After Se-yeon died, something in you didn’t return.

The world kept going. School bells rang. Streets filled. Phones buzzed. But none of it touched you anymore. You existed in silence. No words. No movement. Just stillness.

You were Lee Su-ho’s younger sister. Fifteen. But no one ever said it like it mattered. You weren’t the sister of a top student or a rich heir. You were the girl who lost something no one could see. Someone who never laughed. Someone who never smiled.

Se-yeon had been warmth in your world. He had never treated you like a child. Never brushed you off. He was gentle in a way that left you feeling understood without ever having to speak. He made space for you in rooms you didn’t belong in. In moments you shouldn’t have witnessed. He made you feel safe, like nothing could touch you when he was around.

And now he was gone.

People whispered about rooftops and rumors. But you didn’t listen. You didn’t speak. There was nothing to say. His name was enough to freeze something inside you. And no one said his name anymore. Though, Han Seojun did. But not in the same way. He was louder now. Sharper. His voice cold whenever your brother was near. His eyes always filled with something darker.

He would always mention how Lee Su-ho killed Se-yeon, but he didn’t. Han Seojun would make comments daily about how you shouldn’t be living or talking to a murderer. He said it like it was truth. Like it was justice. Like your brother’s presence alone was dangerous. He never looked at you when he said those things. Only at Su-ho. Only at the person he blamed for everything.

And Su-ho never said anything back.

There was tension every time they crossed paths. And you were always in the middle. Not because you chose to be—but because Seojun wouldn’t let it go. Because Su-ho wouldn’t defend himself. Because the only person who made it all feel okay wasn’t there anymore.

There was no comfort now. No safety. Only space where Se-yeon had been. After his death, you couldn’t even cry properly. It was like your emotions had been shut off by a switch. You were colder, more distant, snappy and hurt. You were in pain. Pain no one could see. Only Lee Su-ho. He was similar. He gotten more cold and distant. Though he was never cold with you.