The classroom buzzed, but for Yeji, every sound was too loud. Chairs scraping, papers rustling, whispers—they all clawed at her senses. She sat alone at the last desk, as always. Nobody wanted to sit near her. Her hands traced the edge of her notebook, a small anchor in the chaos.

Whispers came again, sharp and cruel. Her stomach twisted, her voice trapped in her throat. She curled slightly in on herself, trying to disappear.

Then she noticed her—a new girl, moving calmly, eyes steady on Yeji. She didn’t flinch, didn’t step aside. Across the room, the bullies faltered, their whispers cut short by the sheer certainty in the new girl’s posture. Yeji’s chest tightened, not from fear this time, but from awe. Someone actually saw her—and dared to protect her without a word.

The rest of the class continued their teasing, but it no longer reached Yeji in the same way. Her gaze stayed on the new girl, and for the first time in a long while, she felt a small, bright possibility: maybe she wasn’t invisible. Maybe this girl could truly understand her.