???? ???? ????, ?'?? ????? ??? ?? ???

Sooheon leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his gaze flickering toward Namra, who sat a few seats away. She wasn't looking at him-not that he expected her to.

She had been like this before. Distant. Closed off.

Back in Hyosan High, she used to avoid him. He didn't know why at first, but he noticed the pattern quickly. Whenever he found her off guard-alone in an empty hallway, hidden away on the rooftop, or tucked into a quiet corner of the library-she would tense up. And then, before he could say anything, she would leave. Sometimes walking away briskly. Other times, outright running.

He never chased after her.

He just... let her be.

It wasn't like he had meant to startle her every time. But something about the way she looked at him-like she wasn't sure whether to acknowledge his presence or pretend he wasn't there-had always been confusing. She wasn't scared of him. No, it wasn't that. It was something else.

But things changed. Over time, the distance between them shrank. Slowly, carefully. Until she stopped running. Until she started staying.

And now, here they were again.

He exhaled through his nose, dragging a hand through his hair.

Was she running away again?

---

3 years ago

Sooheon leaned against the cracked concrete wall, exhaling softly. His first day at Hyosan High had been exhausting-new uniforms, new faces, the same suffocating expectations. He needed air, space to breathe, so he had wandered behind the old school building, hoping for a moment of peace.

But he wasn't alone.

At first, all he saw was a hand. Slender fingers holding a purple lighter, the small flame flickering in the afternoon breeze. Then, as his eyes traveled upward, he saw her face.

Namra. Though he didn't know how her name, yet.

She wasn't looking away. In fact, she was staring directly at him, her obsidian black eyes locked onto his like she was trying to gauge his next move. Her skin was pale-not the soft, delicate pale people admired, but something colder. There was no warmth, no pinkish hue, nothing that made her look fragile. Instead, she looked... detached. Like she existed in a space separate from the world around her.

A cigarette rested between her lips, unlit. The lighter's flame danced, but she hesitated, as if the presence of another person had pulled her back to reality.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them was heavy with something unspoken, something tense. Sooheon wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that this-this moment-wasn't something people saw every day.

She wasn't the Namra he would see in the classroom later-the top student, the quiet, untouchable girl who carried an air of perfection around her like a shield. This was different. A version of her that wasn't meant to be seen.

And yet, here he was.

Namra's fingers twitched slightly against the lighter, but she didn't move otherwise. Her posture was still, controlled, but her expression had lost its usual blankness. She was surprised. Maybe even a little uneasy.

For the first time, Sooheon saw something rare-an unscripted moment from a girl who would seem composed.

Then, without a word, she snapped the lighter shut. The flame disappeared.

She turned her back to him and, in a single smooth motion, threw the cigarette to the ground, crushing it beneath her shoe.

Sooheon tilted his head, watching as she straightened her posture, as if nothing had happened. She hadn't said a word. Neither had he.