The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.
MK and Sandeep walked back to class in silence.
The hallway felt strangely loud — every laugh, every shout from other students felt far away.
When they entered the classroom, everything looked the same.
Sunlight on the desks, chalk on the blackboard, students chatting.
But for MK, it felt like the world had shifted slightly.
He slid into his chair and stared at his notebook.
His pencil hovered above the page, but no words came.
Sandeep sat beside him, pretending to scribble in his own notebook.
Out of the corner of his eye, he kept glancing at MK.
He didn't know what to say — and MK didn't look like he wanted to talk.
Cambodia – Mi-un's Afternoon
Far away, in Cambodia, Mi-un's day was just beginning.
The sun was high, and she walked to school with her friends, laughing.
Her hair was tied back loosely, swaying with every step.
At lunch, she sat under a shady tree, scrolling through her phone.
No new messages from MK.
She hesitated for a moment, then typed:
> Mi-un: "Hey… are you okay today?"
The message was sent, but there was no reply.
She stared at the screen for a long moment, then sighed softly.
One of her friends called her name, and she smiled faintly, putting her phone down.
Back in Nepal
MK's phone buzzed in his pocket.
He didn't check it right away.
Instead, he stared out the window.
The sky was blue — painfully blue.
Finally, he reached into his pocket and looked at the message.
He smiled faintly, but there was something sad in it.
> MK (typing): "Yeah… I'm okay."
He didn't send it.
Instead, he closed his phone and set it on the desk,
resting
his head on his arms as the class carried on around him.