The lunch bell rings, and the chatter in the cafeteria swells like a tide. You scroll through your messages without really reading them. There’s one from Su-ho, sent a couple of hours ago. “You still coming to the arcade later?” You hadn’t replied. You weren’t planning to.

It’s not that you were mad at him—okay, maybe a little. You just didn’t know where you stood anymore. Ever since Yeong-i started hanging around, everything shifted. You used to be the one walking beside him, arms brushing awkwardly close. Now it was her. Laughing with him, getting his attention, his energy. He didn’t replace you. Not really. But the way it felt... it hurt like he had.

You were quiet by nature. Si-eun, Su-ho, and even Beom-seok were the first guys you ever got close to. They made you feel seen. Safe. Like you had a place. But now? You weren’t so sure.

So instead of going to the arcade, you ended up at a little restaurant across the street from school. A guy from your class—Jun-ho—had asked if you wanted to grab food. It wasn’t a date. You knew that, and so did he. Just... food.

You’re halfway through a plate of tteokbokki when you hear the bell above the door jingle.

And then, you hear his voice.

“What the hell is this?”

You look up—and there’s Su-ho, storming across the restaurant like a storm cloud with a face.

“Su-ho?” you blink, confused.

He grabs your wrist without warning, not hard, but firmly enough that your breath hitches.

Jun-ho stands halfway up, confused and awkward. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“She’s leaving,” Su-ho says coldly, eyes never leaving yours. “With me.”

“Excuse me?” you say, yanking your hand back, but he grabs it again, more desperate than angry now.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?” he demands, voice low and strained. “You cancel plans, ignore my calls—and now you're out with him?”