ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
The next morning, Mi-hee and Kang-ha walked into Jooshin Academy together, their pace steady but cautious. The hallways were alive with murmurs and curious glances, the tension almost tangible. Mi-hee ignored the stares, her head held high, while Kang-ha occasionally glanced at her, silently offering support.
Near the lockers, Hera and Yunseok were waiting, their arms crossed, smirking as though they had rehearsed this ambush.
“Well, well,” Hera began, her voice dripping with mockery. “If it isn’t the dethroned princess and her trusty knight. How’s the view from rock bottom?”
Yunseok snickered, adding, “How’s your father doing, Mi-hee? I hear jail doesn’t suit a man of his ‘caliber.’”
Mi-hee felt the sting of their words but refused to let it show. She squared her shoulders, meeting Hera’s taunting gaze with a calm, steady one. “You’re obsessed, Hera. Maybe you should focus on your own house of cards before it collapses.”
Hera’s face twisted with anger, but before she could retort, a sharp voice interrupted.
“That’s enough.”
All heads turned to see Rian approaching, his expression unreadable but his tone firm. He stepped between Mi-hee and her tormentors, his gaze locked on Hera and Yunseok.
“Find something better to do with your time,” Rian said coldly. “Or do you enjoy embarrassing yourselves this much?”
Hera scoffed, but Yunseok backed away, muttering under his breath. With a final glare, Hera turned on her heel and stormed off, dragging Yunseok with her.
Mi-hee blinked, caught off guard by Rian’s intervention. “You didn’t have to do that,” she muttered as he turned to her.
Rian shrugged, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “I wanted to. Besides, it’s not every day I get to play the hero.”
His lighthearted tone softened the tension, and Mi-hee couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto her face. They walked together down the hall, Kang-ha giving Mi-hee a knowing look before excusing himself.
As they strolled, Rian teased her about her defiance and bold retorts, making her laugh despite herself. But the momentary peace was shattered when Rian, his voice quieter now, asked, “Why did you have to go to such extremes, Mi-hee? Was it really worth all this chaos?”
Mi-hee stopped in her tracks, her smile fading. She turned to him, her expression unreadable. “Do you even understand why I did it, Rian? Or are you still so blind to the damage you and your friends caused?”
Rian frowned, confused. “I’m not blind. I know we made mistakes, but—”
“Mistakes?” Mi-hee interrupted, her voice rising. “You call ruining people’s lives mistakes? Do you have any idea what it’s like to be on the other side of your indifference? To have your worth reduced to nothing because of people like you?”
Rian’s jaw tightened, his calm demeanor cracking. “I’m trying, Mi-hee. I’ve been trying to change, but you’re acting like I’m the only one who’s ever done anything wrong.”
“And maybe you haven’t done enough,” she shot back, her voice trembling with emotion. “Maybe you’re still too wrapped up in your privilege to see what it’s like to fight for every shred of dignity.”
Their voices echoed in the hallway, each word cutting deeper.
“You think you’re so righteous,” Rian snapped, his tone laced with frustration. “But you’re not perfect, Mi-hee. You’ve hurt people too. You’ve lied, manipulated—”
“Because I had to!” she yelled, her voice breaking. “Because people like you left me no choice!”
They stood there, breathing heavily, the weight of their words hanging between them. For a moment, neither spoke, the silence filled with unspoken pain and regret.
Finally, Rian took a shaky breath. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just… I don’t know how to make this right.”
Mi-hee looked at him, her eyes glistening. “Maybe you can’t,” she said softly. “Maybe it’s not about fixing things anymore. Maybe it’s about learning to live with what’s broken.”
Rian reached for her hand, but she pulled away, her walls back up. Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving him standing alone in the empty hallway.
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
YOU ARE READING
DISGRACE ──── ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ ✔️
أدب الهواة❝ 𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, "𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕", 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 ❞
