1.2 | The Night and Its Stars ⌜ yeosang ⌟

TWO | DELIRIUM

She had been bullied before. As much was a rite of passage back home, in Cape Freewell, where boredom led people to bad habits like violence and addiction.

Where the bullies there stole your lunch money or taped the occasional 'kick me' sign to your back, those with power in Newhurst seemed to want to take every inch and mile until all that remained was broken skin and shattered futures.

"Yes, it is. Which is exactly why whatever you were thinking about doing is stupid."

Despite herself, she flinched at his unusually steely tone. Kevin dragged her away frantically and in her stunned state, she let him.

The fight had been in the grassy space behind the Darcy Center, the glass monolith of a business school on campus. No wonder campus security had not seen and intervened. All that was back there was a narrow sidewalk that was empty for most of the day with the exception of the occasional passerby taking the scenic route.

Would anyone even find Seungmin? Could he even walk?

She tore her gaze away from the pathway and to the back of Kevin's rushed figure.

"Stupid?" she echoed incredulously. "Kev, the guy can hardly move. We should at least call someone."

Her friend only shook his head, unrelenting. "And get a target on your back next? Seungmin can handle himself."

Min fell silent and Kevin must have taken her lack of a response for disagreement. Perhaps he was right to. Her conscience hadn't quite given up yet.

He stopped underneath one of the flowering trees near the quad, his grasp on her elbow not faltering for a single moment.

"Min, trust me. You're new here. You don't understand what it means to get involved with stuff like this."

The incident left him tense, his gaze faraway. Min no longer felt like she was looking at her roommate that would drink milk straight from the carton and watch late night comedy shows with her. He looked uncharacteristically afraid. The thought unnerved her.

Jennie had pulled a similar expression that night. That night three days ago where everyone watched a girl fall from the roof, but strangely, no one had much to say about it at all. No condolences, no questions asked.

And then there was the matter of everything she had heard at the party, the meaningful glances and glares. Even thinking about it sent her hair on end.

Something felt wrong. Very wrong.

"Alright." She slowly nodded, shaking out of his tight grip. "I won't say anything. Promise."

"Good," he said with a sigh. After a quick glance at their surroundings, he pulled the hood of his denim jacket over his head. "God, you shouldn't even be seen with me."

The wealthy students here did not have a reason to come after her. As far as they knew, Lee Minni barely existed and she liked it that way. A wolf doesn't prey on an ant.

Still that never erased Kevin's fear that one day they would. Simply because they could. Because the same had happened to him.

Min didn't have the full story. He kept her out of the loop no matter how much she tried to pry. Still, it was clear that his life at NHU kept him looking over his shoulder.

Jisoo told her he had been a target for some of the wealthier students for some time, but she refused to say much more than that. The lack of trust from her only friends on campus stung, but she didn't push further.

She forced a smile, throwing an arm over his tense shoulders. "I'll be fine. So...Coffee?"

His eyes darted to her, one brow raised. "Again? Are you sure you don't have a problem?"