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Hyeori woke up slightly disoriented by the sound of her phone. Sieun, who was sleeping beside her, simply stirred, letting her get up. She did so, grabbing the device and carefully stepping out of the room to avoid bumping into anything—she didn’t want to turn on the light either.
“Hello?”
“Hyeori?”
Her mother’s voice echoed in her ears, and her brows furrowed as she glanced at the time on the screen before putting the phone back to her ear. “Mom? What’s going on?”
“That’s what I should be asking you,” the woman replied. Her voice was low, serious, almost like she was trying to keep the conversation as private as possible. “What have you been doing?”
“What are you talking about?” she asked, still half-asleep and visibly confused, her brow knitting together. She was clearly annoyed—the dream she had been having was the best one she’d had all year.
“Your grades are a mess,” her mother said, making Hyeori grimace. Damn it, she still had to report to her.
“Uhm… I’m sorry… I guess it just… happened.”
“It just happened?” Her mother sounded offended, as if having slightly lower grades was a total crime. “Why are your grades like this? Is something going on?”
“Nothing’s happening…”
“Then what? Hyeori, not even when Sooho used to sneak you out of the house did your grades drop like this. Why now that—?”
The girl smiled bitterly, knowing exactly why she had stopped herself. Letting out a sarcastic huff, she nodded. “Now that he’s not here to ‘steal my time’ I should just lock myself in and study, right?”
“Honey, you know Sooho never bothered me…”
“Then stop mentioning him like he’s the reason for everything!” she snapped, her eyes burning—not from tears this time, but from anger. “He has nothing to do with this. If my grades dropped, it’s because of my own choices and actions. So stop talking like everything that happens in our lives is somehow his fault… It’s not…”
Her chest tightened at the thought that her parents had never truly liked Sooho.
She never understood why. Never understood how they could hate the one person who had given her the care, the warmth, the love—the companionship—that a family is supposed to provide. Because that’s what Sooho was. He was her family.
“Was this call just for that?” she asked. “Because if it was, don’t call me again… I don’t owe you explanations. Not anymore. I’ve told you that so many times… I even stopped accepting the money you send through Kim… Why do you keep insisting?”
“Because you’re my daughter.”
Hyeori let out a dry laugh, cursing under her breath. “I was your daughter when I was five and asked if I could tell my friend goodbye. I was your daughter at ten, at twelve, at fifteen—but you could never even wish me a happy birthday…” she murmured, her throat tight with a painful knot. “I was always your daughter, and you acted like I didn’t exist… You preferred making sure Dad wasn’t cheating on you with his secretary instead of staying home to take care of your kid?”
“You know it wasn’t like that, sweetheart. I never forgot your birthday.”
“Then why did you ignore it? I never asked for gifts. I didn’t want trips or expensive things—I had plenty of those… I just…” she trailed off, voice trembling. “Do you know how many mother-daughter events I went to with Sooho’s grandma, just because my own mom was too busy keeping tabs on her husband?”
She was shaking—angry, powerless, full of things she had kept quiet for too long just to avoid making things uncomfortable.
But her mom wasn’t there anymore. Not really.
“Please stop trying to fix something that can’t be fixed,” she whispered. “Stop sending money. I’ll get a job. I’ll go to college… But now, I’m the one who doesn’t want to know anything about you. Please…”
“Sweetheart—”
Hyeori hung up before any more words could come out. Tossing her phone onto the couch, she collapsed onto it herself, head tilted back, like a heavy weight had just lifted from her shoulders. Those words—she’d wanted to say them for so long. But Sooho had always stopped her.
He’d lost his parents when he was young, so for him, even just having a roof over your head—even if your parents weren’t around—was a privilege. But she didn’t see it that way.
She wanted to see her parents. Go out with them. Eat dinner at the same table without it turning into a business meeting or them trash-talking her boyfriend. She just wanted them to say happy birthday. And yeah, she was grateful for the roof over her head, but that wasn’t enough.
What was the point of having a roof if the warmth of a family—of a so-called privilege—didn’t even exist?
They’d argued about that once. But they let it go. Neither of them wanted to dwell on the bitterness of their first fight. Sooho had cried that night.
“Hyeori?” A sleepy Sieun walked into the living room, one eye half-open. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said softly. She stood up and walked toward him, arms outstretched. Her smile grew when he opened his arms too. Sieun in his sleepy state was always a surprise—he loosened up more when he wasn’t fully conscious. “Let’s go back to bed… I’m really sleepy.”
* * *
Hyuntak watched as Hyeori fixed Juntae’s backpack and gently adjusted his hair. The two of them had finished their exam earlier and were now waiting for him.
They were about to go eat fried chicken.
Hyeori had invited Sieun, but he had refused with the excuse that he had to go to his cram school. But she knew it was a lie. He didn’t have cram school today—she had seen his schedule.
Still, she didn’t push it. She could tell that Gotak wasn’t really his favorite person, and she didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable. So there she was, waiting with Juntae for Gotak to come out of school so they could head to the restaurant he’d picked.
