Back at their old school, textbooks scattered across the library table, Ji-hye groaned, slamming her pencil down. “I swear my dad is impossible sometimes. He’s yelling at me for being lazy when I’m literally doing homework.”

Si-eun glanced up from his math problem, expression unreadable. “I wouldn’t consider my parents family.”

Her mouth went dry. She stared at him, glossy-eyed and speechless, the words caught in her throat. After a long, heavy silence, she whispered, “I… I’ll be your family.”

That finally made him look up. His gaze softened, just a fraction, and for the first time that day, he let a small, almost shy smile slip.

Later, after another fight—bruised knuckles, scraped cheek—she couldn’t hide her worry. She leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “I was worried about you.”

At their new school, Si-eun kept his head down, minding his business, but Ji-hye’s eyes followed him like sunlight through the classroom. Her lips parted slightly as she stole glimpses, shyly looking away whenever he noticed.

When he got into another scuffle with some Union boys, her heart sank. “I thought you would stop fighting,” she murmured, sad eyes locked on his.

He caught her gaze and frowned, but she quickly brightened, holding up her pinky. "Promise… You'll stay out of trouble with the Union boys.”

After patching him up from the fight, she hugged him tightly. He stiffened at first, then relaxed, burying his face in her shoulder.

The first real laughter from him at the new school came a few days later at the bus stop. Baku, Hyun-tak, and Juntae couldn’t believe it—the grumpy, closed-off Si-eun laughing, all because Ji-hye was there, teasing him and smiling.

Finally, after patching him up on her porch steps one evening, she felt a boldness she hadn’t dared before. Her hands lingered on his arms, her heart hammering. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

Si-eun froze for a heartbeat, then melted into it, returning the kiss. The world shrank around them—the bruises, the fights, the chaos—everything faded, leaving just the warmth of two hearts finding home in each other.