A week later, Sera returned to school.
The halls were colder.
The lights too bright.
Every footstep echoed a little louder.
But she was there.
With Jisoo walking beside her.
He didn't hold her hand.
He didn't even glance at her for too long.
But they were walking together.
And frankly....that was enough.
Whispers
Students noticed, of course.
They noticed how Jisoo sat a little closer to her than before.
How he opened her water bottle when her fingers were trembling.
How she leaned her shoulder against his during break, just once, just briefly.
Whispers buzzed.
But no one dared speak them aloud.
Even Eunbi.
Especially Eunbi.
Taeyang and Minjeong
They both knew.
It wasn't like they needed confirmation.
They just… knew.
Taeyang smiled when he saw them. That same easy, charming grin.
But it never reached his eyes.
When Sera looked at him across the classroom, he only nodded — as if giving her silent permission to be happy.
Minjeong didn't say much either.
She just sat beside Sera during club hours, listened to her hum absentmindedly, and swallowed the ache in her throat.
They had both lost someone they never had.
And still, they protected her anyway.
It happened in the hallway.
Jisoo had gone ahead, leaving Sera at her locker.
Eunbi leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Her usual group wasn't around.
For a moment, it was just the two of them.
And then—
"You look like shit."
Sera blinked.
Eunbi clicked her tongue.
"I mean… not that you didn't before."
Silence.
Then she added—
"I heard what happened."
Still not looking at her.
"Not that I care. Or whatever."
More silence.
Then—
"You okay?"
Sera turned.
Eunbi still hadn't made eye contact.
"Yeah," Sera said softly. "I'm okay."
Eunbi scoffed. Shoved her hands in her blazer pockets.
"Good. I don't have time to bully someone in the hospital."
She walked off.
Sera stood there, stunned — a smile tugging at the edge of her mouth.
She understood.
It wasn't kindness.
Not quite.
It was respect.
And for someone like Eunbi — that was more than enough.
When she walked back into class, Jisoo had already pulled out her chair.
No one said a word.
But when their eyes met…
They both smiled.
Like nothing had changed.
And everything had.