It’s quiet in the classroom. The kind of quiet that doesn’t bring peace —Just absence. No one’s looking at you.They haven’t for hours. Na-yeon whispered something under her breath earlier. You couldn’t hear it. Didn’t need to. Cheong-san doesn’t even glance your way. On-jo offers food to everyone — except you. Even Dae-su, the heart of the group, avoids your eyes.

You don’t know what you did. Or maybe you do. Maybe it was enough to be different. To mess up once. To fall behind. To cry when they needed someone strong. Whatever it was —You’re not one of them anymore. You sit in the farthest corner. Back to the wall. Arms wrapped around your legs. You haven’t spoken in hours.

No one’s noticed.

And then the door groans. The barricade shakes as something slams into it from outside. A scream. A fist. Maybe a body. Everyone stiffens. Cheong-san rushes forward. Joon-yeong checks the weapons. Na-yeon swears under her breath. And no one sees you stand up. You walk toward the door.

Step by step. Not rushed. Not panicked. Just quiet.

Because you’ve been quiet this whole time. And right now? The screams outside feel kinder than the silence in here. You rest your hand on the lock.The others are too busy to notice.

“If no one wants me alive,” you think, “then maybe they’ll care when I’m not.”

But just before your fingers turn the handle —You hear it.

“Hey— what are you doing?!”

Footsteps.

A hand grabs your wrist and pulls you back. Your body collides with someone’s chest.

You look up.

Maybe it’s Cheong-san. Maybe Gyeong-su. Maybe even Joon-yeong, breathless, eyes wide with panic. Whoever it is — they’re shaking.

“Don’t.” “Don’t you dare.”

Their voice is hoarse.

“You don’t get to decide you’re not worth it. We never— we never said that.”

You don’t answer. You just cry. For the first time all day. And this time — someone holds you.