#Ch2 Cracks in the Ice

By the middle of his second week at Haedam Private Academy, Han Taeyang realized that Seo Jiwon had developed a habit.

Jiwon watched him.

Not constantly enough for other people to notice.

But enough that Taeyang started feeling his gaze before actually seeing it.

During class.

Across the cafeteria.

From the back of the hallway after practice ended.

Sometimes Taeyang would look up suddenly and find Jiwon already staring at him with the same unreadable expression he always wore, only for Jiwon to look away first like nothing had happened.

It was strange.

More than that, it was irritating.

Because Taeyang could never tell what Jiwon was thinking.

The bullying started becoming more obvious after that.

Still subtle enough that teachers ignored it.

But deliberate.

Taeyang arrived at school one morning to find his desk covered in scribbled marker stains that had not been there the day before.

A few students nearby laughed quietly while pretending not to look at him.

Taeyang sighed softly before grabbing tissues from his bag and cleaning it without saying anything.

Then a voice spoke beside him.

“You’re not even angry?”

Taeyang looked up.

Jiwon stood there holding an iced coffee, his uniform jacket hanging loosely over one shoulder.

He looked unfairly perfect for eight in the morning.

Taeyang returned to cleaning the desk.

“Should I be?”

“Most people would be.”

“Most people have time to care.”

Something flickered across Jiwon’s face briefly.

Taeyang noticed it immediately.

He always noticed small changes in people’s expressions, especially when they were trying to hide them.

But before he could figure out what it meant, Jiwon leaned against the desk casually.

“You know,” Jiwon said, “people here hate scholarship students.”

“I noticed.”

“They think you’re stealing a spot from someone richer.”

Taeyang scrubbed another ink stain away quietly.

“Sounds difficult for them.”

A laugh escaped Jiwon before he could stop it.

Short.

Surprised.

Like Taeyang had caught him off guard again.

Jiwon stared at him for a moment longer before suddenly reaching down and grabbing the cloth from Taeyang’s hand.

Taeyang frowned immediately.

“What are you doing?”

“The stain’s still there.”

Jiwon wiped the desk once with unnecessary force before tossing the cloth back onto the table.

“There.”

Taeyang blinked.

“…You caused this.”

“I never said I didn’t.”

Then Jiwon walked away before Taeyang could answer.

Leaving behind the faint smell of expensive cologne and confusion.

That afternoon, Taeyang nearly fell asleep during literature class.

He had worked until almost two in the morning the night before after another employee called in sick at the convenience store. After that, he went straight to the hospital because his mother’s fever had risen again.

By the time he finally got home, the sun had already started coming up.

Now exhaustion sat heavily behind his eyes no matter how hard he tried focusing on the lesson.

His head dipped slightly.

Then—

“Han Taeyang.”

Taeyang blinked awake instantly.

The teacher looked annoyed.

“If you’re tired, maybe you should wash your face instead of sleeping in class.”

A few students snickered quietly.

Taeyang stood automatically.

“I’m sorry.”

The teacher sighed.

“Stay standing for the rest of class.”

Taeyang nodded once.

Embarrassment settled uncomfortably under his skin as whispers spread across the room, but he kept his expression calm.

He was used to humiliation.

Unfortunately.

As he stood there quietly, his gaze shifted briefly toward the window.

Jiwon was already looking at him.

Not amused.

Not mocking.

Just staring with a slight crease between his brows.

Taeyang looked away first.

After school ended, Taeyang headed toward the locker room to change before work.

The hallway remained mostly empty by then, filled only with distant voices and fading footsteps.

When he opened his locker, he froze slightly.

His gym shoes were missing.

Again.

A tired sigh escaped him.

Honestly, at this point he almost expected things like this to happen.

He crouched down to check beneath the nearby benches when slow footsteps echoed behind him.

“You lose something?”

Taeyang did not need to turn around.

Jiwon leaned against the doorway holding the missing shoes loosely by their laces.

Taeyang stared at him for a long second.

“You really have too much free time.”

Jiwon tilted his head slightly.

“You’re not going to ask for them back?”

“I figured you’d eventually get bored.”

For some reason, that answer irritated Jiwon.

His jaw tightened briefly before he stepped closer and tossed the shoes toward him carelessly.

Taeyang caught them against his chest.

“You should react more,” Jiwon said suddenly.

Taeyang frowned slightly.

“To what?”

“To me.”

The words came out quieter than expected.

Almost absentmindedly.

For a second, neither of them spoke.

Then Taeyang stood up slowly, holding the shoes in one hand.

“Why?”

Jiwon looked at him.

And for the first time since they met, Taeyang noticed something underneath all that coldness.

Not anger.

Loneliness.

It disappeared so quickly he almost thought he imagined it.

Jiwon looked away first.

“…Forget it.”

Then he walked out of the locker room without another word.

Taeyang remained standing there silently for several seconds afterward.

Confused.

Because somehow, Seo Jiwon had started feeling less like a bully—

and more like someone trying very hard to be one.

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