The sun had already disappeared.
But for Jia, darkness had just begun.
She stood outside her house for a moment, gathering what little courage she had left.
The door creaked open before she could even knock.
Her father was waiting.
His face was flushed.
His eyes clouded with anger that didn't belong to her—but would still fall on her.
"Where were you?" His voice filled the house like a storm.
Jia lowered her gaze. "I… missed my bus."
The excuse sounded small. Fragile.
A rough grip caught her wrist.
"Since when do you lie to me?" he demanded.
The house felt suffocating.
Jia didn't fight back.
She never did.
When it was finally over, the silence was louder than the shouting had been.
Her lip stung.
But it wasn't the pain on her skin that hurt the most.
It was the familiar feeling of being trapped.
She couldn't breathe inside those walls.
So she ran.
___________________________________
The night air was cold against her face.
With the few coins in her pocket, she bought a cheap cup of noodles from a 24-hour store nearby.
She sat alone on a plastic bench, staring at the steam rising from the cup.
Her tears fell quietly into it.
She didn't bother wiping them.
Then—
She saw him.
Not directly.
But in the reflection of the glass window.
Across the street.
Jinu.
Standing still.
Watching.
Her heart skipped.
She quickly wiped her face, pretending she hadn't been crying.
A moment later, the door chimed softly.
He walked in.
Without asking permission, without making a scene, he sat beside her.
Up close, she noticed something new.
There was a faint bruise near his jaw.
He noticed her split lip too.
Their eyes met.
And neither looked away.
Jinu exhaled slowly.
Then, quietly, he removed his jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
The warmth startled her.
"What are you doing?" she whispered, trying to push it back.
"Don't… don't pity me. I'm used to this.
We don't even know each other."
A faint smile touched his lips.
But it wasn't a happy smile.
"In this world," he said softly, staring ahead, "pain is easier to find than kindness."
His voice was steady.
Too steady.
"Sometimes we wait for someone to save us," he continued. "But no one comes."
He finally turned to look at her.
"So we learn to survive on our own."
Jia's chest tightened.
"How can you talk like that?" she asked. "Are you… okay?"
The question hung between them.
Jinu froze.
No one had ever asked him that before.
Not seriously.
Not like this.
For a brief second, the mask slipped.
And she saw it.
The crack.
The vulnerability.
Under the harsh supermarket lights, two strangers sat side by side—
Both pretending to be stronger than they were.
And for the first time—