The morning felt the same.
But something wasn't.
I walked through the school gate, my eyes searching without thinking.
And then—
I saw him.
Sihoon stood near the stairs, talking with a few classmates.
His expression was calm.
Normal.
For a moment, I felt relieved.
I walked closer.
"…Sihoon."
I called his name softly.
He turned this time.
Our eyes met.
For a second—
everything felt the same as before.
But only for a second.
"…Good morning," he said.
His voice was calm.
Gentle.
Just like always.
But something felt… different.
"Good morning," I replied quietly.
There was a small pause.
"I wanted to talk to you," I said.
He looked at me for a moment.
Not avoiding.
Not cold.
Just… careful.
"…I have something to finish right now," he said.
"Can we talk later?"
His tone was soft.
Like he didn't want to refuse.
I nodded without thinking.
"…Okay."
He gave a small nod in return.
Then turned back to his classmates.
And continued the conversation.
I stood there for a moment longer.
Nothing was wrong.
He didn't ignore me.
He didn't act distant.
And yet—
"…Why does it feel like something changed?"
The thought stayed quietly in my mind.
Because even though his words were the same—
the space between them
felt different.
The classroom felt the same as always.
Voices, laughter, the sound of chairs moving—
everything was normal.
But I couldn't focus on any of it.
My eyes moved without thinking.
Toward him.
Sihoon was already in his seat, flipping through his notebook.
Focused.
Calm.
Like usual.
For a moment, I just stood there.
Then I walked to my seat.
He looked up
Nothing unusual.
And yet—
He looked back down almost immediately.
Like he didn't want to hold the moment any longer than necessary.
I opened my notebook slowly.
Waiting.
Maybe he would say something else.
Ask something.
Like he always did.
But he didn't.
The teacher entered, and the class began.
I tried to focus.
Really tried.
But my attention kept slipping.
Every small movement beside me felt louder than it should.
The sound of pages turning.
The way he adjusted his pen.
And the silence between us.
At one point, I didn't understand something.
Before—
I wouldn't have thought twice.
I would have asked him.
"…Sihoon."
His name left my lips quietly.
He turned.
"Yes?"
His voice was calm.
Gentle.
Just like always.
But I hesitated.
For some reason—
the words felt harder to say.
"…Can you explain this part?"
I pointed at my notebook.
He leaned slightly closer.
Not too close.
Just enough to see.
"It's this," he said, explaining briefly.
Clear.
Simple.
Then he leaned back again.
"…Got it?" he asked.
I nodded.
"…Yeah. Thank you."
"That's good."
And that was it.
No extra words.
No small conversation.
Just enough.
I looked down at my notebook.
The explanation was clear.
But something still felt… incomplete.
Before—
he would have stayed a little longer.
Said something unnecessary.
Something small.
But today—
he didn't.
I tightened my grip on my pen.
"…It's nothing."
I whispered to myself.
Maybe I was just overthinking.
Maybe everything was the same—
and I was the only one who felt different.
But even then—
I couldn't ignore it.
The space between us.
Still close.
And yet—
somehow
farther than before.
The bell rang.
Lunch time.
Chairs moved, voices filled the room again.
I closed my notebook slowly.
Usually—
we would leave together.
Without saying anything.
It just… happened.
I glanced beside me.
Sihoon was already standing.
For a second, I thought—
he would wait.
Like always.
But he didn't.
"Let's go," someone called him.
He nodded lightly.
And walked out with them.
Without looking back.
My hand paused on my bag.
"…Oh."
The word came out quietly.
"It's fine."
I told myself that.
Maybe he just had plans today.
Maybe I was thinking too much again.
"Jia?"
I looked up.
Yian was standing near my desk.
"You're not going?" he asked.
"…I will," I replied, standing up.
He tilted his head slightly.
"You usually go with Sihoon, right?"
I hesitated.
"…Yeah."
"But today?"
I didn't answer immediately.
My eyes moved toward the door—
where he had already disappeared.
"…He went ahead," I said quietly.
Yian watched me for a moment.
Like he was trying to understand something.
"…Did something happen?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"No."
That was the truth.
At least—
the only truth I knew.
We walked to the cafeteria together.
It was crowded.
Noisy.
But even with all those people—
my eyes searched again.
And found him.
Sihoon was sitting with a few classmates.
Talking.
Laughing lightly.
Just like before.
I stood there for a moment.
Then walked to a different table.
Not too far.
But not close either.
"Sit here," Yian said.
I nodded and sat down.
I tried to eat.
But my attention kept drifting.
To him.
He looked the same.
Acted the same.
And yet—
he didn't look at me.
Not even once.
"…You're really quiet today."
Yian's voice pulled me back.
"…Am I?"
"Yes."
He didn't hesitate.
I looked down at my tray.
"…I'm just tired."
That was easier to say.
Yian didn't respond immediately.
"…If something's bothering you," he said after a moment,
"you can tell me."
I paused.
Then shook my head slightly.
"It's nothing."
But even as I said it—
my eyes moved again.
Toward him.
For a second—
I thought—
maybe he would look up.
Maybe our eyes would meet.
But they didn't.
And somehow—
that felt worse than anything else.
I lowered my gaze again.
"…Why does it feel like I'm the only one noticing this?"
The thought stayed quietly in my mind.
Because everything looked the same.
But between us—
something had already changed.
And I was the only one who didn't know why.