Scene 2

Comeback

Episode 3: Silent Tears

The days following Gwangshuk’s confession were some of the hardest Hongshu had ever faced. The pain wasn’t new—it had always been there, a quiet ache in her chest, but now it was a heavy weight. She had watched Gwangshuk with Shinha countless times before, but now the reality of his feelings had made everything feel sharper, clearer, and unbearably more real.

Hongshu found herself unable to escape the way Gwangshuk looked at Shinha, the way his smile deepened when she was near, the way his laughter echoed in her ears. It wasn’t just the obvious moments. It was the little things—the way he adjusted his backpack when he was next to her, the way he remembered the smallest details about her, how his eyes seemed to soften when she spoke. Shinha was everything Hongshu had never been.

She couldn’t compete with that.

It had been a week since that day by the courts, the day Gwangshuk confessed to Shinha. Things had shifted, but only slightly. They were still the same group of friends—Gwangshuk, Shinha, and Hongshu—but now there was a distance between them that wasn’t there before. Hongshu noticed the way Shinha would look at her, her eyes searching for any sign of discomfort, any indication that things weren’t okay. She would smile, try to make small talk, but the words felt too heavy, too awkward.

Today, they were all sitting at the lunch table in the cafeteria. Shinha was talking about a new movie she wanted to see, her voice light and excited. Gwangshuk was nodding along, his attention fully on her. Hongshu watched, picking at her food, doing her best to keep her emotions in check.

“Hongshu,” Shinha said, turning to her with a friendly smile. “You haven’t said much today. Are you feeling okay?”

Hongshu forced a smile, her stomach churning. She had been asked this question so many times in the past week. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, her voice not as convincing as she had hoped.

But Shinha wasn’t convinced. Her brow furrowed slightly, and her gaze lingered on Hongshu. “You sure? You’ve been kind of quiet lately.”

Gwangshuk looked up from his food, his eyes catching the exchange between the two girls. He seemed to sense the tension, but he didn’t know what to say. He could only look between them, unsure of how to help.

Hongshu swallowed hard, wanting to say something, anything, to make the moment feel lighter, but the words caught in her throat. The pain was still too fresh. She had been avoiding them both, trying to bury the feelings that were rising up in her chest. She couldn’t let them know what she was really feeling.

“I’m fine,” Hongshu repeated, her voice breaking slightly. “I just… I’ve got a lot on my mind. You know, school stuff.”

Shinha gave her a concerned look, but she didn’t push it further. Instead, she smiled again, though it was tinged with uncertainty. “Okay, if you say so.”

The conversation shifted back to the movie, but Hongshu couldn’t focus. Her mind kept drifting to the last week, to Gwangshuk’s confession. She thought about how she had tried to hold herself together, tried to be strong for both of them. But the truth was, she was falling apart.

She excused herself from the table, mumbling something about needing to catch up on homework, and walked out of the cafeteria. She wasn’t sure where she was going, only that she needed to be away from them. Away from the reminder that Gwangshuk would never see her the way he saw Shinha.

The school grounds were quiet, the wind gently rustling the leaves of the trees as she walked through the empty courtyard. Hongshu found herself at the edge of the school, sitting down on one of the benches beneath a large oak tree. She pulled her knees to her chest and let out a shaky breath, finally allowing herself to feel the weight of the emotions she had been holding in for so long.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and before she could stop them, they spilled down her cheeks. She wiped them away quickly, trying to regain some semblance of composure, but it was no use. The pain was too much.

“I just… I wanted him to see me,” she whispered to herself, her voice breaking. “But he never will.”

It wasn’t fair. She had been there for him through everything. She had supported him, cheered him on, and stood by him when he needed someone to talk to. But it had never been enough. He had always looked at her as a friend, someone who was just… there. She wasn’t the one he wanted.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. She quickly wiped her eyes, hoping whoever it was hadn’t seen her tears. But when she looked up, it was Gwangshuk.

His expression softened when he saw her, and for a brief moment, Hongshu thought maybe he had come to check on her. But then he opened his mouth, and the words that came out of his mouth shattered her heart once again.

“Hongshu,” Gwangshuk said gently, taking a step closer. “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

She blinked, surprised. “Help you with what?”

He hesitated, looking a little uncomfortable. “Well, Shinha… she doesn’t really know much about basketball, and I thought maybe you could help her understand the game better. You’re good at explaining things, and I thought…” He trailed off, clearly not sure how to phrase it.

Hongshu’s heart dropped. He had come to her, not because he cared, but because he needed her to help Shinha. He needed her to help the girl he loved.

“Sure,” she said, her voice flat. “I’ll help.”

But inside, it felt like a thousand pieces of her were breaking. She was nothing more than a tool to help him win Shinha’s heart. That was all she would ever be.

Gwangshuk smiled, oblivious to the storm swirling inside her. “Thanks, Hongshu. I really appreciate it.”

He walked away, and Hongshu was left alone once again, the weight of her unspoken love pressing down on her chest.

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