The campfire burned brighter as the night grew deeper.
Students laughed… music played… someone started telling ghost stories.
But Joon-woo wasn't listening.
He stood slightly away from the crowd… his gaze fixed on one person.
Hana.
She had just returned from the beach.
Her eyes looked tired… her steps slow… but she was pretending to be normal, talking quietly with some classmates.
She didn't look his way.
Not even once.
It felt strange.
She used to notice him immediately — with anger, irritation, challenge… something.
But now…
Nothing.
Like he didn't exist.
His chest tightened.
So that's it… he thought.
She really chose to walk away…
He lowered his eyes… then forced himself to look somewhere else.
Gemmy stood beside him, smiling softly, still glowing from his acceptance earlier.
She was talking about something excitedly… but he barely heard her.
His mind was somewhere else.
On the beach.
Under the moonlight.
Hearing Hana's trembling voice asking another boy to date her.
Then…
He saw Hana again.
She laughed faintly at something someone said.
A small laugh.
Gentle.
Free.
The kind of laugh he had never been able to give her.
Something sharp twisted inside him.
Pain… jealousy… anger… regret…
All mixed together.
And suddenly—
He didn't want to feel weak anymore.
Gemmy stepped a little closer to him.
"Joon-woo… are you cold?" she asked softly. "You look pale."
He turned to look at her.
She was warm.
Kind.
Waiting for him.
Someone who chose him openly.
Someone who wouldn't run.
Someone who wouldn't hesitate.
He looked past her shoulder one last time.
Hana had turned slightly…
But she was talking to someone else.
Still not looking at him.
Still unaware.
Something inside him snapped.
Not loudly.
Just a quiet decision.
A wall closing.
A door locking forever.
Before Gemmy could say anything else—
He gently held her face.
She froze in surprise.
"Joon-woo…?"
And then—
He kissed her.
It wasn't soft hesitation.
It wasn't confusion.
It was sudden. Firm. Final.
Like he was trying to prove something.
To himself.
To his heart.
To the world.
Gemmy's eyes widened… then slowly closed.
Her hands trembled slightly… then held his shirt tightly.
She melted into the moment… overwhelmed with happiness she had waited so long for.
A few seconds later…
He pulled away.
Gemmy's cheeks were red… her eyes shining… her breathing unsteady.
"Joon-woo…" she whispered, almost in disbelief.
He didn't smile.
But he didn't step away either.
Across the camp…
Someone finally looked up.
Hana.
Her gaze moved casually through the crowd—
Then stopped.
Her body froze.
Her eyes locked on them.
On him.
On the space between him and Gemmy.
On what just happened.
Time stopped.
Sound disappeared.
The fire blurred in her vision.
Her chest felt hollow… like all the air had been pulled out.
She didn't hear laughter.
Didn't hear music.
Didn't feel the cold wind.
Only one thought echoed in her mind—
He chose her.
Joon-woo slowly lifted his gaze.
And saw Hana staring.
Their eyes met.
This time… she had seen everything.
No misunderstanding.
No guessing.
No confusion.
Just truth.
Clear.
Sharp.
Unavoidable.
Hana's fingers slowly curled into fists.
Her lips parted slightly… but no sound came out.
Her eyes trembled.
But she didn't cry.
She didn't run.
She didn't react at all.
She simply looked at him…
Like something inside her had quietly broken.
Then she turned away.
And walked back toward the darkness beyond the campfire.
Alone.
Gemmy leaned her head gently on Joon-woo's shoulder… smiling softly… unaware of the storm that just passed between two hearts behind her.
Joon-woo didn't move.
His eyes remained fixed on the place where Hana disappeared.
His chest felt heavy.
But he didn't go after her.
He didn't call her name.
He just stood there…
Holding the choice he had made.
Three hearts.
One kiss.
And a silence louder than anything else that night.