Isn't it obvious?

Part 12

[Chaewon's pov]

"Chae, wait up! Do you want to go to that cafe now?" Sora called out, scurrying behind me as I marched toward the parking lot.

I didn't stop. I didn't even turn my head. My mind was still stuck on the image of Minju crying by the lockers, and the way my own voice had sounded when I called her "just a neighbor."

"Not today, Sora," I said, my voice as dry as bone.

"Oh... okay. Maybe I can hitch a ride with you? My bus isn't for another hour," she tried again, her hand reaching for the back of my leather jacket.

I stopped then, clicking my helmet into place. I looked at Sora—really looked at her—and felt absolutely nothing. No annoyance, no affection, just a vast, empty space. She was a classmate. She was a person. But she wasn't her.

"I ride alone," I said, the words final. "Check the bus schedule again. See ya."

I didn't wait for her response. I kicked the stand up and brought the engine to life. The roar of the bike was the only thing loud enough to drown out the thoughts in my head.

As I swung out of the school gates, I saw them.

Hyunjin's car was idling at the curb. Through the windshield, I could see the silhouette of two people. Hyunjin was leaning in close, his hand on Minju's cheek. He was doing it—he was making his move while she was at her weakest.

My hand gripped the throttle so hard my knuckles turned white. I could stop. I could park the bike, rip the door open, and tell him to get his hands off her. I could tell her that I lied. That I'm obsessed. That the rumors are the only thing keeping me alive.

But I didn't.

I shifted gears and accelerated, the wind whipping past my helmet. I didn't look back. I wasn't the hero who rescues the girl. I was just the girl on the bike, riding home to an empty house, leaving the "perfect couple" to their perfect ending.

I pulled into our driveway and killed the engine. The silence that followed was deafening. I sat there in the dark for a long time, my forehead resting on the cool metal of the handlebars.

I was nonchalant. I was "baik." I was the supportive sister who didn't get in the way.

I had done everything right, and yet, as I listened to the sound of Hyunjin's car pulling up behind me, I had never felt more like I was losing a war I never even got to fight.

[Minju pov]

The car ride was a blur of streetlights and Hyunjin's low, comforting humming. He hadn't stopped touching me—a hand on my shoulder, a squeeze of my fingers. Every touch felt like a brand, marking me as his property.

As we pulled into the driveway, I saw her.

Chaewon was still sitting on her bike, her helmet off, staring at nothing. She looked exhausted, her hair messy from the wind. My heart leaped—a foolish, desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, she was waiting for me.

Hyunjin killed the engine and stepped out, his face beaming with a victory he hadn't even earned yet. He walked around to my side, opened the door, and practically pulled me out, keeping his arm firmly draped around my waist as we approached his sister.

"Hey, Chae! Still out here?" Hyunjin called out, his voice dripping with forced cheerfulness.

Chaewon didn't move. She didn't even look at us at first. "Just cooling down the engine," she said, her voice like gravel.

"Well, you were right," Hyunjin said, pulling me closer to his side so I was forced to stumble against him. "About everything. Minju and I had a... really emotional talk after the library. She really leaned on me today. I think we're finally on the same page, aren't we, Minju-ah?"