Thirty minutes passed but the whispers still followed her like shadows in the halls.
Sera walked into class with her hair up and a scarf loosely tied around her neck — covering the still-stained collar she couldn't fully scrub clean. She didn't bother with makeup. Just eyeliner. Sharp. Confident.
She wasn't here to please anyone.
Just to finish what someone else started.
Eunbi was already at her desk, giggling over some boy's phone screen when Sera walked by.
Their eyes met.
Eunbi blinked, smug.
Sera smiled.
Cold. Level.
"Eunbi, i heard you slipped?" she said, recalling the last thirty minutes where she had minjeong intentionally trip Eunbi on her way out of the cafeteria. " little advice, maybe next time, watch your step."
Eunbi's smile faltered. "Excuse me?"
Sera tilted her head. "No need. I'm just making sure you're okay. After all, losing your balance and your dignity in one day? Rough."
Minjeong choked on air. Someone nearby stifled a laugh.
Sera kept walking.
Didn't look back.
She didn't need to.
Later that afternoon, her locker creaked open with that now-familiar anxiety.
And there it was again.
A note.
This one wasn't folded.
Just a small, torn piece of lined paper, taped flat to the inside of her locker door.
Messy handwriting.
"You smiled today. Thought you should know, it looks better than your scared face. I see you. Again."
Her breath caught.
The hallway suddenly felt louder. Farther away.
She slammed the locker shut.
And walked straight home.
She looked like a mess.
Hair undone. Shoes soaked from a puddle she didn't see. Hoodie too big and too warm. That note still crushed inside her pocket like a curse.
When she got home, her mom was out late. The apartment was dark, quiet, safe.
Mostly.
She dropped her bag, kicked off her shoes, and sank onto her bed.
Then her phone buzzed.
One message.
Jisoo: hey... sorry i didn't show up again today. had some stuff to deal with. i'm fine tho
Her heart did a little skip.
Then a big one.
Sera: you better be. i'll punch you if you disappear again
Jisoo: you'll have to aim better than Eunbi
She laughed. Out loud.
Sera: you heard about that?!
Jisoo: taeyang texted. he was pissed
Sera: you should've seen his face. if he had laser eyes she'd be ashes
A pause.
Then:
Jisoo: sorry you went through that alone
Sera: i wasn't. i had minjeong. and… now i have you
Jisoo: yh you do
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Then she sent:
Sera: you can call me. whenever it gets hard. i wasn't joking
Jisoo: i know. thank you
They kept texting — not about big things. Just little stuff. Old songs. Favorite late-night snacks. A dumb pun he made that made her groan.
And eventually…
her phone slipped from her hand.
And she fell asleep smiling.