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“If you see Park Humin, please stay away.”
That was the message Hyeori had sent that morning. She hadn’t seen Sieun walk by her classroom like he usually did, so she already knew he wasn’t going to talk to her—at least not that day. And he didn’t. The school day had been unusually short. Hyeori was walking to the bus stop alone; she hadn’t tried to look for her friend. She figured, after everything, maybe he needed time.
And honestly, so did she.
Her steps were slow but steady, like she didn’t really want to get home. And she didn’t. She thought about visiting Sooho, but it hadn’t even been a day since the last time at the hospital, and she didn’t want to fall back into that loop of needing to be by his side all the time. Her hands slipped into her pocket, pulling out her phone tightly, and she made sure to walk along the wide sidewalk to start typing.
“Today is Thursday. I visited you yesterday. We had some… not-so-pleasant visitors. I was hoping that person wouldn’t turn out like this… I never thought you’d get along with someone like him. He’s so different from you, that’s why I don’t want him near you. I warned him… That’s okay, right? I didn’t do anything wrong this time, I didn’t hit him or anything, I just made it clear there’s no way I’m letting him near you. Because this time, I won’t let anyone hurt you. I couldn’t stop it last time, but now that you can’t stop me… you’re under my care. Don’t worry, love. Nothing will happen—to you or to Sieun. I’ll take care of it.”
— Sent: 3:16 PM
“HYEORI!”
The shout of her name made her turn around, spotting Juntae and Gotak running up to her with big smiles. She smiled a little, watching how Juntae looked like an excited puppy—he even looked smaller standing next to Gotak.
“Noona!” Juntae grinned, holding out a small piece of candy. “I bought this for you. I hope you like strawberry.”
She took the candy and smiled sweetly. He really reminded her of Sooho when he was a kid. “I love it. Thank you.”
“Yah, stop stealing my future girlfriend,” Gotak joked, making Juntae blink innocently, especially as Gotak threw an arm around her shoulders. “We’ve been calling you since you walked out—what were you so focused on?”
Hyeori quickly locked her phone, shaking her head with a nervous smile. “Nothing, just… some messages.”
“Noona, do you know why Sieun looked so weird today?”
“Yeah, he totally blew us off, did you know?”
“He didn’t. I think he just prefers being alone… but he’s not really good at it.”
Hyeori looked at Juntae, who seemed kind of disappointed, and she frowned a little. She hadn’t told him to cut everyone off—just to stay away from Humin. It seemed like Humin was the one that boy from yesterday had been interested in.
“Sieun’s just… complicated. Maybe he’s having a rough day,” she murmured. Hyuntak glanced at her; her tone said it was time to change the subject—she looked pretty down.
“They still haven’t fixed things,” he thought, so he just flicked her forehead lightly and smiled, then stretched out his arm to ruffle Juntae’s hair over her shoulder. “C’mon, how about fried chicken? My treat.”
“Seriously?” Juntae asked, visibly excited.
“Come on, when have I ever lied to you? I’m a very loyal guy, did you know that, Hyeori? Plus, I know the best fried chicken place in the world.”
She looked at Hyuntak with a smile and then grabbed Juntae’s arm as she noticed a car coming their way. “You’re not dragging us to Baku’s dad’s restaurant, right?”
Gotak just shrugged and smiled, watching as Hyeori gently pulled Juntae in front of her so the car wouldn’t hit him. The trio was already walking under the tunnel when Gotak suddenly felt something… off.
He perked his ears, then immediately shoved Hyeori and Juntae against the wall beside them, dodging a punch that came exactly where he’d predicted. The two pinned against the wall looked over to Gotak, then turned their heads—Seungje stood there, grinning maliciously.
“It’s been a while, huh?”
Hyeori watched as his eyes briefly flicked to her, then quickly scanned the four guys standing behind him. Her legs trembled slightly, but with resolve, she stood in front of Juntae, doing her best to shield him completely.
Or at least she tried. Her thin frame didn’t help much.
“What are you doing here?” she asked Seungje, who stared at her. His smirk faded slightly when he saw the lifeless look in her eyes. He didn’t like it.
“I don’t see the new guy… Sieun, or whatever. I bet playing with him would’ve been more fun.”
She glanced again at the four guys behind him. Her whole body tensed so much that Juntae instinctively grabbed her arm—he didn’t know why, but he could feel the fury coming off her in waves.
“Is it fun being Baekjin’s little pet?”
“It’s a blast,” Gotak replied coolly, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Lets me crush flies like you.”
“Seungje.”
“Stop counting them, dumbass. There’s four,” Seungje snapped, ignoring Hyeori. His fists clenched—she’d been ignoring his messages for weeks, and truth be told, he was pissed.
“Juntae-ah…” Gotak called, eyes still locked on Seungje, who was already pulling out his pack of cigarettes. “Get out of here… Take Hyeori with you.”
“What?”
“Gotak-ah…”
“We’ll eat tomorrow,” he assured her with a faint smile. “Go. Don’t take your eyes off the kid.”
She hesitated, watching him. She didn’t want to leave, but she couldn’t do much either. Her eyes flicked to the four guys—waiting. And as insane as it sounded, that gave her hope.
Because that meant they’d follow her. And Hyuntak wouldn’t end up getting jumped by all four.
The girl took Juntae’s hand, gave Gotak a look—and he smiled, like he was saying “I trust you.” Seungje watched that with a mocking smirk, cigarette in his mouth, eyes focused on the exchange. But Hyeori didn’t hesitate.
She sprinted off with Juntae in tow.
“Yah!”