She wasn’t a fan of fried chicken. In fact, out of all fast or fried foods, it was her least favorite. But she ate it a lot—because it was Sooho’s favorite.
In the thirty minutes they’d been waiting, she and Juntae had gotten to know each other a little better. She talked about her hobbies, and he told her how much he loved anime and manga. She wasn’t really into that stuff. In fact, she hadn’t watched an anime in years.
Sooho didn’t like them, and she wasn’t a fan either, so they just didn’t watch them. Still, she asked him more about his interests, genuinely wanting to know him better and keep the conversation light. She liked the kid.
“Ah, I know you missed me,” Gotak grinned as he finally reached them. The two just gave him small smiles, saying nothing.
“Uhm, should we go? Places like this fill up around now.”
Gotak and Juntae looked a bit confused but nodded. They began walking.
“How do you know that kind of restaurant gets crowded at this hour?”
Hyeori gave a small, bittersweet smile. “Sooho used to work part-time at a restaurant. When I was bored, I’d go see him there. Around four, the place would start getting full. We couldn’t talk much after that—he’d be busy running around. I used to go a lot, so now I always tell people to go early. Restaurants are a madhouse in the afternoon.”
Hyuntak smiled. It might’ve seemed awkward that she talked about Sooho so openly, but honestly, it didn’t bother him. The light in her eyes when she spoke about him—that was what mattered.
“Noona… Who’s Sooho?”
Hyeori turned to look at Juntae, who seemed genuinely curious—and a little lost puppy-ish. She found it kind of cute. “Sooho is my boyfriend.”
“Oh!” he blurted out, glancing at Gotak, who shoved him playfully. If Hyeori hadn’t already known about their feelings, it might’ve been super awkward.
“I’m never telling you anything again. Do you know how embarrassed I’d be right now if she didn’t already know?” Hyeori laughed, watching Hyuntak rub his face dramatically.
“Yah, let’s stop talking about her boyfriend. Eating while sad makes you gain weight.”
“Oh, but she likes talking about him…”
“You’re the one who’s gonna gain weight,” he muttered, speeding up to lead the way while the other two raised their eyebrows.
Hyeori made a face and looped her arm around Juntae’s.
“Come on. I’m starving.”
About ten minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant Hyuntak had recommended. It was cute—an old-school vibe mixed with something modern.
Despite the time, it wasn’t packed. A few couples were eating, some students, even a few workers. It looked like a solid place for anyone.
And she confirmed that the second she took a bite of the chicken. She wasn’t a huge fan—not that she hated it—but this wasn’t just any chicken. One bite and her taste buds woke up like they’d just come out of hibernation.
“I told you.”
“This is the best chicken I’ve ever had.”
“Tak-ah, this is incredible.”
The brunette smiled as the two across from him grinned and dove back into their food. A few minutes passed, the mood more relaxed, until the topic of Sooho came up again…
“Noona… I don’t wanna sound nosy or anything, but I’ve always been curious…” Juntae started, his hands fidgeting nervously with his sleeves. “You seem super smart—like, top three in your class. So… why are you in Eujang? You and Sieun?”
She glanced at Hyuntak, who gave her a small smile, like he was telling her she didn’t have to explain anything if she didn’t want to. But ever since she’d opened up to Gotak, she’d felt a bit lighter. Maybe saying it out loud again would help.
“We transferred here because no school in Seoul would accept us,” she began, her fingers playing with a clean napkin on the table. “A lot of the rumors you’ve probably heard about us… they’re true.”
“What?”
“Yah, don’t make that face,” Hyuntak said, nudging his friend gently while leaning forward, ready to listen.
Hyeori smiled softly. These two were kind, even if a little clueless sometimes. She took a breath and continued.
“A little over a year and a half ago… Sieun and I got into some serious trouble. I know you’ve probably heard that I broke some guy’s ankle and that Sieun stabbed someone…”
She looked at Juntae, who immediately nodded, his eyes wide.
“It’s true.”
Juntae’s jaw dropped. He stared at her, then turned to his friend, who didn’t seem too shocked by the confession, which honestly made it even more surprising.
“But… I’d like you to hear my side of the story. Why I did what I did. And if after hearing it you still think it makes no sense, that’s okay. You can think whatever you want.”
She sounded confident, but her nerves were obvious.
“Two years ago, we met this guy. He transferred from another school. At first, we didn’t pay much attention to him—my boyfriend and I didn’t hang out with many classmates. I guess we weren’t exactly popular. Earlier that week, Sieun had gotten into some trouble with a group of guys who used to mess with him.”
“Mess with him?” Juntae blinked. “Seriously? He’s got such a scary face and glare, it’s hard to believe anyone would try to bully him.”
Hyeori made a face—her memories of that look were very different. More sad. More empty. More lonely.
“His eyes are beautiful…” she smiled before shrugging. “Sieun used to be super quiet. Always ranked top in everything. If you saw him in the hallway, you probably wouldn’t even notice.”
“The perfect target,” Gotak nodded.
