The bell’s echo still hangs in the air when you spot Hyunjin by the basketball court, back against the brick wall, hair damp with sweat and sunlight caught in it. He’s laughing, that soft smile meant only for you, you think, and you step closer, heart light with the familiar thought that he’s yours and you’re his first in so many quiet ways.

Then you see her. One of his friends. Close enough that her hand is flat against the wall beside his shoulder, close enough that the space between them feels wrong. “Come on,” she says, voice low and teasing. Hyunjin shifts, leans away, jaw tightening. “I said no” he mutters, eyes flicking elsewhere.

They flick to you just as she leans in.

Hyunjin’s eyes widen. “Wait—” he says, but you’ve already turned, shoes scuffing too fast against the concrete. You tell yourself it’s nothing. That he’s good, that he chose you for a reason. Still, the sound of your name on his lips follows you, unfinished, as you walk home alone.