Chapter 2.3

"It's not exactly surprising, but after the incident in the gym storage room, Han Junwoo began to openly hate me. At the same time, the obedient act he put on for his parents disappeared without a trace.

Now, Han Taesan completely occupies the seat beside Han Junwoo.

I might be shameless when it comes to hiding my true feelings, but I’m not the kind of person who can pretend I’m unaffected while holding my head high in ignorance of my shame. At the very least, I refuse to be some pathetic weakling. I don’t have the courage to casually talk to Han Junwoo as if everything is fine.

After that, I started falling into a spiral of melancholy and boredom. Sometimes, I’d burn with a petty sense of revenge, but in the end, I always endured.

That bastard Han Junwoo, who can’t control his emotions, began to envy and resent me like a childish brat. And the reason for it was clear: Han Taesan.

Regardless of the intent, I hated Han Taesan even more. He wasn’t mine to begin with, but it wasn’t enough that he stole Han Junwoo from me—he even made him hate me. I couldn’t shake the thought that he was a vicious bastard.

Even if it wasn’t intentional, it didn’t matter to me. You know how people are—our feelings often defy logic. To me, blaming him was a way of finding a scapegoat to endure this miserable situation.

However, I always made rational choices, and I knew well enough that Han Taesan was just being swept along by Han Junwoo. That’s why I never showed any hostile emotions toward him.

Partly because I was too embarrassed to reveal my jealousy. And partly because I knew that if I lost my temper with Han Taesan, I’d only look like a fool. If that happened, Han Junwoo would hate me even more, and the people in our class would label me a disgusting, filthy gay bastard.

“...This is the worst.”

I hated it. I hated it so much I wanted to die. I hated it more than being hated by Han Junwoo.

Then, for some reason, Go Yohan came to mind. I couldn’t pinpoint why, but I chalked it up to the fact that he was the irritating jerk I’d been hanging around with the most lately. If he ever found out what I was thinking, what would he say? Probably something like this:

‘Turns out Jun’s just a filthy, disgusting gay bastard, huh?’

The thought of Go Yohan looking at me with disdain made me clench my fists. It was such a horrifying image that I nearly gagged. I absolutely didn’t want anyone to find out.

Friendships can be so shallow at times. When it became obvious that Han Junwoo and I weren’t on good terms, my relationships with his group naturally became strained as well. Amusingly, the most isolated member of Go Yohan’s group, Lee Seokhyun, suddenly struck up a pointless conversation with me yesterday.

“Kang Jun, Go Yohan was looking for you earlier.”

“Oh? Why?”

“I don’t know, he just was.”

“...”

It was always something like this—useless topics with no clear purpose. From the looks of it, people now saw me as being closer to Go Yohan’s group than to Han Junwoo’s.

Of course, it wasn’t as if the ties with Junwoo’s group were completely severed. Occasionally, during gym class or by chance in the morning, we’d exchange polite greetings. Though that was mostly limited to Park Dongchul.

“Hey, Kang Jun! Morning.”

“...Morning.”

I remembered one of those awkward exchanges when Park Dongchul had muttered something under his breath.

‘Junwoo’s been acting weird lately. The way he treats Taesan... isn’t it kind of creepy?’

I must have made an unpleasant face, because he seemed to think I agreed. He then went on to talk about how Junwoo forced Taesan to sit with him, grabbed his arm, and wouldn’t let go.

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth before responding.

‘I don’t care about that disgusting stuff at all.’

That shut him up immediately.

Lately, Park Dongchul had been trying to cozy up to Go Yohan and his friends. He seemed like someone quietly looking for a way out of Junwoo’s shadow. Maybe the reason he shared all that with me was to get closer.

Today, as usual, it was just Go Yohan and me left in the classroom, away from the others.

Leaning against the back wall of the classroom, Go Yohan stared down at me. Whether he was ignoring me or just sizing me up, I wasn’t sure. Annoyed, I turned my head away, deciding to ignore him as well.

“Jun.”

“What?”

“Let’s get ice cream after school. That stuff we had last time was pretty good.”

Go Yohan ignored my attempt to ignore him. As he spoke, he lazily tossed a rubber ball across the classroom. The ball bounced around erratically, threatening to hit people, but no one said anything to him.

He didn’t care about the atmosphere at all. He was indifferent, selfish even. I watched the ball bounce around with a frown, finally breaking my silence. My irritation over his shameless behavior made my tone sharper than usual.

“You mean the one you ate all by yourself? You bought it for yourself, didn’t you?”

