Hwang Hyunjin || Call My Name (Under Revision)

5. Collision

CHAN'S POV

I've known Seo Changbin since middle school. At first, he was just another classmate—I didn't know his name, and I had no intention of changing that. But fate had other plans. From middle school to now, we've always ended up in the same class, constantly paired in group activities, even by sheer coincidence. And slowly, we grew close.

People think he's cold, rude, even dangerous—thanks to his intimidating aura and how little he speaks. But I've seen the other side of him. He can be sweet, loud, even annoyingly talkative. We used to eat together, slack off on homework, and sometimes skip school just to play PC games. He was my first best friend.

But when high school started, things shifted.

I began taking my studies seriously—guilt over my parents working hard to pay tuition and give me allowance weighed on me. I tried to pull Changbin with me, dragging him toward the light, because... well, we always said we shared the same brain.

I got better grades, earned praise from teachers, and made new friends. Changbin, on the other hand, started drifting. He began pulling away—first subtly, then aggressively. He sabotaged school projects, picked fights, and lashed out. I kept trying to understand him, forgive him, save what we had. But when he started hurting people... I realized I couldn't do that anymore.

That's when I started walking away.

"Why can't I come? We're best friends, right?" Changbin asked with a smirk, hands buried in his pockets.

"Were," I said coldly.

"Oh, Chris. That hurts." He held my gaze with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes.

We stood in silence until Yeona, who had been beside me, stepped forward slightly.

"Of course," she said with a polite smile. "You can come, Changbin."

I shot her a look. Why?

"Oh well, thank you, Miss Cutie," he grinned, crouching slightly to match her height.

I didn't like it. I gently pulled Yeona back, away from him. He only chuckled, brushed past us, and entered the classroom.

He stopped near the door and turned to look at Yeona.

"See you around," he said, then vanished inside.

------

YEONA'S POV

I leaned against the desk, sunlight warming the classroom as it streamed through the windows. The sky was bright blue, barely any clouds in sight.

Still, I felt unsettled.

Maybe I shouldn't have invited Changbin. But I just wanted to help—maybe even give them a chance to fix things. They were best friends once. I couldn't picture them as anything close to that now... but I still hoped.

Maybe I was just being nosy.

I sighed and buried my face in the desk, guilt curling in my stomach. The bell rang, jarring me out of my thoughts. I groaned.

"Yeona, let's go. We have to meet Chan," Yuji said, tapping my back.

"Okay, okay," I mumbled, gathering my things.

When we reached the school entrance, Chan was already waiting.

"Oppa!" Yuji called, tapping his shoulder.

He turned to us with a smile—but his eyes lingered on me for a moment too long. Like he knew something was wrong. I avoided his gaze and grabbed Yuji's arm.

"I'm starving," I said quickly, pulling her along to break the tension.

We left without seeing Changbin.

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Later That Evening

Two hours later, we were full—stuffed with grilled meat and side dishes. The awkwardness with Chan had faded, and we were laughing again, like usual.

Yuji left early, and now it was just Chan and me, walking down the street under the orange glow of the streetlights.

Then, from around the corner—Changbin.

Chan immediately stepped in front of me, shielding me like a wall.

"I said I wanted to come, but you didn't wait or even text me," Changbin muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We didn't need you to," Chan replied, his voice sharp. "We didn't want you to."

Changbin glanced at me. "Miss Cutie said I could, right, Yeona?"

I hesitated, unsure what to say.

"No, you can't," Chan cut in before I could respond.

Then—bam.

Changbin's punch landed on Chan's jaw, and he stumbled back. My heart dropped.

"Chan!" I rushed to him, grabbing his arm, but he gently pushed me behind him again.

"That's kinda rude, Chris," Changbin said. "Your parents never taught you to stay out of someone else's conversation?"

Chan wiped the blood from his lip.

"Want some more, Little Chris?" Changbin taunted.

"Yeona, go home," Chan said, not taking his eyes off him.

I didn't move. "What? No, I—"

"Go!" he shouted.

I took a step back, frozen.

"Hey, I'm still talking to you," Changbin said, motioning for me to stay.

Before he could reach me, Chan swung. Another punch. The fight escalated, fists flying. I stood there, helpless, my breath caught in my throat. Tears welled up as guilt clawed at me.

This is all my fault.

Changbin finally dropped to the ground, dazed and bloody. I didn't think—I just moved.

I wrapped my arms around him from behind.

"Chan, please stop!" I cried.

Everything froze. Chan's breathing was heavy and wild, but slowly it calmed. He turned to me, eyes dark and unreadable.

He reached out, wiping the tears from my face, and took my hand gently in his.

Without a word, we walked away.

------

Later

I came out of the pharmacy, medicine bag in hand. Chan was sitting on a bench nearby, cleaning his uniform. His bruises were worse under the light.

I sat beside him and lifted his chin gently, inspecting the damage. I began to open the medicine when he stopped me with a light touch.

"Hey, I'm fine. These will be gone in a week or two. Don't worry."

"How can I not worry?" I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "You got hurt because of me. I thought I was helping... I thought maybe I could fix things between you two. But I only made it worse."

He was quiet for a moment, then turned his gaze to mine.

"Thank you... for caring," he said softly. "I didn't think I'd see the day when you'd worry about me like this."

He smiled—a warm, boyish grin that reached his eyes and made my heart flutter.

"I'm happy," he whispered, still holding my hand.

And I sat there, staring at him, my heartbeat out of rhythm, not knowing what to say.

Just feeling everything.