The cheers shook the entire gymnasium.

For most students at Woonsung High School, the noise blended seamlessly into the game.

For Seorin, every whistle and shout slipped through the gaps between her fingers and drilled straight into the back of her skull.

She sat stiffly in her seat with both hands pressed over her ears. Even so, the shrill whistles, the pounding sneakers on the court, and the roar of the crowd still seeped through.

"It's so loud in here..." she muttered.

Dongchul glanced at her before letting out a quiet laugh.

"It's always like this."

Seorin turned toward him slowly, one brow lifting.

"So the reason you used to disappear whenever debate practice overlapped with basketball games..."

Her eyes narrowed.

"...was because you were watching these?"

"Uh—that was before."

Dongchul immediately laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You know what my position was back then."

He gave her shoulder a light pat before dropping his arm back over the seat.

Seorin let out a short sigh and returned her gaze to the court.

Below them, Woonsung's basketball players were warming up. Basketballs bounced rapidly beneath practiced hands. The squeak of sneakers echoed throughout the gymnasium.

And among them—

Lee Hyun Woo.

Seorin was still watching the court when Hyun Woo suddenly lifted his head.

Their eyes met.

Then he gave her a slow wink.

It was obvious enough that Seorin immediately lowered her gaze to the tips of her shoes.

A quiet chuckle came from beside her.

"You two have secret signals now?"

"What?"

"That wink."

"That wasn't—"

A fresh explosion of cheers erupted from the opposite side of the stands before she could finish.

The opposing team had arrived.

The gymnasium roared. Several students jumped to their feet, shouting the name of Haneul Prime.

Seorin glanced down as well.

Dark red jerseys flooded one side of the court.

The Haneul players moved with easy confidence—tall, polished, impossibly conspicuous beneath the bright gym lights.

But they weren't what caught her attention.

"Jung Da Som?"

Her voice nearly disappeared beneath the noise.

"She goes to Haneul?"

Dongchul looked down too.

"I just found out myself."

At the edge of the court, Jung Da Som stood beside Haneul Prime's basketball captain. The maroon cheerleader uniform she wore stood out against the team's darker colors.

Her smile appeared perfectly every time the captain spoke to her.

A few students in the front rows had already begun whispering while glancing their way.

But Seorin's attention drifted elsewhere.

To the opposite side of the court.

Kang Ara stood not far from Woonsung's bench.

Ara wasn't looking at Da Som at all.

She was busy unzipping her sports bag, taking out a water bottle, putting it back in, then adjusting straps that were already perfectly straight.

Her movements were slow, interrupted by the same pauses every time the zipper slid open and shut.

Seorin watched for several seconds before turning to Dongchul.

"There's something between Jung Da Som and Ara."

Dongchul didn't answer immediately.

His eyes remained fixed on the court.

"Maybe."

"You know something?"

Dongchul shifted in his seat, resting his forearms on his knees.

"I don't know where to start."

"You've been hiding something."

This time, he stayed silent longer.

The crowd erupted again when one of the players sank a practice shot.

"And this time..." Seorin's voice softened. "...I don't know what it is."

Dongchul exhaled quietly.

He glanced around the stands packed with students.

Then leaned closer.

Far too close.

"Hey!"

Seorin instinctively shoved his shoulder.

Dongchul stumbled half a step sideways and nearly bumped into the student behind them.

"I was trying to whisper something!" he protested through his laughter.

Seorin immediately withdrew her hand.

"Sorry..."

Dongchul leaned in again, more carefully this time.

Seorin tilted her head slightly to hear him over the noise.

"Jung Da Som..."

His breath brushed the edge of her ear.

"...is Kang Ara's ex-girlfriend."

The crowd was still roaring around them, but all Seorin could hear was the sound of her own breathing between Dongchul's words.

She turned sharply toward him.

Dongchul added in a low voice,

"Don't tell anyone."

He paused.

"Ara's not exactly like everyone else." His gaze dropped briefly to the court. "But she was sincere about being friends with you."

Seorin didn't answer right away.

Down below, Ara stood with her arms crossed, watching the game that was about to begin.

A few meters away, Jung Da Som was looking directly at her.

For a long time.

Without looking away.

"Are you sure they're really over?" Seorin asked quietly.

Dongchul didn't answer immediately.

A long whistle sounded from the court.

"I don't know."

The game finally began.

The ball flew rapidly from one player to another. The crowd's cheers rose and fell with every point on the scoreboard.

Yet Seorin's eyes kept returning to the sidelines.

Jung Da Som handed a towel to Haneul's captain.

Then a water bottle.

Her hand lingered on the player's arm a few seconds longer than necessary before pulling away.

Seorin looked toward Ara.

Ara was watching.

Silent.

The line of her jaw looked slightly tense.

