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“Look, I like this one better. You both look so cute.”
Sieun watched as Hyeori smiled at the other boy while they walked toward a small shop to grab lunch. He and Juntae had been stuck with volunteer work at the history museum—it was part of their punishment.
Still, Hyeori had decided to show up, snapping pictures with them and of them while they were distracted.
Like a proud mom.
“Sieun-ah, look over here.” “Oh, Juntae-ah, smile again and face the camera.” “Ahh, look how cute—one more.”
That was all he’d heard all afternoon. He’d seen her offering to take pictures for families who wanted a photo with the “royals,” even giving them instructions on how to pose. He hadn’t expected her to be having so much fun.
At first, he’d asked her to come just because he didn’t want to be alone in that crowd. But seeing her smiling like that—like everything was okay—made him feel a little proud of himself. He liked seeing her happy. It felt like the least he could do, after everything he’d let happen.
Once they got their food, the trio sat down at a table, with Hyeori seated between the two boys, staring out the window and taking small bites of her meal. She’d ordered a small portion, but everyone knew she’d probably let someone else finish it. Suddenly, a noise drew their attention, and they looked up to see Hyuntak and Baku joining their table.
Sieun frowned, but watched as Hyuntak greeted Hyeori with a smile and a few words—and how she smiled back just as warmly. His frown deepened when he saw the little banana milk box Hyuntak placed next to her tray, murmuring something only she and Juntae seemed to hear.
“Damn, Gotak-ah, you’re going straight for the tiger. Rawr.”
Baku earned a solid smack on the head from his friend. Sieun watched as Juntae and Hyeori seamlessly joined the rhythm of those two guys, as if they’d known each other forever. She looked so at ease with them, even if all they were doing was goofing around. Like there were no problems. Like none of the pain in her head actually existed.
And that kind of bothered him.
Why does she look so happy with them? Why does she still trust people so easily?
It wasn’t jealousy. It wasn’t because she was getting close to someone else. It was something deeper—anger. Bottled-up frustration. He couldn’t understand how she still had that kind of trust left in her. As if strangers weren’t exactly the reason everything had gone wrong. As if he hadn’t been the one who let the person she loved most in the world end up like that.
“Don’t eat like that. It’s not like you worked that hard.”
“Yah, listen up!” Baku turned toward Hyeori, chewing on some rice, his eyes wide like he was about to give a dramatic speech. “Pretty eyes, I’ve got a question for you.”
“Yah, stop calling her that…” Gotak raised his hand in warning, but Baku just laughed and turned back to her.
“She doesn’t mind, so shut it.” He nudged his friend’s arm aside to see Hyeori more clearly. “Some girls gave me their numbers. Think I should ask them out to dinner?”
Hyeori glanced to the side like she was seriously considering it. “Both of them?”
Gotak laughed. “He’s so unlucky in love, neither will say yes.”
Juntae and Hyeori shared a small laugh, which only offended Baku more. He patted Gotak’s shoulder as the boy beside him chuckled through his chewing.
“Alright, listen.” He leaned in. “If they say yes, this idiot will pay for dinner. Deal?” He patted Gotak’s shoulder again.
Gotak looked at him for a second before tossing his head back. “Deal. But if they don’t, you’re treating all of us!”
Hyeori chuckled quietly, slipping another bite of food into her mouth while the group’s voices rose. Baku started dialing the number he’d been given as Gotak assured Juntae they were about to have a feast—free of charge.
“The number you dialed is disconnected.”
Hyeori’s smile grew wider as Gotak mocked his friend, grabbing his phone. “Aren’t phone numbers supposed to have eight digits?”
She glanced to the side and noticed Sieun leaning in to see the screen, not really reacting to the antics. That made her smile a little. Maybe he didn’t find these interactions so annoying after all.
“This one has nine!”
“Ah, give me that! It was probably just a typo!”
“A typo!”
