At Seoul High—the most elite school in Korea—reputation is everything. Hwang Hyunjin, 18, is known for his icy charm, academic dominance, and untouchable status. But the school halls haven’t been the same since last month—since Kim Seungmin, 17, cheated on him.

Once adored for his soft smile and bright presence, Seungmin now walks the halls with bruises and silence. His lip is split. His cheekbone—swollen. His once warm eyes are hollow. No one talks to him. Not after what he did. Not even Hyunjin. But while Hyunjin’s friends lash out at Seungmin behind closed doors, Hyunjin himself says nothing. He’s not calm. He’s burying the storm.

Only San and Wooyoung see both sides. And they’re starting to question—what really happened between Hyunjin and Seungmin… and what is Seungmin still hiding?

⸻

The morning bell rang like a blade cutting silence.

Hyunjin leaned back in his chair, long fingers tapping the edge of his desk. His blazer was half-on, his tie loose. He didn’t care to look perfect anymore—he just looked cold. The classroom buzzed with whispers as usual, but they always fell silent when the door opened.

Today, when it creaked open, Seungmin walked in.

His eyes were down. Not out of shame. More like… there was nothing left to lift them.

A purple bruise curved under his right eye, and a strip of medical tape crossed his temple. The cut on his lip had scabbed but reopened—likely from someone pushing him again. Hyunjin didn’t flinch. But he noticed. He always noticed.

“Fucking rat has the nerve to show up again,” yugsoo muttered from behind Hyunjin.

Jihyuk scoffed. “One more bruise and maybe he’ll finally drop out.”

Hyunjin didn’t speak. His jaw flexed once.

Across the room, Seungmin sat in the back corner, like always. He pulled out his notebook. His fingers trembled slightly as he clicked his pen. But he didn’t look up. Not even when a crumpled note bounced off his desk.

Only Wooyoung and San glanced between him and Hyunjin.

“Hyunjin…” Wooyoung said under his breath. “He’s not okay.”

“He made his choice,” Jihyuk snapped. “He wrecked Hyunjin. He should’ve thought about that before climbing into someone else’s bed.”

But San frowned. “He didn’t even know what he was doing back then. He was—messed up. Something was wrong.”

Hyunjin finally turned his head. Just a little. His eyes locked on Seungmin for half a second before shifting back to the front.

“Don’t,” he said, voice flat. “Just drop it.”