A SILENT VEDENTTA

Every day felt heavier than the last—like I was wading through fog, my heart dragging behind me.

Min-ah still talked to me like everything was fine. Like she hadn't watched me shrink into silence. Like she hadn't seen the tears I tried so hard to blink away.

And I—

I couldn't bring myself to push her away. Not when I had no solid reason to. Not when she was still *Min-ah*. My best friend.

The truth?

I loved her more than I liked Joon-seo. That was the cruelest part.

"This isn't working," I whispered one morning, brushing my hair in front of the mirror as if untangling it could somehow untangle the ache in my chest.

"They're not the only people here," I told my reflection, willing myself to believe it. "I can find someone else."

So I tried.

I smiled more—even when it felt fake. Laughed at jokes that barely made sense.

I started sitting with different classmates, joining conversations, speaking up during group tasks like I wasn't breaking inside. And slowly, I managed to click with someone—this girl from my class with a bubbly laugh and a soft, easy kindness that felt like sunlight after weeks of rain.

One lunch break, we sat near the window. She was telling me about a drama she was obsessed with.

"You *have* to watch it," she said, eyes lighting up. "There's this one scene where the guy just—ugh, it gave me *chills*—"

"Heyyy!"

That voice.

Sweet. Cheerful. Sharp as a blade dipped in honey.

Min-ah.

I didn't have to turn around to know. My shoulders tensed anyway.

"Mind if I join?" she asked, already pulling up a chair like the moment belonged to her.

The girl hesitated. "Oh, uh—we were just talking about this new drama and—"

Min-ah was already sliding in, her voice seamlessly taking over the space I'd carefully carved out for myself.

She laughed, joked, dropped little comments only *she* could make land. Like she was just being friendly. Like she didn't know she was rewriting the air around us.

I tried to keep up. I really did.

But slowly, I felt it. That quiet shift. That dull ache in my chest as I sat there, smiling at all the wrong times. Laughing when I wasn't in on the joke.

"I need to use the restroom," I mumbled, standing before my voice could betray me.

They didn't even notice.

Too caught up in each other.

Too distracted by Min-ah.

Of course no one could say no to her.

The sunshine girl. The center of every room.

Even as she unraveled my world—thread by thread—she did it with a smile.

And no one ever saw the damage she left behind.

I walked faster, my steps echoing down the hall. At the vending machine, I grabbed a strawberry milk. Cold in my hand. Familiar. "At least they didn't run out and sabotage my entire day," I mumbled, half-laughing to myself.

I turned the corner—and slammed right into someone.

"Ah—!"

The milk almost slipped from my hand.

The guy I hit barely flinched. He staggered a step back, then looked down at me with half-lidded eyes, completely unimpressed.

"Seriously?" he muttered.

I blinked up. No way.

Tall. Messy dark hair. Hoodie half-zipped over a wrinkled uniform shirt. Eyes like he hadn't slept in a week and didn't care if he ever did.

Tae-woo.

One of the Strays.

The Strays were a group of infamous first-years—four of them, though no one really knew how they ended up together. They'd sort of just… appeared during the first semester, each one a misfit in their own right. People said they broke the rules like it was a hobby, skipped class whenever they wanted, smoked behind the gym, fought in alleys—and somehow never got caught. Teachers avoided them. Students watched from a distance. No one dared get too close.

They didn't walk through the halls. They prowled.

"Sorry," I said quickly, stepping back.

He didn't move.

"You're still standing in the middle of the hallway," he said, raising a brow.

"I said I'm sorry," I repeated, this time with more bite.

He clicked his tongue and leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing like I'd personally offended him. "Tch. You're excused," he muttered, voice low and dismissive.

Wow, I thought. He really is as insufferable as people say.

We stared at each other for a second, both unwilling to be the one to look away—until another voice sliced through the air, breaking the standoff.

"Tae-woo, seriously? She barely touched you. Calm your edgy little heart."

I turned. A girl walked toward us, soda can dangling from her fingers, her steps confident and unbothered. Her short black hair was streaked with pink, and she wore her blazer tied around her waist like a cape. Tie loose. Grin sharp.

Nari.

Even before she said anything else, I knew. She was that girl.

Loud, unfiltered, and terrifying in the way that made you want to get out of her way fast. The kind of person who could tear down a room with a smile—and somehow still get applause.

Like Tae-woo, she was one of the Strays.

And now, two of them were standing in front of me.

"Don't mind him," Nari said, stopping beside me and sipping her soda. "He gets cranky when he doesn't get his beauty sleep."

Tae-woo rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath before taking a few steps back, hands still deep in his hoodie pockets.

"I'm Nari, by the way," she added, looking straight at me. "I've seen you around, freshman. What's your name?"

"Eun-ha," I said quietly. Then blinked. "Wait—you've seen me?"

"Yeah, well…" She shrugged. "Your little friend group wasn't exactly quiet. And you? You don't really blend in with that face."

I stared. "My… face?"

Nari grinned, mischief dancing in her eyes. "Relax. It's a compliment."

Was it? I honestly couldn't tell.

She reached out suddenly and shook my hand like we were already friends. "Anyway, guess I'll see you around."

And just like that, she turned and walked off—Tae-woo trailing behind her with a groan, like he hated every second of being alive.

I stood there, stunned. Strawberry milk still in my hand. *What… just happened?*

*Did I just get on someone's radar? That can't be good. Don't panic, Eun-ha. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe...*

But something told me it wasn't nothing. And for the first time in weeks, the silence around me cracked—just a little.