Jin didn't usually matter.
He was background noise — one of the dozens of students who floated around campus unnoticed.
Ayan barely remembered his name most days.
But today?
Jin might as well have been carrying a neon sign saying: I know.
It started in the hallway.
Ayan walked in, expression calm, shoulders squared — the same cold self-assurance he always wore.
But the moment he stepped inside, Jin's eyes snapped to him.
And Jin flinched.
Not the casual kind.
Not the "oops you scared me" kind.
The guilty kind.
Ayan's steps slowed.
Jin looked away too fast.
His hands shook when he picked up his books.
He nearly dropped them when Ayan passed by.
Why is he acting like that?
Ayan's chest tightened — not visibly, but sharply, deeply.
Rumors were one thing.
He could kill those in minutes.
But fear?
Fear meant knowledge.
Fear meant exposure.
Fear meant someone had seen more than they should have.
Ayan stopped walking.
Jin froze further down the hall.
Their eyes met — only for half a second — but Ayan caught everything:
The panic.
The guilt.
And one more thing that made Ayan's pulse spike—
Recognition.
As if Jin had seen something he was never supposed to see.
Ayan's voice was low, steady.
"Jin."
Jin nearly tripped. "I— I have class—!"
"It starts in ten minutes."
Ayan stepped closer.
Not threatening.
Not aggressive.
Just precise.
Every step measured.
Every breath controlled.
Jin backed up until he hit a locker.
Ayan didn't touch him — he didn't need to.
"Why are you avoiding me?" he asked quietly.
"N-no reason—"
Lie.
The kind people say when they're about to crack.
Ayan tilted his head slightly.
"Jin."
His voice softened — dangerously gentle.
"You're not stupid.
So don't act like you are."
Jin swallowed hard. "I didn't say anything. I swear."
Ayan's blood ran cold.
Say anything about what?
Before Ayan could push further, a familiar voice cut through the hallway.
"Ayan."
Kairo.
Casual tone.
Serious eyes.
Ayan didn't look away from Jin as he whispered, calm but razor-sharp:
"This isn't over."
Jin nodded too quickly, disappearing the moment Ayan let him go.
Ayan turned to Kairo, expression unreadable.
"What?"
Kairo's gaze flicked toward Jin's retreating form, then back to Ayan.
"You okay?"
The question sounded simple.
Too simple.
Ayan didn't answer.
He just walked past Kairo, murmuring:
"I will be."
But inside?
He wasn't.
Because Jin didn't look scared of Kairo.
He looked scared of Ayan.
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