The campus felt different the morning after President Park's letter went out. Not louder. Not happier. Not chaotic. Just… shifted.
Bella walked across the quad with her usual slow, deliberate pace, her bag slung over one shoulder, headphones tucked away. She wasn't looking for eyes on her. But eyes found her anyway. There was no whispering, no pointed stares, no smirks following her like shadows. Just quiet acknowledgment, subtle nods from classmates who had overheard or read the letter.
She didn't hurry. She didn't pause to wave. She simply walked. And for the first time in a long while, she felt the weight of scrutiny ease just a fraction.
Near the fountain, a small group gathered: not a crowd, just a few students who had been lingering near the benches. And there she was: Claire Prett. Her posture was rigid now, the confident poise replaced with something closer to calculation. The same slow, syrupy smile from before was gone. In its place, a tight-lipped line that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Bella spotted her from a distance and kept walking, her stride calm and unwavering. She didn't want a confrontation. She didn't want to fuel anything. But Claire wasn't going to let it go that easily.
"Reyes," Claire called, sharp enough to catch Bella's attention. She stepped forward, her heels clicking on the stone, precise and deliberate. "Can we talk?"
Bella stopped. She turned slowly, hands resting casually in her pockets. "About what?" she asked evenly.
Claire hesitated, glanced at the few students nearby, then back at Bella. "About… yesterday. The… misunderstanding."
Bella arched a brow. "Misunderstanding?" Her voice was calm, controlled but there was an edge to it that suggested she wasn't going to be toyed with.
Claire's shoulders stiffened. She tried again. "I… I didn't mean for it to be like that. I just…" Her words faltered. For the first time, Claire seemed unsure.
"Just what?" Bella asked. Her voice was soft but it felt weighted. Enough that a few students nearby turned to watch.
Claire swallowed. "I didn't realise… I wasn't thinking. I… I overstepped."
Bella studied her for a long moment. There was no grand apology. No dramatic kneel or tearful plea. Just words, fumbling slightly, honest in their awkwardness.
"Alright," Bella said finally. "Good. Because words matter. And the way you use them… matters too." She took a measured step back, giving Claire space. "That's all I need to hear. Just… think before you speak next time."
Claire nodded, tight-lipped and for the first time in weeks, Bella could see her falter under the absence of control. She turned and walked away, leaving the squad quiet again.
Bella let herself breathe. The announcement hadn't changed who she was. But it had changed how the world responded to her. And she realised something she hadn't before: she didn't need to shout or fight to prove her worth. She just needed to keep walking, steady and confident.
Yunho appeared at the edge of the quad, leaning casually against the railing, arms crossed. When Bella approached, he gave her a small smile but full of understanding.
"You handled that well," he said.
"I didn't do anything," Bella replied, shaking her head. "The letter did."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice so no one else could hear. "You did more than you know. Walking away. Staying composed. Letting them see that their power over you is nothing. That's strength."
Bella glanced up at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'm learning."
"You're learning fast," Yunho said, reaching out to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The gesture was soft, protective. "And you've got people who see it. Always."
Bella's heart warmed, not from the gesture alone, but from the quiet solidarity he offered. Not words of bravado. Not a show of dominance. Just… presence.
They stood like that for a moment, the sun spilling across the quad, the hum of students around them reduced to a soft background. And for the first time since Claire's outburst, Bella felt something light inside her chest. Not relief. Not triumph. Something steadier. Something she recognised as quiet power.
"You think she'll try anything else?" Bella asked finally, her voice almost casual.
Yunho shook his head. "No. She knows now that this isn't a game she can win."
Bella nodded. And for the first time in a long while, she believed it.
The rest of the day passed with a strange calm. Hallways that had once been thick with whispers now simply carried footsteps and the faint rustle of notebooks. Bella moved through her classes with ease, unaware of anyone staring. Her focus was clear, her posture upright, her confidence understated but tangible.
By the time she returned to the library, Yunho was already there, seated at their usual corner table. She slid into the chair across from him, offering a small, private smile.
"Quiet day," he said, looking up from his notebook.
"Yeah," she replied softly, opening her own. "But… it feels lighter."
"Good," he said, meeting her gaze. "Because you deserve that."
