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All Haeun could do was sit.
Sit there on the bench, slightly hunched over, eyes fixed on the ground. Her mind was a storm of questions. If it wasn't Jongho, then who?
After he'd admitted the truth, she didn't believe him. She accused him repeatedly until he let her check his phone, his location history proving he hadn't left his house last night. Even then, she didn't trust him completely. He offered to help, but she refused. No matter who he was now, her suspicion didn't vanish—she just let it rest for the moment.
As she gathered her thoughts, her phone buzzed. Curiosity overrode caution.
Unknown It's too bad you failed to recognize me Sent 10:01
Unknown But you had to confuse me with him?! Sent 10:01
Her chest tightened. Someone had been nearby... someone had seen what happened on the rooftop. But she didn't remember anyone else being there.
A hand gripped her shoulder. She jumped, nearly letting out a scream. Slowly, she turned—and her relief was immediate. A familiar face smiled at her.
"Woah, hey... you look spooked," he said lightly.
She let out a shaky sigh.
"Everything okay?" he asked again, softer this time.
"Yeah... I'm completely fine." She forced a smile, turning off her phone and letting it rest in her lap. "What's up?"
"Nothing. Mind if I sit?" He gestured at the bench. Haeun scooted over, and he settled beside her.
"Your name was..." she began hesitantly, trying to remember.
"Nam Seonggi," he answered with a small smile.
"Right, sorry," she said, scratching the back of her neck. "I'm—"
"Lee Haeun. How could I not know you?" He laughed softly. Haeun raised an eyebrow. Seeing her expression, he continued. "You're not just popular... you also helped me out last time."
Recognition clicked. His face reminded her of the incident that had torn him and the boys apart. The memory stung, but seeing his grateful expression eased her tension.
"Oh! My god, I completely forgot to check in on you. Were you okay after what happened?" she asked, worry tinting her voice. Despite the bruises she'd seen before, his face looked fine now.
"No worries. I'm perfectly fine," he said, smiling. His eyes were small when he did, not unlike Jisung's. "Anyway... why are you out here instead of with your friends? They seemed worried when I left."
"I just... needed some alone time," she admitted shortly.
"I see... well, I guess I'm disturbing that," he said awkwardly.
