The next day—

  Rain.

  Heavy, endless rain. The kind that blurs the world into gray and silence.

  Each drop struck the soaked ground with a soft, hollow pat... pat... pat...—as if the earth itself was mourning.

  I stood there, unmoving, in front of my father's grave. The cold water ran down my hair, down my cheeks.

  Maybe I was crying.

  Maybe I wasn't.

  It didn't matter. The rain washed everything away before I could even tell.

  I wasn't sobbing. I wasn't screaming.

  I just stood.

  No sound except the rain.

  No warmth except the faint trace of his memory.

  My face was empty—like the sky above me.

  But inside...Inside, something had broken.

  Guilt.

  That's all I felt.

  A hollow ache that wouldn't fade no matter how much I told myself it wasn't my fault.

  My dad was the best father anyone could have.

  And I—I was the worst son he could've asked for.

  Something was missing inside me.

  Something I couldn't name, couldn't grasp.

  So I did the only thing I could.

  I stood there.

  In the rain.

  Staring at his grave.

  For the whole day.

  ***

  By the time night came, I was home.

  The rain hadn't stopped. Its faint rhythm still echoed outside, tap... tap... tap... against the thin metal roof.

  I hadn't eaten anything the whole day.

  I didn't even feel hungry.

  But...Dad did everything he could to save me.

  That moment—The crash,

  the sound of the glass shattering,

  the way his arms wrapped around me even after his heartbeat was gone—it all kept replaying in my head.

  Again and again.

  So...how could I let that go to waste?

  If I didn't take care of myself...then what would be the point of his sacrifice?

  I stood up quietly.

  The house was silent, too silent.

  There wasn't anyone to make food for me anymore.

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  So I did it myself.

  The sound of the stove lighting up—click... fwoosh...The faint smell of rice and lentil soup filling the small kitchen.

  It wasn't much.

  But it was something.

  I sat down and began to eat.

  The food tasted plain... almost bitter.

  But I ate.

  And as I ate—tears started falling from my eyes,

  one after another,

  dropping quietly into the bowl below.

  ***

  The night passed quietly...and morning came.

  The sunlight slipped through the window and touched my face.

  I slowly opened my eyes.

  Then—

  Knock... knock...

  Someone was knocking at the door.

  Who could that be?I didn't have any relatives.

  No one ever came here.

  I got up slowly and walked to the door.

  The knocking continued—steady, impatient.

  Knock... knock...

  When I opened it, a man's voice greeted me.

  "Hello, sir. We're from Rivan Loan Service."

  A middle-aged man stood there in a black suit, holding a briefcase, smiling like a salesman.

  His smile didn't reach his eyes.

  "Yes? What can I do for you?" I asked quietly.

  He adjusted his tie. "Ah, you see... your father had an $8,000 debt to our company."

  He held up a document. "I also heard he passed away the day before yesterday. I'm... really sorry for your loss."

  The fake sympathy in his tone made my jaw tighten.

  I stared at him. "Are you kidding me?"

  "Huh?" His fake smile flickered.

  My hands clenched.

  That bastard—My dad already paid that debt two months ago.

  And now that he's gone, this man shows up again... to take what's already been paid.

  "My dad already cleared the debt," I said coldly.

  The man's expression hardened. "Then show me the evidence."

  "Huh?"

  "If your father paid," he said, voice turning sharp, "then where's the proof?"

  The morning wind fell silent for a moment.

  Only the sound of the dripping rain from the rooftop remained.

  Although anger burned inside me...I couldn't do anything.

  I was just a student.

  How could I go against a company like that on my own?

  The man kept smiling faintly, like he already knew what I was thinking.

  "I see..." he said softly. "So, you don't have any proof."

  His tone was calm—too calm.

  Then he closed his file and stepped back once.

  "Well then... see you in a week."

  He fixed his tie again, his fake politeness returning.

  "Please stop studying and start working," he continued with a grin.

  "If you can't pay the installment within a week—"

  His smile slowly vanished.

  The air around us turned colder.

  "You know what will happen, don't you?"

  The sound of rain dripping from the roof filled the silence between us.

  And for the first time that morning...I realized how quiet the world felt when you had no one left to protect you.

  ***

  After a few hours, I stood before the gates of Victoria College.

  The sky was cloudy. The wind felt heavy.

  I stepped inside.

  My head was lowered.

  Even though I was at college, my mind… was somewhere else

  I didn't care who passed by or what they were saying.

  I just walked.

  Each step echoed faintly against the hallway floor — thak... thak... thak...

  And eventually, I reached the classroom.

  As I slid open the door, voices filled the room immediately — whispers from every corner.

  "Huh?"

  "Who's that?"

  "Is it a transfer student?"

  "Wait— isn't he...?"

  "Yeah... he's Afraan."

  "Did he decide not to wear glasses anymore?"

  "Man... he looks good without them though."

  Their words barely reached me.

  I just kept walking.

  Then came that voice.

  A familiar one.

  "Hey, loser...""Where the hell were you?"

  Yeah.

  It was Rehaad.

  I didn't look at him.Didn't answer.

  Just kept walking, straight past them.

  For a second, the room went silent.

  "Huh?" Rehaad's voice sounded confused.

  The four boys beside him began whispering.

  "Hey... did he just ignore us?"

  And that was it.

  The confusion vanished from Rehaad's face — replaced by anger.

  Real, burning anger.

  The kind of anger that only comes when someone you thought was beneath you...finally stops looking up.

  I was about to sit down, but Rehaad stopped me.

  His hand gripped my shoulder tightly.

  "Hey..." his voice was cold. "I asked you something."

  I didn't answer.

  Didn't even look at him.

  "F*ck..." he hissed. "This bastard's really asking for it."

  THUD!

  His kick hit my side — hard.

  My body slammed against the wall in front of me, the crack echoing through the room.

  Then — thump — I hit the floor.

  "How dare you ignore me!" Rehaad shouted, his voice shaking with rage.

  I slowly lifted my head, brushing the dust off my sleeve.

  "Hey... stop it," I said quietly.

  My tone was calm — too calm.

  "What?" Rehaad frowned.

  "Just stop it for today.

  "I started standing, my voice low but steady.

  "I'm not in the mood to deal with you guys today."

  That only fueled his fury.

  "This lunatic—" he growled and charged toward me, fist raised.

  "How dare yo—"

  THUD!

  Before he could finish, my fist sank deep into his stomach.

  The air left his lungs in a strangled gasp.

  "Ghuk!"

  For a moment, time froze.

  I stood there — my right fist pressed against his gut — my face shadowed, eyes unreadable.

  Rehaad dropped to the floor with a dull thump.

  Silence filled the classroom.

  No one spoke.

  Even the sound of breathing felt too loud.

  I lifted my head slowly, meeting everyone's eyes.

  "I told you..." my voice was low but cold enough to chill the air.

  "I told you I don't have the mood to deal with you guys today."

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