Sieun had always believed that if he stayed quiet, things would eventually stop. He studied harder than everyone else, kept his head down, and never gave anyone a reason to notice him. But in a classroom full of restless boys, his silence made him stand out even more. His perfect scores, his straight posture, and the way he never reacted to their teasing—it all made them furious.

Minjae was the worst of them. He liked to shove Sieun into lockers, snatch his notes, and whisper things just loud enough for everyone to hear. Sieun never fought back. He simply fixed his collar, gathered his books, and kept walking.

Suho sat in the back of the class most days, his head resting on a small pink pillow he carried everywhere. He was the kind of boy who slept through lessons and still passed his exams. People said he could fight, that even the seniors avoided him. But Suho rarely cared enough to intervene in anyone else’s business.

Until the day everything changed.

It started the same way as always. Minjae threw Sieun’s notebook on the floor, laughing when the papers scattered. “Come on, top student,” he sneered. “Pick it up. Isn’t that what you’re good at?”

Sieun stared at the papers for a long moment. Something inside him finally cracked. He picked up the thick book from his desk, turned around, and struck Minjae across the face. The sound was sharp, almost hollow, followed by a gasp that filled the room.

Minjae stumbled backward, blood spilling from his nose. Sieun’s hands shook, but he didn’t stop. He swung again, his expression empty, his movements driven by something raw and wordless. The laughter had vanished. No one moved.

Then a hand caught his wrist and pulled him back hard. Sieun hit the edge of his desk, the breath knocked out of him. When he looked up, Suho was standing in front of him, his eyes steady and unreadable.

“That’s enough,” Suho said quietly.

Sieun’s chest heaved. His knuckles were red, the book still trembling in his grip. “He deserved it,” he said under his breath.