The post appeared before the second bell rang.
Hana didn't see it herself at first.
She felt it.
The sudden shift in the classroom. The way conversations stopped when she walked in. The way phones were quickly turned face-down on desks, like secrets pretending to sleep.
She sat down slowly.
Her phone buzzed.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
A message from an unknown number.
Is this you?
Her fingers trembled as she opened the image.
It was blurry, taken from a distance—but unmistakable.
Min-jae and her. Sitting together. His shoulder angled protectively toward her. Her head slightly bowed, smiling without realizing it.
The caption underneath burned into her chest.
Student council president finally shows his real interest.
Her vision blurred.
"Hana."
She looked up.
Min-jae stood in front of her desk, his expression dark—not angry, but controlled in a way that scared her more.
"You saw it," he said quietly.
She nodded.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to—"
He shook his head immediately. "Stop."
She froze.
"This isn't your fault," he said firmly. "They crossed a line. Not you."
"But now everyone—"
"Let them talk," he interrupted. "I won't let them decide how this ends."
The teacher entered the room, forcing Min-jae to return to his seat. But the distance between them felt heavier than before.
Throughout the lesson, Hana felt eyes on her constantly.
Some curious.
Some judgmental.
Some… cruel.
During break, she stayed seated, gripping her phone like an anchor. Messages flooded in—some supportive, some invasive, others sharp enough to cut.
Did you seduce him?
You're brave.
You won't last.
She turned her phone off.
At lunch, Min-jae didn't ask.
He simply took her hand and led her outside, away from the noise, to the quiet steps behind the old auditorium.
They sat side by side.
"I should step back," Hana said suddenly.
Min-jae turned to her. "What?"
"For you," she continued, voice shaking. "If I disappear, the rumors will die. You won't have to explain anything."
He stared at her, disbelief flashing across his face.
"You think I'd accept that?"
She looked down. "I don't want to be the reason your name is dragged around."
He reached out, lifting her chin gently so she had to look at him.
"Hana," he said softly, "do you know why this hurts so much?"
She shook her head.
"Because you think you're something I can lose."
Her breath hitched.
"You're not a mistake," he continued. "You're not a rumor. And I won't erase you to make things easier."
Tears slipped down her cheeks before she could stop them.
Min-jae wiped them away with his thumb, slow and careful, like he was afraid of breaking something fragile.
"I'm scared," she admitted.
"So am I," he said. "But I'd rather be scared with you than quiet without you."
Footsteps echoed nearby.
They pulled apart slightly, but neither moved away completely.
From the shadows near the building, someone watched.
A phone lifted.
This time, the picture was clearer.
And the message that followed was sent to more than just students.