“Sieun’s always been really hard on himself. He couldn’t handle making even one mistake… So when those guys called him out for one, he just snapped…” She winced, remembering Taeho with a pen jammed into his hand. “They didn’t take it lying down, though. One of them hired a thug—just to rough him up.”
“Cowards…”
“This new guy saw what was happening… and ran to my boyfriend for help,” Hyeori murmured, that part of the story clearly still hurting. “Sooho had a reputation for knowing how to fight—he’d done martial arts since he was a kid. But he wasn’t the type to get into fights for fun. He hated it. So when the new guy asked for help, he refused.”
“Ah, but… wasn’t that kind of cold?”
“Tak-ah, stop interrupting,” Juntae scolded him, making Hyeori chuckle softly. “Keep going, noona.”
She nodded, adjusting in her seat. “Sooho had a bunch of part-time jobs. His grandma was really sick and her meds weren’t exactly cheap. So when the guy offered to pay him double what he usually made… he agreed. No hesitation. I don’t remember if I tried to stop him or not. But I doubt it.”
“You didn’t? Even if it was dangerous?”
“Even if I had, I’m sure he would’ve said no. That money helped him so much…” she whispered. “We went to this alley where they were beating up Sieun… Sooho stopped them. We got Sieun out of there. And I guess… that’s the night our friendship really started.”
“But… what does that have to do with—?”
“Shhh, it’s getting good,” Hyuntak hushed his friend.
She smiled at the younger boy. “We all became friends. Sieun, the new guy—his name was Bumseok—and me. Nothing weird. We had some minor run-ins with gang members, but we got through them. Everything was fine… until Bumseok started acting different. More aggressive. But not towards me or Sieun. Toward Sooho.”
“Just him specifically?”
“Did he do something?”
She shook her head. That question was so predictable, she wasn’t even annoyed by it. “Sooho never did anything. Even when Bumseok started pulling away, Sooho would still call him every day, check in on him… We even went to his house looking for him. He never did anything wrong.”
“Then what happened?”
“Bumseok said he used to get bullied and beaten up at his old school. I didn’t say anything then… I didn’t know what would happen next…” Her voice trembled, the memories hitting hard. “Sooho made the boys who’d bullied him apologize. But Bumseok… he didn’t want that.”
“Oh?”
“He wanted to hurt them,” Gotak explained to his confused friend.
“Sooho stopped him… and maybe that’s what made Bumseok start targeting him. The first thing he did… was cut the brakes on his motorcycle.”
“Wait—what!?”
Both boys jumped in their seats. That wasn’t minor.
“He could’ve died.”
She nodded. “I never asked if that’s what he wanted… but honestly? It wouldn’t surprise me…” she muttered, shrugging like that question didn’t haunt her every single night. “Sooho didn’t retaliate. He confronted him, but never did to him what Bumseok did to us. Bumseok wouldn’t stop. He stalked him. Texted him constantly. Tried to meet up in private. And if I’m being honest… I’m the reason none of those meetings ever happened.”
“We get it… That’s shady as hell…”
“Uhm, why would he wanna meet him alone so badly?”
“I wouldn’t trust it either.”
Hyeori smiled faintly, feeling a strange sense of relief. Maybe what she did wasn’t so wrong after all. She’d always thought that if she had just let him meet up with Bumseok—just once—none of this would’ve happened.
“On his birthday, he tried again… I didn’t know, but I ended up being used as bait to lure him somewhere. I guess they wanted to beat him up… It never happened because Sieun showed up instead. We got the crap beaten out of us… and honestly… that was the problem. We weren’t supposed to get hurt. We shouldn’t have even been there. So… we didn’t tell anyone. Not even Sooho. We hid for a whole week, waiting for our injuries to heal… But it didn’t work. Next thing I knew, I was walking with him… on the way to that gym…”
“Noona…”
“You don’t have to keep going,” Hyuntak said, reaching over to gently touch her cheek. A tear was already sliding down.
“They beat him so badly he ended up in a coma… I was angry. Hurt. Sooho and I had so many plans… And now I couldn’t follow through with any of them…” Her body trembled, but she kept going. She needed to say this. To let it out. “So… I snapped. I found the guy who attacked him… I ruined his life. I mean, he ruined mine, right? But I couldn’t do the same to the one who caused all of this… I couldn’t do it to Bumseok. And not because of me. Not even for Sooho. Sieun was there… And I know this might sound stupid, but now I realize… I’m the only person he has. What would’ve happened if I disappeared too?”
The boys exchanged a look. She wasn’t crying loudly, but her golden eyes were full of tears.
“And he’s the only person I have. Him and Sooho… They’re all I’ve got. And if Sooho doesn’t wake up… what’s left of me without Sieun?” Her hands clenched. “I didn’t do anything to Bumseok because Sieun… still thought he deserved a little sympathy. Not because I believe he should be forgiven. He ruined my life. He ruined Sooho’s life. He even hurt Sieun. But… none of that matters now, right?”
“Did he ever get punished? I mean… what he did was awful…”
“In this world, you don’t matter unless you’ve got status… Sooho is the most important person in my life. Unfortunately… he isn’t in everyone else’s.”
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