"How is that even possible?!" The girl next to me screamed, startling me as my body jumped.

"What are you talking about, Sana?" I whispered, trying to catch her attention, and she frowned.

"Whatever I do, my grades just won’t budge. I feel like he's targeting me!" She growled, and I laughed.

"You? Why would he target you? You just don’t study enough." I stated confidently, and she made her disagreement clear by punching my shoulder.

"Ha-ha. Very funny, Mister I-always-study-and-never-sleep-in-class."

"Sorry, but if you decide that’s what my nickname should be, it’ll take you at least two minutes to say it all." I chuckled, and she giggled, leaning her head on her hand, tracing her finger along the desk.

"Jokes aside, is everything okay? Lately, you seem... a little worried." I commented, and she turned her attention to me.

"I wish it was just a little... I’m confused, to be honest. Maybe I’m imagining things, but I feel like something’s happening between my parents. It’s like the love between them has long faded, but at the same time, they’re trying to hide it with fake smiles. Have you ever felt like your parents are hiding something from you?" Her serious tone made me stop and think.

"Yeah. Do you remember when I told you about the incident? Something happened that I didn’t want to pay much attention to back then. I’m sure I wouldn’t have even thought about it now if you hadn’t brought it up." The girl nodded, waiting for me to continue.

"Right before we moved, we had to go through our old house in Daegu to pick up some stuff my mom found ‘sentimentally valuable.’ In my room, there were some boxes set aside whose contents I never got to figure out. When I asked, my mom reacted harshly, then managed to smooth things over. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I really felt like they were hiding something from me. I kept having this recurring dream, one that stuck in my mind, but all the people in it had blurry faces. Maybe that’s why doubts started creeping into my head." I pondered again on what I’d said, making the theories in my mind multiply.

"As for your problem, I guess we won’t know anything unless we dig into it." I added, looking out at the large window that lit up the room.

"A dream?" She asked, and I nodded.

"A birthday party. I was surrounded by six boys... I can’t be sure they were boys, but if I have to analyze and reflect on their silhouettes, they looked like men. They were singing in sync, presenting me with a cake... It might be some creation of my imagination, or maybe... a memory my parents are trying their best to make me forget." I spoke quietly, and Sana listened attentively until her voice filled the room.

"Exactly!" Not only did she catch me off guard, but she made everyone around us stare at her, forcing her to bow and apologize.

"Lower the volume; I can hear you without the shouting." I raised my eyebrow, and she laughed, wrapping her arms around my bicep.

"Listen. Maybe we’re both imagining things, but why don’t we gather some evidence first?" She asked, and I looked at her, still confused.

"You, me, together, in Daegu." She said in slow syllables, making me feel like I had a mental disorder.

"You’re insane. My parents would never let me go." I laughed at the absurd idea, and she smirked.

"Who said they have to know?" She whispered, sharing her plan.

It was madness... Luckily, my madness was in sync with hers. Why not? Maybe learning the truth would make my life easier. It was worth everything to make sure everything was alright.