Internally, Hyeori thanked Sooho for making her run every weekend and for dragging her to convenience stores whenever they were hungry. Otherwise, she’d probably be collapsed on the pavement gasping for air. Her hand clung tightly to Juntae’s—he was a bit slower, but the adrenaline (and her promising they’d find a hiding place) kept him going.
“This way, come on!” Hyeori yanked him right, darting into a small apartment building. They ran through the narrow halls and up the stairs. Hyeori suddenly stopped, checking both sides before cursing—she could hear footsteps nearby. She crouched, pulling the younger boy down with her to hide behind the stairwell, hoping no one would see them.
Their ragged breathing made it hard to hear, but one voice came through: “…Should I go for the other one? Yeon Sieun?” Hyeori flinched.
Her hands flew to her phone, but she hesitated before dialing. Would it even help?
“Should we call Sieun?” she whispered, glancing at Juntae, who nodded instantly.
“If they’re after him… shouldn’t we warn him?”
She nodded—he was right. She dialed and let it ring twice before hanging up right before the third tone.
“No… maybe he’s safer at the academy…” she muttered. “What if we call him and they’re already there?”
“Oh…” He didn’t know what to say but trusted her judgment. They both stood, checked that the coast was clear, and started walking slowly back downstairs.
Suddenly, Hyeori’s phone buzzed. She flinched—then froze when she saw the name lighting up the screen:
“Baby calling.”
“If you don’t answer, they’ll get more suspicious…” Juntae pointed out.
She knew he was right. Taking a deep breath, she picked up. “Sieun-ah…” she greeted as calmly as she could.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Ah, yeah, totally! I just wanted to ask if you’re at the academy or not…”
Hyeori suddenly stopped—two guys had mirrored their movements and were now staring at them. She grabbed Juntae’s wrist, making him look up and see what she was seeing.
“Why are you asking something like that?”
“Ah… no reason, just curious…” she stammered, her voice shaky again. The adrenaline was kicking back in.
She spun around, pulling Juntae with her just as the two guys shouted and began to chase them again. Sieun heard the shouts—and his whole body froze, fingers tightening around his phone.
“Hyeori…”
His voice caught her off guard—she’d almost forgotten she was still on the call. She answered quickly, trying not to sound panicked, but she couldn’t tell if it worked—her voice was breaking from the running.
“Ah, don’t worry, babe! Get home safe, okay?”
And she hung up. Sieun stood frozen for a second, staring at his phone, hands trembling. Without another thought, he left the bus stop and ran—toward a very specific place.
Looking for his friend.
* * *
Hyeori was holding onto Juntae’s hand tightly, refusing to let go as she watched Seungje beating the crap out of Gotak. Watching the fight, she realized their styles were actually pretty good—both of them.
Gotak honestly looked like someone who had been trained by Sooho; the way he moved his arms, his footwork, even his punches resembled Sooho’s techniques. But still… the outcome wasn’t great.
Seungje was just too good at handing out beatdowns.
She hadn’t tried to stand up—not because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t. While they were running from the guys, she’d twisted her ankle pretty badly. She was honestly surprised nothing snapped.
So now she sat beside Juntae, her hand gripping his, making sure none of the four guys around them got too close. Meanwhile, Juntae looked completely stunned.
Because not only did the older girl have insane stamina and impressive speed, she also had a strength he didn’t know she was capable of. When she fell from the sprain, he’d tried to help her—but she wasn’t the distracted one. The punch she threw at one of the guys who came at them? Completely unexpected. Even though they ended up getting caught, he could say she gave them a hell of a time.
Even injured, she clearly wasn’t going to leave him at their mercy.
Hyeori looked pale as she watched Gotak struggle to stay upright, and Seungje didn’t look satisfied at all. He just kept hitting him—face, body, over and over. Gotak looked like he could pass out any second.
“Yah! Geum Seungje!” she yelled, and the brown-haired boy froze. He didn’t let go of Gotak, but he did glance at her over his shoulder.
“That’s enough. You made your stupid point. Bring him over here.”
He seemed surprised by her tone—understandably so. He wasn’t used to her talking like that, not to him. With a sly grin, he yanked the poor boy along and shoved him toward her legs.
His brows furrowed as he watched her let go of Juntae to help Gotak sit up straight beside her. The way she gently touched his face made Seungje bite the inside of his cheek—a little jealous shiver went down his spine.
“She used to do that to me.”
Hyeori tried to keep Gotak’s eyes open, worried that they were starting to roll back.
“Tak-ah, come on. Don’t fall asleep.”
“Son of a bitch…”
“Yeah, keep cursing, just don’t pass out…”
“Alright. Let’s take a picture. Look at me.”
No one reacted. The two uninjured boys were too focused on the injured one. Seungje noticed… and it pissed him off even more.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he stood straight. His gaze drifted to the one thing that stood out the most—the girl. He struck her with a quick blow to the side, making her let out a small gasp of pain.
“Fuck!”
“Look at the damn camera. I’m not asking.” He was tired. And the fact that she kept ignoring him only made his mood worse. “Okay, here we go. One, two… sons of bitches—”
Seungje suddenly walked over and grabbed her jaw, not gently, forcing her to look him in the eyes.
“Let go of me.”
“Listen to what I’m gonna say, because I’m only saying it once.” His gaze locked on hers. That usual playful glint? Gone. Replaced with something much darker. “Stop pretending you’re strong with me. I’m not gonna hit you. I’m gonna make chicken little next to you beg me not to smash his face in. Got it?”
“Take your hands off her. Now.”
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