Familiar Faces

Aerin Had Seen Her Too.

The moment their eyes met, Hana became painfully aware of her heart beating unnecessarily fast. Aerin had slightly tamed her smile, but her gaze remained fixed on Hana. Her lips parted slightly, as if she was about to say something, but before she could, Hana instinctively turned her head away, shattering the moment in an instant.

"Hana?" Gaeun's voice pulled her back to reality. "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"

"Nothing." Hana quickly headed toward the stairs. But a small voice inside her whispered that this glance wasn't as insignificant as she wanted it to be.

She climbed the stairs hastily, but her mind was still stuck on that brief moment with Aerin. Just as she took a few steps, a sudden burst of laughter behind her made her pause unwillingly.

Hyunwoo.

The group around Aerin had grown even louder. Even from a distance, Hyunwoo's voice was unmistakable. He stood with his shoulders straight, hands in his pockets, looking as if he was simply enjoying an ordinary morning. But Hana's eyes lingered on the subtle smirk on his face.

And right beside him was Aerin.

Aerin… She wasn't exactly close to Hana. Despite being in the same class and occasionally joking around, there had always been a certain distance between them. They used to get along better in the past, but over time, they had drifted apart. Still, Aerin had never completely disappeared from Hana's orbit.

And now, standing beside her was Hyejin—Hana's former close friend.

Her ex-best friend.

She was dating him.

A strange feeling stirred inside Hana. Was it jealousy? Or was she simply surprised? She wasn't sure.

But there was one thing she didn't know—this was only the beginning.