chapter 5

The classroom air was sharp with the chill of the old AC unit humming from the back wall. Outside, the spring sunlight poured through slanted glass windows, catching on dust motes that floated like tiny paper cranes in the stillness.

Inside me, something was shifting.

Mi-ra’s words rang louder than the lecture could. Don’t lose yourself in someone who might not catch you.

The professor’s voice droned in a rhythm I couldn’t absorb—he was writing formulas, variables, talking about standard deviation—but all I could think of was how far I’d already deviated from my usual self.

Ji-won. His name wasn’t just a thought anymore. It was a presence.

I stared at my open notebook. Blank. Pen uncapped. A page begging for numbers, yet I could only draw soft outlines of things I didn’t understand—an eye, a bird’s wing, the curve of someone’s smile.

I didn’t notice I was doing it until Mi-ra nudged me again.

“You’re not even pretending to listen,” she whispered.

I looked up and blinked. “Sorry.”

Her gaze flickered to the page. “You drew him again, didn’t you?”

I flushed and quickly flipped it shut.

Mi-ra leaned in, her voice dropping. “I’m not trying to be the villain in your love story, Ha-eun. But you know how this ends. They always notice too late. And by then…”

By then, I’m the one left carrying the weight. She didn’t say it aloud, but I heard it anyway.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small candy, quietly placing it in front of me. “Eat something. You look like you’ve been holding your breath all day.”

I didn’t tell her she was right.

I just unwrapped the candy and let the sweetness melt on my tongue.

For the next thirty minutes, I tried—really tried—to focus. Took notes, followed along, answered when called on. But my mind wandered. Always back to him.

“You were invisible only because I was blind.”

Those words had shifted something inside me. Something deep. I wasn’t used to being seen, let alone being the subject of someone’s lyrics.

What did it mean?

Was he serious? Was this just a fleeting moment for him—something beautiful and temporary?

Or was this the beginning?

My phone buzzed quietly against the inside of my bag.

I glanced at Mi-ra—she was pretending to pay attention again, but I knew she was still watching me from the corner of her eye.

I slipped the phone out just enough to see the screen.

[Unknown Number]

“Don’t look around. Just read.”

My stomach flipped.

Another message followed:

“You’re sitting in the fourth row from the front. Right side. Same pen you always use. Blue ink. Your fingers twitch when you’re nervous. Like now.”

I turned cold.

This wasn’t Ji-won.

I knew his number.

Who was this?

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything… yet. But it’s fun watching you fall. Wondering if he’ll catch you in time.”

My hand tightened around the phone.

I looked up, scanned the room discreetly.

No one was looking at me. No one looked out of place.

Everyone seemed focused. Ordinary.

But I knew better. My skin prickled.

Mi-ra noticed. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head, forcing a smile. “Nothing.”

The rest of the class passed in a blur of pounding heartbeats and whispered paranoia.

When the bell rang, I rose so fast my chair scraped back too loudly. A few heads turned. Mi-ra was already on her feet, grabbing my arm.

“Okay. That’s it. What happened?”

I shook my head again. “Can we… can we talk somewhere else?”

She frowned but nodded. “Library rooftop?”

I nodded, already walking.

As we moved down the hallway, I felt the weight of eyes on me again. Not Ji-won’s soft gaze. This felt different. Sharper. Cold.

Stalking.

Outside, the wind had picked up. Blossoms scattered across the pavement like scattered thoughts.

Mi-ra linked her arm with mine. “Talk.”

I handed her my phone.

Her expression changed instantly as she read the messages.

“Who the hell—?”

“I don’t know,” I said softly. “But they’re watching me. Here. Now.”

She handed it back. “We’re going to report it.”

I bit my lip. “What if it’s just a sick joke?”

“Doesn’t matter. If they’re watching you like that, they crossed a line.”

We reached the rooftop.

It was quiet, breezy. The city stretched out beyond the edges. Distant voices and traffic below. It used to feel peaceful here.

Now it felt… fragile.

Mi-ra was pacing. Angry. “Do you think it’s someone from the art department? One of those guys who always stare at you during critiques?”

I didn’t know what to think.

“I’m scared, Mi-ra.”

She stopped pacing and hugged me tight.

“I’ve got you. We’ll figure it out.”

I nodded, but my hands were still trembling.

Then another buzz.

[Unknown Number]

“Tell your friend to stop pretending to be your bodyguard. She’s cute, but not very useful.”

I gasped.

Mi-ra grabbed the phone. “Okay, we’re done. We’re going to the dean.”

But I stopped her.

“No,” I said. “Not yet.”

“Ha-eun—”

“If they want to watch me, then let them. But I want to know who it is first. I want to look back.”

For once, I wasn’t hiding.

And that terrified me more than anything.

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