RED STRING REWRITTEN

18

One month already passed and fourth condition is much better now

[Fourth's Room - Evening, One Month Later]

The glow of his phone lit up the dim room. Fourth lay on his bed, earphones in, his lips curved in the faintest smile as he typed furiously. The room looked different now-no longer the suffocating prison it had been a month ago. The curtains were open. The bed was messy but lived-in. His textbooks were scattered across the desk again.

Every night was the same now: a rhythm that kept him breathing. College with Dunk and Phuwin by his side, evenings filled with Tae's protective nagging and Jungkook's quiet, grounding presence, and midnight messages with Lion.

Lion had become... everything. His anchor. His secret. His best friend.

🌻: Today I answered a question in class. My voice shook but... I did it.

🦁: That's huge, sunflower boy. I'm so proud.

🌻: Stop saying that.

🦁: I'll stop when you stop being brave every day. Which is never.

Fourth hugged his pillow, a shy laugh slipping past his lips. That sound-his laugh-had been missing for weeks. But Lion always managed to pull it out of him.

---

[Living Room - Same Evening]

Dunk and Phuwin exchanged a look across the table as they worked on assignments.

Phuwin leaned closer, whispering, "He's smiling again."

Dunk's lips tugged upward. "Yeah... it's been a while since we saw that."

They both looked toward the stairs, where faint giggles and the sound of quick typing echoed from Fourth's room.

Dunk (curious, low): "It's him or he again, right? Whoever he's always talking to."

Phuwin frowned slightly. "Yeah. I've noticed. He's glued to his phone every free second. He never tells us who."

For weeks they had stayed quiet, afraid to push. But today-watching Fourth's laugh drift down the stairs-they knew they had to ask.

[Later That Night - Fourth's Room]

The door creaked open. Fourth sat cross-legged on his bed, phone still in hand, hair messy from running his fingers through it. Dunk and Phuwin stepped inside.

Fourth looked up, startled. "dunk? Phuwin? What's wrong?"

They exchanged another glance before Dunk spoke.

Dunk (gently): "Fourth... can we ask you something?"

Fourth blinked, tilting his head. "What is it?"

Phuwin sat on the edge of the bed, his tone careful. "Who are you always talking to on your phone?"

Fourth froze. His hand gripped the device tighter. "W-What do you mean?"

Dunk sat beside him on the other side, speaking softly but firmly. "You're smiling again. You're laughing. Every night, we hear you typing for hours. You check your phone every morning before anything else. It's obvious someone's there. We just... want to know who."

Fourth's heart pounded. His mind screamed to keep Lion secret-safe. But when he saw the worry in Dunk's eyes, the softness in Phuwin's, his defenses melted.

He swallowed hard. "...It's someone named Lion."

[The Confession]

Phuwin frowned. "Lion?"