Things I Didn’t Say
There was a time when everything felt...easy
lunches under the same tree. inside jokes that didn’t made sense to anyone. Walking home together like it was a routine we’d never break.
Baek Ara used to link her arm with mine, laughing at things I barely remembered saying. Lee Min-jae would walk beside us, occasionally glancing over with that small smile I thought was meant for me.
Back then, I never questioned anything.
I didn’t have a reason to.
The first time I noticed it, I told myself I was imagining things
Ara was sitting across from us in the cafeteria, her chin resting lightly on her hand.
She wasn’t looking at me.
Not casually. Not accidentally.
Just… staring.
I followed her gaze for a second, then looked away quickly, pretending I hadn’t seen it.
It didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t.
Right?
After that, little things started to stand out
Things I wish I had ignored.
Ara fixing her hair when Min-jae walked into the room. Smoothing down her skirt. Checking her reflection on her phone—more than usual.
I noticed.
Of course I did.
But I never said anything.
Because saying it out loud would make it real.
“Let’s hang out this weekend.”
I remember saying that like it was nothing.
Min-jae didn’t even hesitate.
“I can’t. I’ve got something to do.
Something.
It was always something.
The excuses started piling up after that.
Assignments. Family stuff. Being tired.
I wanted to yell at him, ask him what kind of boyfriend he was? but somehow, I always nodded like I understood.
Like I wasn’t slowly being pushed out of something I didn’t even realize I was losing.
One afternoon, I saw them together.
It wasn’t planned.
I was just walking past the hallway near the back gate when I heard laughter.
His laughter.
I stopped without thinking.
They were standing close. Too close.
Ara said something I couldn’t hear, and Min-jae laughed again, leaning slightly toward her.
It looked… easy. Natural. The kind of moment I thought belonged to me.
For a second, I just stood there.
Then I walked away before they could see me
I don’t know why. Maybe I wasn’t ready to face whatever that was.
It kept happening after that.
Small moments. Quick glances. Things that didn’t seem like much on their own—but together… They felt wrong
And I knew it. I just didn’t want to admit it.
The day everything finally broke was… stupidly normal.
I had already left school when I realized I forgot my notebook. I almost didn’t go back. I almost told myself it wasn’t important.
But I did. And I think… a part of me already knew.
The building was quieter than usual. Most students had already gone home. My footsteps echoed a little as I walked down the hallway. When I reached the classroom, I slowed down.
I don’t know why.
Maybe it was instinct.
Maybe it was fear.
The door was closed. But the lights were still on.
I moved closer to the window.
And then—
I saw them.
I didn’t hear anything.
Not their voices.
Not the sound of the hallway.
Not even my own breathing.
Just—
Them.
Ara’s hand lightly gripping his sleeve.
Min-jae leaning down.
And then…
They kissed.
I think I stopped breathing. Or maybe I just forgot how to.
The two people i trusted the most betrayed me. My boyfriend and my bestfriend..
Because everything after that felt distant.
Like I was watching something I wasn’t supposed to see.
Something that wasn’t meant for me.
But it was.
It was mine.
Or at least— I thought it was.
I don’t remember how long I stood there.
I don’t remember walking away.
All I remember is one thought.
Quiet.
Heavy.
And impossible to ignore anymore.
I should’ve said something sooner.
