By the time Linda finally reached home, the night had grown quiet. Her body ached from exhaustion as she rolled her bike into the garage and parked it carefully. The cold from the rain earlier had settled deep into her bones. She took out her keys from her purse and walked slowly toward the door.
Just as she lifted her hand to unlock it, the door suddenly opened from inside. Ha Rin stood there.
Her face was full of worry, as if she had been standing by the door for a long time waiting. The moment her eyes landed on Linda's tired face, relief flooded her expression.
"Linda!"
She pulled her into a tight hug before Linda could even say a word.
"You almost made me die from worry!" Ha Rin said breathlessly. "Where have you been? Did William force you to go with him? Did he bully you? Did he hurt you?"
The questions came one after another without pause. Linda tried to answer, but the moment she felt the warmth of her friend's arms around her, everything she had been holding in broke. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"That jerk…" she sobbed. "He locked me in the toilet."
Ha Rin froze. "What?" she whispered, pulling back slightly to look at her friend's face.
"He locked me inside and left me there," Linda continued between sobs. "For hours…"
Ha Rin's eyes filled with anger and disbelief. She gently held Linda's shoulders, guiding her inside the house and closing the door behind them.
"That bastard…" she muttered under her breath.
Linda wiped her eyes, but more tears kept falling. "He reminded me how useless I've always been… how easy it is for people to bully me." Her voice trembled. "This isn't even the first time someone has locked me in a toilet."
Ha Rin's heart clenched. She pulled Linda back into another hug, holding her tightly.
"Hey… hey…" she said softly, rubbing her back. "Don't say that. You're not useless. Anyone who says that about you is blind."
Linda shook her head, anger slowly replacing her tears. "But this time I won't let it pass," she said firmly. "I swear."
Ha Rin nodded, her expression serious. "And you shouldn't," she said. "But right now you look like you might collapse any second." She pulled back and looked at her carefully. "Have you eaten anything?"
Linda nodded weakly. "A little… at school."
"Good," Ha Rin said gently. "But first, you need a hot shower." She pushed Linda lightly toward the bathroom. "Go wash up. You look like you fought a war."
Linda managed a faint smile and went inside.
The warm water from the shower slowly eased the tension in her muscles. Dirt, sweat, and the terrible day seemed to wash away with it. She stayed under the water longer than usual, letting the heat calm her racing thoughts.
When she finally came out, dressed in comfortable clothes, Ha Rin was already waiting with a towel and a glass of water.
"Feel a little better?" she asked.
Linda nodded. "A little."
They turned off the lights and went to the bedroom. The room was quiet and dim, the soft night air drifting through the window. Ha Rin lay beside her and gently wrapped an arm around Linda.
"You're safe now," she murmured.
Linda leaned closer, resting her head against her friend's shoulder. After everything that had happened, she finally felt relaxed. The anger was still there, burning quietly in her chest. But at least she wasn't alone.
Holding onto each other, the two friends eventually drifted into sleep.
The next morning, Linda and Ha Rin left for school together. Instead of riding her bike as usual, Linda chose to take the school bus. After everything that had happened the previous day, she wasn't in the mood for a long ride or for answering questions she didn't feel like discussing.
As soon as they arrived at the school gate, they spotted Alex and Jae-min standing nearby. The two boys appeared to have been waiting for them for some time, and the moment Alex saw Linda, he immediately hurried toward her. Before she could even greet him, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
"Linda, do you know how worried we were?" he complained, pulling back just enough to examine her face. "We searched everywhere yesterday. We checked the classrooms, the training hall, the library, even places that didn't make any sense. We honestly thought William had taken you away somewhere. I never expected that idiot would lock you inside a restroom. What kind of childish behavior is that? Tell me honestly, did he hurt you?"
As he spoke, his eyes moved over her as though searching for injuries she might have hidden. Linda couldn't help smiling at his concern.
"I'm fine, Alex," she said, patting his shoulder lightly. "Let's just forget about it. He isn't worth ruining our day over."
A few steps away, Jae-min lifted one hand in greeting while keeping the other tucked inside his pocket. A faint smile rested on his lips, so slight that most people would have missed it if they weren't paying attention.
"Good morning," he said.
"Morning," Linda replied.
The school bell rang shortly afterward, cutting off any further conversation, and the four of them made their way into the school building together.
The rest of the day passed without incident. Classes dragged on as they usually did, and by the time the final bell rang, all four of them were more than ready to escape the classrooms. They eventually gathered beneath a large tree near the edge of the school grounds, enjoying the shade while students streamed past them on their way home.
Alex, who never seemed capable of staying quiet for long, was in the middle of telling one of his ridiculous stories.
"So listen to this," he said dramatically. "A man walks into a restaurant and orders a bowl of soup, fried rice and salad. After eating, he realized that he doesn't have money to pay the bills, he immediately cooked up a story, that he saw a fly floating inside in soup."
Ha Rin groaned immediately. "Alex, if this is another one of your terrible jokes, I swear—"
"Just listen," he interrupted. "The man calls the waiter over and says, 'Waiter, there's a fly in my soup!'"
Linda already looked unconvinced. "And then?" she asked.
"The waiter looks at the bowl and says, 'Don't worry, sir. The spider in your salad will take care of it.'"
For a moment, complete silence followed. Then Ha Rin burst into laughter.
"Oh my God, that's horrible."
"What do you mean horrible?" Alex protested. "That's quality comedy."
"It's the worst joke I've heard all year," Linda said, shaking her head.
Alex immediately pointed toward Jae-min. "See? Even Jae-min laughed."
All eyes turned toward him. Jae-min, who had indeed allowed a small laugh to escape, quickly composed himself and replied with a straight face.
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I really didn't."
"You absolutely did."
The argument only made Ha Rin laugh harder. Linda watched them for a moment before suddenly remembering something. Her expression brightened as she rose from her seat beneath the tree.
"Oh, that reminds me."
The others looked at her curiously. "What is it?" Ha Rin asked.
"A new art gallery opened downtown today," Linda said. "I heard the grand opening is supposed to be a big event, and a lot of people have been talking about it."
Ha Rin's eyes lit up immediately. "A gallery? Really?"
Linda nodded. "Yes. I don't know much about art, but I thought it might be fun to go and have a look around. We don't even have to stay long. We can just walk through, see what's there, and then leave if it gets boring."
"That actually sounds interesting," Ha Rin said.
Alex shrugged. "It's better than going home and staring at my ceiling."
The three of them then turned toward Jae-min, who instantly narrowed his eyes.
"Why are all of you looking at me like that?" he asked.
Ha Rin grinned. "Because you're coming with us."
Jae-min sighed as though he had already lost the argument before it began. "Was I ever given a choice?"
"No," Alex answered immediately.
"Not even a little," Linda added.
For a few seconds, Jae-min simply stared at them before shaking his head in surrender.
"Fine."
Ha Rin clapped her hands excitedly. "Great. Then it's settled."
With their plans decided, the four friends gathered their belongings and headed toward the school gate, completely unaware that their simple visit to the newly opened gallery would soon lead them into something none of them had expected.