“Well, not really. I just like green.”

“So you didn’t think about my opinion at all?”

“How was I supposed to know what you wanted? You didn’t tell me.”

By then, the ball had rolled somewhere across the floor. Yohan held out his hand, motioning for it. One of the students near the ball hesitated, then awkwardly picked it up and placed it in Yohan’s hand. Yohan casually shook the ball in his hand and said to the retreating student,

“Thanks, loser.”

What an irritating personality.

‘Loser this, nerd that.’ Every word out of his mouth was insufferable.

Honestly, it made no sense that someone as obnoxious as Go Yohan was hanging around with me instead of Han Junwoo. He always ate with me, sat with me, and attended class with me. Sure, Junwoo wasn’t around, but he could easily text or meet him if he wanted to.

The thought crossed my mind suddenly, and I asked without much thought,

“Why don’t you hang out with Han Junwoo these days?”

Go Yohan, mid-act of throwing and catching the rubber ball against the wall, suddenly froze. Then he turned to me with a puzzled expression.

“You had a fight with him,” he said.

“Me?”

“Yeah. You and Han Junwoo.”

“I know. I’m the one who fought with him. So why does it matter to you?”

“You really say the strangest things. It’s because you’re my friend.”

Go Yohan scanned me up and down with an oddly blatant gaze. Feeling uneasy, I avoided his eyes and asked back,

“You’re friends with Han Junwoo too, though.”

“Wow. You’re hilarious. What, are you saying you’re not my friend?”

Now his tone was incredulous as he pointed at me with his finger.

“No, I am your friend. But you were also friends with Han Junwoo. So why are you taking my side?”

“Well, because I’ve known you longer.”

“What are you talking about? We became friends because of Han Junwoo, didn’t we?”

“Hey. What are you even saying? We were close back in our first year!”

“When?”

“Seriously, you’re such a bastard. Wow. Back in the cafeteria, we used to make eye contact all the time!”

“Oh... back then.”

“So, what, was I the only one who thought we were friends? You scammer. That’s why, as soon as we were in the same class, I approached you first! And you don’t even acknowledge that? Unbelievable. I’m disappointed in you.”

“Oh.”

“Wow. Unbelievable. Just... wow. How could you do this to me?”

“Fine, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?”

I hastily mumbled my apology, recalling those awkward but strangely frequent encounters from our first year.

So that was within his “friendship category.” I feel robbed. How could anyone interpret those stares as friendly? They were filled with hostility, plain and simple. Wait, does that mean the first one to suggest eating together wasn’t Han Junwoo, but... him?

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks, leaving me stunned. It was unsettling, even shocking. Still, I didn’t want to get further entangled, so I pretended to understand and nodded.

“Alright, alright. I get it. I’m sorry.”

“I was seriously so upset just now.”

Go Yohan glared at me briefly. Sometimes, I really can’t understand how his mind works.

“And anyway, Han Junwoo’s acting seriously weird.”

“...”

“That guy’s completely insane right now. He’s always been a bit off, but this? This is just... yeah.”

He grabbed the rubber ball with four fingers, lazily spinning it around his temple with his index finger. The sight made me think of Park Dongchul and the other classmates who’d awkwardly tried to talk to me about Junwoo.

From that alone, I could tell one thing: Han Junwoo’s reputation was in freefall.

“Gay.”

The word—the most feared and damning stigma in the world of eighteen-year-olds—sent a chill through me. My body trembled slightly at the thought. At the same time, I felt relieved that no one knew about me. Did that relief mean I valued myself more than Han Junwoo?

Uneasy, I looked at Go Yohan’s face, feeling like a blasphemous priest hiding a secret before God.

“Really, me,” I muttered.

Then I let out a laugh—a strange mix of fear and derision.

It was almost funny that, to others, I was Go Yohan’s closest friend. In truth, I was no different—a criminal branded with an unholy stigma. Just a few months ago, I was Han Junwoo’s closest friend. And yet, here I was, hiding in a filthy trap I’d barely escaped.

I had only managed to avoid being caught. That was all.

*****

It was dawn. A message from an unknown number arrived unexpectedly. A call at 4 a.m. Half-asleep, I thought for a moment that everything happening now was a dream. Even though I had avoided seeking out Han Junwoo to protect myself from being hurt, my heart leapt at the thought that the message might be from him.

I hurriedly rubbed my eyes and checked again who had sent it. My feelings were conflicted. Part of me hoped it was just one of those spam messages offering shady loans. But as soon as I read the content, I knew it wasn’t from Han Junwoo.

