You thought it would be different this time. You really did. You’d rehearsed the lines you wanted to say, the moments you wanted to steal. You’d even told yourself to stay calm — Ha Yi-chan wasn’t someone who played games, right? So why did it feel like you were standing on the sidelines of your own story?

He was there, like always. His easy smile, the way his eyes flicked to something — or someone — else so naturally, Cheongah. She was the one catching his attention tonight, the one he was laughing with. The way his face lit up when she was near... you tried to believe it was just friendly. But the way he looked at her, that was something else.

You told yourself you just wanted him to be happy. But that didn’t stop the sharp sting in your chest, the cold sinking feeling that maybe, just maybe, you weren’t enough.

You thought you knew him, but tonight, he was a stranger — one who made his choice clear without even needing to raise his voice.

You were leaning against the cracked brick wall of the alley behind the ice cream shop, the fading light of the afternoon casting long shadows. Yi-chan stood a few feet away The air was thick with things left unsaid. “So, you still coming to the band practice tomorrow?” he asked, oblivious to your mood.

You wanted to ask him why things felt different now, why the easy vibe between you had shifted into something you couldn’t quite place. But you didn’t.