Yunho was walking toward the library, his backpack slung casually over one shoulder, when laughter from a nearby group caught his attention. It was sharp, brash, loud enough to slice through the hum of the campus midday. He froze mid-step.
Near the tennis courts, Jason and his friends were gathered, leaning casually against the chain-link fence, their voices carrying in the still air.
"Dude, are you seriously still salty about Bella? Man, let it go already." one of them sneered, eyes glinting with amusement.
Yunho's hand tightened on his strap. Something in the careless tone made his stomach clench. He slowed, then stopped altogether, letting his gaze drift toward the source of the sound.
"What even was the point of that locker stunt?" another voice chimed in, followed by a snort of laughter. "She just got pissed and started carrying her books around like a portable library."
The blood in Yunho's veins went quiet.
Yunho's jaw clenched. His steps slowed, then stopped altogether.
He approached quietly at first, listening.
Locker stunt.
Bella.
She never told me.
He closed his eyes briefly. His mind replayed memories from the past week. He could see it now, the way her smile had seemed just a little too forced that day. The way she'd brushed past it when he asked what had happened, insisting it was nothing. Just an accident. Some leak or prank or maybe she left the cap off her water bottle.
She hadn't even sounded convinced herself.
And now he knew why.
Now, hearing Jason's mocking tone, it all clicked. She had been protecting someone. Or maybe protecting him.
Jason. Of course it was Jason.
Yunho's fists clenched almost reflexively. The casual cruelty, the thoughtless mockery, the way Jason and his friends had laughed was infuriating.
He took a step closer, voice low and dangerous. "You think this is funny?"
Jason spun around, eyes narrowing, muscles tensed. "What are you gonna do about it, swimmer boy?"
"I have a problem with you messing with her," Yunho said, ice coating every word.
There was a tense pause. Jason's lips curled into a snarl, but before he could retort, Yunho moved. His fist shot out almost on instinct, connecting with Jason's jaw in a controlled but hard strike. The tennis captain stumbled backward, shocked and the air around them crackled with tension.
Shouts and curses exploded as the two squared off, ready to throw down.
But before fists could fly again, Jason's friends grabbed him, hauling him back.
"Back off, dude! You're gonna get yourself kicked out."
Both boys struggled in their spectator's grips, eyes locked in a dangerous stare.
Yunho held his ground, eyes locked on Jason's, voice low and unwavering. "If you ever hurt her again, it won't just be a punch."
Jason spat on the ground, chest heaving, his pride wounded, but he didn't step forward again. The other boys hesitated, glancing at each other, unsure if they should intervene further
The groups finally backed off, the threat still hanging heavy between them.
Yunho exhaled sharply, mind racing. He had to find Bella. He pulled out his phone.
Yunho: Where are you right now?
Yunho: I need to see you.
Half a mile away, Bella was nestled into a corner of the library, knees tucked under her desk, half-dry chemistry notes splayed across the surface in front of her. Her pencil tapped idly against the page as she tried to focus, headphones in, drowning out the world.
The buzz of her phone against the wood caught her attention. She glanced down and nearly dropped her pen.
Yunho:
Where are you right now?
Her heart skipped.
She tapped her pencil against her notebook, mind racing. Why now? What was so urgent?
Then another message.
Yunho:
I need to see you.
Her breath caught. There was no hint of teasing this time. No playful edge. Just something heavy, serious, the kind of message that pulled the ground out from under her feet.
She swallowed hard, glanced out the window at the quiet courtyard, the empty swings swaying gently in the breeze. Her thoughts tangled, did he know? Could he possibly know about the locker? Or worse, was something else wrong?
Her fingers hovered over the screen, then typed back:
Bella:
I'm at the library. Why?
Seconds stretched. She could hear the faint hum of the fluorescent lights above, the occasional shuffle of a student searching for a book. The space felt suddenly too small, too quiet.
Moments later, Yunho appeared, pushing the library door open with a quiet determination. He looked around, scanning the rows of books, and when his eyes found her, a small, almost imperceptible relief softened his features. He walked over, every step measured, purposeful, until he reached the desk where she sat.
Without a word, he pulled out a chair and sat down beside her. Close, warm, deliberate.
Bella looked up, startled, caught between relief and a fluttering panic. "Yunho…" she started, unsure how to begin.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, voice low, steady, almost shaking with the edge of barely contained emotion. "For everything."
Her chest tightened, a wave of guilt and concern washing over her. She wanted to ask, to understand but the words lodged in her throat. She could only nod, eyes dropping to her notes, fingers gripping the pencil.
Yunho leaned back slightly, running a hand through his damp hair. The tension in his shoulders was palpable. "I heard what they said," he murmured, voice nearly a whisper. "About your locker. About what they did to you."
Bella's eyes widened. "They… told you?"
"No one told me," Yunho said, jaw tight. "I heard. Jason. The tennis captain. His friends. Everything. They were laughing about it like it was nothing."
A flush of heat rose in Bella's cheeks, half from embarrassment, half from relief that he knew. She had been carrying the memory of that day like a heavy weight, trying not to let it touch her pride.
"I… I didn't want you to know," she admitted, voice small. "I thought maybe it was just… I don't know… a prank or something. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it."
Yunho reached out, thumb brushing along her knuckles, grounding her. "You don't have to protect me from them. Or from me. You don't need to carry this alone."
Her throat tightened. She wanted to argue, to tell him she was fine, but the honesty in his tone made it impossible. She swallowed, trying to steady her voice. "I just… I didn't want to ruin anything. With us."
Yunho's gaze softened, dark brown eyes catching the library light. "Bella, you can't protect us by hiding the truth. You belong here. With me. Not in fear or doubt."
The words wrapped around her like a shield, lifting some of the weight she had carried alone for days. She realised that she hadn't just been protecting him from the locker incident. She had been shielding herself from the possibility of losing him, from the fear that her world and his might collide in ways they couldn't recover from.
She exhaled slowly, finally letting the tension slide from her shoulders. "I… wasn't sure who to trust," she whispered, barely audible.
Yunho smiled, a quiet, gentle curve that wasn't for anyone else, just her. "You can trust me," he said. "cos I wanna make sure you are not on your own. Even when the world tries to tell you otherwise."
For a long moment, they sat there, side by side, the library fading around them. No other students. No clattering books, no whispers of hallway gossip. Just the quiet intimacy of two people who had been through tension, fear and uncertainty and had come out closer because of it.
Bella lifted her pencil, staring down at her scattered notes and let herself finally laugh softly, the sound airy, unburdened. Yunho's hand didn't leave hers, thumb stroking the back of her hand in small, deliberate circles.
"Come on," he said after a beat, standing and holding out a hand. "Let's get out of here before anyone else decides to complain about us."
She took his hand without hesitation, fingers entwining naturally and followed him out of the library.
As they walked through the quiet campus, side by side, the tension of the morning melted away. Yunho's presence was a steady weight against hers, grounding her in ways that no words ever could.