We walked side by side in silence.
The sky was slowly turning orange.
The warm light of the sunset stretched across the road.
I kept my eyes forward, but my thoughts were somewhere else. I wasn't thinking about the whispers anymore.
Or Sora.
I was thinking about him.
The way he stood in the classroom.
The way everything changed without him saying a single word.
"Sihoon…" I called softly.
He glanced at me.
"Hmm?"
I hesitated.
"Why do you… do all this?"
Her voice was quiet.
Almost uncertain.
Sihoon looked ahead again.
For a moment, he didn't answer.
"Do what?" he asked.
I frowned slightly.
"You know what I mean."
I stopped walking.
"You don't have to help me every time."
Sihoon stopped too.
He turned to face me.
"And you don't have to handle everything alone," he replied calmly.
I blinked.
I didn't expect that answer.
"I'm used to it," I said softly.
Sihoon's expression changed slightly.
"You shouldn't be."
His voice was still calm—
but firmer this time.
I looked at him, surprised.
For a moment…
neither of us spoke.
The wind moved gently between us.
Then Sihoon stepped a little closer.
Not too close.
Just enough to make her heart react.
"You don't have to be strong all the time," he said quietly.
My chest tightened.
Those words…
felt heavier than anything else.
I looked away quickly.
"If I'm not strong…"
"…then what am I?" I whispered.
Sihoon didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
he gently reached out.
And held me wrist.
I froze.
His grip wasn't tight.
Just warm.
"You're just Jia," he said.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"And that's enough."
The world around me seemed to go quiet again.
I slowly looked at him.
My heart was beating faster than before.
But this time…
I didn't feel like running away.
I didn't pull her hand back.
We stood there like that for a moment.
Not saying anything.
But somehow…
understanding everything.
Then—
I slowly smiled.
It wasn't big.
Just small.
But real.
"You're strange," I said softly.
Sihoon raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I know."
She let out a quiet breath.
For the first time in a long time…
I felt light.
We started walking again.
This time—
a little closer than before.
Across the street—
someone was watching us.
Sora stood there quietly.
Her eyes followed me.
Then slowly shifted to Sihoon.
Her expression was unreadable.
But her hands tightened slightly.
"So this is how it is…" she murmured.
The faintest smile appeared on her lips.
But it didn't reach her eyes.
"Let's see how long this lasts."
I reached home…
but my mind was still full of Sihoon.
No matter how much I tried to focus on something else—
his words kept coming back to me.
"You don't have to act like you're okay…"
I slowly sat down on my bed.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
I stared at my hands for a moment.
Then let out a small breath.
"Why does he always notice…?" I whispered to myself.
No one had ever said things like that to me before.
No one had looked at me like they could see through everything.
I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
My heart felt… strange.
Not heavy like before.
Not painful.
Just…
warm.
I closed my eyes slowly.
"As long as you're okay…"
His voice echoed again in my mind.
I turned to my side, pulling the blanket slightly closer.
"He's really strange…" I murmured softly.
But this time—
a small smile appeared on my face.
Just then, a message arrived on my phone.
I glanced at the screen—
it was Sihoon.
My heart started beating faster.
For a moment, I just stared at his name.
I don't know why…
but something about it made me nervous.
I slowly opened the message.
"Did you eat?"
I blinked.
That was it.
Just a simple question.
But somehow…
it made my chest feel warm.
I hesitated before replying.
My fingers hovered over the screen.
What should I say…?
After a few seconds, I typed slowly—
"Yes."
I stared at the message for a moment…
then pressed send.
"You're lying."
Sihoon replied almost immediately.
I froze.
How does he always know…?
I hesitated for a moment.
Then slowly typed again—
"No… I didn't eat yet."
I stared at the screen for a second…
then added—
"Did you?"
"I'll eat. You don't need to worry about me."
His reply came after a few seconds.
Then another message appeared—
"Just take care of yourself."
I stared at the screen quietly.
My fingers didn't move this time.
He always says things so simply…
but somehow—
they stay in my mind longer than anything else.
I slowly held my phone closer.
"…You should take care of yourself too," I whispered softly.
I placed my phone beside me and lay down slowly.
The room was still quiet…
but it didn't feel lonely anymore.
My eyes slowly closed.
And somewhere in my heart—
I knew…
I wasn't alone anymore.