The campus had always lived on rumors.
Even in the earliest weeks, when they were still new and everything felt possible, there were always whispers. About grades. About relationships. About which teacher favored which major. About who was secretly dating who, and who had already dropped out without telling anyone.
But back then, rumors were entertainment. They were spice.
Now, rumors were oxygen.
Students breathed them in and let them shape their decisions.
XH felt it the moment he walked into the main corridor that morning. A cluster of students had formed around the notice board, phones held up, faces tense. Someone spoke rapidly, showing a screenshot to a stranger like it was proof of a crime.
"Look, look. This is from last night.""This is the forum.""My cousin is in admin, he said it's real.""They're hiding it until the end of the month."
The words blurred into each other, but the emotion behind them was clear.
Panic was becoming organized.
XH stepped past the crowd, not because he didn't care, but because he knew looking too closely would make it worse. He could already feel his mind trying to calculate every possible outcome.
If the program collapses, what happens to us?
If the promises disappear, what happens to the people who stayed because of them?
If the Headmaster is gone, who is left to protect the students from being swallowed by bureaucracy?
He entered class with a heavy chest.
June sat near the front again. Perfect posture. Clean notes. Phone face down on the desk, as if she was forcing herself not to check it every minute.
Kitty sat farther back, quiet, eyes down, listening more than writing.
XH sat between them, not physically, but emotionally. Even from across the room, he could feel the distance.
The lecturer started speaking, but halfway through, a notification sound cut through the room.
Someone's phone.
Then another.
Then another.
The lecturer paused, expression tightening.
"Phones away," she said firmly.
Students obeyed, but the energy in the room changed. Everyone was thinking the same thing.
What did I miss?
What new rumor arrived?
What new threat?
When class ended, the hallway erupted with movement.
A student from business major ran past, breathless, talking on the phone. Two engineering students argued loudly near the stairs. A computing major girl stood frozen, staring at her screen with tears in her eyes.
XH caught JP's voice ahead.
"Bro, I swear if I see one more post saying we're getting fake certificates, I'm going to start suing people for emotional damage."
TZ responded dryly. "With what lawyer? Your stomach?"
JP pointed at him. "My stomach has rights."
The joke should have landed.
But it didn't.
The laughter died quickly.
Because everyone knew it was not funny anymore.
The group gathered at lunch, but the table felt more fragmented than usual. NC sat with Kitty. Anna and Jihye joined, their voices low, eyes scanning the room. June sat with them too, but she kept her attention on her phone more than the conversation.
XH sat slightly apart, unable to find the rhythm of normal.
NS arrived last, gaze serious, carrying a tray he barely touched.
JP started talking immediately. "So. Heard anything new?"
NS shrugged. "Only what everyone's saying."
TZ frowned. "Which is what? Because everyone's saying everything."
NS's eyes flicked briefly to June, then to XH. "Some people are switching majors."
June finally spoke, voice controlled. "They already are."
JP blinked. "Wait, for real?"
June nodded. "Local government major is accepting transfers. Some people are doing it just to escape rumors."
XH felt something cold settle into his chest.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "If it's only rumors."
June looked at him. Her gaze was sharp but tired. "Because rumors can ruin your family's trust. They can ruin your funding. They can ruin your future even if they're false."
Kitty's fingers tightened around her cup.
JP leaned back, frustration rising. "This campus is private. It gets attacked every year. People panic, people post nonsense, then it calms down."
June's expression did not change. "Maybe it calmed down before because the Headmaster was here."
Silence.
The name itself created a pause.
NS looked down.
TZ rubbed his jaw.
XH felt his stomach tighten.
Kitty spoke softly, almost to herself. "The chair was empty."
NC reached across and gently touched Kitty's wrist, grounding her.
June glanced at Kitty, and for a moment, something almost sympathetic softened her face.
Then she looked away again.
They were not enemies.
But they were no longer standing in the same emotional room.
After lunch, XH walked with NS.
It used to be easy, their walks. Comfortable silence. Occasional jokes. No pressure.
Now, even walking felt like a conversation waiting to happen.
NS spoke first. "You talked to Kitty."
XH nodded. "Yeah."
NS's voice was quiet. "And June?"
XH exhaled. "Rooftop."