“Jun-ah, I’m sorry for contacting you at this hour. Could you come outside your house for a moment? I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“Just once. Just this one time.”

There was no way Han Junwoo would ever apologize to me.

Among my peers, there were only two people who called me Jun, and of the two, there was only one so pitiful. How did Han Taesan even know where I lived? The moment I saw the message, my face twisted into a scowl. I didn’t want to see him—never wanted to see him. He was always unpleasant.

But despite my thoughts, I got out of bed, buttoned up my clothes, and stood up. I walked to my door but stopped short of stepping through, resting my forehead against the frame with a deep sigh.

“...Damn it.”

It was all so overwhelming, like I had a knot in my stomach. That was the only way to describe it. I clutched my chest. I’d always prided myself on getting good grades, on knowing a wide range of vocabulary from all the books I’d read, but none of the words I knew could fully express this intricate and tangled mess of emotions.

It was just... complicated.

The hatred I felt for Han Taesan, the memory of his face bruised purple that day, and the desperate days I’d spent trying to put some distance between them all swirled together. Biting my lip, I fiddled with the doorknob, then closed my eyes and turned it with a decisive twist.

In the garden, the cold morning dew clung to the air, heralding the arrival of autumn. To avoid the wet grass, I stepped carefully onto the cool marble stones between the lawn. The chilly dawn made me pull my jacket tighter around me. My toes, poking out from the front of my slippers, carried me all the way to the front gate.

I paused there for a moment, clicked my tongue lightly, and grabbed the handle. The creaking of the hinge made me flinch, and I opened the gate even more slowly.

Beyond the gate, illuminated by the streetlight on the asphalt, stood Han Taesan in his school uniform. His head was hung low as he idly scrawled invisible shapes on the ground with the tip of his shoe.@@novelbin@@

“...Han Taesan.”

At my voice, Han Taesan’s head snapped up like lightning.

“Jun, Jun-ah!”

“What is this? Why are you here?”

“I-I’m sorry. No, thank you so much for coming out. Really, thank you.”

With those words, Han Taesan suddenly burst into tears.

I sighed again and took a closer look at him. His tattered spring-and-autumn uniform hung off him like rags. His right eye was swollen and bruised, his cheek puffed out unnaturally, and a dried streak of blood clung stubbornly to the skin above his upper lip.

I stood there silently, taking in everything about him.

Finally, I stepped forward, placed a hand lightly on his shoulder, and nudged him toward the house.

*****

The knot in my chest wouldn’t go away.

Without realizing it, I gripped Han Taesan’s shoulder tightly. Between the folds of his clothes and the skin beneath, the warped remnants of Han Junwoo’s twisted affection lingered. As Han Taesan flinched instinctively, I quickly let go of his shoulder.

Opening the front door, I glanced at the row of shoes on the floor and let out a small sigh. Both my parents were overseas, and the live-in housekeeper stayed in a separate building. No one would notice the unwelcome visitor who had come in the dead of night. My safety mattered far more to me than his.

“Let’s just go to my room for now.”

I nudged his shoulder, and Han Taesan, still quietly sobbing, walked slowly in the direction I pushed him. When we reached my room, I told him to sit on the sofa. He hesitated awkwardly in front of it, his movements clumsy and unsure. After glancing at me, he clapped the dust off his pants and cautiously perched on the edge of the seat. The sight irritated me.

“Just sit properly.”

“O-okay.”

“Wait here for a bit.”

Leaving him in the room, I went to the living room to find the ointment I’d used before. When I returned, Han Taesan was still sitting stiffly at the edge of the sofa, looking uncomfortable. I frowned, stepped closer, and placed the box beside him before gently pushing his shoulder back.

“Ah, ah,” he stammered, his body rigid. I ignored his reaction and pulled out the ointment from the box, tossing it to him.

“Put this on.”

“Huh?”

“On your wounds. Your lip—it’s still bleeding.”

“O-okay.”

Watching him struggle to open the ointment tube was frustrating. I snatched it from his hands, quickly twisted off the cap, and handed it back to him. While he slowly examined the tube, I rummaged through the box for an ice pack to reduce the swelling.

I found one in the second compartment, tore open the packaging, and glanced at Han Taesan. He was dabbing at his lip with his fourth finger, barely applying the ointment.

“What are you doing?” I sighed, exasperated, as I pressed my hand against his cheek. He flinched so violently it irritated me further.

