The evening near the beach slowly became quieter.
The sky had already turned dark blue, while the sound of the waves continued softly in the distance.
Not far away from the others—
Yian and Sihoon stood near the railing beside the shore.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Yian suddenly glanced toward Sonje, who was talking with the others nearby.
"…Don't you think Sonje's behavior is a little weird?" he asked casually.
Sihoon looked at him.
"Weird?"
Yian nodded slowly.
"I don't know," he said.
"But I feel like he's especially interested in Jia."
The wind moved quietly between them.
Then Yian added,
"…Maybe he likes her."
For a second—
Sihoon didn't respond.
But his gaze slowly shifted toward me without realizing it.
Yian noticed immediately.
And smiled slightly.
"See?" he muttered.
"You reacted."
"…I didn't," Sihoon replied calmly.
But his voice felt quieter than usual.
Yian let out a small laugh.
"You really think we can't tell anymore?"
Sihoon stayed silent.
His eyes still remained on me for a moment longer than they should have.
Sonje gathered everyone near the shore where we had been sitting on the sand.
The evening wind moved softly around us while the sound of the waves continued quietly nearby.
"Okay," Sonje said while looking around at everyone.
"Let's talk about the project."
Everyone slowly focused on him.
Then he lifted the papers in his hand before glancing at me.
"Jia's story is really beautiful," he said honestly.
"It feels warm and emotional… like youth itself."
I looked at him slightly surprised.
"And because of that," he continued, "I think the camera work should feel natural too."
He gestured lightly toward the ocean around us.
"Not dramatic. Not forced."
"The feeling of growing up… friendship… loneliness… quiet emotions."
His eyes returned to me again briefly.
"That's what this story feels like."
Before I could say anything—
Yian suddenly grinned proudly.
"I already knew Jia would write something amazing," he said casually.
"She's the best at this kind of emotional story."
"Yah," Minhu muttered immediately.
"Why do you sound like her manager?"
Yian ignored him completely.
"I'm serious," he continued while looking at me.
"The moment I read it, I thought it felt like an actual drama."
My face became slightly warm from the attention.
Meanwhile—
beside me—
Sihoon stayed quiet.
But somehow—
I noticed the small smile that appeared on his face after hearing Yian praise me.
"We still have to decide the filming location," Sonje said while writing notes on the paper in his hand.
Yoonji sighed dramatically.
"But where are we even supposed to find a place like that?"
"I seriously have no ideas."
Then Sonje suddenly looked at me.
"Well, this is Jia's story," he said naturally.
"So tell us."
"What kind of place fits it best?"
The moment everyone looked at me—
I froze slightly.
I wasn't used to this much attention.
Not like this.
For a second—
I looked down at the sand quietly before answering.
"…I don't know if it'll sound good or not," I admitted softly.
"But…"
I slowly lifted my eyes toward the dark ocean again.
"A place with mountains…"
"Rivers…"
"And maybe a quiet forest."
The wind moved gently around us as I continued quietly.
"A beautiful place that feels peaceful."
For a moment—
everyone became strangely quiet.
Like they were imagining it.
Then Minhu blinked.
"…That actually sounds amazing."
"Yeah," Yoonji agreed immediately.
"But where are we supposed to find a place like that?"
Sonje frowned slightly while thinking.
Meanwhile—
Sihoon, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke.
"…What about Jeju Island?"
Everyone immediately turned toward him.
"But how are we supposed to go to Jeju Island?" Minhu asked immediately.
"Our families would never agree to that."
"Exactly," Yoonji added.
"And we're still students."
For a moment—
everyone started talking at the same time again.
"It's too far."
"It'll cost too much."
"What if the school says no?"
Meanwhile—
I stayed quiet.
Because honestly—
even imagining a place like that already felt impossible to me.
Then Sonje suddenly looked thoughtful.
"…Actually," he said slowly.
"The school festival projects with the highest scores sometimes get special support from the school."
Everyone stopped talking.
"What kind of support?" Yian asked suspiciously.
"Budget support," Sonje replied.
"And sometimes location permission too."
Minhu's eyes widened.
"…Wait."
"You're saying if our project gets selected…"
"We might actually go to Jeju Island?"
