drop, though Minseok shot him a curious look. Sunoo wasn’t about to tell them about Nabi’s hospitalization. It wasn’t their business, and the last thing Nabi needed was for rumors to spread around school.

As the two groups passed each other in the hallway, Jungwon’s and Sunoo’s gazes met for a brief moment. The air between them felt heavy, the tension palpable, though neither said a word. Taehyun noticed and glanced between them, his brows furrowing.

"What’s with you and Sunoo?" he asked Jungwon quietly as they walked on. "It’s like there’s a whole unspoken war going on."

Jungwon exhaled sharply, looking away. "It’s nothing," he said flatly, though the tightness in his voice betrayed him.

Taehyun narrowed his eyes, but he decided not to press. "If you say so," he muttered, though his curiosity was far from satisfied.

Sunoo, meanwhile, kept walking with his group, his fists clenched at his sides. He could feel Jungwon’s eyes on him, and it took everything in him not to confront him then and there. Instead, he focused on moving forward, his thoughts on Nabi and how he’d make it back to the hospital as soon as possible.

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