“Don’t move.”

At that, he froze completely. Dumbfounded by his reaction, I tilted my head slightly. What’s with this guy? Every little thing about him was aggravating. I pressed the ice pack firmly onto his cheek.

“Did Han Junwoo do this to you?”

At my question, Han Taesan nodded slowly.

“Hey.”

“Y-yeah?”

“I’m curious about something.”

“...Yeah.”

“Why don’t you transfer schools?”

His small hands fidgeted for a moment before going still. His hesitance only made me more frustrated. I snatched the ointment from his hand, squeezed a bit onto my finger, and roughly applied it to the cut near his eye. Each time my finger touched him, his body flinched.

Annoying. Seriously annoying.

By the time I’d finished applying the ointment to the small wounds on his temple and forehead, he finally spoke.

“I... I can’t transfer.”

“Why not?”

“I... I live with my grandma. We can’t move.”

“If it’s a matter of money, I’ll lend it to you. No, I’ll just give it to you. I can help with the deposit for a small studio. Or you could report it as school violence. I’ll help with that too.”

I pulled my hand back after applying the ointment. My words were calm, almost kind, but I couldn’t deny the selfish motives behind them. However, it seemed Han Taesan didn’t perceive them that way. I could see a faint smile forming on his face.

“Sometimes... you say such incredible things so casually.”

What’s that supposed to mean? I frowned, and his expression turned somber again.

“But, my grandma... she’s sick.”

“...”

“She has cancer... pancreatic cancer.”

“Ah, cancer.”

I nodded mechanically and forced a sympathetic tone.

“That must be tough.”

“Well... not entirely. There’s still hope. They caught it relatively early, so there’s hope.”

“...”

“Um, you know...”

“What?”

“Thank you. Really.”

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re... you’re a really kind and good person, Jun.”

“...I’m not.”

The sudden pang of guilt made me stammer. Han Taesan fell silent again, then hesitated before continuing.

“Back when we lived in the countryside... the doctors said she’d get better treatment in Seoul. Grandma said it was fine, but I begged her to move to Seoul. My parents left me an inheritance... oh, my parents passed away in a car accident when I was young... so I told her we could use that to move. Grandma said it was for my college tuition and refused, but I insisted. I said I wanted to go to college in Seoul, so I had to study there.”

“Yeah.”

“After we moved, I tricked her into going to the hospital. I dragged her there by force, even though she resisted. I didn’t realize I was that strong—or that she was so weak. I made her start chemotherapy... yeah, I made her. When she got really sick, she was already in the hospital, so it was fine. But... I can’t tell her about what’s happening to me here. Not in Seoul.”

“...”

“I just... I can’t.”

Han Taesan curled into himself, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his face in them. His voice was thick with tears.

I bit my lip. Damn it.

I couldn’t pinpoint why I was so angry. I didn’t even want to think about it. Biting down harder, I sucked my lip back into my mouth before releasing it again.

“Is your grandma home today?”

“H-huh?”

“I thought you came here because she’s home. Is that it?”

“...Y-yeah. Sorry. Really... sorry.”

“I’ll grab a pillow and some clothes for you to change into. You can sleep here tonight.”

While there was a guest room available, I had no intention of giving it to Han Taesan. Judging by his current state, it was obvious what would happen if anyone found out he was here. Nothing good would come from people knowing. But I couldn’t be heartless enough to kick him out either—that wouldn’t be very “Kang Jun” of me.

Maybe it would’ve been better to pretend I hadn’t answered his call.

I grabbed a pillow from my bed and rummaged through the wardrobe across the hall for some sleepwear and a blanket. Returning, I tossed everything onto the sofa where Han Taesan was sitting.

“Use this to cover yourself. And change into these to sleep more comfortably.”

“...Thank you. Really, thank you so much.”

“You don’t have to thank me. Just change and get some rest. I’ll find a more permanent solution for you soon. If your grandma gets worried, just say you’re studying with me. I can make the call for you if necessary.”

“Oh, that’s... you’re good at studying, so...”

“Yeah. I am.”

As soon as I responded, Han Taesan gave me a peculiar smile. With his swollen face, it looked more like a grimace, but the suddenness of it threw me off. I frowned at him, confused, as he waved his hand in the air awkwardly and stammered.

“No, it’s just... you’re surprisingly unusual, that’s all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Now he was giggling into his hands, shoulders shaking as if trying to suppress his laughter.