That evening as they walked towards her dorm, Yunho seemed hesitant and distracted. Bella quietly observed while waiting for him to speak.
"Bella…" His voice was quiet but firm. "There's something I need to tell you."
Her brow furrowed slightly, though she didn't stop walking. "What is it?"
He took a deep breath. "I know."
She froze mid-step, turning her gaze to him. "You… you know.. what?"
"I know about your grandfather. About the scholarship. The fund. Everything." His eyes met hers, steady, unflinching. "I looked into it after everything happened. I didn't want you to feel like I was judging you, or that it changed how I saw you. But I needed to understand."
Bella's heart skipped. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Words felt heavy, like they had been waiting years to find the right place to land.
"And?" she asked, voice barely a whisper.
Yunho smiled, a soft, genuine smile that made the tension in her chest ease slightly. He pulled her close by the corridor. "And I love you. Every part of you. Your heart, your mind… everything. Wealth, privilege, none of it changes that. You're still the same Bella I've always known. Strong. Brilliant. Compassionate."
Her lips parted, a breath escaping that she hadn't realised she'd been holding. "You… really mean that?"
He nodded, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the gesture light, tender, intimate. "Every word. It doesn't matter who your family is, or what resources they have. You're you. And that's all that matters. Truly."
For a long moment, they walked side by side, neither needing to speak. The world felt narrower, as if it had shrunk just to hold the two of them in that moment.
Finally, she spoke, a whisper that carried more weight than it seemed. "I was… scared, you know? That once you knew, things would be different. That you'd see me differently."
Yunho chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Bella… do you know how much I love every little thing about you? Your courage. The way you carry yourself when no one's watching. That's the Bella I fell for. The rest… that's just noise."
Her chest tightened, a mixture of relief and something warmer, more tender. She let herself lean slightly into him, letting the weight of the day — of months, even years — settle.
"And of course the fact that you openly admit that you like me for my abs," Yunho added, a teasing glint returning to his eyes, "nothing about this changes how I feel about you. Not one bit. You're still my Bella."
She laughed softly, like the most beautiful sound Yunho has heard and for the first time that week, the tension she felt from all the commotion and tumult completely lift. "You're ridiculous," she murmured.
"Maybe," he said with a shrug, "but I'm your ridiculous."
With that, Yunho pulled her closer for a kiss.
"Bella," he murmured, voice rough with unspoken emotion. "I love you. Every part of you."
Her breath hitched and she whispered back, "I… I love you too."
And then, without hesitation, Yunho leaned in, pressing his lips to hers with a fierce, deliberate urgency. It wasn't tentative; it wasn't playful. It was consumed with feelings from the past few days. Every ounce of longing, protectiveness and desire poured into that one kiss.
Bella responded instinctively, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, as if she could merge with him through sheer will.
He caught her lower lip between his teeth, eliciting a gasp from her. The brief sharpness made her knees weaken as she clutched at him uncontrollably. He lingered on that bite before trailing a heated path down her jaw, brushing against the nape of her neck. His lips pressed and nipped at her skin, claiming the space with a desperate, urgent intensity. Bella's fingers wove into his hair as she closed her eyes against her will, her back arched, leaning into every touch, every whisper of teeth and tongue.
Yunho's hands moved with calculated, possessive tenderness, one cupping her face, the other roaming the small of her back, guiding her closer, tilting her slightly so he could move lower along her neck. She moaned softly, letting go of the last vestiges of restraint as he held her impossibly close. Time seemed to fracture around them.
"I can't stop," he murmured against her lips, voice breaking with the intensity of it all.
"Don't," she whispered, letting go of the last shreds of restraint. "Don't stop."
With that, he lifted her, using his hands to hitch her legs so that they went around his waist.
"I see you haven't forgotten our little moment by the pool." Yunho smiled as her, lazily, knowingly. Bella's cheeks flushed crimson and buried her face against his shoulder and groaned softly. "I did not!"
Yunho pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head as he stepped through the doorway, carrying her with ease. "Then I guess it's time I teach you something new," he murmured. He eased them down onto the bed as the door swung closed behind them, his arms still wrapped protectively around her.
---- End ---