Chapter 5

 A man walked in, carrying a plastic bag filled with food and drinks. He had a gentle face, but there was a trace of worry in his eyes. He paused for a moment before speaking.

“Bell, right?” he said softly. “I’m sorry about what Jae-Won did earlier… he really lost his temper.”

The room fell silent. The air seemed to grow heavier.

Bell looked at him and offered a small smile, though it was obvious she was uneasy.

“Oh, Si-yoon, don’t worry about it,” she replied. “I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt that much.”

At that moment, my eyebrow twitched.

I stood up and faced her. “Bell,” I said firmly, unable to hide my irritation, “what are you talking about? You were almost crying from the pain earlier, and now you’re saying you’re fine like nothing happened?”

Bell lowered her head, unable to meet my eyes.

Si-yoon went quiet for a moment before placing the food on the table. “I didn’t know it was this bad,” he said seriously. “If there’s anything I can do”

“What she needs,” I cut in, “is respect. Being angry is not an excuse to hurt someone.”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he nodded slightly, as if accepting the weight of my words.

In the middle of the silence, the nurse spoke again. “All done,” she said. “You may leave now, but make sure she gets plenty of rest.”

When we stepped out of the clinic, the cold air of the hallway greeted us. I held Bell’s arm tightly, as if she might get hurt again at any moment. She walked beside me in silence, clearly exhausted not just physically, but emotionally as well.

But before we could get far, my feet stopped.

Four men were standing at the end of the hallway.

And in the middle of them Jae-Won.

His head was slightly tilted, his eyes fixed on Bell, a mocking smile playing on his lips. The three men behind him stood like shadows, hands on their waists, ready to move at any moment.

“So it’s you,” he said coldly, glancing at Bell’s bandaged arm. “Wow, straight to the clinic? It was just a little grab.”

I felt Bell’s grip tighten around me. Her hand was trembling.

“Stay away from her,” I said firmly, pulling her behind me. “You have no right to come near her again.”

Jae-Won smirked and took a step closer close enough for me to feel the weight of his presence.

“And who are you to say that?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

Before I could answer, a hand suddenly blocked my way.

It was Si-yoon.

“Jae-Won, that’s enough,” he said seriously. “You’ve already caused trouble. Don’t make it worse.”

The two locked eyes anger clashing with restraint. Jae-Won’s brow furrowed before he forced a smile.

“Tsk… you’re always getting in the way,” he said. “But remember this,” he added, looking at Bell and me, “this isn’t over.”

He walked away, followed by the three men. But before disappearing, he looked back once more a gaze filled with warning.

Only when their footsteps faded did I finally breathe out.

After class, Bell and I left the classroom together. We walked down the hallway as if everything were normal, though the weight of the past few days still clung to me.

When we reached the corner of the hall, I saw them.

Jae-Won was there, with Si-yoon and the three others. They were calmly talking under a tree, some of them sitting on a large rock, as if nothing bad had ever happened.

But as we drew closer, I could hear every word.

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