The final bell rang.
Students rushed out of the classroom, laughing, chatting, dropping pens and papers along the way.
But MK stayed seated, staring at his phone.
The message from Mi-un was still there on the screen:
> "Hey… are you okay today?"
He hesitated again — then slowly typed:
> MK: "Yeah… I'm okay. Just tired."
This time, he pressed send.
The message whooshed away, leaving him staring at the screen, waiting.
Seconds felt like minutes.
Then, his phone buzzed.
> Mi-un: "I'm glad. I was worried."
Mi-un: "You should rest more, okay?"
MK smiled faintly.
His heart felt a little lighter — but also a little heavier.
> MK: "Yeah. Thanks for caring."
He put the phone away, stood up, and walked out of the classroom.
Sandeep caught up with him in the hallway.
"Finally replied, huh?" Sandeep asked with a grin.
MK nodded, pretending not to blush.
"It's nothing," he said.
But deep down, he knew it wasn't nothing.
Evening Scene
Later that night, MK sat by the window at home.
The stars were out, quiet and bright.
He opened his notebook and began to write.
Words came easier this time — as if Mi-un's short reply had unlocked something.
He wrote about the sky, about feeling small, about how sometimes saying "I'm okay" is harder than saying nothing at all.
When he finished, he closed the notebook and looked up at the stars.
"Thanks," he whispered — as if she could hear him, far away under the same sky.