WARNING
THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, AND MATURE THEMES THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SOME READERS.
—
Footsteps echoed through the quiet hallway, steady and unhurried, until they stopped right in front of room 204's wooden door.
A graceful hand reached up and knocked, precise and soft.
From inside, a voice called out, "Coming!"
Sora slowly opened the door—and immediately looked up.
She was met with a pair of downturned gray eyes, cool and unreadable, and a squinting smile tugging at the corner of the girl's lips.
Sora exhaled, half in relief. "You're finally here."
"Yup! I got the soju too," Aurora replied, holding up the bag.
From across the room, Soren busy taping up a crooked Happy Birthday sign—rolled her eyes.
"We've been starving. Did you at least bring the snacks we asked for?"
Sora shot her a look and tossed her hair.
"Stop whining and finish decorating. Hyacinth will be here any minute."
Aurora raised an eyebrow at Sora. "How did you make Hyacinth wait? It's been half an hour."
Sora quickly avoided eye contact.
Soren burst out laughing. "She's been outside making out with someone. Girl's been gone way too long."
"I bet their lips are dry by now," she added with a smirk.
Sora smacked Soren's shoulder. "Don't say that! There's a child in here!"
Soren waved Aurora over. "C'mon, help me finish this."
Aurora obeyed, knowing she had been outside too long already.
"Oh, please," Soren said, glancing back. "She's gonna be an adult soon."
"She's still a child!"
"Whatever, pipsqueak."
Sora narrowed her eyes. "What did you just call me?"
Soren grinned and backed away. "We're almost done anyway. Aurora, you finish the rest—I'm going out to drag Hyacinth back inside."
Aurora nodded and walked over to the spot that needed fixing.
The "Happy Birthday" banner hung crooked, tilted to one side—Sora hadn't been tall enough to hang it properly, and Soren was the only one who could reach.
Now, it was up to Aurora to fix it.
As she fixed the banner, she got that weird feeling—like someone had been watching her for a while.
Still, she didn't look back.
She paused for a moment, adjusting the tape a little slower than before, waiting for someone to say something.
Sora sighed. "Do you think Hyacinth will be okay?"
Hyacinth had been her childhood friend since they were little. No matter how hard life had been on her, Hyacinth had always stayed calm.
She never disrespected herself—not until now.
Aurora paused for a moment before answering. "She just needs time."
After all, Hyacinth had already been dumped—they weren't even in a relationship anymore.
So maybe it was fine.
She was still young.
Even if she was technically an adult now, Aurora didn't want to be the kind of person who controlled someone else's choices—especially when they were just trying to move on.
Everyone heals in their own way.
Aurora herself didn't really know how to move on either.
She'd never even been in a relationship in her past life.
How could she give advice about relationships when she'd never even been in one herself?
Aurora knew what people were supposed to do, but that didn't mean she could do it too.
Not that it mattered right now.
It's not like she was planning to fall in love in this world either.
Across the room, Sora sat cutting paper into heart shapes, her hands moving on autopilot while her expression remained distant and unfocused.
"I'm just… worried about her," she murmured.
"If I'd known Rose was going to hurt her, I would've stopped it before it happened…"
Her voice faltered, her hands stilling.
She looked down, dejected.
Aurora glanced over and shook her head.
"That's not true. None of this is your fault. And it's not Hyacinth's fault either."
It was just that Rose Sallow was beautiful as hell. That's why Hyacinth kept chasing her—simple as that.
The female lead was beautiful, talented, and rich.
Who could really blame Hyacinth?
The room fell silent.
The only sounds were the soft snipping of scissors and Aurora moving around to fix the crooked decorations.
Sora slumped into a chair with a sigh.
"Rose was so unreliable—cold, distant, always giving mixed signals. How did Hyacinth not see that?"
Aurora nodded silently in agreement.
"The room was full of red flags, but Hyacinth always had rose colored glasses on whenever she was around her."
"Ughhh…"
Sora groaned into her hands.
Then she peeked up, her voice suddenly curious.
"What about you, Aura? What would you do if you were in Hyacinth's position?"
Aurora flinched slightly at the nickname.
She really wanted to strangle whoever came up with it.
Taking a slow breath.
"I don't know."
Sora squinted. "How do you not know?"
"I just… don't."
There was a pause.
Sora stared for a moment, then stood up with a handful of neatly cut, heart shaped papers.
Before handing them over, she looked Aurora up and down—far too intensely.
"Here. Finish hanging these up for the birthday setup."
Aurora caught the stare and gave her a side eye.
Auror: "?"
Sora raised an eyebrow, then gave a slow, knowing nod—like she'd just confirmed a long-standing theory.
"Makes sense. You totally look like someone who'd be single her whole life."
She shrugged casually, as if it was just a fact.
"I bet in your previous life, you were single all the way 'til death."
Aurora blinked. "…"
This kid… how the hell does she know?
A sharp knock echoed through the room they were in. Moments later, the door creaked open, revealing a shadowy figure standing just beyond the threshold.