The iron gates of Sehwa High felt heavier than usual as Ha-rin walked through them on Wednesday morning. To everyone else she was still the untouchable 'Ice Queen' her navy blazer perfectly pressed. But inside, she felt fragile.

She raised her unlit phone, checking her reflection in the black glass. It was a reflex now. She quickly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her left ear and tugged at her cuffs, pulling the sleeves over her wrists.

"Did you hear?" A girl whispered by the lockers. "The police were here. They think Somi ran away"

"I heard she had a secret boyfriend. Maybe she eloped?" Another replied and the girls giggled. "Hey, Lee Ha-rin! Did you also come early today?"

Ha-rin kept walking. 

"Who does she think she is?"

Ran away. The word felt strange to her. She thought about the 24-hour gap in her memory. She had been so sick, so out of it. She felt a wave of gratitude for Min-ji. If Min-ji hadn't found her in that elevator and taken her in, she might still be trapped there or worse. And Ha-rin acted so cold to her that day too.

She saw Min-ji by the water fountain. Min-ji looked like she always did, quiet and average. When their eyes met, Min-ji gave her a warm, shy smile. Ha-rin smiled back, feeling a sense of relief. At least someone knew what had happened to her.

Ha-rin headed to the library to find some peace before class. She found a desk in the back, near the tall windows.

"You're staring at that page pretty hard for someone who hasn't turned it in ten minutes." Ha-rin looked up. Doh-yun was sitting at the next table. He leaned back, looking at her with a calm, curious expression. He has his vintage Olympus camera on the table. He was the guy called 'The Standard' by everyone. They all liked him because he was perfect husband material and never seemed to be trying too hard.

"I have a lot on my mind" Ha-rin said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I noticed" Doh-yun said. He didn't sound like he was gossiping; he sounded like he actually cared. "You missed school two days. I was actually going to call you, but I didn't want to be that guy."

He gave her a small, effortless smile that made Ha-rin feel, for the first time in days, like a normal high school girl again.

"I was just... under the weather" She lied.

"Well, you look better now. A bit pale, but better" he said, picking up his camera and checking the settings. "Im going to Cheogna Lake Park in Seo-gu after school to finish a roll of film. You should come. You look like you need some fresh air away from all the gossip."

Ha-rin hesitated. Being with Doh-yun felt like stepping back into her old, perfect life. But he was safe and reliable. And honestly she wanted to spend time with him.

"Okay" she said, a small smile finally reaching her eyes. "I'll go"

"Great" Doh-yun said. He stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "See you at the gates after the final bell?"

As he walked away, Ha-rin felt a weight lift off her shoulders, She looked over and saw Min-ji walking past the library door. Min-ji gave her a thumbs up and a sweet, encouraging smile before moving on.

The late afternoon sun turned Cheogna Lake Park into a landscape of shimmering gold and deep shadows. For the first time in days, Ha-rin actually felt like she could breathe. The park was vast and modern, far away from the cramped, moldy corridors of Hanseong Apartments.

Doh-yun was easy to be around. He didn't ask about her family's scandal or the whispers at school. He just talked about his lens and pointed out how the light reflected off the surface of the lake. He even took a few candid shots of her, teasing her about her 'ice cold' expression until she finally gave a genuine, small laugh.

"Wait, I need to switch the film" Doh-yun said, sitting down on a stone bench near the water's edge. He started fiddling with the back of his camera, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Can you grab the film canister out of the pocket inside my bag? My hands are tied up with this lever."

"Sure" Ha-rin said, reaching for his canvas messenger bag. Her fingers brushed past a lens cloth and a spare battery. She felt something thin and stiff tucked into a side sleeve of the bag. Thinking it was the film she was looking for, she pulled it out.

It wasn't a canister. It was a Polaroid photo.

Ha-rin's heart didnt just skip— it dropped. The bright, golden light of the park seemed to turn gray. In the photo, she saw Somi. The girl was lying in the tall grass, her eyes half-open and vacant, her skin becoming a pale color. She wasn't a runaway. She was dead.

Ha-rin's hand began to shake a bit and the edges of the photo crinkled. She looked up at Doh-yun. He was still sitting there, calmly winding the film, his face lit by the sunset. He still looked so reliable and safe.

"Did you find it?" He asked, his voice steady and kind.

Ha-rin couldn't answer. She could only stare at the photo in her hand.