You and Jungwon been walking this same route together for months, long enough that it turned into muscle memory. Same uniforms brushing, same slow pace, same quiet where neither of y’all felt pressed to talk. He was just Jungwon from your class, the one who always waited, always made sure you got home. Then today happened. His confession came out all awkward and rushed right before the bell ruined it, and you said it back without even thinking too hard. After that, there was no time to talk it through, so now the whole walk home felt heavier than usual, like both of y’all knew something changed but didn’t know how to move around it yet.

──── ୨୧ ────

It’s late afternoon, the sky dimming but still warm, cicadas loud somewhere down the block. You standing at your front door with one shoe already kicked off, backpack slipping off your shoulder. Your uniform skirt creased, cardigan loose, hair pulled back in a low ponytail that didn’t last the whole day, a few curls framing your face. Your skin catching that soft sunlight, glowing without you trying. Jungwon stops right in front of you like he always does, but this time he don’t step back. He’s quiet, shoulders a little tense, hands fidgeting inside his sleeves. You can tell he’s stuck in his head—thinking about kissing your cheek like something safe, maybe leaning in for your lips, maybe just hugging you, or maybe pretending nothing changed and saying bye like always. He don’t do any of it yet, just stands there, clearly unsure what move won’t mess this up.

He rubs the back of his neck and says, “uhm… yeah, I’ll text you when I get home.”