The stop was not large. Its size did not register as a problem. The positions where people stood were roughly set, and stepping outside that range was rare. Doyoon stood just beyond the boundary. He did not intend to. It happened anyway.
The timetable above showed clear numbers. The expected arrival time was exact. There was no notice of delay. Doyoon did not calculate the minutes. There was no reason to. In places like this, waiting came first, judgment later.
People faced different directions. Some looked toward the road. Some down at their phones. Some at nothing in particular. The directions varied, but the choices were similar. Stand and wait. Take a step back. Distances were kept without effort.
Doyoon looked down at the ground. An old painted line remained there. It had been drawn before the stop changed shape. Now it sat slightly off from where people actually stood. The misalignment was not corrected. It had never become a problem.
A bus appeared in the distance. The sound arrived first. The engine noise approached at a steady pace. Postures shifted almost at the same time. The change was small, barely visible. Too slight to be called preparation.
Doyoon did not move. He did not look for a reason to. There was no point of intervention. The choices here were already sufficiently aligned.
The bus stopped at the curb. The doors opened. People boarded in order. The order did not break. No one pushed. It did not matter who stepped on first or last.
Doyoon moved toward the back. He did not hold a strap. There was no need. The bus pulled away smoothly. No sudden acceleration. No abrupt stop.
Inside, it was quiet. There was little conversation. An announcement played. The screen showed the next stop. The information repeated. Nothing new appeared.
Doyoon looked out the window. Buildings continued in a line. The spacing of streetlights stayed consistent. The scenery flowed without interruption. There was no reason for it to break.
He thought about why judgment was slowing in places like this. Before, it had been easy. There was no risk. No need to intervene. That had been enough.
This time, risk still did not appear. There was still no point of intervention. The judgment, however, did not end. Something remained after it should have closed.
The bus stopped at the next stop. A few people got off. A few got on. The space rearranged itself. Choices referenced one another and held the same shape.
Nothing happened.
Doyoon repeated the sentence once in his mind. The confirmation was quick. It should have been sufficient. The next step did not follow.
The bus started again. The same speed. The same sound. The same vibration. Repetition did not create a problem. It only seemed to stack faster than before.
Doyoon looked down at his hands. They were steady. His breathing was even. There was nothing wrong with his body. If there was a problem, it was where judgment settled.
He did not intend to stay on long. He planned to get off at the next stop. The decision had already been made. Even so, the feeling of completion did not arrive.
The bus slowed. The doors opened. Doyoon stood up. The movement was natural. It did not stand out.
He stepped off the bus. His foot touched the ground. Another stop extended ahead, similar in shape. Not much was different.
Nothing happened.
The sentence no longer felt like a confirmation. It felt like accumulation.