From the mont Yohan stepped out of the car, every pair of eyes seed to latch onto him.
It wasn’t as if he was dressed in anything flashy, yet the girls outside just couldn’t stop staring. A few of them even flushed red—even while standing beside their own boyfriends.
Yohan had gotten used to attention like this. Anthony, on the other hand, was practically buzzing.
"Bro, did you see how they were looking at us?!" he whispered excitedly.
"It’s like we were so kind of movie stars,"
Yohan glanced at his friend with a slight smirk. "They weren’t looking at us, Anthony. They were looking at ."
Anthony’s enthusiasm dimd for half a second before he laughed it off. "Yeah, yeah, whatever man. I’m standing next to you—so of that shine’s gotta rub off, right?"
They walked up the stone pathway toward the house, music already thumping through the walls. The place was massive—one of those off-campus houses that college kids rented in groups, with a lawn already littered with red cups and a few people smoking on the front porch.
String lights crisscrossed the backyard, visible through the side gate, and the muffled sound of laughter and shouting spilled out into the night air.
Inside, the house was packed. Bodies everywhere—dancing, drinking, leaning against walls in tight clusters. The air was thick with cheap cologne, perfu, and the faint haze of vape clouds. So remix blared from speakers set up in the living room, bass heavy enough to rattle the windows.
"Yo! Anthony!"
A familiar voice cut through the noise. Pushing through the crowd was Marcus Chen, red cup in hand, sa loud personality he’d had since ninth grade.
"My boy!" Marcus dapped Anthony up, then turned to Yohan. His eyes widened slightly, scanning him up and down.
"Wait... wait, hold up. Yohan?!"
"Yeah," Yohan said simply.
"Bro, what the—" Marcus looked between him and Anthony, then back again. "Dude, you look nothing like high school. I literally wouldn’t have recognized you if Anthony wasn’t standing right there."
Anthony grinned. "I know right."
"Man, what happened? You hit the gym like every day or sothing?" Marcus was still staring, half amazed, half confused.
Before Yohan could answer, a girl’s voice shrieked from across the room.
"Oh my GOD, is that Yohan?!"
Both Yohan and Anthony turned to see Jessica Park practically shoving her way through the crowd, her friend Kayla trailing behind her. Jessica’s jaw was on the floor.
"Holy shit," she breathed, stopping a few feet away like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. "You... you look so different. Like, completely different."
Kayla leaned in, squinting. "Wait, that’s actually Yohan? From Mrs. Patterson’s English class?"
"The one who barely talked and always followed Freddie around?" Jessica added, still gawking.
Yohan took a sip from the beer Marcus had shoved into his hand. "Yeah. That’s ."
"This is insane," Jessica muttered, exchanging a look with Kayla that Yohan had seen a hundred tis tonight already.
Anthony was eating this up. "See? I told you this party was gonna be good."
"Hey, the Ant man is here," Hazard suddenly flung his hand over Anthony’s shoulder.
Freddie and Jasper also showed up at the sa ti.
"Yohan?" Freddie raised a brow, "what are you doing here?"
"I just ca to have a look around," Yohan replied casually.
"That’s great," Hazard said, sounding a bit playful, "That ans the full crew is back together, isn’t that right Anthony?"
Anthony was scared stiff, too afraid to even make a move.
Yohan couldn’t bla him because he knew just how much Hazard had traumatized him.
Back in high school he had turned Anthony into his personal punching bag. Although Yohan was also a victim, what he experienced was nothing compared to Anthony.
Yohan felt Anthony tense beside him. The easy confidence his friend had been radiating just seconds ago evaporated completely. His shoulders hunched slightly, his eyes dropped to the floor—it was like watching soone physically shrink.
Hazard’s grip on Anthony’s shoulder tightened just enough to look friendly to anyone watching, but Yohan saw Anthony wince.
"Man, I haven’t seen you since graduation," Hazard continued, his tone dripping with false nostalgia. "You still doing that weird laugh? What was it—" He made an exaggerated nasally sound that made Freddie and Jasper snicker.
Jessica and Kayla had gone quiet, suddenly very interested in their drinks. Marcus looked uncomfortable but didn’t say anything. Nobody ever did.