Sieun looked away, eyes shifting to Hyeori when Baku’s phone suddenly played a man’s voice over speaker. He watched her laugh, the corners of her mouth lifted in a way he hadn’t seen in a long time. It reminded him of when Sooho used to make her laugh like that—until she nearly choked. Her eyes would shut tight, her shoulders would shake.
Sieun had always been observant.
Suddenly, the laughter died down. Everyone stared at Sieun and the chopsticks that had fallen onto his hoodie, staining the bone-colored fabric. Hyeori kept chewing like it was no big deal. She was sure Sieun didn’t care either.
But then Baku said something that made both her and Sieun freeze.
“Oh, Juntae-ah, grab those chopsticks. I heard he likes stabbing people with pointy things.”
Her brow furrowed. The chopsticks in her hand tightened. She shot Baku a glare, then looked at Sieun, gently lifting the chopsticks from his hoodie, careful not to smear the stain.
“I’m going to the bathroom.”
“I’ll wait for you at the exit…” Sieun murmured. Even though she’d visited Sooho just a few nights ago, if he asked her to go again, she would. She couldn’t say no to seeing him.
After he walked away, she set the chopsticks down on the table, drawing the trio’s attention. They watched as she stood up and quietly gathered her things.
“Ah, Hyeori, he… Baku’s an idiot. He didn’t mean—”
“You should be more careful with your words,” she muttered, slipping on her jacket and looking directly at Baku, who now looked confused. “See you, Juntae-ah.” She smiled at the boy, who nodded but didn’t know whether to follow or stay. They had arrived together.
“Hyeo—” Gotak stood up immediately, smacking Baku in the head before chasing after her. “Hyeori…” he called, gently grabbing her sleeve to stop her. “Don’t go. Look, I’m sorry. Baku’s just… sometimes he doesn’t think and…”
“It’s fine, Gotak-ah…”
“No, it’s not. What he said made everyone uncomfortable, and that’s not okay. You have every right to be upset, but… don’t leave like this, please…”
She was about to respond when her eyes caught someone familiar heading up the stairs. Her focus shifted, and then she looked back at Gotak, offering a small smile.
“Alright. But let me hit the restroom first. That ramen was too spicy.”
The boy smiled and nodded, letting her go. She walked quickly—not running, but clearly in a hurry. She didn’t want to draw attention.
On the second floor, Seongje stepped out of the bathroom, wearing that same smug smile, with his usual carefree posture.
He was the same as always—but she didn’t see him the same anymore.
“Oh, nonna…” he grinned, approaching her in a bouncy little walk. “Isn’t this fate? We keep meeting…”
“What are you doing?” she asked, serious and cold, glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone else was nearby.
“What?”
“In the bathroom. What were you doing in there?” she asked again, her voice hard.
Seongje shrugged with a playful smile. “Working on a new masterpiece, nonna. Why? Wanna see my progress?”
She raised a hand, stopping him when he got too close. Frowning, she kept her eyes locked on his—until she saw Sieun exit the restroom. He looked down, unaware of what was happening, hand on his neck, rubbing it gently.
Something in Hyeori snapped.
Her eyes returned to Seongje.
“Step away, Seongje-ah.”
He raised his brows with a smirk and stepped closer, feigning a pout. “Why, nonna? I thought you liked having me this close…”
Her jaw clenched. Her anger was taking over. She grabbed his wrist, hard enough to make him flinch, eyes narrowing as her nails dug into his skin.
“I don’t care what you’re looking for. But leave Sieun out of it.”
Seongje looked amused, like she’d just told a joke. But then he winced slightly when her grip tightened.
“Sieun?”
“Do you seriously think I’m joking?” she snapped, her voice trembling with rage. “You already know who he is. You know what he did. You know why he’s here. But do you know what I did? Do you know why I’m here?”
“Gorgeous…”
“If anything happens to Sieun… I won’t care if it ruins my reputation even more.”