NS stopped walking for a moment, then continued.
"You didn't choose."
XH's throat tightened. "No."
NS's gaze stayed forward, but his tone shifted slightly. "You know what it looks like now?"
XH did not answer.
"It looks like you want both," NS said. "Even if that's not what you mean."
XH flinched. "That's not true."
NS nodded. "I know. But perception becomes reality when people are already stressed."
They walked in silence.
Then NS added, softer. "And you should watch the way people are looking at Kitty lately."
XH's chest tightened. "What do you mean?"
NS hesitated, then said, "Some guys are getting brave now. Because they think she's emotionally available."
XH felt anger flash, quick and sharp.
He wanted to deny it.
He couldn't.
Because he had seen it too.
Not directly. Not blatantly.
But in the way people lingered near Kitty's table. In the way someone always seemed to be smiling at her, offering her help, offering her jokes, offering her attention.
Kitty was beautiful, yes.
But more than that, Kitty carried a quiet vulnerability that made people think they had a chance.
And now, that chance looked larger.
Because XH had stepped back.
That afternoon, in the corridor, XH saw it.
A guy from another major, taller, confident, laughing too loudly, walking beside Kitty. He leaned down slightly as if whispering something into her ear. Kitty smiled politely, not encouraging, not rejecting.
NC walked beside her, protective.
But the guy kept leaning in.
XH's chest tightened.
He took a step forward without thinking.
Then stopped.
Because he had no right.
Not anymore.
Kitty glanced up and saw him.
Their eyes met.
Kitty's expression did not shift into panic or guilt.
It shifted into something quieter.
A question.
Are you going to act like you care?
XH stood still, trapped.
The guy laughed again, said something, and Kitty looked away.
The moment passed.
But it left a mark.
Later, June caught up to XH near the stairwell.
She did not waste time.
"You look bothered," she said.
XH stared at her. "What do you want from me?"
June's eyes narrowed slightly. "I want you to stop pretending you're neutral."
He exhaled sharply. "I'm not pretending."
June stepped closer, voice low. "Then prove it."
XH looked away. "I can't."
June's face tightened. "You can. You just won't."
She paused, then added more softly, "It's okay to be selfish sometimes."
XH stared at her, stunned. "Selfish?"
June nodded. "Yes. Everyone is selfish. Kitty is selfish too. She just hides it better."
The words felt wrong. Too harsh.
XH's voice dropped. "Don't talk about her like that."
June's eyes flashed. "See? You defend her. But you won't choose anyone."
XH clenched his jaw.
June softened slightly, lowering her voice again. "Listen. My family is pushing me. Hard."
XH's chest tightened. "Transfer?"
June nodded. "Soon."
He stared at her. "When?"
June exhaled slowly. "If things don't stabilize, within weeks."
Weeks.
The timeline made everything sharper.
June looked at him then, and her voice trembled just slightly.
"I don't want to leave like this," she admitted.
XH swallowed.
June continued, "But I won't stay stuck in uncertainty for anyone."
She walked away before he could respond.
That night, the group gathered again.
JP was restless, pacing. TZ trained silently. NS sat on the floor, scrolling, jaw tight.
XH sat on his bed, feeling like the room was closing in.
JP finally spoke, voice louder than usual. "Okay, I'm done. Someone tell me what's real."
NS looked up. "Real is this. People are switching majors. Parents are panicking. Admin is silent. The Headmaster is still gone."
TZ added, "And the school is acting like silence is stability."
JP scoffed. "Silence is weakness."
XH stared at his phone.
A message from Kitty arrived.
Kitty: today was tiring.
XH's chest tightened.
Before he could reply, another message came in.
From June.
June: my mom booked a meeting with an advisor tomorrow. you should know that.
Two messages.
Two different weights.
Two different directions.
XH's fingers hovered above the screen.
His heart pounded.
He realized something with terrifying clarity.
The rumors were not the only thing turning into truth.
The distance between them was too.
And if he waited much longer, the story would not give him a choice.
It would move on without him.
And he would deserve it.
He closed his eyes, the room silent around him, the city buzzing outside.
Somewhere in the campus, students were still whispering.
But XH could no longer tell whether the whispers were about the university.
Or about him.