Bomi always believed she could endure it.
Endure the words.
Endure the pain.
Endure herself—so no one else would feel uncomfortable.
But that morning… something cracked.
✦ ✦ ✦
"You're too kind, Bomi."
The words came from the person she trusted the most.
Her close friend stood in front of her, arms crossed. The look in her eyes wasn't anger—it was disappointment.
"Do you even realize it?" she continued softly. "Hanz is… strange. He never explains anything. He never looks like he's trying. People say your relationship is fake, and honestly? I'm starting to think they're right."
Bomi's fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
"So?" she asked quietly.
"So you're being played," her friend said without hesitation. "You're popular. You're kind. You always think about others. But him? He just stands next to you like he doesn't care about anything."
That hurt.
More than any rumor ever had.
"He's not like that," Bomi said, her voice low.
"You always defend him," her friend replied quickly. "But look at the reality. He's distant. Cold. You're the one getting tired, aren't you?"
Bomi fell silent.
Tired.
That word was true.
Too true.
But what made her chest ache wasn't the exhaustion.
It was the fact that her friend couldn't see what Bomi saw.
Hanz keeping his distance so he wouldn't cross a line.
Hanz searching for her when she disappeared.
Hanz saying, you're not a burden—without hesitation.
"You deserve better," her friend continued. "Not a guy who makes you doubt your own feelings."
Something inside Bomi finally snapped.
"Enough."
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it was firm.
Her friend froze. "Bomi?"
"I'm tired of people deciding what I feel for me," Bomi said. Her hands were shaking, but her gaze no longer dropped. "I know I look fine. I know I rarely get angry. But that doesn't mean I'm stupid."
"Bomi, I'm just—"
"No," Bomi cut her off. "You're not just worried. You're accusing him."
Silence fell between them.
"He may not be romantic. He may not be good with words," Bomi continued, her voice trembling. "But he has never played with me."
Her friend stared at her, clearly unprepared for this reaction.
"And even if this started as an agreement…" Bomi added quietly, "that's no one's business except mine and his."
For the first time, Bomi didn't smile to soften the tension.
For the first time, she didn't apologize for standing up for herself.
✦ ✦ ✦
From a distance, Hanz saw everything.
He couldn't hear their conversation clearly. But he saw Bomi's expression—one he rarely ever saw.
Firm.
Wounded.
And brave.
His chest felt heavy.
Because without realizing it… Bomi had stepped forward alone.
Defending something that had started as nothing more than a contract.
Defending someone who shouldn't have let her stand there by herself.
And in that moment, Hanz finally understood—
If he stayed silent any longer,
the one who would be hurt the most… was Bomi.
And this time,
he didn't want to let her face it alone anymore.