Happy Valentine's day! Here's a new chapter:

Ok Chanmi isn't stupid not to notice Sooheon's behavior towards Namra from past few days. He practically sticks with her. Chanmi is mad at Namra but she knows it's not her fault too. It's just...

It's bothering her.

Why?

She doesn't know, it's complicated.

The school yard is full of energy as students chat before class, the usual buzz of conversation echoing around the courtyard. Jaebom stands leaning against a tree, his eyes scanning the crowd, not really paying attention to anything in particular. He notices Chanmi a little farther away, standing alone with her arms crossed. Her gaze is fixed on something, but Jaebom can’t figure out what it is.

He glances around, everything is usual. Jaebom doesn't realize that Sooheon has been talking to Namra for the past few minutes, and that it’s that very interaction that's making Chanmi tense up. Instead, his attention shifts back to Chanmi, who seems... off. Her posture is rigid, and her lips are pressed together in a thin line, eyes narrowed slightly, as if she’s holding back frustration.

Jaebom watches her for a moment. She’s not one to get visibly irritated often, and when she does, it’s usually about something trivial—maybe a loud group of students, or a joke that went too far. But today, there’s something different. She’s standing there, completely still, watching something—or rather, someone.

He can't figure it out, but her irritation is palpable.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity of Chanmi standing there with that unreadable look on her face, she shifts her attention and starts walking toward Jaebom. Her steps are quick and purposeful, and Jaebom notices the slight tension in her shoulders, the way she’s trying to hide it but failing.

When she reaches him, she stops just a few feet away, her arms still crossed tightly.

“Hey,” Jaebom greets her with a small smile, but his tone falters when he sees her expression. It’s not the usual cheerful or carefree look he’s used to.

“Hey,” Chanmi replies, her voice a little sharper than usual. She looks around the yard, her gaze lingering for a brief moment on Sooheon, though Jaebom doesn’t notice. “Do you ever get tired of people always being so... loud?”

Jaebom tilts his head in confusion. “Loud? You mean everyone here?”

“Yeah. Everyone,” she says, her tone clipped. Her eyes flash to Sooheon’s group again, though this time, Jaebom doesn’t catch where her attention is exactly. He’s too focused on her unusual reaction.

“It’s just... I don’t get it,” Chanmi continues, her voice growing more irritated. “It’s like they have to be so extra all the time, like they can’t have a normal conversation without shouting. It’s exhausting.”

Jaebom blinks, surprised by her frustration. “That bad, huh?” he asks with a half-smile, trying to lighten the mood, but Chanmi isn’t smiling back.

“I mean, yeah. I don’t get why they always have to make everything so... dramatic.” Her arms tighten across her chest, her shoulders stiff. The irritation is obvious in the way she’s holding herself. “Like, why can’t they just talk normally?” she mutters under her breath, as if speaking more to herself than to Jaebom.

Jaebom is taken aback by the sudden burst of irritation, and he wonders why she’s getting so upset over something so small. But before he can ask, Chanmi quickly glances over at him, her eyes hardening slightly as she forces a smile.

“Anyway, whatever,” she says, shaking her head and looking away. “I’ll see you later, Jaebom. Don’t let them get to you.”

She turns abruptly, walking toward the school building without waiting for a response. Jaebom watches her go, a little thrown off by the whole exchange. He’s never seen her so irritated over something like this.

With a sigh, Jaebom shakes his head, trying to make sense of it. What was that all about?

As the bell rings, signaling the start of class, Jaebom stands there, lost in thought. Something’s definitely up with Chanmi, but he doesn’t know exactly what it is. And he can’t help but wonder if Sooheon’s presence—whether he’s aware of it or not—has something to do with it.

After the end of the day, much anticipated bell finally rings. Students pour out of the classrooms, some heading home, some going to eat with friends and some heading to private tutoring.

Sooheon gathers his things. He knows Namra takes quite a lot time packing up because she doesn't like to push through the crowd to get out of the school.

He slings his backpack over his shoulder, then glances at Namra.

Namra looks up at him and offers a small smile.

"Let's go." Namra says, standing up.

They both walked down the stairs, talking as usual. The hallways were all empty, not to mention because they came out so late.

Suddenly, Sooheon thought of something. Namra shot a questioning look at him.

"Are you free after this?" Sooheon said.

"Well, probably yeah. Why though?"

"I was wondering, want to go to a snack bar?"

"A snack bar?"

"It's okay if you don't want to-"

"Let's go."

"Huh?" Sooheon was dumbfounded.

"We're going with your bike, right?" She says, smiling a bit unusually.

"Oh-oh yeah!" Sooheon takes a bit to answer that.

It was a crisp, golden evening. The sun hung low, casting a soft amber glow over the small town. The streets were quieter than usual, with only the rustling of leaves and distant chatter filling the air. Sooheon and Namra stood outside the school gates, backpacks slung over their shoulders, exchanging smiles.

Sooheon hands Namra another helmet.

He hopped on his bike, offering a hand to Namra. She climbed onto the back, her arms wrapping around his waist. The familiar, comfortable silence settled between them as Sooheon kicked off and began to pedal through the narrow streets.

The breeze was cool, lifting strands of Namra's hair and making her laugh as it was flying everywhere. The sound of the tires on the pavement mixed with the soft hum of the city. The warm light of street lamps flickered on, signaling the start of evening.