The snow didn't fall gently anymore.
It came down in uneven flakes that melted the second they touched skin, turning sidewalks slick and reflective. Campus 2 looked colder, sharper, like the world had lost its soft edges overnight.
Big Box: Where the Smile Cracks
The second week at Big Box felt different.
Not worse.Clearer.
XH noticed it during warm-ups. P hovered closer than usual, laughing too loudly, clapping hands together like applause was oxygen.
"MY BROTHERS," P announced, pacing in front of the mirrors. "TODAY WE PUSH LIMITS."
JP muttered, "He says that every day."
TZ chuckled. "Man thinks he's a motivational podcast."
NS stayed quiet.
Too quiet.
P drifted closer to NS again, correcting his posture without asking, hands lingering where they shouldn't. NS stiffened.
"I got it," NS said firmly, stepping away.
P laughed. "RELAX. WE FAMILY HERE."
XH felt something twist in his stomach.
Family didn't feel like this.
As they lifted, P kept boasting. Genetics. Natural strength. God-tier muscle. He disappeared into the back room again and returned sweating, veins louder than his voice.
JP whispered, "If that's natural, I'm the moon."
TZ snorted so hard he nearly dropped a dumbbell.
But NS didn't laugh.
He finished his set, jaw tight, eyes focused on the floor.
"Let's switch stations," XH suggested quietly.
NS nodded.
P followed.
"YOU STRONG, NS," P said, leaning too close again. "VERY STRONG. YOU COME TRAIN WITH ME AFTER HOURS."
NS straightened.
"No," he said.
The word was calm.
Final.
The gym went quiet in a way only men-only spaces ever did, tension snapping tight and fast.
P's smile didn't disappear.
It hardened.
"DON'T BE LIKE THAT," P said. "I'M JUST HELPING."
NS set the bar down carefully.
"Help someone else," he replied.
JP froze. TZ stopped stretching. XH stepped forward instinctively.
P laughed again, but it sounded thinner. "YOU SENSITIVE."
That was it.
NS didn't shout.Didn't insult.
He just grabbed his jacket.
"We're done here," NS said.
P's smile twitched. "WHAT?"
"We're leaving," XH added.
P's voice rose. "YOU DON'T WALK OUT ON BIG BOX."
JP turned. "Watch us."
They left without another word.
The cold outside hit hard.
No one spoke for a full block.
Then NS exhaled slowly. "I hate that place."
XH nodded. "We all felt it."
JP kicked at the snow. "Man thinks fake smiles cover everything."
TZ cracked his knuckles. "So. Local gym?"
"Local gym," XH agreed.
None of them noticed P watching from the doorway.
None of them saw NS glance once, briefly, at the parking lot.
The tires were intact.
For now.
Kitty: Alone Where No One Sees
Kitty didn't go to class that afternoon.
She sat in her room, phone in hand, scrolling without seeing anything. Messages piled up. Group chats buzzed. Rumors stacked on top of rumors.
She ignored them all.
Her thoughts circled the same place.
The courtyard.The word together.The way June hadn't flinched.
Kitty pressed her palm against her forehead.
"You wanted control," she whispered to herself. "You got it."
But control felt lonely.
She replayed the moment again, not because she wanted XH to choose her, but because she wanted to understand why it hurt more than she expected.
She stood and paced.
Her phone buzzed again.
A message from Jihye.
Jihye: you okay? people are talking nonsense again.
Kitty typed, deleted, typed again.
Kitty: yeah. just tired.
A lie, but a soft one.
She changed clothes, put on a jacket, and went outside without knowing where she was going. Snowflakes caught in her hair. The cold grounded her, slowed her breathing.
She passed the edge of campus and stopped near the back gate.
This was where she always came when she didn't want to be seen.
She leaned against the fence and finally let herself feel it.
Not jealousy.
Loss of possibility.
Once something went public, it stopped being fragile and became fixed. She had fixed herself into a position she wasn't sure she wanted to defend.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, a message from the guy.
Guy: haven't heard from you. did I do something wrong?
Kitty stared at the words.
He hadn't.
That was the problem.
Kitty: no. you didn't.
She sent it, then added nothing else.
She slid the phone back into her pocket and stared at the snow.
"I don't want noise," she said quietly. "I want honesty."
The realization didn't solve anything.
But it stopped the spiral from getting worse.
June vs the Rumor Machine
June didn't avoid the notice board this time.
She walked straight up to it.
Students clustered nearby, voices overlapping.
"My parents want me to switch.""I already submitted the form.""They're saying we won't be verified."
June listened.
Then she spoke.
"That's not what the notice says."
People turned.
A few recognized her. Some didn't. It didn't matter.
"The notice says review," June continued calmly. "Not revocation. Not closure. Review."
A guy scoffed. "That's corporate language."
June nodded. "Yes. And fear language is worse."
Someone laughed nervously. "So you're saying we shouldn't worry?"
"I'm saying panic is a decision," June replied. "And it's one that benefits people who want you to leave quietly."
The crowd stilled.
June pulled out her phone. "THKM and Lola are board-certified. Practicing. Public records. You think fake institutions hire surgeons and pediatricians?"
A murmur rippled.
"I spoke to Lola," June continued. "She's still practicing. Still licensed. Still accountable."
Someone asked, "Then why the review?"
"Because private institutions get attacked every year," June answered. "Because rumor is cheaper than investigation."
Silence followed.
Not agreement.
But consideration.
June stepped back, heart racing.
XH watched from a distance, pride swelling quietly.
She wasn't loud.
She was steady.
And that steadiness mattered.
The Tire That Breaks the Spell
That night, NS couldn't sleep.
The gym replayed in his head. The smile. The hands. The word sensitive.
He got dressed and went outside.
The snow muffled sound. The world felt distant.
He didn't plan it.
He just walked.
Big Box loomed ahead, lights dimmed.
The parking lot was empty.
NS stood there for a long moment, breathing fog into the air.
Then he moved.
It was quick.Clean.Silent.
Four tires.
One decision.
He didn't smile.
He didn't feel proud.
He felt done.
He walked away without looking back.
Aftermath and a New Start
The next morning, XH's phone buzzed with messages.
JP: bro. BIG BOX closed today.TZ: apparently some "incident" overnight.NS: local gym at 6?
XH stared at the screen.
Then he smiled.
At the local gym, the air felt different.
Smaller space. Older equipment. Normal smiles.
Guys nodded. Spotters helped without ego. Laughter sounded real.
NS relaxed visibly.
JP grinned. "This is better."
TZ bumped shoulders with XH. "Told you."
They lifted. They laughed. They breathed.
Back on campus, June sat in class, focused, steady. Kitty walked in late, eyes tired but clearer than before.
Their gazes met briefly.
No challenge.
No apology.
Just acknowledgment.
The chapter closed not with resolution, but with balance returning in pieces.
Some masks had slipped.
Some truths had surfaced.
And for the first time in a while, everyone felt like they could breathe again.