Seongje could see she meant it. He saw the rage, the fury, the raw emotion—and all he could do was smile. Because truthfully, he’d never seen this side of her before.
“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are when you’re mad, nonna?”
“I don’t joke when it comes to him, Seongje,” she spat. She lowered her head slightly, her nails digging deeper into his skin. “If your hand ever touches a single strand of his hair… I’ll make sure you never touch anything again.”
She let go of his wrist like it disgusted her, stepping back. She looked at him one last time, then ran to Sieun, who looked visibly shaken. He immediately took her hands in his, checking her wrists and fingers to make sure she was unharmed.
“I’m fine… Did he hurt you?”
“No…” she whispered, studying his face. His eyes, usually calm, held that faint trace of fear she’d only seen once before.
The day she realized Sooho wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon.
And in that moment, Hyeori understood something: she didn’t blame Sieun for anything.
That look in his eyes, the concern in his voice—she knew then that he wasn’t to blame.
Yes, he’d asked Youngi to stay silent. But she hadn’t spoken up either. She’d chosen to lie to Sooho. She made him worry, made him upset.
It was all her.
“Come on… it’s getting dark.”
—
After changing clothes, Hyeori walked hand in hand with Sieun, her other arm looped through Juntae’s. Gotak and Baku were with them too, being their usual loud, chaotic selves.
She responded to them now and then, but her body stayed tense. Her fingers gripped Sieun’s hand, and he gently squeezed back. They didn’t speak, but both knew that if one of them said something, the other would listen.
“Let’s eat! My treat!”
Hyeori smiled when Juntae shouted like Baku, happy to see how well he fit in. That was good—neither she nor Sieun would ever be able to open up to him like those two probably could.
“That’s a lie. This cheapskate’s not paying for anything,” Gotak muttered, glancing at the excited boy beside him.
“He’ll probably take us to a Michelin-star restaurant,” Hyeori teased, making Baku gasp and scream, grinning at her.
“That’s right, pretty eyes! A five-star Michelin spot!”
“That’s a lie!”
Sieun gently pulled on her hand, and she let go of Juntae’s arm. The younger boy looked confused by the sudden distance, but she just smiled at him.
“We have to go,” Sieun said, causing the others to stop and look their way.
“What?”
“You’re not coming to eat with us? Pretty eyes would love it…”
“How would you know?” Sieun shot back, tone dry, gaze almost bored.
“Ah… I don’t. But—” Baku trailed off, no response in sight. Hyeori smiled slightly. It was kind of cute.
“But you should come, Sieun. We worked hard. And nonna, you need to recharge. You helped us so much today.”
“We’ve got plans,” Sieun replied, glancing at the boy.
“You’ll regret it…”
Hyeori hugged his arm, smiling at the trio and waving. “We have to go, but next time—we’re coming to that five-star place! See ya!”
“Bye!”
“Take care!”
“You’re paying next time!”
Hyeori walked alongside Sieun, still holding his hand. He seemed so tense, but she gently swung their arms, moving calmly through the busy street, surrounded by young people and couples laughing and chatting.
“Sooho would’ve loved this place,” Sieun said. He’d been thinking it since they got off the bus that morning. Even though it was a quiet area, perfect for walking or chatting, it somehow felt like Sooho’s kind of place.
“Really?” she whispered, scanning the area. “I bet he’d like that bench over there.” She pointed to a half-hidden bench surrounded by greenery. “Uhm… we can bring him when he wakes up. He doesn’t like museums, though. Says it’s just a bunch of colorful blobs…”
Sieun chuckled softly, remembering all the ridiculous things Sooho used to say. He once thought Hyeori was dumb for dating a guy who looked like a total airhead. He slept in class. He bombed tests.
But Sooho wasn’t dumb.
“When he wakes up… you probably won’t be able to shake him off. Just don’t bring him to my place again… he stained the rug last time.”
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