She took off her glasses and ran her fingers through her hair, sweeping it back. Even so, a few strands slipped free and hung in front of her face. Lifting her gaze to the ceiling, she drew a long, measured breath.
"I should've bought water instead of soda…" she whispered to herself.
Nau Rin slipped her glasses back on and headed down to the nearest restroom. There, she rinsed her face and hair with lukewarm water, but a faint stickiness still clung to her strands. She pulled a small towel from her pocket and dried her hair as best she could, then stood beneath the hand dryer until it was no longer wet—still damp, but passable.
There were still thirty minutes left before the lunch break ended. The room greeted her with silence, rows of empty desks waiting patiently. Nau Rin sat down at her seat, took a book from her bag, and began to read.
Before long, students started to file in one by one. The moment they noticed her, they broke into mocking laughter, their exaggerated expressions and hushed whispers openly ridiculing her presence. Nau Rin ignored them. Yet the noise filling the room grated on her nerves, and she stared down at the page with furrowed brows, barely registering the words.
Class resumed. Two more periods passed in much the same way, and at last, the school day came to an end.
Nau Rin paused in front of the front door, lingering for a brief moment before pressing the doorbell. It rang only once before her mother opened the door. As Nau Rin stood in the entryway, slipping off her shoes, her mother watched her closely.
Pretending to remove her jacket, Nau Rin looked up at her and said,
"Mom, have you seen my short puffer jacket? I wanted to wear it to practice today. Could you find it for me?"
"If it's not in your closet, it might be in your brother's room," her mother replied, already hurrying up to the second floor.
The moment she was gone, Nau Rin quickly slipped off her jacket, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed toward her room. Once inside, she hurriedly changed out of her uniform. Cracking the door open, she listened carefully, checking whether her mother was still in her brother's room. Since the bathroom was located beyond his room, passing unnoticed would not be easy.
Still, Nau Rin stepped out, pressed herself against the wall, and moved forward in complete silence. When she reached her brother's room, the door stood ajar. Her mother was inside, her back turned as she rummaged through the closet. Just as Nau Rin was about to slip past, her mother spoke.
"Are you sure it's not in your closet? I can't find it anywhere."
Nau Rin carefully pulled her foot back, covered her mouth, and answered from a distance, throwing her voice as if calling out from her room.
"It's not in my closet."
She paused, watching her mother without making a sound.
"That's strange…" her mother muttered, burying her head deeper into the closet. Sensing she would be caught if she delayed any longer, Nau Rin held her breath and glided along the wall in silence. She slipped past her brother's doorway almost in a blur, and before her mother could turn around, she darted into the bathroom. The door closed with a soft click, and the lock slid into place.
Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest, and she could almost hear her mother's soft footsteps moving just beyond the door.
The steam from the shower wrapped around her skin, warm and heavy, as droplets slid from her hair. Nau Rin stepped out, gently pushing the door open. Under the stark white hallway light, her mother's knitted brows stood out sharply, and in her hands dangled the short green padded jacket.
Raising the jacket, her mother spoke in a reproachful tone:
"I turned your brother's room upside down looking for this, and it was in your closet all along!"
Nau Rin wiped her hair and smiled lightly.
"It really didn't seem to be there when I checked. Maybe it somehow ended up there after you went looking?" she said with a soft laugh.
Her mother fixed her with a serious look.
"That makes no sense. You just didn't look properly," she replied, then pointed toward her brother's room. "And what am I supposed to do about this mess now?"
Her gaze swept over the boxes left open and the jackets piled across the bed.
Nau Rin peeked inside and shrugged.
"It looks tidy enough to me."
Her mother placed the jacket into Nau Rin's hands and turned to start cleaning, but Nau Rin quickly stopped her.
"Mom, before that—can I eat first? I'm starving after taking a shower," she said, putting on a pitiful look.
With a quiet sigh, her mother headed to the kitchen. Moments later, steam curled up from a bowl of hot soup on the table, joined by the familiar aroma of fried eggs and freshly cooked rice—comforting, unmistakably home.
Nau Rin ate in a rush, barely chewing, while her mother reminded her,
"Slow down."
With her mouth full, Nau Rin mumbled,
"I'm late!"
She finished eating in barely twenty minutes, snatched up her bag, and hurriedly called out,
"Mom, I'm heading out!"
And with that, she dashed out the door.
The area around Suwon's central subway station was still alive with restless energy. Neon lights shimmered across the glass faces of high-rise buildings, and students mixed with office workers just released from their day, all moving briskly through the evening crowd.
That night, Mr. Go returned home with his daughter. They finished dinner with easy conversation, and as Mrs. Go tied on her apron and began clearing the table, Mr. Go joined her at the sink, washing dishes side by side.