"Leave him alone, Hazard," Yohan said, his voice calm but firm.
The words hung in the air for a mont.
Hazard’s eyes slid over to Yohan, really looking at him for the first ti. His smirk faltered just slightly, confusion flickering across his face as he took in the changes. The height, the build, the way Yohan was standing.
"Yohan, you look so different from before,"
Hazard’s playful expression hardened into sothing else—sothing that looked almost like irritation. He didn’t like being caught off guard.
"Yeah, well, a new look doesn’t change who you are, right?" He forced a laugh. "Still the sa quiet nobody that followed us around everywhere."
Yohan t his gaze without flinching. "And you’re still the sa asshole. Guess we both stayed consistent."
The room seed to hold its breath.
Freddie’s eyes widened. Jasper actually took a step back. Even Marcus looked shocked.
Hazard’s jaw tightened, his smile completely gone now. "What did you just say?"
"Don’t you think you are too old to be playing the bully?" Yohan rolled his eyes.
The dismissive gesture hit harder than any insult could have. Hazard’s face flushed red, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.
"You think you’re tough now because you hit the gym a few tis?" Hazard stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "You’re still the sa scared little—"
"I’m not scared of you," Yohan cut him off, his voice steady and cold. "I never really was. I just didn’t think you were worth the trouble back then."
The crowd around them had grown. More people were watching now, phones forgotten despite the no-recording rule, all eyes locked on the confrontation.
Freddie put a hand on Hazard’s chest. "Yo, man, chill. It’s a party."
But Hazard shoved his hand away, eyes still locked on Yohan. "And what, you think you’re worth sothing now? You think because so girls looked at you when you walked in that you’re suddenly—"
"I think," Yohan interrupted again, his tone almost bored, "that you’re embarrassing yourself. We graduated high school two years ago. This whole act is pathetic."
Jasper actually laughed—nervous and quiet, but it was there. Hazard’s head snapped toward him, and Jasper imdiately went silent.
Anthony finally found his voice, though it ca out shaky. "Let’s just... let’s just go sowhere else, Yohan."
But Yohan didn’t move. He kept his eyes on Hazard, waiting.
Hazard’s chest was heaving now, his pride clearly wounded in front of everyone. "You want to do this? Right here?"
"Do what?" Yohan asked, genuinely curious. "Fight because I called you out? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Grow up."
Marcus stepped between them, hands raised. "Alright, alright, both of you need to chill. Hazard, co on man, let it go. It’s my party, don’t make kick people out."
"There she is," Freddie spotted soone in the crowd, "Co on, let’s go,"
Hazard stood there for another long mont, his jaw working like he was chewing on all the things he wanted to say. Finally, he pointed at Yohan. "This isn’t over."
Then he and Jasper followed after Freddie.
Yohan used his eyes to follow their movents until he also spotted the girl Freddie was chasing after, it was the girl he suspected to be Hatoru’s granddaughter.
The tension broke. People started talking again, the music seed louder sohow, and Anthony let out a breath he’d probably been holding since Hazard first appeared.
"Holy shit," Anthony whispered. "I can’t believe you just did that."
Jessica appeared beside them, eyes wide. "That was insane. Nobody talks to Hazard like that."
Yohan just shrugged and took another sip of his beer. "Maybe they should."
His eyes were focused on the girl until she finally stepped out of the building.
"Excuse for a mont, I’ll be right back" Yohan said as he chased after them.
"Babe, please listen to ," Freddie begged as he continued to follow her.
"Leave alone!" She scread at him, hastening her pace.
"Just talk to , I already told you that what he said wasn’t true. There’s nothing going on between and Cassie,"
She stopped walking for a mont, "Freddie Micheal, let tell you for the last ti, there is nothing between us anymore. I shouldn’t have ever agreed to date you in the first place. Now stay the hell away from , if not I’ll report you to the police,"
Her final threat was enough to make him stop following her.
He stood there unable to utter another word.
’I’m almost feeling bad for the guy’ Yohan thought, peeping from a corner. ’From the look on his face, it seems like he actually likes the girl’
"Well, that’s none of my business. I just have to confirm if she’s actually Izumi,"
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