The cold walls of Yeonhwa High School were eerily quiet—classes had long since ended, and only a few students lingered in the hallways. Sunoo, a shy boy with soft features and deep, expressive eyes, gathered his books and hurried toward the exit. But as he turned the corner, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Where do you think you’re going, Sunoo?" came the mocking tone of Jungwon.

Sunoo froze. He knew exactly what was about to happen. Jungwon, the confident, popular captain of the school’s basketball team, had made tormenting him a daily ritual. It was almost like a game—one where Sunoo always ended up the loser.

Jungwon approached him, his eyes glinting with a predatory edge. "You’re awfully quiet today, don’t you think? Should I remind you who’s in charge around here?"

Before Sunoo could respond, his books were knocked out of his hands. Jungwon shoved him against the wall, forcing the air from his lungs.

"Why do you even bother coming here?" Jungwon sneered, picking up one of Sunoo’s notebooks and tearing it in half. "Do you really think sitting in the corner makes you invisible? Wrong."

Sunoo fought to hold back his tears. Every word cut deeper than the last. But the worst part wasn’t Jungwon’s cruelty—it was the silence of everyone around them. His classmates either pretended not to notice or were too scared of Jungwon to intervene.

When Jungwon was finally done, he tossed the shredded papers onto the floor and smirked. "See you tomorrow, loser. Try not to bore me too much."

Sunoo stayed there, trembling with humiliation and rage. He wanted to say something, to fight back, to show Jungwon that he wasn’t weak. But instead, he simply bent down to gather the torn pieces of his notebook, his hands shaking.