I felt a surge of irritation at his puzzling behavior, but there was no point in telling him to stop laughing. With a scowl, I turned back toward my bed. Han Taesan continued laughing quietly for a while, then glanced over his shoulder at me several times before finally changing clothes.

Lying down, I caught a glimpse of his back as he changed. It was mottled with bruises in shades of blue and purple. He carefully handled the clothes, as if worried about stretching them out, and adjusted the front collar. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked in my direction.

The startled look on his face made it clear he hadn’t expected me to see him. His face flushed, and he quickly lowered his gaze.

“What?”

“N-nothing...”

He stole another glance at me, his eyes briefly meeting mine, before lowering them again.

“...Does that cheek hurt?”

Shit. Reflexively, I covered the spot where Han Junwoo had hit me and pulled the blanket over my head. Damn Han Taesan. I felt a wave of shame and humiliation bubbling up. I knew I shouldn’t have helped him.

“I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry... I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you...”

Goddamn it. Damn it all. My mind spiraled with curses, but the only words that came to me were ones I’d picked up from Han Junwoo and Go Yohan—"shit," "bastard," "fuck." I swallowed my frustration and muttered,

“Just sleep. It’s fine.”

With that, Han Taesan said nothing more.

As the oppressive gloom of dawn pressed down on me, I felt myself being dragged into an uneasy sleep. But the silence was broken by a loud noise. Groping for its source, I found myself squinting against the glow of my phone. The name on the screen stabbed at my eyes and my thoughts.

“Han Junwoo.”

I stared at the name, torn. The call ended as I hesitated, but the phone began ringing again almost immediately, demanding my attention.

I glanced at Han Taesan, who seemed to be asleep, then back at the name on the screen. Finally, I silenced the phone.

But Han Junwoo’s disturbance didn’t end there.

The faint sound of the doorbell rang from downstairs. My ears strained to make sense of the noise, and I realized it wasn’t stopping. It wasn’t just ringing—it was repeating, the first note endlessly looping.

It was Han Junwoo.

If this kept up, the live-in housekeeper would definitely wake up. Realizing this, I shot out of bed, threw open my door, and ran downstairs.

Fucking hell.

Crossing the yard, I opened the gate just in time to dodge a flying rock. That bastard had thrown a rock at my gate. Stunned, I froze, but Han Junwoo showed no sign of remorse or concern for almost hitting me. He simply shoved past me and stormed into the house.

“Hey, Han Junwoo! Where do you think you’re going?”

He didn’t answer, breaking into a sprint instead. I slammed the gate shut and chased after him, but there was no way I could match his speed.

My mind raced.

How had Han Junwoo found his way here? Did he know Han Taesan was in my house?

It made sense, though. Where else could friendless Han Taesan go? Of course, this mess would fall on me.

“Where’s Han Taesan?!”

“Keep your voice down, Han Junwoo!”

“Hey! Han Taesan!”

“Shut up! People can hear you!”

Han Junwoo started throwing open doors, shouting as he went. I tried to calm him down, lowering my voice as I called his name, but he ignored me. Instead, he shoved me aside, making me stumble and fall.

By the time I picked myself up, biting down the humiliation, Han Junwoo was already upstairs. He didn’t hesitate—he stormed into my room and threw the door wide open.

“Shit. Why is Han Taesan here?”

The sequence of unbelievable events left my mind blank, and my body crumpled involuntarily. Han Junwoo pressed my head against the floor with such force that I couldn’t move. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lift my head or escape his grip.

I could feel his entire strength bearing down on me. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed at his arm, twisting and pulling with all my might, but it was useless. He pushed harder, as if he intended to crush my skull.

“Let go of me!”

Without realizing it, I screamed. The situation was unbearable—a sudden, suffocating nightmare. I thrashed violently, and then I heard Han Taesan’s trembling voice from inside my room.

“...Jun-ah. J-Jun-ah!”

“You fucking worthless bastard!”

The moment Han Junwoo saw Han Taesan’s pale, terrified face, he shoved me hard with his foot.

I tumbled down the stairs, crashing into the floor below and hitting my head. My vision spun so wildly I couldn’t tell which way was up. As my consciousness flickered, I heard his voice again.

“Jun-ah! Han Junwoo, wait, please!”

“Shut up and watch, Han Taesan.”

“Junwoo, please! I’ll do whatever you say—I already did, didn’t I?”

“Do what? You piece of shit. Shut your mouth and watch closely. Look at what you’ve made me do! How could you do this to me, you bastard? You love Kang Jun so much, right? Then see how pathetic and worthless he really is because of you!”

