END POINT.
The next morning arrived quietly, but Lumi woke with a weight pressing heavily on her chest. Sleep had done nothing to calm her thoughts. The confrontation replayed over and over in her mind like a cruel loop.
Maxin's name.
That photograph.
Those memories she had fought so hard to bury.
The house suddenly felt suffocating. Without thinking too much about it, Lumi grabbed her jacket and left. The cool morning air greeted her as she stepped outside, and she began jogging toward the park.
Running had always been her way of clearing her head. The rhythm of her footsteps against the pavement usually pushed unwanted thoughts away.
But today it wasn't working. The faster she ran, the more her memories chased her. Maxin laughing. Maxin teasing her. Maxin promising they would never let anyone separate them.
Mother. Her face, her weak last smile, her puffy eyes, suffering. Her mother.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Lumi pushed herself harder, almost desperately, as if she could outrun the past by sheer force. Then suddenly, her foot struck a loose stone. Her balance broke instantly. She stumbled forward and crashed onto the pavement. Pain shot through her knee.
"Ah…!" She clenched her teeth, gripping her leg as the sting spread through her body.
Footsteps approached quickly towards her. "Hey, are you okay?"
A girl's voice, gentle and concerned.
The stranger knelt beside her. "Let me help you." She extended her hand.
For a brief moment, time seemed to freeze. The scene looked painfully familiar. Years ago, when Lumi had first met Maxin, something almost identical had happened.
Maxin had been the one to kneel beside her. Maxin had been the one to reach out her hand.
"Are you okay?"
"Let me help you."
The memory hit so suddenly that Lumi felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs. She stared at the girl's outstretched hand. Her chest tightened.
"Please…" Lumi whispered weakly. "Just go."
The girl blinked in confusion. "But you're hurt—"
"I said go!" she grumbled.
The sudden anger in Lumi's voice startled her. The girl slowly stood up, clearly unsure what she had done wrong.
"…Alright," she said quietly before walking away.
Lumi remained on the pavement, staring at the ground. Her hands trembled. Memories flooded her mind, Maxin's smile, Maxin's warmth, the painful moment they had been forced apart.
The world kept moving forward. But she had been left behind. Her fingers slowly curled into fists. The familiar anger began rising again. And she thought to herself.
Nothing will stop me. Not this time
If its about the scandal, public humiliation, and being a hot topic to everyone, Lumi had already passed through all that. Ruan and the boys didn't stop anything instead they just added fuel to the flames.
Later that evening, Lumi sat alone in her room. The silence around her felt oppressive. Her phone rested in her hands, the screen glowing faintly in the dim light.
The video file was still there. The same video she had used to threaten Akari.
Ruan and Akari together. Happy. Their quiet smiles in the video looked natural, unafraid of the world around them.
For a long moment Lumi simply stared at it. The boys' words echoed inside her mind.
You should let it go.
You deserve happiness too.
A hollow laugh escaped her lips. "Happiness…"
The word felt foreign. Her thumb hovered over the screen. Ruan still had someone who loved him. Even after everything. Even after the threats and the risks.
Akari still chose him.
Lumi felt a familiar bitterness twist painfully inside her chest.
"That should have been me," she whispered.
Her breathing became uneven. Before she could change her mind, she pressed upload. The video was posted anonymously. For several seconds nothing happened. Then the notifications began appearing. Views rising. Comments multiplying.
The scandal had begun.
Lumi stared at the screen. Waiting. Waiting for the satisfaction she had imagined. Waiting for the anger inside her to finally disappear. But it didn't.
Her hands slowly began to shake. The emptiness inside her chest remained exactly the same. Tears blurred her vision as she stared at the growing numbers on the screen.
"Why…" she whispered quietly.
Her voice trembled.
"Why doesn't this feel better?"
***
By the next morning, the school atmosphere felt completely different. Teachers whispered nervously in the staff room. Students kept glancing toward Ruan's classroom, pretending to focus on their lessons while secretly checking their phones.
The administration office was in full panic.
The principal had been receiving calls since early morning, from angry parents, concerned staff members, and even local reporters who had somehow caught wind of the story.
The school's reputation was suddenly at risk.
"Call Mr. Akari immediately!" the principal ordered.
The office felt tense. Ruan sat in one chair while Akari stood beside the wall, calm but visibly exhausted. Across from them sat the principal and Ruan's father. Mr. Koo's expression was darker than Ruan had ever seen before. The silence in the room felt suffocating.
The principal finally spoke.
"Mr. Akari… is this video real?"
Akari didn't hesitate. "Yes."
The honesty only made the atmosphere heavier. Mr. Koo slammed his hand against the table.
"This is disgraceful!" he snarled.
Ruan immediately spoke. "It's my fault."
Everyone turned toward him. Ruan straightened in his chair, forcing himself to stay calm.
"I approached him first," he continued. "He never forced me."
His father stood up angrily and gave him a hot slap. "You expect me to believe that?"
"Dad it's the truth!" Ruan continued. "He tried to push me away many times..." he looked at Akari. "but I insisted. I approached him, flirted with him, hit on him, made him fa..."
Akari suddenly spoke. "That's enough!" His voice was calm but firm. He stepped forward slightly. "This situation is my responsibility."
Ruan looked at him. "He's lying..."
Akari shook his head. "You're a student," he said quietly. "I am the adult here." He turned to the principal. "I accept whatever decision the school makes."
The principal sighed heavily. "This situation has placed the school in an extremely difficult position."
The decision was already clear.
"We have no choice but to terminate your employment."
The words echoed in the quiet room. Akari was professionally composed. Her didn't flinch like he knew this was to come. Like he was already prepared.
Ruan felt something heavy settle in his chest. "No," a whisper escaped his lips as he nodded no.
Akari only nodded, "I understand." At the moment he didn't dare look up at Ruan. It is his weak point.
"And you are so lucky," Mr. Koo said walking towards Akari. "Otherwise I would already file a case against you."
"Father please…" Ruan tried to stop his dad.
Akari bowed respectfully and apologized to Mr .Koo. Then again at the principal before he took his leave not daring to look at Ruan.
"Akari…Ak…" Ruan tried calling him back but he couldn't follow him no more. At least not now.
Outside, word spread through the school quickly. Students began gathering near the main hallway when they saw Akari leaving the principal's office. Some looked confused. But many simply looked sad.
Akari walked through the corridor carrying a small box of his belongings. Books, papers and a few personal items from his desk.
The quiet murmurs around him grew louder as more students realized what was happening.
"Are they really firing him?"
"That's not fair…"
"He's the best teacher we have."
One student, Kev, suddenly spoke louder than the others.
"Mr. Akari!"
Akari stopped walking. He turned slowly. A group of students stood there watching him.
One girl stepped forward nervously.
"You're still the best teacher we've ever had," she said. Her voice trembled slightly.
Another student nodded.
"Yeah. None of us learned more from anyone else."
More voices joined in.
"Thank you for everything!"
"You made class actually interesting!"
"We won't forget you!"
The hallway filled with emotional voices.
Akari stood there quietly, clearly surprised. For a moment, the calm expression he had been maintaining finally cracked. He lowered his head slightly.
"Thank you," he said softly. Then he continued walking.
Behind him, the students watched while cheering, as their favourite teacher left the school for the last time.
And somewhere in that crowd, Lumi stood and watch with a flat face. No smile, no tear, nothing just a blank face.
Did she feel better now?