Chapter 14- Distant Cracks
The second day of school began just like the first—sunny, busy, and filled with noise.But beneath the surface, something felt... off.
Aria sat by the window again, staring out at the cloudless sky, her mind drifting far beyond the walls of the school.She twirled her pen absentmindedly, hardly hearing the teacher's voice as the lessons dragged on. Her eyes seemed distant, as though lost somewhere far away.
Cheonwoong, sitting a few seats away, stole glances at her every now and then.She smiled when her classmates spoke to her, nodded politely when the teacher called on her...But there was something in her eyes, something fragile, like glass stretched too thin.
When the lunch bell rang, Yuseong practically leapt from his seat."Let's go eat! I'm starving!"
Chani grunted in agreement, slinging his bag over his shoulder.Cheonwoong stood up automatically—but paused when he noticed that Aria hadn't moved.
He hesitated, then walked over."Hey, Aria. You coming?"
Aria blinked and looked up, as if pulled from a dream."Oh... right. Yeah, I'll be there in a second."
Cheonwoong frowned slightly but didn't press."Alright. We'll save you a seat."
He followed the others out, but the feeling that something was wrong lingered in his mind.
In the cafeteria, the air buzzed with chatter and the clatter of trays.The four of them found a table near the window, sunlight spilling over their plates.
As Aria joined them, Shihoon appeared too, tray in hand.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked casually, flashing a charming smile.
Yuseong waved him over. "Sure, the more the merrier."
Cheonwoong, however, tensed immediately. His appetite dulled at the sight of Shihoon sliding into the seat beside Aria as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Throughout lunch, Shihoon and Aria chatted comfortably, laughing occasionally at shared jokes.Cheonwoong ate in silence, barely tasting his food.
Something gnawed at the back of his mind—a crack that seemed to widen the longer he watched them.
At one point, Shihoon leaned a little closer to Aria, whispering something that made her smile softly.Cheonwoong clenched his chopsticks tighter without realizing it.
'This isn't normal,' he thought bitterly. 'Something about Shihoon... it's not just coincidence.'
He forced himself to stay composed, but Aria noticed.Her eyes flickered toward him, hesitant, almost guilty.
Shihoon noticed too.
With a light chuckle, Shihoon turned to Cheonwoong and said, "You're unusually quiet today. Everything okay?"
Cheonwoong forced a tight smile. "I'm fine."
But everyone at the table felt the tension.The conversation thinned awkwardly until the lunch period finally ended.
Later that day, in the quiet stairwell after classes, Aria found Cheonwoong leaning against the railing, gazing out at the schoolyard.
"Cheonwoong," she called softly.
He turned, his expression guarded.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Finally, Aria asked, "Are you mad at me?"
He shook his head. "No. It's not that."
"Then...?"
Cheonwoong exhaled slowly."It's Shihoon. There's something about him that doesn't sit right with me."
Aria frowned slightly. "I told you... we're just friends."
"I know you believe that," he said quietly. "But I don't trust him."
A heavy silence stretched between them.
Aria lowered her gaze. "I don't know why you're acting like this... but Shihoon's been kind to me. I can't just treat him like an enemy without a reason."
Cheonwoong's fists tightened at his sides.
"I just... don't want you to get hurt," he said, his voice rougher than he intended.
Aria's heart twisted painfully at the vulnerability in his tone.
"Cheonwoong..." she whispered. "I know you're trying to protect me. But I'm not the same as before. I can protect myself too."
He looked at her then—really looked—and for the first time, Aria saw something she hadn't expected.
Fear.
Not fear for himself.
Fear for her.
Without thinking, she stepped closer, closing the distance between them. The sound of distant rain beginning to fall outside filled the silence.
"You don't have to carry everything alone," she said gently. "You have me too."
Cheonwoong stared at her, his walls cracking just slightly, letting that truth sink in.
"...Yeah," he finally said. "I guess... I forgot that."
A soft smile tugged at Aria's lips.The rain outside grew heavier, drumming against the windows like a heartbeat.
For a brief, fragile moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them.No shadows. No danger. No secrets.
Just two people trying to find each other across the distance between them.
But deep inside Aria, something still whispered—a thread of darkness she couldn't ignore.
Shihoon...
She didn't know why, but a tiny seed of doubt had taken root.
And doubt, once planted, is hard to erase.
As the rain poured harder outside, neither of them noticed the faint red light flickering far away, hidden behind the clouds.
Watching.
Waiting.