“I told you it’s not like that! I told you! Please, I’m begging you!”

Han Taesan stood beside him, tears streaming down his face. He wasn’t even trying to stop Junwoo properly. Instead, he just hovered there, trembling, unable to grab him or speak coherently.

Clutching my throbbing head, I forced myself to stand and shouted as loudly as I could.

“Hey! Han Junwoo!”

I screamed his name with everything I had, but my voice cracked and turned into a whimper. My stomach hurt, my arms hurt, my head hurt—my whole body betrayed me, collapsing onto the floor. Han Junwoo was beating me.

“No, Junwoo, I’m sorry! Please, I’m sorry! It’s all my fault!”

“You useless piece of shit. Just die already, you bastard!”

“Stop it, please! I won’t ever talk to Kang Jun again. I won’t even look at him! I’ll do whatever you say, just stop!”

And then, finally, I broke.

Tears spilled out uncontrollably as I cried in front of Han Junwoo.

This was unbearable. Absolutely unbearable. How could you do this to me, Junwoo? How could you rip my heart apart like this? What did I ever do to you? Did I confess to you? Did I ever force my feelings on you?

The tears didn’t stop, dripping onto the floor in a steady rhythm. Even in the chaos, I could see it—the look of disgust on Junwoo’s face, the way he treated me as if I were nothing. Just because Han Taesan paid special attention to me, how could he treat me like this?

It was unfair.

I had been his closest friend.

It was unfair.

Even as I cried, I covered my face with my arm. It wasn’t the pain in my stomach that hurt most—it was the humiliation of someone seeing me like this.

“Pathetic Kang Jun. Crying like the useless loser he is.”

Through blurred vision, I saw Han Junwoo grab Han Taesan by the wrist and drag him. As Junwoo’s hand touched him, Han Taesan retched violently, collapsing onto the floor and vomiting. He trembled, covering his mouth with both hands, but Junwoo simply sneered and stroked his cheek mockingly.

Han Taesan recoiled, flinching away so hard that he fell again. Junwoo cursed at him, grabbed him roughly, and dragged him toward the door.

Even then, I couldn’t give up. Gritting my teeth against the searing pain in my stomach, I staggered to my feet and followed them.

Han Taesan thrashed weakly, turning his head repeatedly to look back at me. His eyes were desperate, almost pleading. It made me sick. God, I hated him.

All I could see was the two of them. My chest burned with resentment toward Junwoo and seething jealousy toward Taesan.

I reached out and managed to grab the hem of Taesan’s shirt just as they reached the front gate. Taesan froze, and Junwoo turned to face me.

I glared at him, but all that came back was another blow. Junwoo shoved me by the shoulder, sending me sprawling to the ground.

“Fucking hell, just leave us alone already! Get lost, you goddamn bastard! Stop ruining everything!”

Junwoo screamed at me, his words like knives carving into my chest.

He’s a terrible person.

A terrible person.

I wanted to kill him.

I wanted to kill Han Junwoo.

Junwoo pulled Taesan toward the street, and I scrambled to my feet, using the ground for support.

Then I heard it.

Ding.

A mechanical chime. Did I imagine it? I barely had time to question it before I heard the sharp clack of a window closing.

A chill ran up my spine, starting from my tailbone. My world fell into silence.

No. No.

Even as my eyes stayed on their retreating figures, I rushed back into the house, heart pounding.

Where was it? Where had the sound come from?

I slammed the gate shut and hid behind it, my mind racing. The only thought echoing through my head was:

Did someone see?

Who saw it?

Did they see me?

My heart hammered in my chest, like a hammer striking an anvil. My breath hitched as panic surged.

Whose house was it?

Could they hear us?

No. Could they tell it was me?

I rushed back inside, locking the door behind me. Leaning against it, I panted heavily, trying to calm down. The quiet settled back in, but the memory of Junwoo’s voice rang in my ears.

“Pathetic loser.”

My tear-streaked face twisted in pain, and heat flushed through me as I crouched on the carpet, sobbing.

That night, Junwoo truly crushed me like an insect.

The worst part?

After all that, I still had to clean up Han Taesan’s vomit with my aching body, careful not to wake the housekeeper. Holding my breath as I wiped the floor, tears and mucus dripped down my face. My vision blurred, my eyes burned, and the warm liquid streaked down my hands.

At the sink, as I rinsed the rag, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

The lower half of my face was smeared with blood.

My head spun.