The car ride back from the camp was silent.
Sera's mother had arrived the moment she got the call.
She barely made it out of the passenger seat before falling to her knees, clutching her daughter like she might disappear again if she let go.
Jisoo stood to the side.
Bruised. Shaking.
Watching them.
It felt… too intimate to witness. Too sacred.
But he couldn't move. Not until her mother turned to him with red eyes and trembling hands.
"You— You're the one who… You found her?"
He nodded slowly.
"I—I tried to get there sooner—"
He didn't finish.
Her mother hugged him without hesitation.
"Thank you. Thank you for saving my baby."
He didn't know what to say.
They brought Sera inside.
Her mother offered Jisoo a plate of warm food, freshly made in her panic and waiting on the table.
"Stay and eat. Please."
But he shook his head gently.
"I'm just glad she's home."
"Will you come back tomorrow? I'm sure She'll want to see you."
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "Of course."
He turned before she could see the tears in his eyes.
The next morning, Sera woke up with a fever.
Her body, still overwhelmed from shock, had gone limp in her blankets. Her hair stuck to her cheeks. Her lips were pale.
Jisoo sat beside her bed.
Her mother had gone out to get medication, trusting him without question now.
He looked at her. Just looked.
And his heart twisted.
All the bruises on his own face, all the anger he carried — none of it compared to the ache in his chest right now.
She stirred slightly.
Eyes fluttered open.
"You're here," she whispered.
"Always."
He reached out and gently brushed her bangs back.
Then — slowly, reverently — he kissed her forehead.
She sighed into it.
Eyes still half-lidded, she asked:
"Did you cry?"
He let out a shaky laugh.
"More than I want to admit."
Then, after a beat, he added—
"I like you."
Sera blinked.
"What?"
He didn't back away.
"I like you, Sera. Since the day you gave me a pen in the library and acted like it wasn't a big deal… since you saw me when no one else wanted to. I don't care if it's messy or broken or weird. I just… I like you."
Her lips parted. She blinked hard.
Then smiled — soft, tired.
"I like you too, Jisoo. Since that first day in the library when you were too shy to look me in the eye. Since the moment I saw past your bruises."
He reached for her hand.
She held it.
And they just sat there.
No kisses.
No fireworks.
Just silence.
And breath.
And peace.
Two souls wrapped around each other.
At last