On the bus ride home, Seolhyo and Jinkyung sat side by side, the city lights sliding past the windows in long streaks.
Jinkyung leaned in, lowering her voice. "Seriously, what's with that oppa? Was he always that good-looking?" She scoffed lightly, adding under her breath,
Not my type though.
Seolhyo didn't answer.
Instead, she was focused on her flip phone, scrolling through the photos she'd taken earlier pictures of her and Seojin together.
Each time one appeared, her lips curved into a small, unconscious smile, soft and sweet.
"Looks like he had double-eyelid surgery or something," Jinkyung continued, still rambling.
Seolhyo ignored her completely, her attention fixed on the glowing screen.
"Anyway," Jinkyung went on, laughing lightly, "I was really surprised, lol.."
She stopped mid-sentence, noticing the silence.
Leaning closer, her eyes drifted to the phone in Seolhyo's hands.
On the screen was a photo of Seolhyo and Seojin, their faces close, both smiling sweetly at each other without a care.
Jinkyung let out a short laugh. "Well… I guess you don't care that much. Your boyfriend's way better-looking anyway."
Seolhyo closed her flip phone, her fingers lingering on it for a second before she leaned her head against her hand and looked out the window.
The reflection of passing lights shimmered in her eyes.
With a gentle smile, she replied softly, almost to herself,
"Yeah. He is."
-
A few days later at school, Seolhyo sat on one of the benches with Park Mijin and Sujeong, the soft autumn sunlight filtering through the trees and dusting everything in gold.
As she casually tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Mijin suddenly froze then gasped.
"Whoa this is beautiful!"
She leaned forward, eyes fixed on the platinum bracelet wrapped delicately around Seolhyo's right wrist.
Seolhyo followed her gaze, her fingers brushing over the bracelet almost without thinking.
A warm, gentle smile settled on her lips, one that didn't look like it planned on leaving anytime soon. "Really? Thank you."
Sujeong squinted playfully, scooting closer. "Wait a second… I've never seen you wear this before."
She tilted her head, lips curling into a teasing grin. "Did you buy it yourself, or…?"
The way she let the question trail off made Mijin burst into laughter. "Don't tell me it's from Seojin, isn't it?"
Seolhyo smiled, a little shy but unmistakably proud. "Yeah. He gave it to me for my birthday."
Mijin let out an impressed whistle. "Wow. Seojin really knows how to pick a gift. It looks perfect on you."
Sujeong nodded in agreement, resting her chin on her palm. "Seriously. That bracelet suits you so well."
Mijin sighed dramatically, flopping back against the bench. "Ugh… I wish someone would give me something like that for my birthday too."
Seolhyo let out a soft laugh, her fingers curling once more around the bracelet, the smile on her lips lingering as if it might never leave.
At the hallway, Seojin was leaning against the window frame, faint afternoon light spilling over his shoulder.
A lollipop rested lazily between his lips, the sweetness dull and familiar.
Beside him, Park Dong had his hands shoved into his pockets, while Suwon leaned against the glass, staring out like he was contemplating life or absolutely nothing.
For a while, none of them spoke.
Just taking the rare quiet moment in this school.
Park Dong broke the silence with a long sigh."Man, this week feels long as hell. It's only Wednesday."
Suwon smirked without looking away. "That's because you don't pay attention. For you, one class probably feels like a whole day."
Park Dong scoffed and shot back, "You're one to talk. All you ever do is doodle in that sketchbook of yours."
Seojin pulled the lollipop from his mouth with a soft pop and grinned. "Aren't you guys basically the same?"
Both of them turned on him at once.
"Shut up," Park Dong said.
"You don't get a say," Suwon added. "Mister top student."
Seojin just shrugged, unfazed, slipping the lollipop back between his lips.
Park Dong's eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey let's hit the PC bang after school. Winner doesn't pay for the billing time. We'll invite the others too."
Suwon immediately shook his head. "No way. You just want to play for free."
Park Dong smirked shamelessly. "Exactly."
