Time Bomb

I had just stepped into the school building when something felt off. The hallway was quieter than usual, but within the silence, I could feel piercing gazes from every direction.

People were whispering. Not openly, but just enough for me to catch a few words that made my chest tighten.

"She really has no shame."

"I thought she was Hana’s best friend?"

"Hana must be so disappointed…"

My heart started pounding faster. What was going on?

I quickened my pace toward the classroom, but midway, something on the bulletin board caught my eye.

A crowd had gathered around it, whispering even more intensely.

With hesitant steps, I approached, and the moment I saw it, my entire body froze.

The photos.

Me and Do Hwan at a café, at a shopping mall, and worst of all—at a bar, where he was drunk and I was holding him.

My world crumbled in an instant. The very thing I feared the most had happened.

The murmurs around me grew louder in my head.

"I can’t believe she would do this."

"Hana was too kind to someone like her."

"How could she betray her best friend like that?"

"I knew this would happen. Poor people should never be trusted—they always get greedy in the end…"

I couldn’t breathe.

My throat tightened, my palms started sweating. My head throbbed painfully, and only one thought filled my mind.

Hana.

She must have seen this.

Using whatever strength I had left, I ran. Searching for Hana. Desperate to explain before everything spiraled out of control.

I checked the classroom—she wasn’t there. The restroom—empty. Finally, as I was about to leave the school building, I saw her.

Hana had just come down the stairs, walking toward me.

My heart pounded so hard it hurt.

Her face… was blank. No anger, no tears. Just emptiness.

I tried to step closer. “Hana, I—”

“Don’t.”

That one word stopped me in my tracks.

She looked at me for a moment, then walked past me as if I didn’t exist.

No. I couldn’t let her go like this.

Panicked, I grabbed her hand. “Hana, please listen to me!”

But she immediately pulled away. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

My chest tightened. I fought back the tears welling up in my eyes. “I can explain,” my voice was barely a whisper.

Hana let out a deep sigh, then chuckled softly—a laugh filled with pain. “Explain what? That you never actually considered me your best friend?”

I shook my head quickly. “That’s not true! I swear, I never—”

“Since when?”

I fell silent.

“Since when did you start liking Do Hwan?” Her voice trembled, anger creeping into her words.

I opened my mouth, trying to say something—anything—but no words came out.

Hana gave a small, bitter smile. “If this hadn’t happened, how long would you have kept this a secret from me?”

My eyes burned. My lips trembled.

I wanted to tell her it was all a misunderstanding. I wanted to tell her I never meant to hurt her.

But when I looked into her eyes—eyes that once held warmth but were now filled with pain and disappointment—I knew.

No explanation would change anything.

Just as I was about to say something, the sound of slow clapping echoed from behind me.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

I turned around and saw Hye Mi standing there with two of her friends. Her sly smile and mocking laughter made my blood boil.

“Wow, this is even more dramatic than I imagined,” she sneered. “Honestly, I was getting bored waiting for Hana to finally wake up, but who knew the truth would come out this fast?”

I clenched my fists.

“Hye Mi, don’t start,” I warned sharply.

But she just laughed, glancing at Hana, who remained silent. “Hana, remember what I told you? I warned you so many times that your dear best friend was nothing but a backstabber. But you never believed me.”

“Hye Mi, enough!” I snapped, unable to bear hearing her words.

She ignored me. “Now you see it for yourself, don’t you?” she continued. “Narin didn’t just betray you—she used you this whole time. I wonder, how long have they been sneaking around behind your back?”

I turned to Hana, hoping she wouldn’t fall for Hye Mi’s words. But her face remained unreadable, expressionless.

I refused to stay silent.

“Hana, you know what kind of person I am. I would never do this behind your back.” My voice shook, but I forced myself to sound firm. “Don’t listen to anything she says.”

“Oh, so now you’re defending yourself?” Hye Mi sneered. “Stop pretending to be innocent, Narin. Everyone has seen the proof.”

I gritted my teeth.

“I bet she enjoyed every moment with Do Hwan,” one of Hye Mi’s friends added, looking at me with disgust.

“You know, Hana?” Hye Mi stepped closer, her voice dripping with venom. “I feel sorry for you. You always defended her, but look at her now. She can’t even deny it, can she?”

I couldn’t hold back my anger anymore.

“Shut your mouth, Hye Mi!” I stepped forward, glaring at her.

“Oh? What are you going to do?” she smirked.

I couldn’t take it any longer.

Without thinking, I grabbed her arm and shoved her back slightly. “Who do you think you are, interfering in our business?!” my voice rose.

Hye Mi stumbled but quickly recovered, her eyes blazing with fury.

“You dare touch me?!”

In an instant, she yanked my hair roughly. Pain shot through my scalp, but I didn’t back down. I pushed her back, making her lose her balance.

Suddenly, everything turned chaotic.

One of Hye Mi’s friends shoved me from the side, and I nearly fell. I grabbed her arm in response, but then Hye Mi attacked again. We started pulling, pushing, and before I knew it, we were outright fighting in the middle of the hallway.

Shouts and gasps filled the air.

“Oh my God, they’re fighting!”

“Someone get a teacher!”

“They’ve lost their minds!”

“Who do you think will win?”

“Obviously Hye Mi. That girl is nothing compared to her.”

Amid the chaos, I glanced at Hana. She just stood there, watching me for a moment. Then, without saying a word, she turned and walked away—as if she didn’t care.

My chest tightened even more. I wanted to call out to her. I wanted to stop her. But Hye Mi pulled me back, and I fell to the floor. The crowd roared louder, but only one thought echoed in my mind.

Hana was gone.

---

After the hallway chaos, we were all summoned to the teacher’s office. The atmosphere was suffocating, the air heavy with tension, and I could feel the angry stares of the teachers sitting in front of us.

I stood there, trying to steady my breath. Meanwhile, Hye Mi and her friends maintained their innocent expressions, as if they were the victims.

The disciplinary teacher crossed his arms, scanning us one by one. “Alright, who’s going to explain what happened?”

No one spoke.

I lowered my head, too exhausted to defend myself. Meanwhile, Hye Mi, as expected, was just waiting for the perfect moment to play her role.

Seeing no one respond, my homeroom teacher sighed heavily and turned to me with a sharp gaze. “Narin, I’m very disappointed. Instead of focusing on improving your grades, you got into a fight? You do realize this will affect your record, don’t you?”

I bit my lip.

Of course, I knew. I clenched my fists, swallowing everything in silence.

My teacher’s voice grew harsher. “Are you really willing to ruin your future over a moment of anger?”

I wanted to say it wasn’t my fault. That I didn’t start this. But before I could speak, Hye Mi let out a dramatic sigh and started talking.

And just as I expected—the teachers believed her.

I lost. Again.

---