if it's meant to be | ni-ki

hana walked through the school courtyard, her eyes locked on the group of girls gathered by the lockers. her fists were clenched at her sides, her breath a little too quick as her anger bubbled to the surface.

one of the girls was laughing, her voice a little too loud, drawing attention from those around her. it was clear they had been talking about hana, and it didn't take long for her to figure out what they were saying.

the girl noticed hana approaching, her smug smile faltering for a moment. but before she could react, hana was already standing right in front of her. the girl's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and defiance on her face.

"what?" the girl sneered, taking a step back.

without a word, hana raised her hand and slapped the girl across the face with a loud smack. it was quick, sharp, and full of the frustration that had been building up inside her.

the crowd around them gasped, some shocked, others whispering among themselves. hana stood there for a second, her chest rising and falling as she stared down at the girl, her voice low and steady. "you're disgusting."

the girl's hand flew to her cheek, eyes narrowing as she opened her mouth to say something back, but before she could speak, her friend shoved past her, charging toward hana with a look of fury. the situation spiraled out of control in an instant, with the crowd quickly surrounding them, eager for the fight to unfold.

niki, walking with jake, spotted the commotion as they reached the school courtyard. jungwon, who had been walking alongside them, pointed toward the scene. "yo, isn't that your sister?"

niki's eyes widened as he saw hana in the middle of the chaos. without thinking, he pushed past the crowd, his heart pounding. "hana!" he shouted, trying to break through the mess.

he quickly reached her, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her away from the girls, his grip firm but not harsh.

"that's enough," he said, his voice urgent as he looked back at the girls who were still fuming with rage. "what the fuck are you doing?!" he looked back at hana.

"they did something to yejin," hana muttered, her tone tight with anger. she could feel her hands shaking.

niki's eyes widened, and his posture shifted from defensive to concerned. "what did they do to her?"

before hana could respond, the school authorities arrived, quickly ushering hana and the two girls involved in the fight toward the principal's office. niki watched them go, a heavy sigh escaping him as the tension in his shoulders eased, but only slightly.

inside the office, hana stood across from the two girls, her fists clenched at her sides, her gaze unwavering. the tension between them was palpable, and the girls, clearly irritated, pointed at hana accusingly.

"she started it," one of the girls said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

hana shot a quick glare at them. "no, i didn't," she retorted, her voice steady. "you're the ones who glued her hair, for no reason."

one of the girls scoffed, "she's literally annoying—"

"she's not annoying!" hana interrupted, her tone sharper than she intended. "you have no right to do what you did. you can't just go around bullying someone because you don't like them. yejin's sweet, and she's outgoing..you guys are so closed off and unkind."

the authority figure, a teacher, stepped in, his brow furrowed. "hana, what happened? how did this escalate?"

hana took a deep breath before speaking again. "they put glue in my friend's hair, and i got upset. i admit i shouldn't have gotten aggressive, but i'll take accountability for that. however, they need to apologize to yejin. they've hurt her, and they need to own up to it."

the girls stayed silent, avoiding eye contact with hana as the room grew tense, the weight of the situation settling in.

after a moment of silence, the teacher nodded, taking everything into account. "all three of you will face consequences for your actions. hana, given that you didn't initiate the situation and showed remorse, your punishment will be the least severe. however, these two," he said, pointing to the other girls, "will face a more serious consequence for bullying yejin. in addition to detention, they will also have to apologize to yejin personally. it's important they understand the severity of their actions."

the two girls looked down, clearly uncomfortable with the decision, while hana exhaled in relief, though she still felt the weight of the situation. "thank you," she said quietly.

the teacher nodded. "this is a lesson for everyone involved. respect and kindness should always come first. we'll be contacting your parents as well."

as the girls filed out, the tension in the room started to ease, but for hana, it was still hard to shake off the guilt she felt for getting so angry. she knew she had done the right thing, but it didn't make everything feel better. she just hoped yejin would be okay.