The Silent Mornings

Episode 2 – The Silent Mornings (Part 3)

The rest of the school day passed like any other.

Teachers came and left.

Students laughed, chatted, and complained about homework.

Sujin spent most of the lunch break talking with Suju, completely unaware that something small had changed that morning.

"Are you feeling better now?" Sujin asked while opening her lunchbox.

Suju smiled gently.

"Yeah... I'm okay."

"You're not still upset about yesterday, right?"

Suju shook her head.

"I don't want to think about it anymore."

Sujin smiled in relief before changing the subject.

From the corner of the classroom, Muka quietly looked outside the window.

He wasn't listening to their conversation.

Or at least...

He pretended not to.

...

The final school bell rang.

Students quickly packed their bags and rushed toward the school gate.

As always, Suju walked to the small corner near the entrance where the stray cat usually waited.

She looked around.

"There you are..."

The little white-and-orange cat slowly ran toward her after seeing her.

Its tiny tail kept moving happily.

Suju sat on the ground without caring that her uniform might get dirty.

She took out the bottle of milk and the biscuits from her bag.

The cat happily began eating while rubbing its head against her hand.

Suju laughed softly.

"I missed you too."

Not far away...

Someone stopped walking.

It was Muka.

He had been heading home as usual when he noticed Suju sitting beside the school gate.

Instead of leaving...

He quietly stood beneath a nearby tree.

Without realizing it, he watched the scene from a distance.

There was no fake smile on Suju's face.

No sadness.

No loneliness.

Just pure happiness.

He had never seen someone smile so sincerely over something so simple.

For some reason...

He couldn't look away.

...

After a few minutes, the cat suddenly noticed Muka.

It curiously walked toward him.

Muka looked down.

The little cat sat beside his shoes and let out a tiny "Meow."

He stood completely still.

"I think..."

"I'm being inspected."

Suju couldn't help laughing.

"It's checking whether you're a good person."

Muka looked at the cat.

"And... what's the result?"

"The jury is still thinking."

For a brief moment...

Both of them laughed.

It wasn't loud.

But it was enough to make the awkwardness between them disappear a little more.

The cat gently rubbed its head against Muka's leg.

Suju's eyes widened.

"Wow..."

"It never goes to strangers."

Muka slowly crouched down.

The cat sniffed his hand before allowing him to pet its head.

"It likes you."

"I guess."

"You must be a kind person."

Muka stayed silent.

He wasn't sure if he deserved those words.

...

The afternoon breeze gently blew through the trees.

The three of them remained there for several quiet minutes.

It almost looked like a peaceful painting.

Finally, Suju stood up.

"I should go."

"The school bus will leave soon."

Muka nodded once.

"See you tomorrow."

Those three words caught Suju by surprise.

Until today...

He had never said goodbye to anyone.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"See you tomorrow."

She waved slightly before running toward the bus.

Muka watched until the bus disappeared from sight.

Only then did he begin walking home.

...

That evening...

Muka sat at his study desk.

His mathematics book was open.

Normally, he could solve every question without difficulty.

Today...

He had been staring at the same page for almost ten minutes.

His pencil hadn't moved at all.

Instead...

He kept remembering the little cat.

Then...

Suju's smile.

He quietly closed the book.

"What is wrong with me...?"

He rarely thought about other people.

Studying had always been enough.

Yet today...

Every few minutes, the image of the quiet girl with gentle eyes returned to his mind.

He shook his head.

"I should focus."

He opened his book again.

Five minutes later...

He was thinking about her once more.

A tiny smile escaped his lips.

He didn't even notice it.

...

Meanwhile...

At Suju's house...

She finished dinner before walking into her room.

After taking a shower, she opened the notebook where she usually drew cats.

Tonight...

She drew something different.

A classroom.

A window.

A quiet boy reading a book.

When she finally realized who she had drawn...

Her face immediately turned red.

"No..."

She quickly closed the notebook.

"What am I even doing?"

She buried her face inside her pillow.

"He only helped me close a window."

"He only talked to me for a few minutes."

"So why..."

She couldn't finish the sentence.

Deep inside...

She already knew the answer.

But she wasn't ready to admit it.

...

The next morning...

The classroom door slowly opened once again.

Suju arrived first, just like every other day.

A few minutes later...

Click.

Muka entered.

Their eyes met for only a second.

This time...

Instead of looking away immediately...

Both of them smiled.

It wasn't a big smile.

Just a small one.

A silent greeting.

No words were exchanged.

None were needed.

Sometimes...

The quietest moments speak louder than words.

And without either of them realizing it...

A new chapter had quietly begun.

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