Chapter 40: Steps That Drift Away

“Dara, wait!” I shouted from a distance, calling out to Dara who had already stepped out of the classroom.

Dara turned around. Her gaze met mine, and from her eyes I knew she was startled. But only for a few seconds. After that, she immediately turned away and quickened her pace.

I was forced to chase after her with difficulty because the corridor was crowded with students passing by in front of me.

Dara kept walking without stopping. She did not look back at all, and now she even started running, as if she truly wanted to avoid me. She entered the elevator and pressed the button repeatedly. I saw the elevator doors almost close. Panic spread through my entire body.

“Dara, wait. Don’t—”

Too late.

Damn.

The elevator doors had already closed tightly.

I stared at the small screen above the elevator door, the red arrow there pointing downward. Without thinking, I ran toward the emergency stairs and rushed down the steps at full speed. I ran like someone being chased by a dog. Several times my body almost crashed into other students coming from the opposite direction. Annoyed shouts rang out behind me, but I did not care. I kept running with all my strength.

Not long after, I finally arrived on the first floor. My breath came in ragged gasps. My body felt unbelievably exhausted. I looked around in every direction, searching for Dara, while one of my hands still gripped the stair railing to keep my balance.

“Where did that girl go,” I muttered as I wiped the sweat from my temple.

My gaze returned to the elevator screen. The small arrow there was now pointing upward. I let out a long breath, filled with exhaustion and defeat.

I gave up.

Dara was clearly avoiding me on purpose. Tomi was right, Dara really did not want to be disturbed.

I stood in the lobby for quite a while, letting the flow of students pass around me. The sound of footsteps, laughter, and light conversation drifted faintly, as if coming from another world. My focus was still left behind on a single name that kept circling in my head.

Dara.

My hand clenched unconsciously. The words I had wanted to say to her now felt useless. Every explanation, every good intention, seemed to no longer have a place.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Her name was clearly displayed on the contact list. My thumb hovered over the screen, hesitating to press it. A few seconds passed, then I let out a breath and locked the phone again.

Not now.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket. There was a feeling of defeat that was hard to explain, not because I was rejected, but because I was not given a chance to speak.

For the first time, I truly realized the distance that had formed between us, a distance that could not be closed simply by running.

If Dara chose to pull away, perhaps there was a strong reason I did not know.

And for now, the only thing I could do was let her go.

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