"You want me to hate him? Because that's where this is going. And if you keep shoving me into this" she took a step closer, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper "you and I… we won't even have a friendship left to save."
The silence after her words was suffocating, heavier than any threat.
Park Dong's legs felt weak. God… she's terrifying. "I guess blood really does run in the family,"
*******
People hurried past with rolling luggage, voices weaving into a steady, distant murmur.
I walked beside my mother, her heels clicking in sharp rhythm against the floor.
She looked as flawless as ever, scarf draped over her shoulders, sunglasses tucked into her bag, but her hand on the handle of her suitcase trembled ever so slightly.
At the gate, she finally turned to me. "Seojin-ah." Her voice softened, that warmth she always kept tucked beneath her composed exterior slipping through. "You'll be alright, won't you? While I'm gone."
I gave a small smile, though something in my chest tightened. "Its not the first time you've left. I'll manage."
Her eyes lingered on me longer than usual, searching, as if trying to read what I wasn't saying.
Then, with a faint laugh, she reached up to fix my collar, just like when I was a kid. "Always acting like you're already mature always don't keep everything to yourself,, hmm?"
"Mom." My voice caught, and I cleared it. "Just take care of yourself out there. Don't overwork."
She smiled softly, tired, and full of something unspoken.
Then she pulled me into her arms. For a moment, I let myself lean into her perfume, into the steadiness of her embrace, into the fragile warmth that only lasted until she pulled away.
The boarding announcement crackled overhead.
She picked up her suitcase, gave me one last look, then turned and walked toward the gate.
I stood there, watching her figure shrink into the crowd until it disappeared entirely.
Meanwhile, at Naguk Middle School, the late afternoon air was heavy with the faint scent of wax. In the back courtyard, Yang Jinsu crouched low, carefully lighting another candle, the tiny flame flickering in the breeze. Around him, Ji Suwon, Park Dong, and Lee Daegyu were scattered about, each with a lighter in hand and wax stains already on their fingers.
The plan was simple or at least it was supposed to be a glowing walkway of candles leading into a giant heart shape in the center of the field.
"Dude, this is taking forever," Park Dong grumbled, straightening his back with a groan. "Do you know how many candles this is? My legs are about to snap off."
"Quit whining," Jinsu shot back, though his own knees ached. He squinted at the arrangement, adjusting one candle slightly to make the curve of the heart cleaner. "This has to look perfect. No half-assed lines."
They finally stepped back and admired their handiwork a soft, wavering heart of candlelight, a thin aisle of little flames leading to its center.
For a few charged seconds, the courtyard was only the glow and the hiss of wax. Then, as if to cut the tension, someone produced a pack of cigarettes.
The smoke curled into the dusk, and laughter tried to puff itself as bravely as the smoke.
Suwon exhaled a shaky cloud, breaking the silence. "What if Seol Hyorim… doesn't accept?"
Jinsu's head snapped toward him, eyes narrowing. "Do you want to die?! Why would you even say that right now?"
Suwon raised both hands, panicked. "N-no, that's not what I meant! I just… I just think it's good to be prepared, you know? Like just in case"
"Enough." Jinsu's voice cut sharp, his jaw tight.
He crushed his cigarette underfoot and looked back at the glowing setup. "I've never impressed her before. Not once. I'm not confident she'll accept" His hands curled into fists. "but I'll make sure she can't refuse."
The others exchanged glances but didn't argue.
The weight in Jinsu's tone was enough to pin them all down.
Soon after, people began to drift into the courtyard. First a pair of girls whispering behind their hands, then a group of boys carrying snacks, laughing as they pointed at the candles.
Meanwhile, at Seol Hyorim's house
The living room was dim except for the glow of the TV.
Hyorim lounged on the floor, one leg curled up beneath her, absently looking at the tv.
Then a sudden ring broke through the quiet. She blinked down at the screen. Yang Jinsu.
Her stomach sank.
Just seeing his name, she could already guess what this was about.
For a moment she considered ignoring it, but with a small sigh, she swiped to answer. "What's up?"
On the other end, Jinsu's voice came tight and careful. "Uh… Seol Hyorim, are you busy right now?"
"No. Why?" Her tone was flat, almost wary.
There was a pause, then he inhaled audibly. "I'm… outside your house. Can you come out for a bit?"
Seolhyo froze, her grip tightening around the phone.
Arriving at the place she was greeted by a smal loud crowd then a candlelight lit that
Seolhyo arrived then sees a crowd gathered around the path she was walking on.
The walkway was line with lit candles, illuminating the faces of people waiting at her.
A chorus of voices shattered the quiet night. "KYAAAK! SHE'S HERE!!!!!", one person shrieked.
"KYAAA~ HURRY UP AND COME HERE!!" another voice echoed, urging her forward.
Amidst the excited chatter, a single voice broke through the noise. "SEOL HYO, HI~!!" a man called out.
The girl looked at the crowd gathered around the path she was walking on. The entire walkway was lined with lit candles, illuminating the faces of the people waiting for her. Some were sitting, others were standing, and a few were waving enthusiastically.
From a distance, another figure with a hood pulled over his head watched the scene unfold before him. He was a silent spectator to the spectacle
. "AH~!? CONGRATS! KYAAA~" a voice called out again, but this time it seemed to be directed at the hooded figure.
Seol Hyorim stood frozen as the crowd erupted.
"Seolhyo!!"
"Wow, you got even more beautiful!"
"Seolhyo!"
"Waaaa!! Hyorim noona!!"
She glanced around, uneasy.
'Naguk Middle School alumni... In front of everyone… can I really reject him?'
The girls nearby laughed and shouted.
"Hyorim! Go to Yang Jinsu already! Hahaha!"
"Yeah, go! Hahaha!"
Uncomfortable, Hyorim hesitated but eventually began walking forward.
Park Dong, watching from afar, caught her gaze.
She looked at him coldly before turning away.
'W-we made eye contact!!' he thought, his heart pounding.
As Hyorim approached, her foot crushed the heart-shaped candle laid out on the ground.
In front of her stood Yang Jinsu, face flushed red, clutching a teddy bear half his size.
"You… I don't know if you noticed but…" Jinsu stammered,
"I… I like you, Seol Hyorim!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Faces flushed red.
Jinsu took a shaky breath and continued,
"If you're okay with it, I… I mean… will you go out with me?"
He pulled out a bouquet of flowers with his other hand.
"Whoaaaa!!"
"Awesome, Yang Jinsu!!"
"Go out with him!"
"Go out with him!!"
The crowd's chants grew louder.
Hyorim stayed silent, her thoughts tangled.
(If it were just the two of us, it would've been easier… But rejecting him here, in front of everyone… We'd never be able to go back to being friends. I hate this kind of confession… but being distant with my friends…)
She slowly reached out and took the bouquet.
(…I hate that even more.)
Murmurs spread instantly.
"Did she accept it?"
"So they're dating?"
"Really? Did it work?"
Jinsu blinked in disbelief.
"You… you accepted it? So does that mean we're… dating now?"
"Kiss him!!" someone shouted.
"Kiss him!!" others joined, laughing.
"Hey, isn't that too much?"
"Who cares? They're dating! Hahaha!"
Jinsu chuckled awkwardly. "Ah, those crazy idiots, hahaha…"