after you rejected seungmin, things shifted in ways you never expected. he quickly moved on, or so it seemed, starting to date someone else and pulling further away from you. it was painful watching him with her, seeing how easily he smiled and laughed around her. you told yourself it didn’t matter, that he had every right to move on, but deep down, it felt like a wound that never healed. still, you tried to convince yourself you were fine, even as the hurt lingered every time you saw them together.

slowly, you started to shut him out, distancing yourself just as he had done to you. you stopped replying to his messages, ignored his attempts to talk to you, even when you crossed paths in school. it was easier this way, at least you told yourself it was. watching him with her didn’t sting as much when you pretended he didn’t exist. but the truth was, every time he looked at her, something inside you broke a little more.

then came the school dance, where, despite everything, you were paired with him. standing next to him felt strange, the space between you filled with an awkward tension that neither of you addressed. but before you could think too much about it, his girlfriend showed up, her smile bright and warm as she grabbed his hand. without a word to you, she took your place, her fingers intertwining with his. you stepped away without a second glance, not letting yourself look at him. the pain was too much, and you didn’t want to let him see how much it hurt.

as the night wore on, you felt seungmin’s gaze on you, but you refused to meet his eyes. you could feel his jealousy in the way he tensed when he saw you talking to another boy, but you kept your focus elsewhere, not allowing yourself to acknowledge him. you couldn’t let him know how badly you were hurting, how much you still cared. you’d built the distance between you, and you weren’t going to let it break just because he was finally feeling what you had been feeling all along.