Marvello entered the school the way she always did—calm, cold, untouched by noise. Her steps slowed when she reached her locker.
She stopped.
Her books were scattered across the floor. Pages bent. Covers torn. A dark red stain soaked through the edges.
She stared for a second too long, then exhaled and bent down. Her smile came easily—but it wasn't fake, and it wasn't real either. It was tight. Irritated.
"Hana," she called.
The red-haired girl hesitated before answering. "It's… Ji-Hyun."
Marvello's hand froze.
"What happened."
Hana swallowed. "Naoki. After yesterday. He—he took it out on him. Broke his glasses. His nose wouldn't stop bleeding."
Marvello stood up slowly. "Where."
"…The rooftop."
She didn't run screaming. She didn't cry.She moved fast—quiet, controlled—but her chest felt too tight, her heartbeat loud in her ears.
The rooftop door slammed open.
Ji-Hyun was on the ground.
His glasses lay cracked beside him, one lens split down the middle. His hands trembled as he pressed them to his face. His lips shook—not from pain alone, but from humiliation. Tears clung stubbornly to his lashes.
Naoki stood over him, breathing hard, anger still buzzing through his body.
Marvello's voice cut through the air."Get away from him."
Naoki turned, a crooked smirk forming. "Oh? You came."
He stepped closer—too close.
"This is your fault," he snapped. "You embarrassed me. So I fixed it."
Marvello moved in front of Ji-Hyun without thinking.
Naoki grabbed her hair.
The force shocked the air out of her lungs. Fabric tore as he yanked at her collar, fury pouring out of him in reckless bursts. He raised his hand again—
She shoved him.
Hard.
Naoki stumbled backward. His foot missed the edge. There was a sharp intake of breath—then he was gone, falling from the low rooftop ledge below with a heavy thud.
Silence crashed down.
Marvello didn't scream.
Her hands trembled at her sides—not from fear, but from rage. From the thought that she hadn't hit him harder. That she'd only pushed him.
Marvello didn't move when Naoki hit the ground.
She stood at the edge of the rooftop, wind tugging at her hair, eyes fixed downward—not in panic, not in regret. Just… still. As if she were measuring something only she could see.
Behind her, Ji-Hyun made a small, broken sound.
"Marvello…"
She turned instantly.
Whatever darkness had settled over her face cracked the moment she saw him. She dropped to her knees in front of him, hands hovering, careful not to hurt him more.
"Don't touch your face," she said softly. "You'll make it worse."
His nose was swollen, clearly broken. His glasses were useless now, bent and cracked. Tears slid down his cheeks, not loud, not dramatic—just quiet, embarrassed sobs.
"They're going to hurt you," he whispered. "Min-Jae… Joon… they won't let this go."
Marvello's jaw tightened.
"They already crossed the line," she replied. "You're bleeding because of me."
"No," he shook his head immediately, wincing. "I don't care about that. I care about you."
She paused.
People didn't usually say that to her.
"You didn't push him that hard," Ji-Hyun went on, panic creeping into his voice. "The rooftop is low. He'll be fine. But they'll blame you anyway. They always do."
Marvello lifted his chin gently so he'd look at her.
"Listen to me," she said, voice low, steady. "I'm not scared of them."
"I am," he admitted. "Not for me. For you. You did enough for me yesterday"
Footsteps thundered behind them.
Min-Jae and Joon burst onto the rooftop, faces pale with shock that quickly twisted into fury.
"You're insane," Min-Jae snapped. "Do you know what you just did?!"
Joon pointed at her, shaking. "If Naoki's hurt—"
"He grabbed me," Marvello interrupted.
Her voice wasn't loud.
That was worse.
She stood slowly, placing herself fully between them and Ji-Hyun. Her uniform was torn at the collar. One side of her face was already swelling, a dark bruise forming beneath her eye.
"He hurt him," she continued. "And then he put his hands on me."
Min-Jae hesitated.
Joon didn't. "You expect us to believe that?"
Marvello took one step forward.
Just one.
"Try me," she said calmly.
Neither boy moved.
Below them, teachers' voices rose in alarm. Someone shouted for the nurse. Naoki was groaning now—alive, moving, angry but conscious.
The consequences were already climbing the stairs.
The principal's office smelled like disinfectant and tension.
Marvello sat straight-backed in the chair, her face marked clearly now—one eye darkened, her cheek swollen, lip split at the corner. She hadn't asked for ice.
Ji-Hyun sat across from her, holding tissues to his nose, eyes constantly flicking toward her as if she might disappear.
His parents arrived first.
His mother rushed to him, voice breaking. "Ji-Hyun, what happened to you?"
His father's jaw clenched as he took in the bruises, the broken glasses. "Who did this?"
Ji-Hyun glanced at Marvello.
"She didn't," he said firmly. "She stopped it."
The door opened again.
Marvello's aunt walked in like she owned the room.
Her heels clicked sharply against the floor. Her eyes swept over Marvello with open disgust.
"So," she said coldly. "What did you do this time?"
Marvello didn't answer.
Behind her came her uncle—tall, silent, unreadable. And then Nairo.
Her cousin didn't look at her at first. When he did, it was with something close to contempt.
"Figures," he muttered. "Always trouble."
The teacher cleared his throat. "This incident is serious—"
"Of course it is," her aunt snapped. "She's always violent. Ever since she was little."
Ji-Hyun flinched. "That's not true."
Her aunt turned on him sharply. "You don't know her."
Marvello finally spoke.
"He attacked him," she said. "And then me."
Her aunt laughed once, sharply. "You expect us to believe that?"
Nairo crossed his arms. "Naoki's in the infirmary. Crying victim already."
Ji-Hyun's father stood. "My son came in with a broken nose."
Silence.
The room shifted.
Ji-Hyun looked straight at Marvello's aunt. "If she hadn't come, it would've been worse."
Her aunt stared at Marvello like she was something rotten.
"You enjoy this," she said quietly. "Being seen. Being dangerous."
Marvello met her gaze.
"No," she replied. "I enjoy endings."
The teacher inhaled sharply.
Her uncle finally spoke. "Enough."
Everyone turned.
"She's injured," he said, voice flat. "And she didn't start it."
Her aunt's mouth tightened. Nairo looked away.
Ji-Hyun reached out without thinking and caught Marvello's sleeve.
"Don't let them take you," he whispered. "Please."
She looked down at him.
Her expression softened—but only for a second.
"I'll be fine," she said. "They should worry about what happens if I'm not."