Two Weeks of Silence
Days passed like this.
No one really talked to Han.
The only person who did was Jisoo.
He was always trying. He told Han about the school, the teachers, the rooms, everything. He even gave Han all his notes so he could catch up with the class.
There was just one problem.
Jisoo's notes were impossible to read.
His writing was so bad that even reading one line was hard, and understanding it was even worse.
Jisoo also offered to tutor him.
"If you want, I can help you study," he said with a bright smile.
Han smiled back.
"I'd like that."
But inside, he felt uneasy.
Jisoo was too friendly. Too open. Too loud.
Those kinds of people made Han uncomfortable.
He's probably a creep, Han thought.
I'd rather be alone than deal with someone like him.
Seungmin, on the other hand, acted like Han did not exist.
He never looked at him. Never spoke to him. Never even reacted to him.
That hurt more than anything.
Han couldn't understand it.
Was he just playing with me that night?
If my dad wasn't there, would he have tried to sleep with me?
The way Seungmin ignored him now made him angry.
Han hated him.
And yet…
He kept watching him.
The way Seungmin sat alone.
The way he stared out of the window.
The dark clothes. The dark eyes. The quiet, lonely air around him.
There was something beautiful about it.
And Han hated himself for feeling that way.
After two weeks, Han finally made some friends.
He started sitting with them and laughing with them.
One day, someone called him from outside the classroom.
Han got up and went with them.
Seungmin watched him leave.
His eyes followed Han without him even realizing it.
Jisoo noticed.
"Are you worried about Han?" he asked.
Seungmin shot him a sharp look.
Jisoo didn't flinch.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not scared of you. I can tell you're worried about him."
Seungmin froze.
"Do I look worried?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Jisoo said. "Very."
Seungmin turned to the window and said nothing.
The next day during break, Han went out again with his friends.
This time, Seungmin couldn't stay in his seat.
He stood up.
It was the first time he had ever left the class during break.
He followed them and sat far away, pretending to buy something to eat, just so he could watch Han.
Then something went wrong.
Han looked scared.
His face was pale. His eyes were wet. He was breathing too fast, looking around like he was trapped.
Seungmin felt his chest tighten.
He stood up fast, almost without thinking.
Who did this to him?
His hands were shaking. He felt ready to hit someone, even though he knew he didn't have the strength for it.
He went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face, trying to calm down. But it didn't help.
He called Jisoo.
No answer.
He called again.
Still nothing.
Then he heard voices outside.
Han's voice.
And other boys.
Seungmin stepped out and saw them blocking Han, laughing and threatening him.
Han looked at Seungmin.
There was hope in his eyes.
Like Seungmin was the only one who could save him.
That look broke him.
But there were too many of them.
Four. Maybe five.
And Seungmin knew he was too weak.
He couldn't even protect himself.
So he ran.
He ran until he found Jisoo in the music room.
Jisoo saw his face and knew something was wrong.
"Where?" he asked.
"Second floor bathroom," Seungmin said, out of breath.
Jisoo ran with him.
They reached in time.
Jisoo stopped them and pulled Han away before anything worse could happen.
That day, Jisoo saved Han.
And from that day on, Han started trusting Jisoo.
But he hated Seungmin even more.
Because Seungmin had seen everything—
and still didn't step in.