After practice ended, they stopped by a small café near the sports complex.

The bell above the door chimed softly as they stepped inside. Warm air immediately brushed against Seorin's skin, still chilled from the gym's air conditioning. The narrow café was filled with the scent of coffee, butter, and toasted bread.

Her shoulders still felt heavy whenever she moved, and a faint sting lingered in her palms whenever they touched the cold glass in front of her.

"We should do this again next week," Minji said brightly, taking a sip of her drink. "It'll be fun."

Seorin immediately turned toward Dongchul.

Their eyes met for a brief moment before Dongchul dropped his head back against his chair with a long sigh.

"I don't think regular exercise is for me."

She tugged the sleeve of her sweater down, covering part of her fingers.

"My school schedule and tutoring are already packed. I can't just go wherever I want whenever I want, either."

She paused before continuing.

"The debate competition is coming up soon. Practice is only going to get more intense."

Dongchul nodded immediately.

"Seorin's right. We're going to be seriously busy."

"At least today was fun," Ara said casually from across the table.

Minji looked between them for a few seconds, then simply smiled to herself and stirred the ice in her drink.

Their conversation gradually drifted toward school stories and lighthearted jokes.

Dongchul dramatically complained about the workout several times, while Minji laughed at him without a shred of sympathy.

Small plates slowly began filling the table. French fries. Onion rings. Slices of toast Their hands occasionally bumped as they reached for the same plate.

"The chocolate cake here is really good," Ara suddenly said.

She pushed a small plate toward the center of the table before glancing at Seorin.

"You should try it."

Seorin had barely lifted her head when a spoon stopped in front of her lips.

A small piece of chocolate cake rested on the end of it.

She froze.

Ara continued holding the spoon without pulling her hand back. Her elbow rested lightly on the table, her gaze calm as she waited.

After a moment, Seorin opened her mouth.

The spoon brushed briefly against her lower lip before the piece of cake settled onto her tongue.

The bittersweet chocolate spread gradually across her mouth, soft and not overly sweet.

"If you come here, you have to order that," Ara said, finally drawing the spoon back.

She took another bite for herself before turning toward Minji, who was busy scolding Dongchul.

Seorin's gaze dropped to the strawberry cake sitting in front of her.

The white cream had begun melting slightly around the edges of the plate.

"Then..." Seorin's voice came out quieter than she expected.

She scooped up a small piece of strawberry cake with her own spoon.

"This one's good too."

Her hand hesitated in midair for a moment before stopping in front of Ara.

"You should try it."

Now it was Ara who fell silent.

Her eyes dropped to the spoon.

Then lifted back to Seorin's face.

Several seconds passed without a word.

Dongchul was busy arguing with Minji about who had looked the most pathetic during practice, and soft music continued drifting from the café speakers behind them.

At last, Ara opened her mouth.

The strawberry cake disappeared from the spoon.

Seorin's fingers remained curled around the handle of the now-empty spoon.

Ara chewed thoughtfully before glancing back at the small plate.

"You're right."

She sounded completely sincere.

"This one's better."

A slight crease appeared between her brows.

"Why have I been ordering chocolate all this time?"

The corner of Seorin's mouth twitched before she could stop it.

"I want some too!" Minji immediately cut in, lifting her spoon.

But before the table could dissolve back into laughter, a voice came from the entrance.

"Ara?"

Everyone turned.

Someone was standing near the door.

Long hair. A light-colored coat. The kind of face that drew attention the moment she walked into a room.

But that wasn't what made Seorin's gaze stop.

It was Ara's expression.

There was none of the faint smile that usually appeared whenever Ara saw someone she knew.

Ara simply stared toward the entrance.

Minji, who had been laughing moments ago, slowly lowered her spoon.

Beside Seorin, Dongchul frowned in confusion.

"It's been a long time," the girl said as she walked closer.

Her smile was gentle.

"I missed you."

Seorin's fingers stilled on the spoon handle. Even Dongchul, who had been making noise nonstop, fell silent for a few seconds.

She looked back at Ara.

Ara still hadn't spoken.

Her jaw seemed faintly tense.

"Jung Da Som," Minji said coldly. "Don't talk like that."

The name lodged itself immediately in Seorin's mind.

Jung Da Som.

"Kim Minji, stay out of it for once. You—"

The sentence was cut short.

Ara's chair scraped sharply across the floor.

She stood so abruptly that the glasses on their table trembled.

Without giving anyone a chance to speak, Ara reached out and grabbed Da Som's wrist.

"Outside."

Her voice was low.

Da Som didn't resist when Ara led her out of the café.

The bell above the door chimed again.

Then the door closed.

The hiss of the espresso machine behind the counter suddenly sounded much louder once it did.

"Who is she?"

The question left Seorin before she'd planned to ask it.

Minji let out a long breath and leaned back in her chair.

"Jung Da Som..." she murmured. "She still has the nerve to show her face."

"Who is Da Som?" Dongchul asked.

Minji stayed silent long enough for the ice in her glass to slowly melt.

"Just an old friend," she finally said.

"One who's not a friend anymore."

No one said anything after that.

Seorin's gaze drifted toward the window again and again.

Through the café glass, Ara and Da Som stood beneath a streetlamp along the sidewalk.

They were speaking far enough away that their voices couldn't be heard.

Yet close enough to watch.

Several times, Da Som tried to touch Ara's hand.

And every time she did, Ara immediately pulled away.

The movements were brief and firm, enough that the edge of Da Som's coat tugged with each rejection.

"Don't think about it," Minji said, trying to pull their attention back.

Dongchul started saying something about ordering more food, but their voices seemed increasingly distant in Seorin's ears.

Outside, Da Som stepped closer again.

Ara took half a step back.

Seorin pulled her glass closer, but nearly all the ice inside had already melted.

Ten minutes passed before the door finally opened again.

Ara came in alone.

Da Som was still standing outside near the sidewalk, her head lowered. Through the glass, her shoulders seemed to tremble faintly.

Ara released a long breath and reached for her bag.

"Sorry," she said shortly. "I have to go."

"Ara, I'll come with—"

Minji was already halfway out of her seat when Ara immediately shook her head.

"I'll handle it myself this time."

Her voice remained calm, but it was clipped.

Seorin lowered her gaze.

Half of her strawberry cake still remained.

The white cream around the edge had begun to lose its shape.

The tip of her spoon cut repeatedly into a small piece of cake without ever lifting it.

"I'm leaving Seorin with you," Ara said to Dongchul.

Only then did she turn toward Seorin.

"Make sure she gets home, okay?"

Seorin's fingers slowly tightened around the spoon handle.

Their eyes met for a brief moment.

Then Seorin looked away first, lowering her gaze to her plate.

The bell above the door chimed softly once more.

By the time she finally looked up again, Ara was already gone.

Outside, Ara was walking down the sidewalk beside Jung Da Som.

Seorin continued staring at the glass door long after they disappeared.

Until, little by little, her own reflection became clearer than the sidewalk beyond it.