After returning to class, I slipped back into my routine like nothing had happened.
Time crawled by, the hours blurring together, I was back in the hallway, heading toward Seolhyo's classroom.
I just come from the snack store bought some Fire burger since I knew Seolhyo hadn't eaten, and grabbed a few extra for Irina too.
As I approached, I saw Suwon and Park Dong peeking through the classroom door.
I stepped up beside them and followed their gaze.
There I see Irina was still slumped over her desk, face buried in her arms, completely unmoving.
Seolhyo, at least, looked a little better than earlier but still has swollen eyes from all the crying.
I let out a soft sigh, a faint, helpless smile tugging at my lips despite the heaviness settling in my chest.
Park Dong still looking at Irina.
"She's been like that all day," he muttered. "Didn't even touch lunch. I used to think that brat would die if she missed a single meal… guess I was wrong."
Suwon raised an eyebrow, studying him. "Sounds like you're worried."
Park Dong flustered tries to dodge it. "O-of course I am! She's my friend!!. And she ended up like this because of that bastard, How could I not be!?."
Suwon said tiredly. "Yeah, Yeah"
Suwon suddenly feeling uncomfortably, guilt flickering across his face. "…Maybe things got worse because we told Seol Hyorim. Honestly, Irina didn't need to see him cheating with her own eyes."
I exhaled slowly before speaking. "No. You two did the right thing."
Suwon turned to look at me.
"Think about it," I continued. "If it were you would you rather find out the truth now, even if it hurts like hell… or stay with someone you love, smiling and laughing without knowing that he/she was seeing someone other than you. "
Suwon hearing this close his eyes and tries to imagine it but an irritated expression shown since he never had a girlfriend.
Park Dong nodded, his gaze still fixed on Irina. "This is the best outcome," he said quietly. "She was gonna find out sooner or later anyway. The sooner it happens, the less it'll hurt her."
"I'd rather see her like this… than laughing around, knowing nothing. At least this way, she won't look like a fool."
The silence that followed was heavy but somehow, it felt honest.
Bzzztt. Bzzzzztt.
Suwon tilted his head as the vibration echoed again. "Hey your phone's ringing, Park Dong."
Park Dong blinked, as if just realizing it himself.
He dug into his pocket, pulled the phone out, and frowned at the screen. "…Unknown number?"
He hesitated for a beat, then answered. "Hello?"
There was a brief pause on the other end.
"|…Hey. You're Park Dong, right?|"
Park Dong straightened a little. "Yeah. I'm Park Dong. Who are you?"
"|You?|"
"|…It's me. I'm Irina's boyfriend. Kim Kwangwoon."
His voice carried a hint of mild annoyance. "|You know who I am… right?|"
Suwon leaned closer to Park Dong. "Who is it?"
Park Dong stared at his phone for a second longer before answering, jaw tightening."…It's Kwangwoon. Irina's boyfriend."
I looked at him. "He asked to meet you, didn't he?"
Park Dong glanced at me, surprised. "How do you know?"
"Just a guess. Are you going?"
He didn't gave me an answer, He was already turning away, shoving his phone into his pocket. "Yeah. I'll meet that fucker."
"H–hey, wait for me!" Suwon called, hurrying after him.
Then he turned back to me.
"You're not coming?"
"I'll be there," I said. "I just need to give this to Seolhyo first. She hasn't eaten anything since morning."
Suwon nodded and ran after Park Dong.
I stepped into the classroom.
The air felt heavy, quieter than it should've been.
Seolhyo sat at her desk, staring blankly ahead, but she looked a little better than earlier less shaken, at least.
I approached her from behind and gently raised the plastic bag in front of her face.
She turned, confused, then blinked when she saw me smiling. "You haven't eaten, right? I bought some fire burger here."
Her lips parted slightly. "Oh…"
I shifted my gaze to Irina.
She was still slumped over her desk, face buried in her arms, completely unmoving.
"I bought some for you too," I said softly.
No response.
I let out a quiet sigh.
Carefully, I reached out and took Seolhyo's arm.
She looked confused but didn't pull away as I guided her toward the back of the room.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"Kwangwoon's here," I said low. "He just called Park Dong. They're meeting him."
Her expression stiffened instantly.
"…What?"
Seolhyo trembled with anger. "That bastard how dare he show up here?!" Her voice shook. "Where is he?!"
I quickly clasped both her hands. "Park Dong's already on his way to meet him. So what do you think should we let Irian know about this?"
Seolhyo's breathing slowly steadied.
She glanced toward Irina's desk, where Irina was still slumped over, unmoving.
Seolhyo let out a long sigh."…We shouldn't. She's still hurting from what happened yesterday."
I nodded. "Yeah. It's probably better if she doesn't know about this."
I tightened my grip just a little before letting go. "I'm going too. You just stay here and eat something first. I'll see what he want coming here."
She hesitated, biting on her lip. "…Okay."
Then suddenly, she lifted her head and shot me a fierce, almost threatening glare. "But don't you dare get into a fight,"
she said sharply. "I want to beat him to a pulp too, but Irina didn't want that so you better hold back. If I find out you fought him…"
A bead of sweat slid down my temple.
Truth was, I was planning to beat the shit out of him for making Seolhyo cry.
I gave her my most innocent expression and answered honestly enough, "Of course I wouldn't fight. What do you think I am some kind of thug who beats up people if I feel like it?"
Seolhyo stared at me, completely unconvinced.
"…Yeah you are," she said flatly.
I chuckled at her response and glanced around the classroom.
Everyone was busy with their own things heads down, chatter low, no one paying us any attention.
I leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "I'll go now."
Seolhyo froze for half a second, then lifted a hand to the spot I'd kissed, her face flushing red.
She muttered under her breath, half flustered, half annoyed, "This guy is getting bolder and bolder…"
She quickly looked around, checking if anyone had seen.
When she realized no one was watching, she let out a small sigh of relief.
Sitting back down, she pulled one of the fire burgers from the bag, unwrapped it, and took a bite still touching her cheek like it might burn if she let go.
Seolhyo glanced at Irina."Hey… are you really not going to eat anything?"
Irina didn't lift her head.
Her voice came out weak, barely more than a breath."…I'm not eating."
Seolhyo frowned. "At least have some of this."
She nudged the bread closer. "Seojin bought it for you too. No matter how pissed you are, you still have to eat."
She let out a tired sigh. "Seriously…"
When Irina still didn't respond, Seolhyo's shoulders sagged.
She finish up the fire burger, Stood up and walked to the classroom's storage cabinet at the back.
"…I'm going to brush my teeth," Seolhyo inform her.
Irina gave a quiet mutter. "Okay…"
A few seconds passed after Seolhyo left.
Slowly, Irina lifted her head from her desk.
Her eyes were swollen and dull, rims red from crying too much.
Strands of her hair clung messily to her cheeks, and her expression looked worn down like she hadn't slept at all.
She stared blankly at nowhere, her lips pressed together.