Study Room

After the decision was made, I could only remain silent. There was no point in defending myself when everyone had already drawn their own conclusions.

Hye Mi and her friends left the room with triumphant smiles. I could hear them whispering and giggling softly behind the door.

I stood up slowly, my body feeling unbearably heavy. As I stepped out, the hallway felt longer than usual. The stares of people whispering about this morning's incident pierced like daggers.

I wanted to find Hana, to explain everything. I didn't want things to get even more complicated.

I walked back to class, but the moment I entered, I knew something was wrong.

My desk.

My bag and belongings were scattered everywhere. Books lay on the floor, some pages roughly folded. My pencil case was open, its contents spilled out. I swallowed hard, trying to suppress the turmoil inside me.

But the most painful thing wasn’t that.

Hana.

Right. She was no longer sitting in her usual seat in front of me. Her chair was now occupied by another student, while she sat farther away, laughing quietly with her new friends.

As if I had never existed.

I stood at the doorway, frozen for a few seconds before forcing myself to move toward my desk. My hands trembled as I picked up my things while whispers and mocking gazes started to spread around me.

I tried to focus on the lesson, but I couldn’t. My mind was filled with questions. Since when did Hana become so close with them? Was our friendship only this shallow? But still, this was a mistake I should never have made.

I stole a glance at her.

She laughed softly, talking comfortably as if nothing had happened. There wasn’t even the slightest hint that she cared about what had occurred today.

---

Lunchtime arrived, but I had no intention of going to the cafeteria as usual. I felt too empty to feel hunger.

Without saying much, I took the cleaning supplies from the storage room and headed to the hall. I just wanted to finish my punishment quickly, to distract myself from all the problems haunting me.

But the peace I was hoping for didn’t last long. A sly laugh echoed behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

Hye Mi and her friends approached with satisfied smirks on their faces.

"Wow, you really are a good girl," Hye Mi clapped her hands lightly, her voice dripping with mockery. "Instead of enjoying your break, you immediately start your punishment. So inspiring."

I sighed, trying to ignore her. There was no use arguing with them.

"But being a good girl isn’t enough, because you’re just a poor, two-faced nobody. So shameless," she continued, stepping closer this time.

I still didn’t respond, just focusing on sweeping the floor.

"But I didn’t expect you to be this crazy, keeping your mouth shut in front of the teacher." She laughed, full of ridicule, supported by her two friends who acted as mere background characters.

"I’ve already given in," I finally spoke, keeping my tone flat, hoping she would leave me alone. "I stayed quiet in front of the teacher. They’ve punished me and deducted my points. Isn’t that enough for you to get out of my face?"

Hye Mi let out a small laugh, then leaned in slightly. "Enough? Do you think this will all end with just this small punishment?"

I gripped the broom handle tightly. "What more do you want?"

"What more?" She pretended to think before smirking. "A lot. A whole lot. I’ve been waiting to see you in this position for a long time, and I’m really enjoying it. You know, I never liked you from the start."

I stared at her, finally meeting her sharp gaze. "Why?"

"Why?" Hye Mi repeated mockingly, then laughed. "Do I need a reason? I just don’t like you. Especially since you’re just a scholarship kid who had the audacity to get close to Do Hwan."

Ah, so it was because of that.

I let out a small smile—not because it was funny, but because I was exhausted from responding to her. "If that’s the problem, why not do something about it sooner? Why wait until now?"

Hye Mi grinned. "Don’t you realize? Because now is the perfect time. You have no one left to defend you."

I clenched my fists.

She was right. Everyone believed I had been hiding behind Hana’s influence.

Hye Mi stepped away, folding her arms in front of her chest. She touched the side of an auditorium chair and sat on it, tilting her head while giving me a sly look. Her lips smiled, but her eyes showed something different.

"And… I’m sure you’re not stupid enough to overlook your other mistake," she continued.

I frowned, confused. What did she mean? Could it be…

"That’s right," she interjected excitedly as if reading my mind. "Your mistake was making me even angrier by messing up my plan."

I remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"I reported that bastard," she said, her voice rising, her eyes burning with anger. "I told them he treated me badly, that he hurt me. I made my boyfriend—ugh, I feel sick just saying it." She cut herself off before continuing.

"I made that jerk want to hurt Do Hwan. I just wanted him to pay for rejecting and humiliating me!" she scoffed in frustration. "How dare he, when he’s just a newbie relying on his looks?" She took a deep breath, her body trembling. "I put my pride at his feet, and he rejected me outright! I couldn’t accept that, so I used my boyfriend to teach him a lesson."

"But what happened?" Hye Mi stepped closer, glaring at me. "Do Hwan remained untouched. He still stood tall. And you…" She pointed at me with a look of disgust. "You kept staying by his side, as if nothing had happened!"

I couldn’t believe it. Was her pride really more important than someone’s life?

"I’ll make sure you feel what it’s like to be stepped on," she whispered sharply. "I’ll make you regret ever standing in my way."

I stared back at her. There was anger inside me, but also exhaustion. This problem had spiraled too far.

---

I sat in the school’s study room, letting the silence engulf my already overwhelmed mind. I had decided to stay here after school because, honestly, I couldn’t focus on the lessons in class. I needed to study them again, but as expected, every word on the page blurred, along with my thoughts.

I sighed deeply, leaning back in my chair. As I struggled to keep my eyes closed, I thought of someone.

Do Hwan.

Where was he? I hadn’t seen him all day. No one in class knew why he was absent. I didn’t want to assume it was because of her, but with him missing today, I couldn’t ignore the possibility.

Time slipped away unnoticed. When I lifted my head, the study room was nearly empty. The main lights were off, leaving only my desk lamp and one other light behind me still on. I turned, but no one was there.

Strange.

Or maybe the person had just stepped out briefly. I didn’t want to overthink it and began packing my books. Once my bag was ready, I left the school building.

The night air was cold as I walked through the dark school corridors. My footsteps echoed down the hallway. But in the midst of the silence, I felt something strange.

Like someone was following me.

My heartbeat quickened. I sped up, but the footsteps behind me also grew faster.

I swallowed hard, preparing to run. But before I could, someone overtook me from behind.

I reflexively stepped back, my heart nearly jumping out of my chest. But when I saw who it was, I felt slightly relieved.

Park Jiho.

The top-ranking scholarship student and class president.

I looked at him, still catching my breath. "Jiho, were you in the study room too?" I asked, making small talk.

He glanced briefly, then nodded without saying a word.

His demeanor was as cold as ever. As fellow scholarship students, we weren’t close and only spoke when necessary. But still, something felt different tonight.

Without another word, Jiho walked away, leaving me alone in the increasingly oppressive hallway.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Maybe I was just tired and paranoid.

But…

Why wouldn’t this feeling go away?

As if… I was still being watched.

---