His gaze was deep and shadowed.

What... is this?

A strange unease crept over Heeju, compelling her to speak instinctively. She felt that if she let herself be swayed now, if she backed down, something crucial would slip away.

"But... we promised to be honest with each other, didn’t we? No more hiding anything. We agreed to really talk, to share our thoughts, to live openly... Remember? When we fell into the river? We made a promise..."

"We did."

His words were in the past tense. Suddenly, he felt distant, as if he were somewhere she couldn’t reach.

"But, Heeju," …