"…Sad."
The word didn't leave his mind.
Even as the court slowly emptied—
even as the noise faded—
It stayed.
The next morning—
felt no different.
And yet—
something wasn't the same.
When I reached school—
I saw him.
Sihoon was already there.
For a moment—
our eyes met.
And somehow—
it felt like he had been waiting.
"…Good morning."
He spoke first.
Before I could say anything.
I froze.
Just for a second.
"…Morning," I replied quietly.
It was such a small thing.
But—
it felt different.
Before the moment could settle—
voices interrupted.
"Wow… why are you two so early?"
I turned.
Minhu walked in, hands in his pockets, a teasing smile on his face.
Yoonji followed behind him, glancing between us with curiosity.
"Did something happen?" she asked lightly.
I quickly looked away.
"…No."
My voice sounded normal.
Too normal.
Minhu didn't look convinced.
"Hmm… suspicious," he muttered.
Yoonji smiled faintly.
"Maybe they just suddenly became responsible students."
"Yeah, right," Minhu laughed.
I tried to smile.
But my thoughts were somewhere else.
Because just a moment ago—
he spoke first.
And I didn't understand why.
Minhu laughed again, dropping into his seat.
"Seriously… you two are acting weird today."
"I said it's nothing," I replied quietly.
"Hmm," he muttered, clearly not convinced.
Yoonji only smiled and took her seat.
The classroom slowly filled with noise.
But somehow—
I could still feel it.
That small moment from before.
I opened my notebook.
Tried to focus.
Tried to act normal.
"…Jia."
His voice.
Soft.
Careful.
I paused.
But I didn't turn immediately.
"…Yes?" I answered after a second.
There was a small silence.
Like he was choosing his words.
"…Did you decide your club?"
A simple question.
But it didn't feel simple.
"…Yes," I said.
I kept my eyes on the page.
"Film club."
Another pause.
"That suits you," he said quietly.
I nodded slightly.
"…Maybe."
I didn't look at him.
Because I knew—
If I did—
I might expect something again.
"…If you need help…"
He started—
Then stopped.
I waited.
But he didn't continue.
"…It's okay," I said softly.
"I can manage."
The words came out calm.
But they created distance.
I could feel it.
And maybe—
he felt it too.
After that—
neither of us spoke.
The noise in the classroom returned.
But the space between us—
felt quieter than before.
I didn't look at him again.
Even though I could feel—
he was about to say something.
"…Jia—"
But before he could continue—
The classroom door opened.
The teacher walked in.
"Alright, settle down," he said, placing his books on the desk.
The moment ended—
just like that.
"Have all of you decided which club you want to join?" he asked.
A few students nodded.
"Yes, sir," voices answered from different corners.
From behind—
Yian leaned forward again.
"Hey, Jia," he said quietly.
I turned slightly.
"What club did you choose?"
"…Film club."
For a second—
he stared at me.
Then his face lit up.
"Really? That's great!"
He smiled widely.
"We'll work together then."
I paused.
"…You chose film club too?"
"Of course," he said proudly.
"I told you yesterday."
Then—
he turned to the side.
"What about you?" he asked.
My eyes moved slightly.
Toward him.
Sihoon didn't answer immediately.
Then—
calmly—
"I also chose film club."
For a moment—
everything felt still.
Yian blinked.
"Wait… really?"
He laughed lightly.
"I thought you'd join something like math club or something serious."
Sihoon shrugged slightly.
"…I just felt like it."
Yian grinned.
"Wow… that's unexpected."
I looked down at my notebook.
"…Unexpected."
The word stayed in my mind.
Because somehow—
it didn't feel like a coincidence.
I kept my eyes on my notebook—
but I wasn't reading anything.
Film club.
He chose the same club.
Why?
It didn't make sense.
Yesterday—
he couldn't even look at me properly.
He avoided me.
Kept his distance.
And now—
this?
I tightened my grip on my pen slightly.
Maybe—
it was nothing.
Maybe—
I was just thinking too much again.
He said it himself.
"I just felt like it."
Simple.
Normal.
Then why—
did it not feel that way?
I wanted to look at him.
Just once.
To see his expression.
But I didn't.
Because I was afraid—
if I did—
I would start expecting something again.
And I didn't want to feel that way.
Not again.
"…Jia?"
Yian's voice pulled me back.
"Are you even listening?"
I blinked.
"…Yes."
But my answer came too quickly.
Yian narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You're thinking too much again."
I forced a small smile.
"…Maybe."
But even then—
my thoughts didn't stop.
Because no matter how I tried to ignore it—
one question stayed.
Why did he choose the same club?
The bell rang.
Lunch time.
Students started standing up—
chairs scraping, voices filling the room again.
I closed my notebook slowly.
Before I could stand—
"…Jia."
His voice.
I paused.
For a second—
I didn't move.
"Let's go—"
He started.
"Yian, wait for me."
I spoke before he could finish.
My voice came out calm.
Too quick.
Yian looked up from behind, surprised.
"Oh—yeah, sure," he said, standing up.
I grabbed my bag—
and walked past him.
I didn't look at Sihoon.
Not even once.
But I could feel it.
That small pause behind me.
Like something had been left unfinished.
"Hey, wait," Yian said, catching up beside me.
"You're fast today."
"…I'm hungry," I replied quietly.
He laughed.
"Wow, that's rare."
I tried to smile.
But it didn't reach.
As we walked down the hallway—
I felt it again.
That feeling.
Like someone was standing still—
while I kept walking away.
But I didn't turn back.We sat together in the cafeteria.
Yian was talking about something—
I wasn't really listening.
Then—
someone pulled the chair beside me.
I didn't need to look.
I knew it was him.
I kept my eyes on my tray.
Didn't turn.
Didn't say anything.
But I noticed it.
The way he looked at Yian.
Like he was trying to say something—
without saying it.
Yian paused.
"…Oh—right," he said suddenly.
"I forgot to bring my yogurt."
He stood up quickly.
"I'll be back."
And just like that—
he left.
Silence.
I felt it immediately.
That nervous feeling again.
Because now—
he was sitting right beside me.
For a moment—
neither of us spoke.
Then—
he moved slightly.
I saw it from the corner of my eyes.
He picked up a piece of cutlet from his plate—
and placed it near mine.
"You should eat this," he said quietly.
I stared at it.
But didn't touch it.
"…You didn't ask me," he added after a moment,
"why I joined film club."
I let out a small breath.
"…Maybe you just wanted to," I said.
My voice was calm.
Too calm.
"…Yeah."
He paused.
"…I wanted to."
There was something in the way he said it.
Something different.
I turned to look at him.
For the first time.
"…Why?" I asked.
He met my eyes.
"…I just didn't want to be somewhere you're not."
For a second—
everything went still.
Something inside me tightened.
Anger.
Confusion.
Something I couldn't explain.
I opened my mouth—
"Then why did you—"
"I'm sorry."
He said it before I could finish.
His voice was quiet.
But clear.
"I was wrong… those days."
I froze.
And suddenly—
I didn't know what to say anymore.