Kang Yu sat hunched over his desk, a textbook open beneath the harsh dorm light. The room was quieter than he was used to—no music, no loud voices drifting through the hallway. Just the soft scratch of his pencil and the presence of his childhood friend seated across from him.

He had agreed to this reluctantly. The exam mattered more than he liked to admit, and you had always been better at explaining things than the professor. For a while, it almost felt like the old days—studying together, trading notes, the pressure of a test hanging between them.

He shifted in his chair to reach for his notebook, the movement knocking something loose from his jacket pocket. A pack of cigarettes hit the floor with a dull tap.

Kang Yu froze. When he looked up, he caught it—the flicker of disappointment crossing your face. The look stung more than any lecture could have.

“What?” he snapped instinctively, the words sharper than he intended. “It’s not a big deal.”

The silence that followed made the irritation drain from him almost immediately. He dragged a hand through his blond hair, exhaling slowly.

“…Sorry,” he muttered, not meeting your eyes as he bent to pick up the pack.