Seojin twirled the lollipop against my teeth. "I'll pass. I'm walking Seolhyo home."
There was a beat of silence.
"Traitor…" Suwon muttered.
Park Dong clicked his tongue. "Wow. What is this hoes before bros?"
Seolhyo sat beside Irina while Jinkyung stood in front of their desks, leaning forward with interest.
Seolhyo lightly lifted the necklace resting against her collarbone. "I wore what you guys got me!"
Irina immediately leaned closer, eyes sparkling. "So pretty, so pretty."
Jinkyung tilted her head, inspecting it carefully. "It suited you perfectly."
Seolhyo smiled, clearly pleased.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a corn snack. "Want some?"
Jinkyung waved her hand at her. "No thanks, I'm on a diet."
Irina didn't even respond she snatched the bag and tore it open without hesitation.
Seolhyo blinked at her. "…What are you, didn't eat for days or what?"
Irina ignored the comment, already chewing. "So hey,"
she said casually, "did he text you?"
Seolhyo frowned slightly. "Text? Whose text?"
Irina raised a brow. "You already forgot? That oppa we met. Your ex."
"…Oh." Seolhyo shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't check."
Jinkyung chuckled. "Well, Seolhyo's probably been too busy staring at photos of her and Seojin. She probably didn't even bother, HAHA."
Seolhyo flushed but didn't deny it, which only made both girls grin wider.
Irina swallowed another bite. "He knows your number, right?"
"Unless he deleted it. I never changed my number."
Irina finished the snack at lightning speed, crumpled the bag, and rested her chin on her hands. "Are you going to reply?"
Seolhyo glanced at her, one brow lifting. "Huh? Why would I reply?"
Irina laughed. "Are you gonna reply 'nope' again? HAHA."
"Maybe," Seolhyo said calmly. "Why are you even asking this?"
"I'm just curious. It's fun, okay~" Irina replied with a mischievous grin.
Inside, she was fully entertained.
Where else do you get live drama like this?
Seolhyo rested her elbow on the desk and leaned her cheek into her palm, eyeing Irina lazily. "I don't really care that much~ If he texts, he texts. I'll ignore it. If he keeps texting, I'll block him."
-
Dinner time rolled around, and we ended up at the snack store rest area outside school like usual.
Suwon sprawled lazily across one of the cement blocks, one leg stretched out while the other bounced slightly.
Seojin leaned back against the wooden pillar, teeth sinking into a fire burger.
Park Dong stood nearby tearing open a bag of chips with his teeth like some kind of wild animal. "Man, I could live off school snacks. Forget the cafeteria."
Daegyu eyed the three empty chip bags at the plastic bag he carried. "Yeah, but your wallet wouldn't survive. You already blew half your allowance this week, didn't you?"
Park Dong froze mid-chew. "...Fuck, you're right."
Then his eyes slid toward them. "Lend me money. I'll pay you back."
Suwon didn't even hesitate. "Don't get fooled. I lent him money before. He never paid it back."
Park Dong pointed at him with the chip bag. "What do you mean I never pay? I paid you back in friendship."
Suwon stared at him flatly. "What does that even mean?"
Daegyu shook his head, then looked at Seojin. "So what happened to that double-eyelid hyung? Did he text Seolhyo?"
Seojin paused mid-bite, then glanced over at Daegyu. "I have no idea. I never asked her."
Park Dong frowned. "The hell? You should at least ask her. What if they're already texting each other?"
Seojin went quiet for a second, staring at Park Dong before answering.
"I trust Seolhyo,"
He simply said. "If something like that happened, she'd tell me. And I don't think she'd do that to me."
Daegyu nodded immediately. "Yeah. Seolhyo's not like that. And it's not like that guy was even close to her. He confessed out of nowhere, got beaten down in three days, and that was it. Seojin and Seolhyo on the other hand have been dating for months."
Suwon shrugged. "Exactly. Stop spreading your negativity."
Park Dong clicked his tongue but didn't push it further. "I'm not being negative. I'm being realistic."
Seojin smirked faintly. "No, you're being dramatic."