When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

Chapter 18

The first thing I felt was warmth. The sun, still bright.
The second thing I felt was… nothing.

I blinked awake, my mind slow to catch up. The wind brushed against my skin, the sky stretched endlessly above. For a moment, I forgot where I was.

Then, I remembered.

I turned my head.

He was gone.

Pi Han Ul was no longer beside me. The space where he had been was empty, like he had never been there at all.

I sat up quickly, scanning the rooftop. No sign of him. No sound of footsteps. Nothing.

I frowned. How long had I been asleep? A few minutes? An hour?

I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the lingering drowsiness. He didn’t wake me up. He didn’t say anything. He just… left.

I sat up slowly, frowning. Had he really left without waking me? Without saying anything?

I wasn’t sure why that made my chest feel tight.

It was stupid. I shouldn’t have expected anything. It wasn’t like we were friends. It wasn’t like he owed me anything.

Still…

I looked down at my hand.

The handkerchief.

I had held onto it even in my sleep.

I stared at it for a moment before stuffing it back into my pocket.

I stood up, stretching out the stiffness in my muscles. It was time to go back.

The hallways were as loud as ever.

Students rushing between classes, chatting, laughing. The usual.

I walked through the crowd, keeping my head down. I didn’t really want to talk to anyone.

But, of course, that didn’t mean people wouldn’t talk to me.

“Cheonga!”

I turned, startled, as Ji-Woo ran up to me. Hui-Won was right behind her, looking concerned.

“Where were you?” Ji-Woo asked, slightly breathless. “We didn’t see you at break.”

I hesitated. “I… was outside.”

“Alone?” Hui-Won frowned. “Again?”

I nodded.

Ji-Woo sighed. “Cheonga, are you avoiding us?”

I froze.

I wasn’t sure how to answer.

Before I could, Hui-Won reached out, gently touching my arm. “If something’s wrong, you can tell us. We—”

I took a step back.

They both blinked in surprise.

“I just…” My voice was quiet. “I need space.”

Ji-Woo looked hurt. Hui-Won’s lips pressed into a thin line.

I felt guilty.

But this was the right thing to do.

Wasn’t it?

I lowered my gaze. “I’ll see you later.”

Then, before they could say anything else, I walked away.

I saw everyone running to the other side.
Well-
I followed.

The gym was chaos.

Students gathered in clusters, their voices overlapping in a frantic mess of excitement, shock, and unease. The heavy thud of a body hitting the floor sounded through the space, followed by the sharp scrape of sneakers skidding against polished wood.