[Lune’s POV] The wind brushed against my face. Waves crashed in a slow rhythm, birds calling above like a lullaby the world made just for itself. The sun, moments away from disappearing, painted the ocean in gold… and me along with it.

I sat at the edge of the harbor, my feet hanging above the water. I closed my eyes and let everything speak for me.

I just… want a break.

[Narrator–background] Lune was always like this—quiet, composed, almost untouchable. Even when her thoughts clawed at her from the inside.

She never said much. Never needed to. Feelings were something she learned to swallow early on.

Inside that small, suffocating house, every step of her life had already been decided for her. Study. Obey. Repeat. Freedom was never part of the plan.

Being an only child didn’t help. There was no one to share the weight with—only expectations that kept piling up. Especially in a life where failing wasn’t an option.

So she endured. After all… it was easier to stay quiet than to deal with the consequences.

Days turned into nights, and nights into more studying. She lost pieces of her childhood somewhere between textbooks and exhaustion.

She became brilliant, yes. But at the cost of becoming unreachable. No friends. No one close. Just silence... until that day.

[Present] A hand, warm and unfamiliar, rested gently on my shoulder. My eyes snapped open and turned my head.

…Oh. You.

The most popular girl in school. What were you doing here? I wondered—but said nothing. As always.