Herry didn't move.
The silence stayed with him, lingering longer than it should have, settling into his thoughts like something unfinished.
The next day was school.
Herry went to school without calling Evi, without waiting for her like he always used to.
There was no hesitation this time.
His earphones stayed in the whole time, music playing quietly, but it barely reached him as his mind remained somewhere else.
He arrived at school early, earlier than most students, when the corridors were still half-empty and the morning air hadn't fully faded.
He walked into the classroom and sat at his desk, placing his arms on it before lowering his head onto them.
His posture looked relaxed—
but it wasn't.
His eyes stayed open.
He kept thinking about those two.
About what he had seen.
About yesterday.
At one point, a thought crossed his mind, slow but sharp—
maybe Evi likes Rex…
The thought didn't leave after that.
It stayed there, repeating itself in different ways, making everything feel slightly heavier.
On the other side, Evi was late, something that rarely happened.
Usually, Herry would call her early in the morning to wake her up for school, but not this time.
There was no call.
No voice.
Because of that, she woke up late and rushed out, barely getting ready properly as she hurried toward the bus stand.
After she reached the bus stand, she found Rex there too, standing casually, unaware of her presence.
A small smile appeared on her face.
She ran toward him, trying to scare him from behind, her steps light but quick.
But before she could reach him, Rex moved slightly.
Evi lost her balance.
Her foot slipped forward, and her body tilted toward the road suddenly—
—but Rex reacted in time.
He caught her before she could fall, his hand gripping her arm firmly and pulling her back toward him.
For a second, her breath hitched, her fingers instinctively clutching onto him to steady herself.
Rex looked at her, half amused, half surprised.
"You're so clumsy… you almost fall everywhere," he said, his tone light, but his grip still steady for a moment before letting go.
Evi just smiled, brushing it off like it was nothing, even though her heartbeat hadn't fully settled yet.
From a distance, a student from their school noticed them.
The student paused, watching the moment carefully, then quietly took out their phone and captured a picture.
Within seconds, the picture was sent to the school group with a message:
"Our school really allowed to date?"
Evi and Rex were completely unaware of this.
They just went on to the bus together, talking normally, as if nothing had happened.
After reaching school, they walked to their class, still talking with each other, their voices blending naturally with the usual school noise around them.
But something felt off.
Rex noticed it first.
It wasn't obvious at first, but slowly it became clear—
people were staring at them.
Not casually.
Not briefly.
Properly staring.
His expression shifted slightly, confusion settling in.
Evi noticed it too.
She leaned slightly closer and whispered into his ear, her voice low and uncertain,
"Don't you think everyone is staring at us?"
Rex glanced around again before replying quietly,
"Yeah…"
Evi started thinking.
The last time everyone stared at her like this was when Herry had won the basketball match, and girls were jealous that she was with Herry all the time.
But this didn't feel the same.
There was something different in the way people were looking at them now.
Something she couldn't quite understand.
After they entered the class, they both felt a strong stare on them.
It was Herry.
His gaze was fixed directly on them, sharp and unreadable.
Evi slowed down slightly before reaching her desk beside him.
The moment she sat down, Herry placed his arms on the desk, and rested his head on them again—
ignoring her completely.
Evi frowned slightly.
She tried to ask him why he was staring at her like that, her voice low but clear,
"Why were you staring at me like that?"
But he didn't respond.
Not even a small reaction.
Before she could try again, Rex came and asked,
"Do you have an extra pen?"
Evi replied,
"Wait, let me check."
She opened her bag and searched for a moment, but then realized—
she hadn't brought one.
"I don't have one," she said, slightly embarrassed.
Since she was already late, she hadn't packed properly.
She then poked Herry lightly and asked,
"Do you have an extra pen?"
He didn't reply at all.
At that moment, the teacher came into the class.
Rex went back to his seat as everyone greeted the teacher and sat down.
During the class, when the teacher was asking everyone how their vacation went, Herry quietly pulled a pen out of his bag and placed it on Evi's desk—
without looking at her.
Evi noticed it.
A small, genuine smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you," she said softly.
No reply came.
Before leaving the class, the teacher said,
"Evi and Rex, come to my office during lunch break."
Both of them felt confused but nodded in agreement.
There were three classes before lunch, each one long, around one and a half hours.
After each class, there was a short break—five or ten minutes depending on the teacher.
After lunch, there were two more classes with the same pattern.
During one of the class breaks, Herry stood up, and went outside for a walk.
While walking through the corridor, surrounded by faint chatter and footsteps echoing around him, he suddenly came across Rex.
Herry ignored him and kept walking.
But Rex stopped him.
"I know everything," Rex said, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and challenge.
Herry stopped.
Rex stepped closer.
"Why are you two ignoring each other?" he asked, watching him carefully.
"…and why are you acting like this lately?"
Herry stayed silent.
Rex continued,
"If something happened, just say it."
"…don't act like this for no reason."
For a moment, anger rose inside Herry.
His fingers tightened slightly, his jaw clenching as he almost turned to hit him—
but then he stopped himself.
Why dirty his hands?
The thought calmed him instantly.
His expression returned to normal.
Cold.
Controlled.
He took out his phone.
Rex frowned, confused.
"What are you doing on your phone? Talk to me," he said.
Herry finally spoke, his tone calm and steady,
"Just check your phone."
Rex's phone buzzed.
He opened it—
and his expression immediately changed.
Shock.
Then embarrassment.
"When did you…?" he muttered.