You were released from the school’s recovery unit the next morning. You were allowed to be exempt from one more day of your classes, so you spent your day wandering aimlessly around the empty girls’ dorms, not wanting to face anyone after the incident.

The whole day, you spent it sitting on your bed with a blank expression on your face, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few days.

It was during one of your thinking moments that Nana walked in.

“Good afternoon, _________! Feeling better?”

You looked up, slightly startled. “Um, yes?”

She smiled. “Good.” Her face became serious again rather quickly. “Have you gotten over what happened yet?”

You ducked your head. “I...don’t know.”

She sat down on your bed beside you and gently placed her hand on your knee. “You’ll be okay. Feel free to talk to me about anything, okay?”

You hesitated before speaking. “I’m...not sure if I want to talk about it at all.”

“That’s fine too.” She patted your back gently. “Just don’t hold it all in, okay?”

You nodded.

“You’re resuming your normal schedule tomorrow, right?”

You nodded again.

She got up. “Are you going to be having dinner?”

“No, thanks.”

“You should really come out, you’ve been hiding in here the entire day...”

“I’m fine.” You said, this time more firmly.

She backed away. “Okay, just don’t starve yourself.”

“Like I said, I’ll be fine. I just need some more time to think.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Where’s ___________?” Kiseop slid into the seat next to Nana.

She shook her head. “She won’t come out of our room. I think she’s afraid to see other people.”

Or maybe she’s afraid of me, Kiseop thought, biting his lip. “Oh...Tell her I said get well soon.”

Nana nodded. “Sure, I will.”

“Thanks.” Kiseop got up abruptly and went back to his table where Sun Hee was now sitting.

“Hey.” She looked up as he took his seat in front of her.

He smiled in response. “Hi.”

She sighed heavily as she silently poked at her noodles with her fork.

“Are you okay?” Kiseop looked at his girlfriend with concern.

“Yeah...” She looked down and bit her lip. She hadn’t told anyone about biting your leg when the two of you were confined.

Kiseop leaned in. “Are you still getting over...what happened?” He said in a low voice.

She sighed again. “You could say that, I guess.”

Kiseop shrugged. “Okay...” He leaned back against his chair again. “Don’t stress yourself out that much.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m just really tired and stuff, I guess.”

“You sure?”

She bit into her lip again. “I’m okay.” She confirmed confidently. “Just still a little shaken I guess.” She forced a small laugh, hoping her voice sounded more confident than what she was feeling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up the next morning, dreading classes. You assumed Dongho wouldn’t drop by, so you left early for breakfast.

When you arrived at the dining room, it was nearly empty, with only three students (two girls, one guy) chatting quietly in the corner.

When you entered, they glanced up at you.

You ducked your head as they continued to watch you retrieve a large cup of coffee.

Their chattering quickly turned into secretive whispers as you sat down at a small, isolated table in the corner.

Gingerly, you sipped your coffee and looked down at your lap, your thoughts swirling around your brain as you stared at your skirt.

You sat like that silently until another pair of students walked in.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Kiseop was slightly startled when he walked into the room and saw you. His hand was holding Sun Hee’s, her blue nails slightly scratching his rough skin.

When Sun Hee saw you, she stopped walking. Her nails dug into his hand. “Actually, let’s skip breakfast. I don’t feel like anything.” Practically yanking Kiseop out of the room with her, she hurriedly walked back down the hall.

Kiseop didn’t object.

“W-Why don’t we just take a walk outside?” Sun Hee suggested quickly.

Kiseop nodded quickly, not caring that it was snowing outside.

They stepped outside into the soft drifts of snow. In silence, they walked around the school’s borders, still holding hands, both lost in thought.

The sparkling snowflakes fluttered around them, landing on Sun Hee’s blonde hair, surrounding the space around them.

Kiseop glanced sideways at Sun Hee.

Do I really still love her?

Her head was ducked down and her blonde hair cascaded loosely down her shoulders, a few occasional strands of her natural brown hair showing in the roots of her hair.

Kiseop looked back down, his mind flashing back to when he had kissed you.

The kiss had been tender and sweet, like honey, and Kiseop had enjoyed it. He was almost ashamed to admit it.

“Sun Hee.” He said suddenly, making her look up.

He immediately leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

She was startled at first, but she closed her eyes and returned the kiss.

This is the boy I love, and I’m so proud of him.

Kiseop felt his shoulders slump when he realized that there was nothing in the kiss. No passion from himself, it was just a simple kiss that was part of everyday life. Nothing special, just plain, ordinary, and no fireworks in the pit of his stomach.

Sun Hee felt that something was wrong with the kiss. She pulled away quickly, slightly breathless. “What’s wrong?”

Kiseop didn’t say anything as he stared at her crystal blue eyes. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

That’s right. That kiss...there was absolutely....

Nothing.