Dawn brushed the university with a pale, milky light , soft, trembling, almost shy.
It stretched gently across the campus, lingering on the walls, slipping through the glass doors like a timid visitor unsure if it was allowed inside.
The corridors, still half asleep, glowed under that delicate brightness. Their silence felt sacred, untouched. Harin walked through them with her usual quiet determination, back straight, steps steady. Her white coat swayed behind her in a soft rhythm, as if insisting on moving forward even when her heart sometimes hesitated.
But her shadow…
Her shadow always stayed behind just a little.
Long. Heavy. Stubborn.
As if reminding her that she could walk fast, but the past walked too.
Every morning, she caught sight of it reflected on the polished tiles or the glass doors. Behind it, her own reflection appeared: a young woman with graceful posture and delicate features , but eyes far too calm for her age.
Calm… or maybe simply too quiet.
In those eyes lived a kind of peace that didn't come from happiness.
It came from surviving.
From learning how to breathe again when breathing had once felt impossible.
Fourth year of pharmacy.
The dream she had chased for so long.
And yet, every page she read, every molecular structure she memorized, meant something more to her than good grades. It was her lifejacket, her protection, her way of fighting back.
She wasn't only learning to save others.
She was learning not to fall apart herself.
The world around her moved in its normal rhythm , students chatting, rushing, laughing , completely unaware that she was walking on the edge of a cliff every day. She had relearned how to exist: how to smile, how to talk, how to act like everything was fine.
But she had never relearned how to tell her story.
That morning, as she entered the large main hall, her mind floating somewhere between yesterday and the weight of years before, a warmth cut through her thoughts.
A presence she could recognize even in the dark.
Jisoo.
Warm, elegant Jisoo ,with her smooth shoulder-length dark brown hair and hazel-tinted eyes that softened whenever she smiled; with her designer bag tucked confidently at her side, moving with the quiet grace of someone who knew her worth. Strong, kind, effortlessly composed ,she was the kind of beauty that didn't need to try.
Harin's chest tightened with affection just at the sight of her.
Because she loved Jisoo.
Truly. Deeply.
Not in the dramatic way stories describe it ,but in the quiet, loyal, unshakeable way that only grows from surviving life together.
Jisoo had been there for her every single time the world felt too heavy.
When Harin struggled to study, when her mind went blank during hard topics, when she was too sick or too exhausted to understand anything… Jisoo never hesitated. She never asked why. Never made Harin feel slow or behind.
She just understood.
She explained things patiently, broke them down for her, waited gently until Harin's mind could catch up.
To Harin, Jisoo wasn't just a best friend.
She was the person she would do anything for.
The one bright, constant presence who had held her together when everything else was falling apart.
she reassured , not out of obligation, but because she truly cared.
She always had Harin's back.She had always been her safe place.
The one steady warmth in the middle of every storm.
And that kind of love ,steady, patient, unwavering , was the rarest gift Harin had ever received.
Harin slowed down without realizing it.
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
She knew exactly what Jisoo was thinking every time she looked at her with those soft, worried eyes. Jisoo had been waiting ,patiently, quietly ,for Harin to speak. To finally share what she had been holding in for years.
But how do you put into words a pain that makes no sound?
How do you explain a night that never really ended?
How do you confess that the strongest thing about you is simply the fact that you're still standing?
A thought whispered in Harin's mind:
"If I talk… will I become weaker?
Will she see me differently?
Will she walk away?"
And yet, a gentler voice , buried deep in her chest , whispered louder:
"Or maybe… she'll hold out her hand.
And this time, you won't have to walk alone."
But that day…
Harin said nothing.
Instead, she offered Jisoo a soft, sincere smile.
One that said thank you without using any words.
And Jisoo smiled back, without pressure, without questions , as if she already understood everything Harin wasn't saying.
Because loving someone, truly loving them, sometimes means standing beside them without asking for explanations.
As Harin walked toward her friend, the timid morning sun reached through the glass ceiling and brushed her face , almost as if greeting a survivor.
Inside, quietly, she repeated the sentence she had been whispering to herself for years:
"Real strength isn't about being perfect or fearless.
It's about standing up anyway."
And for a brief moment, her heart felt lighter.
Just a little.
Just enough.
The day was beginning.
And she had survived another dawn.