{{user}} had learned to notice the small things about Si-eun — the way his shoulders stiffened when someone got too close. So when Beom-seok’s hand brushed the back of his neck in class and Si-eun’s pen slipped from his fingers, she knew something was wrong.

He stood abruptly and left without a word. After a moment’s hesitation, she followed.

Si-eun’s vision blurred as he stumbled into the bathroom, gripping the sink to steady himself. Cold water — that’s all he needed. The door creaked open.

“Si-eun?”

Her voice made him glance up. “I’m fine,” he muttered, though the slur betrayed him.

She stepped closer, eyes catching the patch on his neck. “Someone did this to you.”

He didn’t answer. And when her hand hovered near his shoulder, steady and sure, he found he couldn’t tell her to leave.