Morning slowly arrived.

Soft sunlight entered through the large windows of the Han mansion while the quiet sound of dishes echoed from the    dining room.

Meanwhile—

Tae adjusted the sleeves of his black coat before preparing to leave for college.

But just as he reached the entrance—

“Tae.”

His father’s voice suddenly stopped him.

The Chairman calmly sat at the dining table with several files stacked beside him while drinking coffee casually.

Tae already looked tired.

“…What now?”

His father slowly placed the cup down before speaking calmly,

“You have a lot of work to finish today.”

Then he pointed toward the files beside him.

“Go to the office.”

“Look through every file and make sure you sign everything on your desk.”

Tae immediately frowned slightly.

“…Dad.”

But the Chairman ignored him completely.

“Now that Tigers Group and White Wolf formed an alliance, work is going to increase.”

Then he narrowed his eyes slightly.

“So finish everything quickly before going to college.”

Tae quietly sighed under his breath.

Meanwhile—

His father suddenly smirked knowingly.

“And don’t even try making excuses.”

“I already know you want to go see your puppy.”

Tae instantly looked annoyed.

“…Can you stop calling him that?”

But the Chairman only laughed softly before waving his hand dismissively.

“Go eat breakfast first.”

“Then leave for the office.”

Meanwhile—

Near the college entrance—

Yun quietly stood alone while looking toward the road every few seconds.

Students slowly walked past him while talking loudly around campus.

But Yun barely noticed any of it.

Without realizing it himself—

He was waiting for Tae.

Then suddenly—

His phone vibrated softly inside his pocket.

The moment Yun saw Tae’s name on the screen—

His expression unconsciously softened slightly.

But after reading the message—

His eyes slowly lowered.

Tae:

I can’t come to college today.

I have work at the office.

Sorry.

For a brief second—

Yun simply stared silently at the screen.

Then slowly—

His fingers lightly grabbed the fabric near his chest.

Right above his heartbeat.

A strange disappointment quietly spread inside him.

Meanwhile—

Not far away—

Jun and the others immediately noticed Yun standing alone near the gate.

The moment they realized Tae wasn’t around—

Their expressions subtly changed.

Jun casually walked closer alongside his group before speaking teasingly,

“What?”

“Waiting for Tae to come?”

Yun looked slightly embarrassed after getting caught.

Then quietly replied,

“He’s not coming today.”

Jun raised one eyebrow.

“Why?”

“…He has work at the office.”

For a brief second—

Jun exchanged glances with the others before smirking slightly.

Then suddenly he spoke again,

“By the way…”

“The day Tae skipped college and you suddenly left early too…”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“We didn’t even do anything serious.”

“We just said we smelled something strange.”

Then mockingly—

“Was that enough to make you run away?”

Yun immediately lowered his eyes slightly.

“…No.”

Then quietly—

“I suddenly got stomach pain.”

“That’s why I left quickly.”

Jun stared at him for another second before casually throwing his bag toward Yun.

“Oh right.”

“My shoulder hurts today.”

“Carry my bag until we reach class.”

For a brief moment—

Yun remained silent.

Even though he clearly understood why they were suddenly acting like this again—

Because Tae wasn’t there—

Yun still quietly picked up the bag.

He didn’t want to create a scene near the college entrance.

So silently—

He carried it while following behind them toward class.

Meanwhile, Jun and the others simply laughed among themselves while walking ahead carelessly.

After entering the classroom—

Jun suddenly pointed toward the empty seat beside him.

“Sit here.”

But Yun quietly ignored him before walking toward the window seats instead.

Then calmly—

He sat alone.

A few minutes later—

Class finally started.

Meanwhile—

Yun carefully listened to every word the professor explained.

Semester exams were approaching soon.

And because Tae missed class today—

Yun carefully wrote down every important note for him too.

His notebook slowly filled with neat handwriting while the professor continued teaching.

Meanwhile—

Jun and his group weren’t listening at all.

Instead—

They kept staring toward Yun from the back of the classroom.

Then suddenly—

A pen cap hit Yun lightly on the shoulder.

A few seconds later—

A crumpled paper ball landed near his notebook.

Another one followed immediately after.

Small laughter echoed quietly behind him.

But Yun stayed silent.

Even while they continued disturbing him throughout the entire class—

He simply lowered his head slightly and kept writing his notes quietly.

Class finally ended after what felt like forever.

The moment the professor left—

Students immediately started leaving the classroom noisily.

Meanwhile—

Yun quietly closed his notebook after organizing all the notes he wrote carefully for both himself and Tae.

Then slowly—

He stood up from his seat.

He planned to quickly eat lunch at the cafeteria before the next class started.

But before he could even leave—

“Hey.”

A voice suddenly stopped him.

Yun’s footsteps instantly paused.

Meanwhile—

Jun and his group were already standing near the classroom entrance while staring directly at him.

Jun slowly frowned.

“We called you several times.”

“Why didn’t you turn back?”

Yun quietly lowered his eyes.

“…I didn’t hear you.”

Jun scoffed immediately.

“Oh really?”

Then he slowly walked closer.

“I think you’re becoming cocky because of Tae.”

Yun’s fingers unconsciously tightened slightly around his notebook.

Meanwhile—

Jun continued speaking mockingly.

“Tae hung around you a few times and now you think he’s your friend?”

Then he laughed softly alongside the others.

“He’s only with you because you look pathetic.”

“A poor lonely kid.”

“That’s all.”

For a brief second—

The classroom became quieter.

Then suddenly—

Jun pulled money from his pocket before throwing it directly toward Yun.

The bills lightly hit Yun’s chest before falling onto the floor.

“Go buy us bread and milk.”

The others immediately laughed quietly behind him.

Meanwhile—

Yun simply stared silently at the money near his feet.

His hands slowly started trembling slightly.

Old memories quietly returned again.

The bullying.

The fear.

The humiliation.

For a brief moment—

He almost bent down to pick the money up automatically like before.

But then—

Yun slowly clenched his shaking hands tighter.

And for the first time—

He forced himself to speak.

“…I’m sorry.”

Even though his voice trembled badly—

He still continued.

“I can’t go.”

Jun’s expression slowly changed slightly.

Meanwhile—

Yun tried desperately to stop his hands from shaking.

“I need to go to the cafeteria.”

“And after that I still have classes…”

His breathing slowly became uneven.

“We also have exams soon.”

“So I need to study.”

Then quietly—

“So… can you please leave me alone?”

The moment those words left his mouth—

The classroom suddenly became silent.

Because honestly—

No one expected Yun to refuse.

Meanwhile—

One girl standing beside Jun suddenly frowned deeply.

Ye-Rim.

She immediately stepped forward angrily.

“What?”

Before Yun could even react—

SLAP.

The sound echoed loudly across the classroom.

Yun’s head snapped sideways from the force.

His body instantly lost balance before falling hard onto the classroom floor.

For a brief second—

Everything became silent.

Several students near the entrance froze in shock.

Meanwhile—

Yun slowly touched the side of his face while breathing shakily.

And at that exact moment—

The classroom door suddenly opened.

Everyone immediately turned toward the entrance.

Then froze.

Because standing there—

Was Tae.