√ 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 // 𝐻𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐻𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑗𝑖𝑛

twenty five.

A layer of ice encased Nari, smoothing out her features and causing her heart to go dangerously calm. Her body stiffened, unable to move under the knowledge that she was standing right next to her betrayer.

Hyunjin quickly ran up behind her and picked her bag up, whispering in her ear as he handed it to her.

"Sit in my place," he offered her, gently hooking his pinky into her fingers and leading her to his seat, then sitting in between the two fallen friends.

Jisoo watched all of this with tired, redrimmed eyes, her hands fidgeting with her phone in her lap. She sucked her bottom lip and looked down, biting back the wetness creeping into her eyes.

Their teacher surveyed with narrowed eyes as the six teens found their seats, and stayed silent for a moment before picking up where she had left off with attendance.

When she called Nari's name, the girl didn't even stir, staring with cold eyes at the wood of her desk. Hyunjin meekly reached over and raised her hand for her, grimacing as their teacher squinted with suspect.

During the entire class, the boys nervously watched Nari stayed as rigid as a board, her fingers growing more and more white and she clenched her pencil in a fist. Near the end of class, the pencil broke, the splintered wood slicing into her skin.

Wincing, Hyunjin reached over to try and pry her hand off, but she held the pencil out of his reach and kept squeezing, even as blood began to trickle out of her palm.

The ringing of the bell startled the heated room, and most of the kids gratefully scrambled out, noting the obvious tension between the girls.

Nari stuffed her notebooks in her bag, an unreadable expression on her face and oblivious to her bloody hand. Nervously, Hyunjin watched her movements, waiting for her to stand up.

All the while, Jisoo stayed in her seat, staring blankly at her strewn papers lying in her desk. Nari mechanically got to her feet and slung her bag over one shoulder, starting to follow Hyunjin and the others out of the classroom.

As she passed Jisoo's desk, the girl shot up suddenly and grasped Nari's sleeve, her eyes full of moisture. "N-nari, please let me explain - "

Her shirt was torn out of Jisoo's hold by Hyunjin, who's fiery eyes burned into Jisoo's skin. "Don't touch her."

Nari had gone stiff with the sudden flurry of movement, but instead of hurrying away, she slowly turned and looked straight into Jisoo's eyes. "Don't talk to me. One day, if I'm feeling generous, you can explain to me how what you did was okay in your mind. But until then... if you speak to me again, I will break you."

With her back straight, Nari stalked out of the class. Jisoo numbly watched her go, fingers scratching grooves into her seat absently. The boys just stood in shock for a moment, taken aback by Nari's bluntness. They quickly followed her out, Hyunjin right on her tail.

He caught up to her in the school hallway and glanced at her face, searching for any sign that she wasn't okay. But the girl kept a stoic face, marching down the hall like nothing could touch her.

Just as they were passing a janitor closet, though, Nari deftly opened the door and snatched the back of Hyunjin's shirt, catapulting him in before shutting the door behind her.

Fumbling for his balance, Hyunjin put a hand on the wall and the other on his chest to catch his breath. "What in the world? - "

He was cut off by the breath being knocked out of his once again as Nari crushed her face into his chest, hands fisting into his shirt.