The morning classes had felt like an eternity.
Every time the bell rang,
Jia could feel the burning weight of her classmates' stares.
She tried to focus on her books,
but the whispers—some sympathetic, some cruel—were like white noise she couldn't switch off.
When the lunch bell finally rang,
Jinu stood up immediately.
He didn't say a word; he simply walked to Jia's desk and waited.
Jia grabbed her bag, and they moved through the crowd.
Instead of heading toward the noisy cafeteria,
Jinu led her up a narrow flight of stairs to the rooftop.
The cool breeze hit them as soon as Jinu pushed the heavy metal door open.
The rooftop was empty,
offering a panoramic view of the city and a vast, open sky.
Jia took a deep breath,
feeling the tension finally leave her shoulders.
"It's quiet here," she whispered, leaning against the railing.
"I come here when the world gets too loud,"
Jinu replied.
He sat down on a concrete bench and patted the spot next to him.
Jia sat down,
and Jinu reached into his bag.
He pulled out two small cartons of strawberry milk and a small paper bag.
"I remembered you didn't eat much breakfast,"
he said, handing her a fresh strawberry tart—her favorite.
Jia looked at the tart, then at Jinu.
"How did you know?"
"I pay attention,"
Jinu said simply, his voice soft.
He looked out at the horizon,
his expression thoughtful.
"Jia, I know everything feels like it's changing too fast.
But up here, nothing can reach us.
No rumors, no shadows.
Just us."
Jia took a bite of the tart,
the sweetness cutting through the bitterness of the past few days.
For the first time, she pulled her sketchbook out of her bag.
She didn't draw a dark room or a broken heart.
Instead, she began to sketch the silhouette of a boy standing against the sun,
his hand reaching out to protect someone from the light.
"What are you drawing?"
Jinu asked, leaning in.
His face was inches from hers.
Jia could see the flecks of amber in his eyes and the way his hair messy from the wind.
Her heart gave that familiar, wild thud. She didn't look away this time.
"I'm drawing a hero,"
she said softly.
Jinu's ears turned pink,
and he looked away, scratching his neck.
"I'm no hero, Jia.
I'm just a guy who's tired of being alone.
And I think... I think I'm tired of seeing you alone, too."
In that moment, under the vast blue sky, the "Ice Prince" and the "Shadow Girl" were gone.
There was only Jinu and Jia, two souls finally finding a way to heal.