Mark slowly walks to the school nurse's office, bruised and battered.
As he enters, he sees the nurse busy with paperwork...
And then, he notices Hana sitting in the waiting area, looking concerned:
"Hana... what are you doing here?" Mark whispers, trying to hide his swollen face.
Hana's eyes WIDE with shock as she takes in Mark's injuries:
"Mark, oh my gosh! What happened to you?!"
She rushes to his side, gentle hands examining his bruises.
The nurse notices the commotion and quickly tends to Mark's wounds.
As the nurse cleans and bandages his cuts, Hana whispers urgently:
"Tell me everything... I had a weird feeling something was off during class."
Mark glances at the nurse, then back at Hana
*MARK'S EYES LOCK ONTO HANA'S, FILLED WITH PAINFUL DECEIT,
Mark forces a weak smile, hiding the truth:
"Hana, it's nothing... just a stupid accident during gym class. I fell pretty hard."
Hana's concerned expression softens slightly, but her eyes still search for truth:
"An accident... that looks really bad. Are you sure that's all it was?"
Mark nods vigorously, maintaining the lie:
"Yes, totally sure. Coach Tanaka said it was just clumsy me..."
He adds a fake laugh, trying to convince her:
"You know me, always tripping over my own feet!"
Hana smiles back, seeming to believe him, but her gaze lingers on his bruises:
"Okay... if you're sure. Please be careful next time
*MARK'S RELIEF IS TEMPORARY, SHADOWED BY WORRY,
Hana smiles softly, appearing convinced:
"Okay, if you're really okay... I'll walk you back to class."
Mark nods, still hiding his true emotions:
"No need, Hana... I'll just grab my stuff from the nurse's office and head back."
He glances at the clock on the wall:
"Actually, class is almost half over. I'll just sneak in quietly."
Hana nods understandingly:
"Be careful not to get in trouble for being late. I'll see you at lunch?"
Mark forces another smile:
"Yeah... lunch sounds great. Thanks for worrying about me, Hana."
As Hana heads back to class, Mark watches her go, his expression falling into worry
*MARK'S PAST PAIN REMAINS HIDDEN,
Mark and Hana sit together on the bench, enjoying lunch:
Hana's hand still rests on his arm, her promise warm in his eyes:
"I mean it, Mark. If anything ever bothers you or hurts you again... tell me. I'll always be on your side."
Mark smiles faintly, tempted to reveal the middle school bullying by Kai...
But fear of reopening old wounds and changing Hana's opinion of him holds him back.
He squeezes her hand gently instead:
"Thanks, Hana. That means everything to me."
Hana smiles back, oblivious to Mark's painful past with Kai's gang...
A past that still haunts him, though he's hidden it perfectly.
Mark's eyes briefly meet Kai's across the courtyard – a flicker of tension
*AWKWARD ENCOUNTER
Nao approaches the bench where Mark and Hana sit:
"Hey Hana, Mrs. Lee needs to see you about the school festival committee..."
Hana stands up, gathering her things:
"Okay, I'll go check what she needs. Mark, catch you up later?"
As Hana walks away with Nao, Mark notices:
*Nao deliberately avoids eye contact with him*
*Nao's voice was friendly only towards Hana*
Mark feels a familiar sting – Nao still distant due to Kai's past manipulation.
Hana seems oblivious to the tension between them, waving goodbye to Mark before turning back to Nao:
"What's the festival theme this year, do you know?"
Nao responds, still walking away from Mark's view:
"Mrs. Lee wants us to decide between 'Moonlight Dreams' and 'Starlight Nights'..."
Mark watches them disappear into the crowd, feeling lingering hurt from Nao's avoidance.
Kai appears beside him, sneering quietly:
Kai's voice low and mocking beside Mark:
"Still got Nao avoiding you, huh? And Hana's only friend to you out of pity?"
Mark clenches his fists, resisting the urge to react.
Kai continues to taunt:
"You were never really part of our group, Mark. Just a temporary leader... and a temporary friend."
Mark's eyes narrow, pain and anger simmering beneath the surface.
Suddenly, he notices Hana glancing back from across the courtyard, concern etched on her face – as if she senses something wrong.
*MARK MASKS HIS EMOTIONS, SAVING FACE FOR HANA'S SAKE
Mark forces a calm smile and a casual wave at Hana:
"Hey, everything's fine!" he mouths silently across the courtyard.
Hana looks slightly relieved and turns back to Nao and Mrs. Lee's conversation.
Kai notices Mark's priorities lie with Hana's opinion and sneers:
"So, she's still blind to what a loser you are."
Mark's jaw clenches, but he maintains his neutral expression, refusing to give Kai satisfaction.
Kai shrugs and walks away, joining Ryan and Chris near the lockers – casting occasional mocking glances at Mark.
Mark exhales slowly, tension easing slightly now that Kai's gone.