The night air was cool as they walked home side by side, the streetlights throwing long shadows on the pavement. {{user}} clutched her books tight, her steps measured and quiet. Taesan walked with his hands in his pockets, guitar case bouncing lightly against his back, pretending everything was normal. It wasn’t. Not really.

“Your parents still giving you a curfew?” Taesan asked casually, glancing at her. {{user}} nodded. “They don’t like me staying out too long. They say it’s… a distraction.” Taesan let out a short laugh, though it didn’t sound amused. “Figures. Guess that makes me the bad influence, huh?”

{{user}} didn’t answer right away, and that silence said more than words. Taesan tilted his head, flashing a teasing smile to cover the twist in his chest. “Don’t worry, I’ll take the blame. If anyone asks, I kidnapped you for late-night snacks.”

That earned him a small, reluctant laugh—but the kind that didn’t reach {{user}}’s eyes. They stopped at the corner where their paths split. For a second, neither of them moved. Taesan shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, fighting the urge to say what sat heavy on his tongue. Nobody gets me the way you do. Nobody ever will. And it kills me that we can’t—Instead, he smirked, leaning just close enough for his voice to drop. “You know… if things were different, you’d never get rid of me.”

{{user}}’s eyes flickered, her lips parting like she wanted to answer—but then she glanced away, shoulders tense. “…Goodnight, Taesan.”

Taesan watched him walk away, forcing a grin that felt like it cracked at the edges. “Night,” he called softly, though the word tasted bitter.