Chapter 47: Distance Between Us

The next few days passed in an uneasy rhythm. Ji-Ah and Evelyn weren't avoiding each other—not completely. But something had shifted.

Their conversations were shorter. The teasing had less bite. And Evelyn… she was keeping her distance.

Ji-Ah noticed.

It was in the way Evelyn didn't sit next to her at breakfast. The way she no longer lingered when their hands almost touched. The way she acted normal, as if nothing had ever happened between them.

Ji-Ah hated it.

She told herself this was what she wanted. That it was better this way. But then she'd catch herself watching Evelyn when she thought no one was looking.

Min-Hye and Seo-Jun definitely noticed.

"You look miserable," Seo-Jun said one evening as they all sat together. Well, all except Evelyn, who had left early for a meeting.

"I don't," Ji-Ah muttered, poking at her food.

Min-Hye smirked. "You do. And you're sulking."

Ji-Ah scowled. "I'm not sulking."

Seo-Jun leaned back. "You miss her acting like an idiot around you, don't you?"

Ji-Ah rolled her eyes. "She's not an idiot."

"Oh, so you do miss her." Min-Hye grinned.

Ji-Ah groaned. "I'm going to my room."

She got up, but as she did, her phone buzzed. A message from Evelyn.

Evelyn: I'll be late. Don't wait up.

Something about those words—casual, distant—made Ji-Ah's stomach twist.

For the first time since their kiss, she wondered if she had made a mistake.