Everyone was shocked by Seo-Jin's words, and So-yeon could hardly breathe — frozen in an instant of pure disbelief.
His voice still echoed in her ears:
"I don't want to share Ryu."
What did it even mean?
Why did it feel like the ground just shifted beneath her?
Eyes darted around the room — confused, stunned, amused — but no one said a word.
So-yeon's heart pounded like it was trying to escape her chest.
There was a deep silence after Seo-Jin's words.
Then, as if realizing the chaos he had caused, he added — his voice calm but sharp:
"I mean… I don't want to share him with the wrong people.
People who turn softness into rudeness."
His eyes flicked briefly toward So-yeon — pointed, unreadable.
Was that… directed at her?
It felt like an accusation wrapped in a calm sentence.
And yet, it only left more questions than answers.
So-yeon's breath caught again.
Everyone stayed still, like they were waiting for someone to decode what he really meant.
But no one dared to speak.
Not yet.
_ _ _
"The game's over," So-yeon said suddenly, her voice colder than she expected.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"I don't want to play anymore."
Without waiting for a reply, she stood up, grabbed her bag, and walked out of the classroom.
Her heart was still racing — not from the game, not from the dare, not even from Ryu's words…
But from Seo-Jin.
From the way he said that.
From the way he looked at her like she was one of the "wrong people."
She didn't know if she was angry, hurt, or just confused.
Maybe all of it.
---
As So-yeon walked out, Ryu called after her, his voice laced with sarcasm and mock pity.
"Oh, poor girl," he said dramatically. "Look what you've done — you actually hurt her feelings."
Then he turned toward Seo-Jin, his expression sharp.
"How rude can you be?" he added. "You really pushed her too far this time."
The room went quiet again — not the shocked silence from before, but a tense one.
Seo-Jin didn't respond right away.
But his jaw clenched.
Hard.
---
---
So-yeon stormed down the hallway, her footsteps loud and fast, echoing with every furious step she took. Her fists were clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to get away from that suffocating classroom — away from the confusion, the eyes, and especially… away from Seo-Jin.
Her lips moved without pause as she muttered under her breath, voice trembling with rage.
> "How rude can he be? Saying things like that to me in front of everyone… Like I'm some kind of villain just for existing."
Her pace quickened as her anger built up, a storm inside her chest.
> "I didn't ask Ryu to flirt. I didn't spin the pen. He acts like I planned it all just to annoy him."
She stopped walking for a second, staring at the empty corridor ahead — the lockers, the flickering tube light, the silence that didn't match the chaos inside her head.
> "He has some nerve," she whispered bitterly.
"I swear, I just want to hit him. With a stone. No— a BRICK. Right in that cold, emotionless face of his."
But her anger wasn't simple.
Because beneath all the rage, So-yeon could still feel that look Seo-Jin gave her. That burning stare. The way his eyes locked with hers — accusing, intense, and something else she couldn't name.
It was driving her crazy.
> "Why does he get to mess with my head like this?" she whispered, blinking hard.
She hated that she cared. She hated that it hurt.
But most of all, she hated that he got under her skin — when no one else could.
---
"Yes, you can hit him," a voice said behind her — smooth, teasing, and all too familiar.
So-yeon spun around, startled.
And of course.
There he was.
Ryu.
Leaning casually against the wall like he hadn't just turned her entire brain into scrambled eggs thirty minutes ago.
He smirked, arms crossed, one brow raised like he'd been listening the whole time.
> "Honestly," he said, shrugging, "if you want, I can hold him still while you throw the stone. Might be the most fun I've had all week."
So-yeon narrowed her eyes at him.
> "You followed me?"
Ryu shrugged again, still smirking. "Technically, yes. But not in a creepy way. More like... emotionally supportive stalking."
She let out a breath — not quite a laugh, but not pure anger either.
> "You're ridiculous," she muttered, turning away.
> "And you're adorable when you're mad," he replied smoothly, stepping beside her.
She gave him a glare, but he didn't flinch.
Instead, his voice softened just a bit.
> "Look… Seo-Jin's just complicated. He says things without realizing how deep they cut."
So-yeon's expression shifted — still guarded, but listening.
> "But what he said wasn't fair," Ryu added. "You didn't deserve that. Not today. Not ever."
Something tightened in her chest. She didn't reply — not yet.
But her silence wasn't rejection.
And Ryu?
He seemed to understand that.
So he just stood there quietly beside her. No flirting, no teasing. Just... there.
And strangely, that helped.
Even if just a little.
---
After a long pause, So-yeon shifted her weight awkwardly, her anger slowly giving way to something else — hesitation. Ryu was still standing there beside her, calm and quiet, and somehow that made it even harder to speak. Her heart wasn't racing out of rage anymore, but from the sudden urge to say something ridiculous.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then looked away just as quickly. The question bubbling in her head felt so silly, so unnecessary, and yet it wouldn't leave her alone.
After another second, she turned toward him with the most serious expression she could manage — one that completely didn't match the absurd thing she was about to say. Her face looked like she was about to confess a dark secret or reveal something life-changing, but instead, she blurted out a question so silly, it almost made her want to run.
And yet, she still asked it — quietly, nervously, like it took every bit of courage in her body.
It was stupid. It was awkward. And it absolutely mattered to her in that moment.
Ryu finally broke the silence with a casual "Yes," he replied smoothly, not even bothering to ask what the question was.
So-yeon hesitated, her heart thudding, then turned to him with an almost too-serious expression — like she was about to reveal a life-altering secret. But instead, her voice came out firm and awkward all at once.
"Are you gay?" she exclaimed.
For a second, Ryu just stared at her, clearly stunned by the question. He blinked a few times, then placed a hand dramatically over his chest.
"Are you serious? What the hell—" he replied, sounding half-offended, half-confused.
Then he gave her a sly smirk and tilted his head, pretending to gasp.
"Oh no," he said with mock horror, "who revealed my secret?" he added in a playful tone.
So-yeon's face twisted in pure shock as he said that, her jaw falling slightly as she tried to process it.
She couldn't believe what she just heard.
"You're joking," she whispered.
But before she could say anything else, Ryu burst into laughter, unable to hold it in any longer.
"Look at your face!" he said between laughs. "Do you really think I'm gay?" he added teasingly.
Still trying to recover from the embarrassment, So-yeon scowled at him.
"So… why do you and Seo-Jin act like a couple then?" she asked, trying to sound casual but failing miserably.
Ryu's smirk only deepened.
"I think someone's jealous," he said in a teasing, sing-song tone.
"I am not," she replied instantly, shooting him the most disgusted look she could manage.
But deep down, she wasn't so sure.