The wind bites harder in February.
Ji-Woo stands by the window in the classroom, arms crossed, watching the frost form patterns on the glass. Behind him, the noise of the other students fades into static.
He's not trying to be alone. It just happens now.
Min-Soo slams his bag on the desk near him, too loud, too close. Ji-Woo doesn't flinch.
Min-Soo stares, trying to provoke something — fear, anger, anything.
Min-Soo:
"You think just ignoring us makes you better now?"
Ji-Woo finally turns his head, gaze cold and flat.
Ji-Woo:
"I don't need to be better. Just smarter."
Min-Soo opens his mouth, but Min-Ho steps in between them, voice low.
Min-Ho:
"That's enough."
Min-Soo scoffs but backs away. Min-Ho doesn't look at Ji-Woo, but he lingers just a second too long before The First Move
Later that day, a rumor spreads through the corridors.
Someone saw Min-Soo yelling at a teacher. Someone else saw him crying near the locker rooms.
Someone says he's being blackmailed.
No one knows where it started.
Ji-Woo does.
A USB stick was left on a teacher's desk — anonymously.
It contained a video from last year. Blurry. Just enough to hear Min-Soo's voice screaming something hateful, pushing someone smaller to the floor.
The teacher won't act officially — too much risk for the school's image.
But the damage is done. Whispers grow. Trust fades. Eyes turn on Min-Soo now.
---
The Bathroom Mirror
Min-Soo punches the mirror in the boys' bathroom. His hand bleeds.
Min-Jae storms in. Grabs his brother by the collar.
Min-Jae:
"What did you do this time?!"
Min-Soo:
"It's him! He's behind it — that freak!"
Min-Jae:
"Then act like it. Don't break down like a child."
Min-Ho enters last. He doesn't speak. He watches. Then turns and walks out.
He doesn't want to be part of this anymore.
---
Rooftop at Dusk
Ji-Woo sits alone on the rooftop. He likes the quiet, the cold. It keeps him sharp.
He hears footsteps.
Min-Ho appears beside him, hands in his coat pockets, not meeting Ji-Woo's eyes.
Min-Ho:
"You leaked that video."
Ji-Woo doesn't confirm. He doesn't deny.
Ji-Woo:
"Was it a lie?"
Min-Ho:
"…No."
A pause. The wind whistles.
Min-Ho:
"You're hurting him. Badly."
Ji-Woo:
"He never thought twice about hurting me."
Min-Ho turns toward him, voice soft:
Min-Ho:
"And what does that make you now?"
Ji-Woo:
"Someone who remembers."
He walks away again. But this time, something in his steps seems heavier. Not triumphant — just tired.