She still walked back into the classroom.

She couldn't afford to skip class.

Not now.

Not ever.

Her face was as cold as ice, devoid of any emotion. No anger. No sadness. No tears. Just an empty expression that made everyone who looked at her feel strangely uneasy.

She quietly returned to her seat.

Throughout the entire lesson, she never once looked at the two people she now considered nothing more than strangers.

Her ex-best friend.

Her ex-boyfriend.

It was as if they no longer existed.

Oddly enough, Song Seung-Il, who usually kept to himself and only ever spoke to Choi Joo-Kyung, kept glancing toward Sa-Rang. Several times he looked as though he wanted to say something, only to stop himself each time after seeing the expression on her face.

That blank expression frightened him.

It wasn't anger.

It wasn't heartbreak.

It was emptiness.

The kind that came after someone had cried until there were no tears left.

Finally, the last bell rang.

Before either Choi Joo-Kyung or Song Seung-Il had time to leave, Sa-Rang walked over to them.

"Come with me."

She dragged them holding their arms tightly that it might leave marks and hurt them, but she didn't care.

Her voice was flat.

Neither of them questioned her.

The three walked into the empty hallway outside the classroom.

Without warning—

Slap!

Song Seung-Il's head snapped violently to the side.

His mind went completely blank.

Before anyone could react—

Slap!

Joo-Kyung staggered back, clutching her burning cheek in disbelief.

Silence filled the hallway.

Sa-Rang slowly looked at the two of them.

Her eyes were cold.

"I don't know either of you anymore."

Before either of them could speak—

Slap!

Song Seung-Il again.

Slap!

Joo-Kyung again.

Bright red handprints immediately appeared across both of their cheeks.

Sa-Rang lowered her trembling hand.

Her expression, however, never changed.

"I never want to see either of you again."

She turned around and walked away without looking back.

The two remained frozen.

Neither of them could process what had just happened.

Especially Song Seung-Il.

Sa-Rang had been the one who confessed first.

She had been the one who chased after him.

She had always smiled whenever she saw him.

She cared about him more than anyone.

Then...

Why?

Why had she looked at him as though he were a complete stranger?

Before either of them could even gather their thoughts—

Buzz.

Buzz.

Buzz.

Their phones vibrated nonstop.

Confused, they pulled them out.

Message after message flooded their screens.

What the hell is wrong with you two?

I can't believe you'd do that.

Disgusting.

Poor Cho Sa-Rang...

Their expressions slowly changed from confusion...

To disbelief.

To fear.

"What... is happening?" Joo-Kyung whispered.

Song Seung-Il immediately opened the anonymous school community page.

The newest post sat at the very top.

Already shared hundreds of times.

His fingers trembled as he opened it.

A photograph filled the screen.

It showed him and Joo-Kyung standing so close together that, from the angle it had been taken, it looked as though they were only moments away from kissing.

Below the picture was a short caption.

Cho Sa-Rang has been dating Song Seung-Il. Today I stumbled on him being alone with her best friend like this. Believe what you want.

The comments had already exploded.

So he was cheating?

Imagine doing this to your own best friend.

Poor Sa-Rang...

Both of them are unbelievable.

Song Seung-Il's breathing became uneven.

"No..."

"This isn't..."

The two hurried back toward their classroom, hoping to explain everything before the rumors spread any further.

But they were already too late.

The moment they entered, dozens of eyes landed on them.

Some students openly glared.

Others whispered among themselves.

No one smiled.

No one greeted them.

Instead...

Several classmates were gathered around Cho Sa-Rang.

She sat silently among them, her eyes slightly red from crying.

A few girls gently comforted her.

Others patted her shoulder, glaring at Song Seung-Il and Joo-Kyung as if they had already been declared guilty.

Neither of them knew what to say.

How could they explain a single photograph to an entire school that had already made up its mind?

The air felt suffocating.

It was as though they had both fallen into a deep, freezing pit of quicksand.

The harder they struggled to climb out...

The deeper they sank.

Every whisper buried them further.

Every stare covered them with another layer of cold sand.

The bright red handprints burning on their cheeks were no longer what hurt the most.

Compared to the weight of the entire school's judgment...

Those slaps felt insignificant.