Meanwhile, Nau Rin was studying in her room when her phone lit up with a message: "Come out." It was from Minho. She got her parents to agree to a forty minute and headed over to Minho's house, which was only a thirty-step walk from her own.
She rang the bell, and almost immediately Minho's mother opened the door, smiling warmly as she ushered Nau Rin inside. On the couch, Minho's father was watching the news. When he asked who it was, his wife replied casually,
"It's our Arim."
He glanced up at Nau Rin, then turned his attention back to the screen.
"You haven't been dropping by much lately. Where have you been running off to?"
Minho's mother quickly went to the kitchen and poured Nau Rin a drink. Nau Rin greeted them politely, smiling as she answered,
"I just started school, so I'm still not very good at managing my time."
"That makes sense. No need to stand around here—go up to Minho's room. Everyone's already there," she said.
"All right, I'll head up," Nau Rin replied.
When she opened the door to the room, three of them were completely absorbed in their game, eyes fixed on the glowing screen. Without looking away, Minho spoke,
"Bring some drinks and snacks."
"So you called me over just to make me fetch things?" Nau Rin shot back.
"Just hurry up!"
She rolled her eyes, closed the door, and went to the fridge. Grabbing a carton of soda and a bag of chips, she returned and set them down by the bed.
"Here," she said, leaning against it.
"Pour it for me," Minho added.
"Do it yourself."
"My hands are busy."
"Then drink it when you're free."
"Tch, so heartless," Minho muttered, still staring at the screen as he awkwardly poured himself a drink with one hand and took a sip.
"Don't call me over while you're gaming," Nau Rin said. "There's nothing for me to do."
"Just sit there. If you're bored, bring a book or something," Minho replied casually.
Taehyun glanced over at her.
"So, how's school?"
Watching the game unfold, Nau Rin answered,
"It's fine," then added, nodding toward the screen, "So—who's winning?"
A confident grin spread across Minho's face.
"Who do you think? You wouldn't be able to tell anyway."
As night deepened, Nau Rin left her friends behind, still completely absorbed in their game, and headed out on her own. Walking beneath the amber glow of the streetlights, she lifted her eyes to the sky. Only a handful of dim stars revealed themselves, barely visible through the veil of midnight darkness.
She stopped for a brief moment. As the chaos of the day replayed in her mind, what lingered within her was nothing but an empty, hollow sensation.
Before going to bed, she opened her drawer and took out ten thousand won from the envelope where she kept her pocket money, slipping it quietly into her wallet. When the lights went out, the room fell into silence, and exhaustion soon claimed her.
The next morning, the sky was overcast, casting a heavy gloom over the classroom. Darkness seemed to settle over every corner, broken only by the sharp scrape of chalk against the blackboard. As soon as break time began, her phone buzzed once more—another message from the same person.
In the restroom, they surrounded Nau Rin, blowing sharp, bitter cigarette smoke directly into her face. The heavy, acrid stench sliced into her throat like a blade, stealing her breath. She began coughing uncontrollably, tears flooding her eyes—yet the sight of her struggle only fueled their delight as they laughed and mocked her.
The moment they left, a teacher slammed the door open. Seeing Nau Rin standing amid the lingering haze of smoke and the cigarette butts scattered across the floor, the teacher's face flushed crimson with fury. He jabbed a shaking finger at her and roared,
"Because of you, this school's rules are being trampled, and you dare stand here like this? With that spineless, selfish attitude of yours, you'll grow up to be nothing more than society's scum!"
His voice echoed violently through the restroom, drawing the attention of students in the hallway. After forcing Nau Rin to pick up every single cigarette butt with her bare hands, the teacher practically dragged her toward the principal's office.
After being led down the corridor and into the principal's office, the teacher began gesturing wildly, repeatedly pointing at Nau Rin as he angrily launched into his explanation. The principal listened with his brows tightly knit, then finally said,
"Please step outside for a moment."
When only Nau Rin and the principal remained, the room fell into complete silence. Resting his hands on the desk, fingers interlaced, the principal asked in a calm, low voice,
"What happened?"
Nau Rin kept her head lowered.
"I'm sorry…"
No other words came to her lips.
The principal shook his head slightly.
"Starting today, for one full month, you will clean all the school's restrooms."
Nau Rin bowed deeply in acknowledgment and turned toward the door. As she was about to leave, the principal spoke again from behind her,
"I hope this punishment helps you reflect on your actions."
By the time she reached her classroom, the lesson was already in full swing. She opened the door carefully and apologized, asking for permission to enter. The teacher glanced at her with open disdain.
"Sit down. Quickly."
As Nau Rin walked between the rows of desks, several students covered their noses. One of them even called out loudly,
"Who's polluting the air?"
Laughter rippled through the classroom.
She sat down and laid out her books with a face that was calm and utterly unreadable. Beneath the desk, however, her hands were clenched so tightly into fists that her knuckles turned white and her fingers ached.