_Cafeteria Scene_
The lunch bell rang, and students spilled out into the cafeteria like a tide. The air buzzed with chatter, trays clattered, and the faint sound of music leaked from someone's phone.
Eunho walked in with her friends, trying her best to act normal—even though her chest still felt tight from what happened earlier. Jihoon on one side, Minwook on the other, and Tae-oh circling her like a hawk—she felt like she was being pulled into a triangle she didn't sign up for.
She picked up a tray and got into the line for food.
"Hey," Tae-oh suddenly appeared beside her, leaning casually against the counter. His black hair fell slightly over his forehead, a silver piercing in one ear glinting under the lights.
"Want extra strawberries in your lunch?" he asked, flashing that crooked grin.
Eunho raised an eyebrow. "That's not even on the menu."
"It is if you know where to look," he winked, pulling out a small container. "Special delivery."
Before she could respond, another hand reached for a tray—Jihoon.
He stood silently beside her, his gaze unreadable, but there was a quiet intensity in his presence that made her forget to breathe for a moment.
"You shouldn't bribe people with fruit," Jihoon said flatly, not looking at Tae-oh but clearly speaking to him.
Tae-oh smirked. "You say that like you've never done worse."
Eunho stepped forward, hoping to escape the tension, but Minwook had already arrived at the end of the counter.
"I saved you a seat," he said to her casually, his eyes flicking briefly between the other two boys.
Jihoon's jaw twitched.
Tae-oh narrowed his eyes.
Eunho blinked. "Uh… I–"
Sooyoung quickly whispered, "Girl, you're in danger."
Jihyun whisper "why she always wanted our help."
Dahyun said "what jihoon and tae-oh again"
Before Eunho could respond, a staff member behind the counter called out, "There's a little mess in the kitchen—any volunteers to help?"
Without thinking, Eunho raised her hand. "I'll do it."
She just needed a moment alone.
But of course, she wasn't alone.
Seconds later, Tae-oh leaned on the doorframe of the kitchen, sipping his juice box. "Volunteering now? Didn't peg you as the helpful type."
"I just needed air," Eunho muttered, washing the plates.
"That's rich," another voice came in—Jihoon. "that pot is hot."
"Don't talk about pots," Tae-oh said, his voice lower now. "You're the one stirring everything."
Eunho groaned. "Can you two not do this here?"
And then—Minwook entered.
"I thought I'd give you company," he said warmly, picking up a towel. "I don't like seeing you stuck between people who don't understand you."
Jihoon stiffened.
Tae-oh's eyes darkened.
Eunho dropped a spoon into the sink. "I swear, if any of you fight in this kitchen, I'll pour soy sauce on your heads."
For a second, silence.
Then Tae-oh chuckled. "You've got spice today, little froggy."
Jihoon's eyes softened. "Don't let them get to you."
Minwook smiled. "Let's just finish cleaning."
The air was heavy. They weren't shouting. But every word between them dripped with tension.
And Eunho… didn't know who she was more scared of.
Or drawn to.
The kitchen scene had left a strange weight in Eunho's chest. The clinking of plates, the barely-contained jabs between Jihoon and Tae-oh, and Minwook's warmth—it was too much to process.
She slipped away after cleaning, claiming she had to go to the infirmary.
But she didn't.
She wandered instead—past the music room, past the gym, until the hallways grew quieter. Empty. Still.
Almost too still.
She paused near a window where light filtered through half-closed blinds. The silence pressed in on her like a vacuum.
That's when she heard it again.
Tap… tap… tap.
Her head snapped up.
A locker down the hallway stood ajar. It creaked slowly—opening just an inch.
"…Eunho."
She turned.
No one.
The voice wasn't loud. It was almost like it came from inside her head. Or behind her. Or nowhere.
She stepped closer to the locker. Her own heart was pounding like thunder. She reached out and pulled it fully open.
Inside: a torn page from her own notebook. The one she hadn't seen since last week.
In the same handwriting—but she hadn't written this.
"You forgot us.
You promised.
Find the time before it runs out."
Eunho's fingers trembled. Her vision blurred for a second. Something cold slithered up her spine.
Then—
SLAM.
The locker door shut by itself.
She spun around.
No one.
But she could feel it again. That presence. That heaviness.
Whispers.
Shadows.
Guilt.
Before she could move, a hand landed gently on her shoulder.
She gasped, flinching.
It's jihoon
His brown eyes were searching hers.
His gaze was saying without speaking
"You okay?"he spoke with his eyes
"I—. Just got dizzy."
She forced a shaky smile.
He looked like he wanted to say something more, but then Tae-oh's voice rang from behind them.
"You're not really good at being subtle, Jihoon."
Jihoon didn't respond. He didn't look away from her.
And then—Minwook rounded the corner, a notebook in his hand. Her old one.
"Looking for this?"
Eunho stared at all three of them.
Each of them watching her.
Each of them knowing something.
And in the pit of her stomach, that whisper echoed again.
"Save us…
Time is breaking."
Eunho heard hurried footsteps echoing behind her.
"Sooyoung?"
The bubbly classmate came rushing up to her, breathless, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Eunho! There you are—your… your dad. He's here. He came to see you."
Everything froze.
Eunho's eyes blinked in confusion. "My… what?"
"Your dad. He's waiting near the admin office."
For a second, Eunho felt nothing.
Then—everything.
Her knees weakened. She hadn't heard that word in years. Not like this.
Her father. The man she remembered only in pieces. Not clearly—just like a shadow in photographs, someone Naein never talked about, someone her mother avoided mentioning.
After her little sister was born, her parents had stopped speaking to each other. And then he disappeared completely from her life.
He wasn't in her memories in the future. Not even once.
Was this the first time she would truly meet him?
Why now?
Why here?
What did it mean?
She barely heard Jihoon call her name behind her as she turned and ran.
Her shoes echoed across the floor as she pushed past students and sunlight, her heart in her throat.
Could it really be him?