Secrets and Lies || Hoonki/Nikihoon

Chapter 16: Eyes on me

Ni-ki sat at his desk, struggling to focus on the teacher's lecture. His mind kept drifting back to the conversation he had with Hyunjin earlier that day.

Could it really be true that Sunghoon, Jake, and Jay felt guilty and wanted to apologize?

This was completely different from the image he had of them, and the thought both intrigued and puzzled him.

The classroom blurred into the background as Ni-ki's thoughts spiraled, making it difficult to pay attention to anything around him.

Just then, a crumbled piece of paper hit his desk, jolting him from his daydream. He looked up to see Sunoo, with a concerned expression, gesturing toward the note with a look of urgency.

Ni-ki slowly unfolded the paper and read,

"What happened back there at the office? I'm worried about you"

A wave of guilt washed over him, he didn't want to burden Sunoo with his troubles. With a sigh, he scribbled back,

"It's nothing serious, you don't have to worry"

He tossed the note back to Sunoo, who read it with a frown.

Sunoo shot Ni-ki a dark glare, clearly dissatisfied with the response. Ni-ki merely shook his head, insisting, without words, that everything was fine.

Sunoo, undeterred, wrote another quick note and threw it back to him. However, their secret exchange didn't last long. ​

The teacher, noticing the commotion, fixed her gaze on Sunoo and scolded him sharply, "Sunoo, how many times do I have to tell you? Passing notes during class is disrespectful! You should be paying attention instead!"

The class erupted in laughter at Sunoo's expense as the teacher continued, "If this happens again, I'll have to take away your privileges!"

Ni-ki winced at the attention that drew shame to his friend and quickly hid the crumpled paper under his desk, exchanging an expressionless look with Sunoo.

Once the noise had settled, he cautiously opened the note once more, reading Sunoo's message,

"Meet me after class at the courtyard.."

Ni-ki's heart raced at the thought of confronting everything that had been troubling him, but he also knew that avoiding Sunoo's insistence would be futile.

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As the final bell rang, signalling the start of recess, Sunoo and Ni-ki found themselves at the courtyard.

They had found a quiter spot away from all the laughter and chatter. They settled onto a bench, sitting under the warm sun while waiting for Jungwon to arrive.

Sunoo, now genuinely curious and concerned, turned to Ni-ki with a narrowed gaze. "So, what exactly happened back there? You can share us anything!"

Ni-ki hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "It's not a big deal. Just a misunderstanding," he replied quickly, hoping to put an end to the topic. However, Sunoo's expression told him that his answer wasn't good enough.

"Did Sunghoon or Jake do something to you?" Sunoo asked, his voice low and serious.

As the question sank in, Ni-ki paused, finding himself lost in memories of the confrontation and the tension in the office just hours before. The harsh words echoed in his mind, and he couldn't bring himself to say what really happened.