Jiho's POV
He barely heard the morning bell.
Sleep hadn't touched him, not even for a moment. His body went through the motions—uniform, shoes, bag— but his mind stayed fixed on the look Hana had yesterday. Steady. Braver than he ever deserved.
The school buzzed louder than usual when he walked through the courtyard. Conversations dipped, then surged again. He ignored the noise, the glances, the way rooms seemed to tilt whenever his name drifted by.
But he caught one thing instantly.
Hana looked exhausted.
Not visibly shaken—she would never allow that—but her shoulders were tight, her gaze fixed on some middle distance like she was bracing for impact. Students parted around her, whispering before she even passed.
His jaw clenched.
He took his seat in the back of homeroom without looking her way. He couldn't. If he did, half the class would turn to check what he was looking at.
Through the entire lesson, his leg bounced under the desk, fingers curled around his phone like it might break.
By lunch, he needed air.
He stepped into the stairwell, pulling out his phone to shut off notifications—but froze when a new ClassNet post flashed across the screen.
Not about him.
About her.
"Transfer girl knows something. Ask her.""She was the first one he looked at.""Someone should talk to her again.""No seriously. Make her talk."
A slow, sharp anger cut through him.
This wasn't random gossip anymore. Someone was steering it.
He shoved his phone into his pocket and walked out before the anger could turn into something he couldn't control.
That's when he saw her.
Hana leaving the cafeteria, tray empty, shoulders stiff but chin up. She moved like someone refusing to bend even when the entire hallway tried to tilt her off balance.
He didn't think. He just stepped into her path.
"Hana."
Her head lifted. Then she saw the tension in his face and stopped.
He hated that she'd learned to read him this easily.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
The question hit harder than he expected.
"You shouldn't talk to me out here," he said.
"I know."But she didn't walk away.
They stood a few feet apart, close enough that anyone looking could twist it into something, far enough that it looked accidental.
"There's a new post," he said.
She froze. "About what?"
"You," he answered. "They think you know something."
Her breath caught, so quiet most people would've missed it.
"Do you?" he asked.
"No," she said instantly. "And even if I did, I wouldn't—"
"That's the problem." His voice dropped lower. "You think intentions matter here. They don't."
She frowned. "Then what does?"
"How easy someone is to corner."
She looked away for a moment, the words hitting harder than he meant.He shouldn't have said it like that.But the thought of anyone pushing at her again—
"I can handle rumors," she said.
"Rumors, maybe." His voice tightened. "But not people who get ideas."
Her hands curled on her tray. "Then what do I do?"
He exhaled once, quietly.He didn't want to say it.But the truth had been sitting in his chest all morning.
"If something happens again," he said, "you find me."
Her eyes flicked up—surprised, searching.
"You told me to stay away," she murmured.
"I know."
"But now you want me to—"
"I said what I had to yesterday," he cut in. "This is different."
Her gaze didn't waver. "Because of the post."
"Because someone's targeting you," he said. "Using you to get to me."
Students walked past, glancing too long, listening too closely. Jiho shifted slightly, enough to block her from the worst of the stares.
She noticed. He could tell.
Her voice softened. "Who would do that?"
"I don't know," he said. "But they're not done."
The bell rang overhead, sharp and jarring.
They stood there for a beat—two people caught in a space too narrow for the distance they were supposed to keep.
He stepped back first.
"Hana," he said quietly, "just be careful."
She nodded, but her eyes held more questions than certainty.
Jiho turned away, heading down the corridor, trying to ignore the heat crawling up his spine.
His phone buzzed again.
Another new ClassNet post.
This one made him stop walking completely.
"If she won't talk willingly… there are other ways."
His heart dropped, cold and sharp.
This wasn't gossip anymore.
It was a threat.
And Hana was in the center of it.