Isn't it obvious?

Part 13

[Chaewon pov]

The shuttlecock hit the floor with a sharp thud. Again.

My lungs were burning, and my grip on the racket was so tight my palm was starting to blister. I didn't care. I needed the physical pain to drown out the memory of Minju's face under those flickering 7-Eleven lights. I needed to move until I couldn't feel my own heart beating.

"Chae! Focus!" Yena shouted from the other side of the net.

She served again—a high, mocking arc. I lunged forward, smashing it back with every ounce of frustration I had. The bird hit the tape and tumbled over, but I didn't feel any satisfaction.

"What is wrong with you?" Yena panted, wiping sweat from her forehead. She dropped her racket and walked toward the net. "You're playing like you want to kill someone. Is this about last night? Because if you're mad that I brought her—"

"Shut up, Yena," I snapped, my voice echoing in the hollow gym.

"No, I won't shut up! You're acting like a jerk. She was crying, Chae. She was literally begging for you to just be real, and you walked out like she was a stranger. Do you even realize how cruel that was?"

I dropped my racket. The clang of metal against the wooden floor sounded like a gunshot.

"Cruel?" I walked right up to the net, my eyes burning. "You think you're so smart, don't you? Setting up 'ambushes' because you think life is some teen drama? You had no right to bring her there. No right!"

"I was trying to help you!" Yena yelled back, her face reddening. "You're miserable, she's miserable—everyone can see it!"

"I didn't ask for your help!" I roared, the anger finally exploding out of me. "I worked so hard to build that wall. I spent every second of every day making sure she stays safe on the other side of it. And you? You just tore it down for a 'chat' at a convenience store?"

I grabbed a handful of shuttlecocks from the floor and hurled them across the court.

"I have to be the ghost, Yena! If I'm not, my brother loses his mind, her reputation is trashed, and I become the person who ruined everything. I'm doing this for her! Why can't any of you just let me be the bad guy in peace?"

Yena stared at me, her expression shifting from anger to deep, silent pity. That was the one look I couldn't stand.

"You're not being the bad guy, Chae," she said quietly. "You're just being a coward who's too scared to be happy."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. I just grabbed my bag and walked out of the gym, my footsteps heavy and hollow. The nonchalant mask was gone, replaced by a raw, bleeding ache. I had pushed Minju away, and now I was pushing my best friend away too.

I was alone. Exactly the way a ghost is supposed to be

I couldn't look at Yena for another second. Every word she spat out felt like a mirror being forced in front of my face—showing me exactly how much of a coward I really was.

"Do whatever you want, Yena. But stay out of my business from now on," I muttered, my voice trembling with a vibration I couldn't control. I turned my back on her and marched toward the exit.

I walked fast. Each step felt heavy, like lead weights were tied to my ankles. I passed a few students in the corridor, so I kept my head down, pulling my hood low. I bit my inner lip so hard I tasted copper, desperate to keep the tears from spilling over. I couldn't look weak. I was Kim Chaewon. I was nonchalant. I didn't care.