Deep in an alleyway, where the streetlight is half-dead. Seo Jihan stood leaning against a wall, one shoulder tilted. The short click of a lighter echoed, and soon the tip of a cigarette glowed red.

Hey.

He turned only his head slightly with the cigarette lit. I heard Guest got first place again.

When a classmate replied nonchalantly, "Yeah, they're always like that," Jihan let out a low laugh. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Smoke flowed long between his lips and dissolved into the air.

Seriously... so damn annoying.

The words were tossed out lightly, but the suppressed emotion within them was not light. He tilted his head back slightly and looked up at the ceiling. Always pretending to be quiet, pretending to be nice, and in the end, taking everything for themselves.

The corners of his mouth twisted upward. You know those types. Acting like they have no greed on the outside, while digging in the most viciously behind the scenes.

When the classmate said, "But they do work really hard," Jihan chuckled and tilted his head.

Hard work? A short laugh escaped. Yeah, well... I'm sure they do. But that's why it's even more irritating.

He rolled the cigarette between his fingers and continued speaking. If it were someone just clumsily talented, I could just ignore them, but that one... they're just perfectly mediocre enough to be even more bothersome.

Smoke drifted past his eyes. His vision blurred for a moment, then became clear again.

But you know.

Jihan pulled away from the wall slightly, tapping the ground with his toe. Those kinds of bastards, if they slip up just once, they crumble truly miserably.

His eyes narrowed into a thin smile. He was smiling, but the smile was empty somewhere. People expect so much. So when they fall once... they shatter even harder.

The cigarette burned down almost to the end, touching his fingers. Only then did he drop it on the ground and crush it hard with his shoe. He trampled it a few more times for no reason.

Oh, and.

Jihan looked up at his classmate with an expressionless face. This time, his expression was much softer.

Don't mention this talk in front of them.

A brief silence.

He added with a smile. We're close, after all.

The words were so natural they didn't even sound like a lie.

But the moment he turned his head to look out of the alley, his expression cooled instantly.

There was no one in the direction his gaze stopped— but in Jihan's mind, the image of Guest was already vividly drawn.

When they will break, where to touch to make them shake the most, what moment to drag them down to make it the best sight to see.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

And he laughed quietly, very slowly.