Bada didn't know what hurt more: the bruises from yesterday or the way her friends tried to patch her up but couldn't reach what was really hurting inside.
By the time she reached school, her face was still blotchy and red, tears dried into little streaks on her cheeks. She tried to tuck herself into her usual corner near the lockers, hoping to go unnoticed. But high school hallways had a way of noticing the vulnerable.
Karina saw her immediately.
Karina: tall, confident, with eyes that gleamed sharper than a knife. She seemed to feed on the discomfort of others, not out of necessity, but for the thrill of feeling something—anything—while remaining untouchable.
She approached Bada like a shadow.
"Well, well, well… if it isn't the little crybaby," Karina said, tilting her head. She smirked. "Still crying, I see. Must be exhausting."
Bada swallowed hard. Her stomach twisted into knots. She had learned to flinch from cruel words long before she learned to fight or cry.
"I-I'm fine," she mumbled. Her voice trembled despite the words.
"'Fine,' huh?" Karina said, leaning closer. "Then why are your eyes still wet? You know… if you keep crying like this, people might start thinking you're weak."
Bada shrank back, but Karina didn't stop. She circled her slowly, like a predator inspecting its prey.
"You know, it's funny," Karina said softly, almost like a whisper, "how someone like you—rich, pampered, everything given to you—can feel empathy. You have no idea what real pain is."
Bada's chest tightened. She wanted to run, but her legs refused. Her backpack felt heavier with every word.
"R-run away," Karina added casually, her smile twisting into something cruel. "Or maybe—" She leaned even closer, voice dropping into a cold hiss, "—if you don't do what I say, I'll make sure your little crush sees you fail. And trust me, she'd never want someone like you after that."
The last words made Bada freeze. She hadn't even noticed it until now: her mind kept returning to Saeles. Her heart ached in ways she didn't understand.
"I-I…" she stammered. Her fingers trembled. Her palms were slick with sweat. She looked down at the floor and felt the weight of everything pressing down on her, making it almost impossible to stand.
Karina didn't give her a chance. She stepped forward and kicked Bada's side lightly—but enough to make her gasp. "Run along, little crybaby," she said, turning away with a smirk as she walked down the hall.
Bada sank to the ground, curling into herself. Her friends had seen her retreating figure earlier, but they were already gone to class. No one was there to stop her.
Her tears started again, this time wracking her body with quiet, helpless sobs. She buried her face in her knees, shaking, wishing she could disappear.
Minutes passed—or maybe hours. Bada didn't know. Her mind was consumed with Karina's words and the echo of them against her chest.
And yet… somewhere deep inside, beneath the hurt, a tiny, persistent thought kept whispering:
Saeles wouldn't say things like that. Saeles would be… different.
Her chest ached as she thought of Saeles punching the bag, arms trembling, face hard, eyes empty. She wanted that blank, terrifying strength to notice her, to protect her—even if she had never said a word to Saeles herself.
Bada wiped her cheeks and slowly stood up, hands trembling, tears still brimming. Her friends weren't here. Karina had left. The world felt cruel, cold, and unyielding.
But she would go home. She would clean herself up. She would eat dinner. And she would survive.
Because tomorrow… she would go back.
And she would see Saeles again.