The apartment was quiet. The only sound came from the old refrigerator in the corner. 

Ho-jin sat at the small kitchen table. His mother had returned late from work, but she still made time to cook dinner. The stew in the center of the table was hot, and steam rose from the bowls, filling the small room with a warm, savory smell.

​Ho-jin held his spoon, but he didn't eat. He stared into the red broth. He could not stop thinking about Ji-hun standing in front of the lockers and looking at him with fear and sadness. He felt tired. The anger he felt earlier was gone, and now he just felt regret.

​His mother watched him from across the table. She still wore her work clothes. She noticed he was just moving the food around in his bowl.

​"You haven't taken a single bite," she said. "Is the food bad?"

​Ho-jin put his spoon down. 

"No, it's good, mommy. I'm just not hungry."

​"Why are you like this?" she asked. "Is it about what happened at school?"

​He hesitated. He didn't want to worry her more. She had already stressed enough when the teachers called her.

​"No," he said. "It's just... I said some really bad things to that kid today."

​His mother stopped eating. 

"What happened?"

Ho-jin sighed. ​

"I was really angry and I told him to get lost," he said. "I told him I never wanted to see him again."

​He picked up his cup of water and turned it in his hands. The glass felt warm.

​"I know he caused a huge mess," Ho-jin said. "But he didn't mean anything bad by it. When I think about it now, he was actually trying to protect a girl. He thought I was bullying her. He wasn't even trying to be a hero, and he just didn't know the full story."

​Ho-jin looked at the wall behind his mother.

​"He's stupid," he said quietly. "But he wasn't trying to hurt me."

His mother looked at him across the small table. Her face was tired from a long day at work, but her voice was calm.

​She pointed her spoon at his bowl.

"You can talk to him tomorrow and make it right. Just go to school and clear the air when you aren't so angry."

​Ho-jin looked down at the table and nodded slowly.

"Yeah," he said. "I guess you're right."

​He didn't say much after that. The kitchen was quiet, just the sound of spoons hitting the bowls. He finally started to eat again and finished the rest of his dinner.

—

​Later that night, the apartment was completely silent. Ho-jin lay in his bed. The room was dark, and the only light came from the glow of his phone screen.

​The phone vibrated in his hand. A message popped up from Min-ji.

​Good night, Oppa 🩷

🩵 ​Good night Min-ji

​A second later, Min-ji sent a sticker. It was a cute cartoon fox curled up in a ball, fast asleep.

​Ho-jin looked at the drawing and smiled a little. It was just like her to send something like that. But then the smile faded, and he thought about Ji-hun again. He remembered how Ji-hun looked in the hallway, sitting on the floor with his camera bag.

He looked at the fox sticker for a few more seconds.

"Yeah," he muttered. "He's a fox."

​He wasn't sure why he thought that. Maybe it was because Ji-hun was always watching things quietly, or maybe because he tried to be clever but got caught in his own trap.

​He put his phone down on the floor next to his mattress and turned onto his side. He pulled the blanket up to his shoulder and closed his eyes.

"I'll fix this tomorrow," he whispered. "I'll just talk to him."

​The tension from the day finally left his body. After a while, his breathing slowed, and he fell asleep.

—

​The next morning, Ho-jin walked to school with a plan. He just needed to talk to Ji-hun. A simple conversation to clear the air.

​When the bell rang for the first break, he didn't wait. He walked straight down the corridor to the first-year classrooms. He reached Ji-hun's class and stopped at the back door. He scanned the rows of desks, looking for that familiar dark hair.

​But the seat was empty.

When he spotted Hae-sol near the window, he walked over.

"Hae-sol, hi. You know where Ji-hun is?" he asked.

​Hae-sol looked up. 

"Hi, sunbae. Ji-hun didn't come to school today," he said. "He didn't answer my texts this morning either."

​Ho-jin felt a strange drop in his stomach. He nodded once and turned to leave.

​The next day was the same. Ji-hun's desk remained empty. 

By the third day, the worry had turned into something restless and irritating. He couldn't just wait anymore.

​After the final bell rang on Wednesday, Ho-jin tracked Hae-sol down again.

"Hae-sol, do you have Ji-hun's address?" 

—

​Later that afternoon, Ho-jin stood in front of a small apartment building. He checked the number on his phone one last time. It was the right place. He took a deep breath and knocked firmly on the metal door.

​Silence stretched for a moment. Then came the sound of shuffling footsteps and a lock turning.

​The door swung open. ​Ji-hun stood there. 

He was not wearing his school uniform. He wore a light beige apron over an old t-shirt. His hands were covered in white powder, and he held a wooden rolling pin in one hand. There was a smudge of flour on his nose and another across his cheek.

​He looked like someone totally different. He did not look like the gloomy kid from the photography club.

​Ji-hun saw Ho-jin and stopped moving. His eyes went wide. The color drained from his face.

"S— sunbae?" his voice cracked.

​Ho-jin looked at the flour and the apron. He felt confused, but he tried to keep his voice steady.

"Hi, Ji-hun," he said.

​Ji-hun looked down at his own clothes, then back at Ho-jin's face. 

"Why are you here? How did you find my house?" Ji-hun said. His voice shook a little.

"I got worried when you didn't come to school for three days," Ho-jin said. "I asked the teachers and your friends, but no one knew anything. You didn't tell anyone. So I came to check on you. Is everything okay?"

"My dad was sick," Ji-hun said. "I had to stay home and take care of him. I'll be back at school on Friday."

"That's a relief," Ho-jin said. "I mean, I'm glad you're not sick. I'm sorry about your dad. What's wrong with him?"

"It's nothing serious," Ji-hun said. "He just caught a cold."

Then he looked at the door. "Sorry, but I have things to do. I need to close the door now. Thanks for coming, sunbae."

"Wait a minute, Ji-hun," Ho-jin said.

He stopped for a second. 

"I was a little angry that day, and I was too harsh with you. I'm sorry. Please don't quit the photography club. And you can talk to me anytime if you want."

"Okay. Thanks," Ji-hun said. "I have to go now. Have a good day."

And he closed the door.

Ho-jin stood there for a moment. He did not expect a warm welcome, but he had not expected Ji-hun to be that cold either.

"He really hates me," he said to himself. "It's fine. He only has to deal with me for two semesters. After that, he won't ever see me again."

Then he walked away.