Friend(?)

The new semester was only a few days away.

As the vacation neared its end, the streets grew livelier. Stationery shops bustled with students preparing for the new school year, and in front of uniform stores, students and their parents lined up to get a size larger than before.

Cheonwoong gazed at the scene through his window, momentarily lost in thought.

'The semester is starting soon…'

Even two days after the shadow incident, his mind remained a mess. Aria acted as if nothing had happened, behaving as usual, but Cheonwoong couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something.

'That day… something was definitely strange.'

But he couldn't press her about it. If Aria didn't bring it up first, asking carelessly might only make things awkward.

Just then, the door suddenly burst open, and a loud voice filled the room.

"Hey, Cheonwoong! What are you doing?"

Cheonwoong turned his head to see Yuseong standing there, holding a half-melted ice cream.

"…Can you at least knock before coming in?"

"Ah, that's too much trouble."

Yuseong strolled into the room without a care. Following him, Chan entered with a bag in his hand.

"Hey, we brought food."

"What did you get?"

"Chicken and drinks. Gotta enjoy it before vacation ends."

Yuseong plopped down on the sofa, and Chan sat beside him. Cheonwoong sighed, realizing there was no stopping them, and got up to join them.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?"

When Cheonwoong opened the door, he found Aria standing there.

"Aria?"

She glanced inside, her eyes briefly scanning the living room where Yuseong and Chan sat before giving them a casual greeting.

"Chan, Yuseong. It's been a while."

Yuseong waved with familiarity.

"Oh~ Aria? You're here too?"

Chan smirked as he picked up a piece of chicken.

"Now that I think about it, you guys come and go from Cheonwoong's house like it's nothing."

At his comment, Yuseong replied nonchalantly.

"Hey, what are friends for? Cheonwoong's house is our house, and our house is Cheonwoong's house."

Aria chuckled in disbelief.

"That makes no sense."

Cheonwoong sighed and stepped aside to let her in.

"Come in. Want something to eat?"

"I'm fine. I just came to talk."

Aria's eyes met his, and Cheonwoong immediately sensed why she was here today.

Before she could continue, Yuseong interrupted, breaking the tension.

"Oh, by the way, we're going to see a movie later. Aria, you wanna come?"

Both Cheonwoong and Aria turned to look at him.

"…All of a sudden?"

Aria raised an eyebrow, and Yuseong shrugged.

"Gotta have fun before vacation ends. Besides, you and Cheonwoong have been looking way too serious lately. You both need to loosen up."

Aria hesitated slightly before glancing at Cheonwoong.

He considered it for a moment but eventually nodded.

"Alright. Let's go."

When they arrived at the theater, the place was already crowded. Yuseong volunteered to buy popcorn, while Chan and Cheonwoong checked their reserved seats.

"Yuseong's taking forever."

"What can we do? Look at that line."

As Chan pointed toward the concession stand, Cheonwoong sighed. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar silhouette a few steps ahead.

Aria.

For a moment, Cheonwoong was caught off guard, but she noticed him too, their eyes meeting.

"…Aria?"

She seemed slightly surprised but quickly composed herself, giving him a small nod.

Cheonwoong instinctively started to step toward her—until he saw the boy standing beside her.

A stranger.

An unfamiliar male student stood next to Aria.

A strange feeling crept over Cheonwoong.

"…Looks like you came with a friend."

Aria briefly responded, "Yeah."

Cheonwoong hesitated, unsure of what to say. In the end, he chose not to ask any further and followed Chan to their seats.

The movie started, but Cheonwoong couldn't focus.

His thoughts kept drifting back to the boy beside Aria.

She hadn't been in this town for long…

Did she originally live here? Was it just a friend visiting? Or was there another reason?

Cheonwoong couldn't stop himself from overthinking.