A small smile appeared on Sonje's face.
"If we work hard enough…"
"Maybe."
"So what are we supposed to do now?" Yian asked quietly.
For the first time—
even he sounded disappointed.
The cold evening wind passed between us again.
Then suddenly—
Minhu's phone started ringing loudly.
He quickly checked the screen.
"Ah… it's my mom," he muttered.
"I have extra classes tonight. I need to go home now."
He slowly stood up from the sand while brushing it off his clothes.
For a moment—
everyone looked at each other silently.
Then Sonje finally spoke.
"…Okay."
"It's getting late anyway."
"We should head back now too."
Yoonji stretched tiredly before standing up.
"My feet are literally dead."
"That's because you kept running around the beach," Yian replied immediately.
"Because unlike you, I actually enjoyed it," she shot back.
Their small argument made the heavy atmosphere lighten slightly again.
Meanwhile—
I quietly looked toward the dark ocean one last time before standing up slowly.
We took the bus back quietly.
No one talked much this time.
Maybe because of disappointment.
Maybe because reality suddenly felt heavier again.
The bus lights reflected softly against the windows while everyone remained lost in their own thoughts.
After reaching the bus stand—
Minhu immediately grabbed his bag.
"My dad's going to kill me if I get any later," he muttered dramatically.
Yoonji laughed tiredly.
"Same here."
"Bye, everyone."
The two of them hurried away first.
Soon—
only me, Sihoon, Yian, and Sonje remained near the quiet road.
Then Sonje suddenly looked at me.
"Jia," he said softly.
"I'll take you home."
For a second—
I froze slightly.
"No… it's okay," I replied quickly.
"I can go by myself."
Beside me—
I felt Sihoon's gaze shift toward Sonje immediately.
Meanwhile, Yian silently looked between the two of them like he already understood everything.
And before I could even react—
Sihoon suddenly stepped closer.
"Let's go."
His fingers wrapped around my hand naturally.
My breath almost stopped for a second.
Then he looked directly at Sonje.
"I'll take her."
"You should head home first."
The atmosphere became strangely tense.
But before it could turn awkward—
Yian suddenly stepped in with an easy smile.
"Yeah, it's already late anyway," he said while casually throwing an arm around Sonje's shoulder.
"Come on, I'll walk with you."
He kept talking continuously without giving Sonje time to answer properly.
And meanwhile—
Sihoon quietly pulled me away from there before I could even fully process what had just happened.
Neither of us looked at each other.
And yet—
he still hadn't let go of my hand.
The warmth of his fingers around mine made my heart race uncontrollably.
I could hear it so clearly that it almost embarrassed me.
The quiet night streets, the cold wind, the sound of distant cars—
everything suddenly felt blurred.
Because all I could focus on—
was him.
Meanwhile—
Sihoon walked beside me silently, but I noticed the slight redness near his ears again.
Like he was just as aware of this moment as I was.
And somehow—
that realization made my heartbeat even worse.
Somehow—
I wanted to break the silence between us.
Maybe because my heart was already too loud.
That time—
Minhu's disappointed expression suddenly came back into my mind again.
The way his voice became quieter near the end.
Like he had already given up before even trying.
"…Minhu looked really sad today," I said quietly while staring at the road ahead.
Sihoon glanced at me briefly.
"…Yeah," he replied softly.
For a moment, neither of us spoke again.
Then I looked down slightly.
"Do you think we really should just focus on studying?"
The words left my mouth quietly, but somehow they felt heavier than I expected.
Then Sihoon suddenly looked at me properly.
"…Do you feel bad for him?" he asked.
"Hm."
I nodded slowly.
"But what can we even do?"
My voice became softer near the end.
For a second—
he stayed silent.
Then suddenly—
a small smile appeared on his face.
Not teasing.
Not playful.
Just… confident somehow.
"We can do one thing."
I immediately looked at him.
And without realizing it—
my heart felt calmer the moment I saw that expression on his face.
Like maybe—
without thinking too much—
I already believed he would find a way.
The night wind passed quietly between us.
And somehow—
for the first time in a long while—
the future didn't feel completely impossible anymore.