Seolhyo arrived at the park earlier than planned.
She stood near the entrance, glancing at her phone, then lifting her head every few seconds to scan the pathway ahead.
And then she saw him.
Seojin.
He was dressed simply a light gray hoodie with "FLAWLESS" printed across the front, a longer white T-shirt layered underneath, loose wide-leg black pants, and white low-top sneakers with slightly chunky soles.
In complete contrast to her, who had spent nearly an hour choosing her outfit, it seemed he had just worn the first thing he saw.
He walked toward her with a calm, unhurried stride, hands tucked into his hoodie pockets. His expression was blank.
No bright smile.
No teasing eyes.
No soft warmth like usual.
"You're here early," he said.
Seolhyo straightened slightly, forcing a small smile.
"Yeah… I came early."
Her fingers fidgeted together before she stepped closer and gently looped her arm around his.
His hand remained buried in his pocket.
She glanced around and spotted a bench near the water.
"Let's sit over there."
She tugged lightly at his arm and led him toward it.
They sat side by side.
A soft breeze drifted past them, carrying the faint scent of water and grass.
Somewhere in the distance, people laughed, footsteps crunched against gravel, a bicycle bell rang faintly.
But between them
Silence.
After a full minute of nothing but the wind and distant chatter, Seojin finally spoke, his gaze fixed on the water ahead.
"So why'd you want to meet me?"
Seolhyo took a slow breath.
Her grip around his arm tightened slightly.
"…Are you angry about yesterday?"
He didn't answer.
The silence that followed felt suffocating, pressing against her chest.She watched his face still blank, still unreadable.
Her irritation flickered through her nervousness.
She bit her lip, then said, a little sharper than she meant to.
"That Choi Giryang… don't think too much about what he said."
Seojin responded without looking at her.
"I don't mind."
His tone was flat and distant.
Almost indifferent.
And somehow, that hurt more than if he had just admitted he was angry.
Irritation had been building inside her.
She couldn't stand him acting this way anymore.
"Look at me," she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Seojin didn't respond.
He didn't even turn his head.
That does it.
Seolhyo finally lost it.
She balled her fist and punched his chest.
"LOOK"
thud
"AT"
thud
"ME!!"
She kept hitting him as she shouted, her voice shaking.
"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd get angry! Maybe even beat him up like my brother always does! I didn't want that!"
Her punches gradually slowed until her fists simply rested weakly against his chest.
"But…"
Her voice cracked, and tears began spilling down her cheeks.
"What I didn't want even more… was you ignoring me. Please, Jin… look at me."
Her words came out choked and uneven.
Seojin exhaled softly.
Finally, he pulled his hands out of his pockets.
He raised one hand and brushed his thumb gently against her cheek, wiping away the tears that wouldn't stop falling.
Seolhyo looked at him, then shut her eyes as she trembled.
"…You're not allowed to leave me."
More tears slipped down as she gripped his hoodie tightly.
After hearing that, he let out a quiet sigh and gently pulled her toward him until her forehead pressed against his chest.
His hand moved to the back of her head, stroking it slowly in reassurance.
"Silly," he murmured. "Who said anything about leaving you?"
"…You're ignoring me, so you're planning on leaving me," she replied, her voice muffled against him.
Seojin gently cupped both sides of her head and pulled her back just enough to look into her eyes.
"I'm upset, you know," he said.
His voice was much softer now, but there was still a hint of seriousness beneath it. "Why did you hide it from me? That guy waited near your house at night…"
His voice wavered slightly.
"…He could've done something to you. I'm angry and worried."
Seolhyo slowly opened her eyes.
"…I'm sorry, okay?" she muttered quietly.
Then, still clinging to him, she added stubbornly, "Don't you ever ignore me again."
Seojin let out a faint smile.
"Then don't hide things like this from me again."
Seolhyo nodded slowly.
He gently wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks, brushing his thumb under her eyes until her face was dry.
She leaned the side of her head against his shoulder, and together they stared out at the water.
They stayed like that for a while, the tension finally easing between them.
After a few minutes, Seojin spoke again.
"I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything. You too, right?"
Still leaning against him, Seolhyo shook her head lightly.
"…I want kimchi jjigae."
At the same time, in another part of the park, Heo Sang-pil and Choi Seobin friends of Seol Minsu were wandering aimlessly along a path lined with ginkgo trees.
Seong-pil kicked a pebble down the walkway, groaning."This is pathetic. It's Sunday, and here I am wasting it hanging out with a dude."
Seobin shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets, looking completely unbothered."And whose fault do you think that is? You're dressed like some high school kid. Girls probably think I'm your babysitter."
Seong-pil frowned."It's not my fault you already look middle-aged despite being in your twenties."
"You wanna go, you punk?!" Seong-pil snapped, turning to him. "You look way older than me!"
"What if I do, huh?" Seobin shot back lazily. "And I told you to stop calling every girl 'noona.' You say it with that face, they think you're mocking them."
"I was being respectful! It's not my fault they can't appreciate it."
"Appreciate my ass," Seobin scoffed. "You sound like a dog in heat."
Seong-pil snorted, about to retort, when his eyes drifted toward a couple walking past them.
He clicked his tongue.
"Man, look at that. Even high schoolers have dates these days. Why are we stuck like this?"
"Because your last blind date lasted fifteen minutes," Seobin replied flatly. "She said you smelled like rotten eggs."
"Hey! I just forgot to brush my teeth that night, and I ate a lot of eggs. I don't even know how it smelled that bad!"
Seobin subtly stepped a little farther away from him."You're disgusting."
They both stared at the couple for a few seconds.
Then Seong-pil squinted.
"…Wait. That girl… isn't that Hyorim?!"
Seobin took a closer look and recognized her instantly."Yeah. That's definitely Seol Hyorim. Looks like she's hugging that guy's arm… so they're probably dating."
"Yeah. Seems like Minsu still doesn't know about this," Seong-pil muttered, placing both hands behind his head.
He watched her for another moment. "Look at her… I haven't seen Hyorim smile like that in a while."
"Well," Seobin said, shrugging slightly, "Minsu wasn't exactly a great big brother. The way he protected her… it was too extreme."
"Let her be. Minsu can deal with it if he ever finds out." Seong-pil narrowed his eyes at the guy beside her. "And that guy seems familiar."
"Now that you mention it… he looks a lot like that kid from the video who fought Minsu. I still can't believe a high schooler went toe-to-toe with him."
Seong-pil stretched his arms lazily.
"Let's go eat. Let the kids handle their own drama."
Seobin glanced at him.
"Out of everything you've said in the last few days, that's the first thing I agree with."
A little later, Seojin led Seolhyo to a restaurant he'd found online, wanting to bring her there to try it out together.
It wasn't anything fancy just a modest spot tucked between a stationery shop and a bakery but it offered private rooms with sliding doors, shielding them from prying eyes and granting them a quiet pocket of privacy from the outside .