The air shifted when a new student, , approached Gi-chan with a bright smile, asking for his number. For the first time, Eui-soo didn't step forward to intervene with a professional "he’s busy." He stood back, watching the exchange with a sudden, sharp pang of something that felt dangerously like jealousy.

Eui-soo didn't blink. "My job is to ensure your safety, not to entertain your whims."

But the tension between them wasn't just about duty. It was in the way Gi-chan’s gaze lingered a second too long on Eui-soo’s stoic face, and the way Eui-soo’s knuckles whitened whenever Gi-chan got too close to anyone else. Their friendship was a fragile glass bridge, built on unspoken rules and a shared history that neither dared to define.

The sunlight filtered through the large windows of the TB Group gymnasium, casting long shadows across the basketball court where and Jang Eui-soo stood—two worlds orbiting a single center.