"An ex," Seorin murmured.

At center court, Minji was performing with Woonsung's cheer squad. Her hair swept through the air with every spin. Her smile shone brightly beneath the gym lights.

Then there was Da Som, dressed in maroon, wearing the kind of smile that always seemed to know exactly when it should appear.

And after that, Seorin's gaze settled on Ara.

Black jacket.

Hands buried in her pockets.

A jaw that wasn't quite relaxed.

The corner of Seorin's mouth lifted.

"So that's her type after all..."

Another whistle sounded.

The game continued.

But several minutes later, Ara suddenly got up.

Without realizing it, Seorin followed the movement.

Ara walked away from the court.

A few seconds later, Jung Da Som followed.

Seorin's hand slowly curled into a fist atop her knee.

She had come to watch Hyun Woo's game.

But her body was already rising to its feet.

The school corridor was far colder than the gymnasium.

The cheers from inside the building still drifted faintly through the walls.

Ara and Da Som stopped at the end of the hallway before continuing toward the emergency staircase.

Upward.

Their footsteps echoed softly against the concrete steps.

Seorin stopped several stairs below the rooftop. Her breathing was still slightly uneven from hurrying after them.

Wind hissed beyond the rooftop door.

Then—

"I still love you."

Da Som's voice broke apart in the wind.

Seorin's grip tightened immediately around the door handle.

"I've apologized so many times."

The next words were tangled with restrained tears.

"I was wrong... I never should've dated your brother."

Seorin lowered her head slightly. Her nails dug into her palm.

"What do I have to do for you to forgive me?"

The wind swept across the rooftop again.

Then Ara's voice came.

Calm.

Flat.

"I already told you."

A brief pause.

"It's over, Jung Da Som."

"No!"

Da Som's voice rose sharply.

"We still have a chance if you're willing to try again!"

Seorin pushed the door open a fraction and peered through the narrow gap.

Da Som wrapped her arms around Ara from behind.

Ara immediately pulled those hands away from her waist.

"I'm tired."

Ara's voice was low.

"Stop."

But Da Som stepped closer again.

"There's no place in this world for someone like you."

Seorin's grip on the handle tightened until the cold metal bit into her skin.

"And you know that."

Da Som smiled faintly as she looked at Ara.

"I'm the only one who can give you a place to belong."

The rooftop door slammed open.

The crash made both girls turn instantly.

"Pathetic."

Seorin's voice sliced through the wind.

She strode forward without hesitation and stopped beside Ara.

Her gaze locked directly onto Da Som.

"If I hadn't come..."

Her chin lifted slightly.

"...how much longer were you going to keep doing this?"

"Seorin—"

Ara reached for her arm.

Seorin shook her off without looking.

"Disgusting."

The faintest smile appeared on Da Som's lips.

"I'm talking to you." Seorin's voice turned colder. "Jung Da Som."

The smile slowly faded.

Seorin took a step forward.

"Trying to steal someone who's already taken."

Another step.

"Seriously embarrassing."

Da Som retreated half a step.

"You two can't possibly—"

"Then watch."

The answer left her mouth faster than thought.

In one swift motion, Seorin turned and grabbed the collar of Ara's jacket.

The black fabric bunched tightly in her fist as she pulled Ara closer.

Ara startled slightly.

The distance between them vanished.

Ara's breath brushed her lips, warm and impossibly close.

Seorin's fingers tightened on the collar.

Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

Her hand was still gripping the fabric when their lips met.

At first, it was only a brief touch.

Quick.

Almost rough.

But Ara didn't pull away.

The rooftop wind blew loose strands of hair against Seorin's cheek. Her grip gradually loosened on Ara's collar, yet her body didn't move back.

The next second stretched longer.

Seorin's eyes slipped shut before she realized it.

Ara remained still against her lips.

Not pressing forward.

Not pulling away.

Then Ara's fingers touched her waist.

Slowly.

Sliding up to her back.

Stopping at the nape of her neck.

Those cool fingers lingered there for several seconds before drawing her a little closer.

Their uniforms brushed softly together in the rooftop wind.

Their breaths mingled.

The cold air reached Seorin's lungs too late. The breath she'd been holding finally escaped between the narrow space separating their lips.

Her eyes opened slowly.

Ara was still there.

Ara's hand hadn't left the back of her neck. Her thumb brushed the edge of Seorin's hairline whenever the wind stirred across the rooftop.

Behind them, hurried footsteps rang across the concrete.

Moving away.

Seorin turned her head.

Jung Da Som walked out without another word. Her shoulder slammed into the metal door hard enough for the sound to echo across the rooftop.

The door was still trembling faintly when Seorin looked back.

But Ara's hand remained at the nape of her neck.

And neither of them moved away.