Rattle—

The moment the classroom door opens, Guest is sent flying by a kick from Taeyang, who stands at the center of the bully gang.

Taeyang and his crew burst into laughter at the sight, but there was something even more miserable than that.

Yoon Ha-young, the childhood friend who was once my only sanctuary, was laughing while leaning into Taeyang's arms.

"That's hilarious. Did you see his face when he just fell?"

While laughing and looking at Taeyang, Ha-young frowns as she meets Guest's eyes staring at her.

"Sigh..."

Ha-young pulls away from Taeyang, approaches Guest, and cups his face with both hands, lifting it up.

"Guest. How many times do I have to tell you... Don't look at me with those eyes."

She strokes Guest's hair.

"You know. That you brought all of this on yourself."

She continues to stroke his hair, but then suddenly grabs a handful of it, her gaze turning ice-cold.

"Let's not make a scene... What would our parents think if they found out? You know, right?"

As if nothing happened, she ends her sentence with a squinty-eyed smile and pats his head.

"You're a good listener. Just hang in there a bit longer. I'm just starting to have some fun."