-"She carried the calm of morning in her smile, unaware that curiosity had already found her."
Author's POV
Every story begins with a face. Some faces hide secrets, others reveal scars, but a rare few shine with a light so pure that even shadows pause before touching them.
Zenia was one of those rare few. To the world, she was just another student among thousands at Seoul's bustling university. But to those who knew her, Zenia's smile was a quiet kind of healing, her presence as a lantern in a world that often preferred the dark.
She did not know yet that beyond the gates of her peaceful life, the underworld watched her. A storm had already chosen its path, and its eyes had fallen on her.
But for now, Zenia laughed, unaware of the world waiting to shatter hers.
---
Zenia's POV
"Ugh," she groaned softly, letting her pen slip from her hand as she stretched. The sunlight streaming through the library's glass wall made her hair glow like threads of silk. Her notes were scattered in front of her, equations and codes mixing with doodles she'd drawn absentmindedly.
Computer Science wasn't easy, but Zenia never complained. She had fought through lonelier battles in her childhood, and this-this was nothing compared to the ache of being alone at an orphanage, the empty silence of not knowing who her parents were.
And yet, she never allowed her past to harden her.
Instead, she had chosen kindness. To smile, even when her heart ached. To help others, even when she had no one to help her. To forgive, even when life had given her nothing worth forgiving.
Her phone buzzed.
Jiwon: Yah, are you still buried in books? I'm starving! Meet me at the cafeteria in 10 minutes or I'll eat without you!
Zenia chuckled. Of course. Kim Jiwon, her roommate, her best friend, her sister-in-everything-but-blood. Loud, playful, and always hungry.
Packing up her books, Zenia whispered to herself, "One more page of peace before the chaos, maybe?" She didn't know why she said it, but the words left her lips like an echo she didn't understand.
---
Jiwon's POV
Jiwon tapped her fingers on the cafeteria table, her foot bouncing with impatience.
"She's late," she muttered to herself, though a fond smile tugged at her lips. That was Zenia-always caught in her little world of notebooks and quiet thoughts.
To Jiwon, Zenia was more than a roommate. She was a miracle. From the first day they'd shared a dorm room, Jiwon had felt it-the warmth Zenia carried. People like her were rare, the kind who'd stay up all night listening to your heartbreak, the kind who'd share her last piece of bread without thinking twice.
Jiwon shook her head with a laugh as she spotted Zenia hurrying in, clutching her bag close. "Finally! I was about to starve to death, and your ghost would've haunted me in the afterlife for not waiting."
Zenia rolled her eyes, sitting across from her. "You say that every day."
"That's because you're late every day," Jiwon teased, poking her friend's arm.
The two of them laughed, their voices blending into the chatter of students around them. For a moment, it felt like nothing could touch their bubble of joy. Zenia's laughter was contagious, and Jiwon thought, If there's anyone who deserves happiness, it's her.
---
Jimin's POV
From across the campus, Park Jimin leaned against his car, scrolling lazily through his phone as if waiting had become a habit.
When he glanced up, his eyes landed on two familiar figures-Jiwon, laughing as she spoke a mile a minute, and Zenia walking beside her, calm and radiant in her own quiet way.
A small smile tugged at his lips. Jiwon was his everything, full of fire and chaos, but Zenia-Zenia was different. There was something peaceful about her, like she carried her own little world of warmth wherever she went.
He shook his head lightly, chuckling to himself. Those two are always together... like sisters, really.
Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Jimin straightened and raised a hand in a casual wave when Jiwon spotted him. To him, this moment was simple, ordinary. Just another evening with people who made the world feel lighter.
And that was all he wanted anyone to see.
---
Author's POV
The day faded into dusk, painting the sky in strokes of gold and violet. Zenia laughed again, her voice soft against the hum of the evening crowd, her aura as bright as ever.
But not all eyes saw her with warmth. Somewhere, unseen, someone else was watching. Someone whose world was carved in blood and shadows.
- “The storm had noticed the light. And once the darkness sets its gaze, nothing-absolutely nothing-remains untouched“
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