The air froze. Park Dong blinked. "Wait…what?"
Daegyu. "Wha…. hold up. Where did that come from?"
Park Dong frowned. "Why would you even say that…?"
Jinsu shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but his ears were red.
"I dunno. Just… the way she acts around him feels different. Don't you think so?"
The others exchanged looks half disbelief, half curiosity.
The casual mood from earlier was gone, replaced with a tense silence none of them had expected.
The room fell quiet after Jinsu's sudden question. Park Dong stared at him like he'd grown another head.
"Bro… you're overthinking it."
"Yeah," Daegyu added quickly, forcing a laugh. "You're probably just imagining things. Don't stress yourself out."
Park Dong picking on his nose.
"Exactly. Don't go losing your nerve before you even confess. Focus on your plan, not Seojin."
Jinsu let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Their words didn't erase his doubts completely, but they eased the knot twisting in his stomach. He nodded. "...Right. You're right."
The mood lightened again as Park Dong slapped his shoulder.
"So? How're you gonna do it? You can't just stand there like an idiot and blurt it out."
Jinsu straightened in his chair, a hint of determination in his eyes. "I've been thinking… a candlelight confession. Simple, but it'll feel special."
"A candlelight event?" Jinkyung repeated, brows lifting.
"Yeah. I'll set it up after school this weekend. Just the two of us." His gaze shifted between them, almost pleading. "But I can't do it alone. Park Dong, Suwon, and Jiseong I'll need your help to prepare everything. Setting up the candles, maybe a banner, the timing…"
Park Dong whistled low. "Damn, you're going all out, huh?"
"Of course I am," Jinsu said firmly. "If I'm going to do this, I want it to be perfect."
The group nodded in agreement, the buzz of excitement slowly replacing the earlier awkwardness.
The next day, Park Dong bounced up to the girls, grinning. "Snack bar's on me! Let's go!"
Irina squinted at him. "Since when are you so generous?"
"Hey, don't get me wrong I'm not paying. Someone else is."
Seolhyo reached for the door, she noticed Jinsu leaning against the wall outside, arms crossed, one foot braced against the brick.
Waiting.
Her hand froze on the handle. Behind her, Park Dong's voice carried: "C'mon, free food. You're not seriously dieting again, are you?"
Seolhyo turned back, her expression unreadable. "...I am. I'll pass."
"What the diet more and you'll disappear!" Park Dong groaned. But she was already walking away.
Later in the cafeteria, the menu board lit her face army stew, her favorite.
"Extra ham, please,"
She told the lunch lady, almost smiling as she carried her tray to a table with the others.
But just as they began to eat, Park Dong appeared again with Jinsu and Suwon in tow, loudly orchestrating where everyone should sit.
"Yo, you there. And Jinsu, right here, next to Seolhyo." He even plopped down a yogurt in front of her tray like it was some secret weapon.
Seolhyo glanced at the empty seat, then at Jinsu wide who sit next to her. Something in her expression faltered. Her chopstick clattered down. "...I'm done."
"Huh? But you barely"
"I don't like it anymore," she cut in, standing with her tray.
The table went silent as she walked out.
On the field outside, she and the girls sprawled in the grass, the breeze tugging their hair. "Let's eat jjajangmyeon," Irina suggested, perking up.
"Yeah, that sounds good." Seolhyo smiled faintly.
Park Dong, who had followed them, pumped his fist. "Then let's all go together!"
From the corner of her eye, Seolhyo spotted Jinsu lingering just behind him, trying to look effortless, hands in his pockets, posture stiff with effort. She paused, then turned. "...I forgot my wallet."
Jinsu's expression cracked, the mask slipping for just a second.
Back in the classroom, Jinsu slumped over his desk, his voice low and bitter.
"Does this even make sense? The moment I finally decide to make a move she avoids me."
His knuckles whitened as he gripped his pen, then he dropped it with a hollow clatter. "The confession's right around the corner, and she won't even look at me."
Park Dong scratched the back of his head, realizing this wasn't just bad timing. "Dude… maybe she's not busy. Maybe she's dodging you."
Jinsu's eyes snapped shut, as if refusing to hear it. He buried his face into his arms.
Stepping out, I spotted her near the outdoor tap, lowering her head to drink straight from it. The sound of running water filled the quiet space.
When she finally straightened, droplets clung to her lips before she wiped them away with the back of her hand.
I walked up quietly and tapped her shoulder. She startled, whipping around, then let out a sigh of relief when she saw me.
Her brows knit slightly as I lifted the plastic bag of bread. "What's this?"
"You didn't eat much today," I said simply. "Figured you might be hungry. And… well, this way you don't have to deal with Jinsu in the cafeteria."
She blinked at me, caught off guard. For a second, her lips pressed together as if she wanted to protest, but instead she reached out slowly, her fingers brushing mine as she took the bag. "...Thanks," she murmured, her voice softer than usual.
Her gaze dipped to the bread in her hands, then flicked back up to me briefly quick, almost shy before darting away again.
A faint pink touched her cheeks, though she tried to hide it by turning her head.
She tore off a piece of bread and nibbled on it in silence, the quiet stretching between us.
Only the faint rustle of the plastic bag and the breeze from the open window filled the moment.
After a while, she let out a small sigh. "...You noticed, huh?"
I leaned against the wall beside her. "Hard not to. You're practically sprinting away from him."
Her lips pressed into a thin line, her voice low but edged with frustration. "It's exhausting. One day he's normal, then suddenly he's acting different like a stranger and then I find out it's because he likes me.
I stayed quiet, letting her speak.
She took another bite, chewing slowly before continuing. "I hate that everyone's pushing me too. Park Dong, the others… It feels like if I say no, I'm the bad guy."
Her words tightened in my chest.
"You don't owe anyone anything," I said firmly. "If you don't like him, then that's it. End of story. Don't let them get to you."
She looked at me then, really looked, her eyes wide like the thought hadn't been voiced to her so plainly before.
A moment of silence passed, heavy but strangely gentle.
Finally, she lowered her gaze again, a small smile tugging at her lips as she whispered, almost shyly, "...Thanks. For noticing. And for this." She lifted the bread slightly before taking another bite.
"No problem." The hallway stretched long and empty as I made my way back
After finishing the last bite of bread, Seolhyo wiped her fingers on a tissue and quietly pulled out her phone.
Her thumbs moved fast, no hesitation.
Meet me at the special class. Alone.
Park Dong stepped inside the empty special classroom, glancing around with a puzzled frown. "Huh? No one's here…"
The creak of the door behind him made him spin around.
Seolhyo stood there, framed in the doorway, her face serious, cold, unreadable.
He swallowed. "...Seolhyo?"
Her eyes narrowed. "What's up with you today? No since last weekend. You've been constantly pushing him at me. Yang Jinsu."
A bead of sweat slid down Park Dong's temple.
His laugh came out too quickly, too thin. 'S-so she figured it out after all…!' "What're you even talking about, lol? I gotta go, homeroom teacher might"
"Do I look like I'm joking to you?" Her voice cut through his excuse, sharp as glass.
He froze. For a second, it wasn't Seolhyo standing there it was her brother, Seol Minsu's shadow flickering in her glare.
"Why… why does she remind me of Minsu-hyung right now…?" Park Dong thought, throat dry.
"You're not going anywhere." Her eyes burned, red-rimmed with anger, holding him in place like shackles.
"Stop it. Stop pushing Jinsu on me. Do you think it's helping him? Do you think it's helping me? All it does is make me angrier every time, and you're the one driving this wedge deeper between us."
Park Dong's mouth opened, but no sound came out.