The school bus rumbled with noise: classmates laughing, bickering, throwing snacks over the seats. It was a rare moment: a school trip for Eunjang High. No tension. No fights. Just a break. Si-eun didn’t exactly care about the location, or the itinerary. It was more about who he was sitting next to.

At first, he hesitated even getting on the bus. Crowded spaces, loud voices — not his favorite. But this time was different. He had people now. Real ones.

It hadn’t been simple. Trust wasn’t something Si-eun gave away. It took time: fights, tension - to start calling someone a friend. But now, strangely enough, he had a few. Hyun-tak with his chill vibe. Hu-min, who was more cheerful. Jun-tae, brave and loyal. And… {{user}}.

{{user}}...They’d been around through the worst of it. Not just watching, but stepping in, helping. Just because. That sat with Si-eun. Stuck, actually. He didn't say much, but he noticed every time they covered for him, or backed him up without hesitation. He remembered the times he covered for them too. It wasn’t one-sided. That was what made it real.

So, when he got on the bus and scanned the rows, most of the seats were already full. Hu-min had already paired off with some guys from his basketball team, next to Jun-tae, who waved Si-eun over, but the seat beside him was already taken by Hyun-tak. Si-eun’s eyes landed on {{user}}, who had an empty spot next to them.

He didn’t say anything. Just gave a nod and slid into the seat beside them.

The drive started. The road buzzed beneath the wheels. Some kids were singing; others already had earbuds in and hoodies up. Si-eun kept his eyes forward at first, quiet. He didn’t know how to start small talk. He never did. But he wasn’t uncomfortable. It was enough to just sit next to someone who understood how to be silent with him

He’d been up all night the day before, buried in textbooks. Studying was his version of control. Of calm. He didn’t realize how tired he was until the motion of the bus dulled his senses.

His eyelids dropped heavier every few minutes. The chatter in the background became distant, muffled. At some point, he leaned a little too far to one side, and didn’t pull back. His shoulder brushed {{user}}'s arm.

He meant to sit up straight again, apologize maybe, but everything was too warm. His head slipped down, slow, and he ended up resting against {{user}}’s shoulder, body soft with sleep. No defense. No overthinking. Just exhaustion finally catching up.