Morning didn't arrive gently.
It crept in through the cracks of the monastery like it wasn't sure it was welcome. Pale light slid across the stone floor, catching dust in the air, revealing outlines of bodies scattered on mats like survivors of a quiet battle.
XH woke up with the dull awareness that came before memory.
Cold first.Then stiffness.Then the faint ache in his arms from yesterday's work.
He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling beams, listening.
Breathing.A cough.Someone groaning softly and pulling a blanket higher.
The monastery was awake again, but only halfway. That dangerous hour where consequences could still choose not to show themselves.
JP stirred beside him and muttered, "Never again."
TZ, somewhere nearby, answered without opening his eyes. "You say that every time."
NS didn't speak, but XH heard the shift of his weight, the careful movement of someone waking up already alert.
XH exhaled slowly.
They made it back.
No teachers storming in.No abbot shouting.No sudden punishment waiting at the door.
Yet.
He sat up carefully, joints protesting, and rubbed his face with both hands. The smell of the monastery in daylight was different. Less mysterious. More honest. Old wood. Cold stone. A hint of smoke from morning fires outside.
Yesterday felt far away already.
And yet… it didn't.
The words from the night before still sat in his chest, heavy but clear. NS's quiet honesty. The way the bottle had stopped being the point halfway through. The way silence had said more than laughter ever could.
XH reached under his pillow and felt his phone.
Two notifications.
He didn't open them immediately.
He stood instead, slipping on his jacket, careful not to wake anyone else. The monastery doors were open now, daylight spilling into the hall. Outside, the village was already moving.
Smoke rose from chimneys again. Someone laughed nearby. A rooster crowed like it was personally offended by everyone's existence.
XH stepped out into the cold.
It bit hard.
He welcomed it.
Morning Duties, No Shortcuts
They were given no time to dwell.
Breakfast was simple. Warm porridge. Bread. Hot tea. No luxury. No chatter at first. Everyone ate like their bodies had decided hunger mattered more than stories.
The Headmaster stood nearby, speaking quietly with THKM and Lola. No sign of irritation. No hint that he knew about the sneaking out. If he did, he chose not to show it.
That made it worse somehow.
XH noticed June across the yard, standing with Kitty and the other girls. Her hair was tied back loosely. She looked tired, but not fragile. Kitty laughed at something Jihye said, then caught XH's gaze briefly.
She didn't smile.
She didn't look away either.
Just a quiet acknowledgment.
XH's phone vibrated again in his pocket.
He still didn't check it.
Today, work continued.
The Headmaster addressed them after breakfast, voice calm, unhurried.
"You worked yesterday," he said. "Today, you will reflect."
Reflection, it turned out, also involved work.
More wood.More water.More cooking.
This time, no competitions.
Just contribution.
XH fetched water with NS, the bucket sloshing between them. Neither spoke for a while.
Finally, NS broke the silence.
"You okay?"
XH nodded. "Yeah."
NS studied him briefly. "You don't look guilty."
XH shrugged. "I don't feel guilty."
NS let out a small breath, almost a laugh. "Good."
They carried the water back, shoulders brushing once. No tension. No apology needed. Something had shifted into a quieter place.
Unsaid Things Between Girls
On the other side of the village, the girls worked too.
Kitty helped prepare food again, sleeves rolled up, movements efficient. June assisted with organizing supplies, checking lists, making sure nothing was wasted.
They moved well together. Too well.
NC noticed it immediately.
"You two didn't sleep," she said gently.
Kitty smiled faintly. "Neither did you."
NC accepted that and didn't push further.
Cherry watched them with sharp eyes, arms crossed. "Something happened last night."
June didn't look up. "Lots of things happened last night."
Cherry smirked. "Not like this."
Kitty paused, knife hovering mid-air for half a second before continuing. "It's just tiredness."
Cherry laughed softly. "You're bad at lying."
Kitty didn't respond.
June glanced at Kitty, then away. The silence between them wasn't awkward. It was loaded. Like two people holding the same secret from opposite sides.
Jihye hummed quietly to herself, sensing tension but choosing not to poke it.
Anna whispered, "Do you think the boys slept?"
June replied flatly, "No."
Kitty added, almost absentmindedly, "They never do."
Midday Calm, Underneath the Surface
By midday, the village felt warmer. The sun softened the frost. Jackets were unzipped. Hands loosened.
Students gathered in small groups during breaks. Some laughed loudly. Some sat quietly, staring into space. The energy had shifted from excitement to something heavier. Familiar.
The kind of calm that came after too much honesty.
JP sprawled on the steps near the monastery, arms stretched wide like a man defeated by gravity. "I can't feel my legs."
TZ dropped down beside him. "That's growth."
JP squinted at the sky. "Do you think they know?"
TZ tilted his head. "Who?"
JP gestured vaguely. "Teachers. Headmaster. God."
TZ considered. "If God knows, he's probably impressed."
NS sat nearby, sipping tea. "If they know, they're choosing not to care."
XH joined them, lowering himself carefully. "That's worse."
JP laughed weakly. "Or better."
They sat there for a while, just existing.
XH finally checked his phone.
Two messages.
From Kitty, sent early:
Kitty: did you sleep at all?
From June, sent later:
June: we should talk later. not urgently. just… later.
XH stared at the screen longer than he meant to.
Not urgently.
Those words carried weight.
He typed slowly.
XH: yeah. later is good.
He sent it.
Didn't elaborate.
Put the phone away again.
The Headmaster's Quiet Lesson
In the afternoon, the Headmaster gathered them once more.
No speeches. No warnings.
Just a simple instruction.
"Walk with me."
They followed him through the village, past houses, past the well, past the woodpile they'd worked so hard at the day before.
He stopped near the edge, overlooking the fields.
"You will forget most lectures," he said. "Most exams. Most numbers."
He turned slightly, eyes scanning the group.
"But you will remember how tired you were. How cold. How dependent you were on each other."
XH felt the words land.
"You will remember who stayed silent so others could speak," the Headmaster continued. "Who worked when no one was watching."
His gaze passed over the boys briefly. Then the girls.
"Remember that," he said. "Because the world will not care about your intentions."
He nodded once and walked away.
No applause.
No reaction.
Just impact.
Before Night Comes Again
As the sun lowered, the village prepared for another night.
No one suggested sneaking out.
Not because they wouldn't.
Because something else was waiting.
XH found himself near the edge of the yard again, staring at nothing.
June approached quietly.
"Hey," she said.
XH turned. "Hey."
They stood there, a few feet apart.
Not awkward.
Not easy.
Just real.
"Did you enjoy yesterday?" she asked.
XH thought of the work. The escape. The talk. The honesty. The cost.
"Yes," he said. "I did."
June nodded. "Me too."
A pause.
She didn't say what she'd wanted to talk about.
Neither did he.
Kitty watched them from a distance, expression unreadable.
NS noticed.
TZ noticed.
JP noticed.
Everyone noticed.
Because some tensions didn't need announcements.
They were visible in the air.
Night crept closer again.
And this time, everyone felt it.
Not as excitement.
But as anticipation.
Because the village had stripped them down to essentials.
And whatever came next wouldn't be hidden behind noise, alcohol, or jokes.
It would arrive quietly.
Like morning.
Like truth.
Like something that, once broken, could never be gathered back the same way again.