I Should Have Never Sat In That Seat

chapter 1:THE SEAT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN EMPTY Emma Park woke up before her alarm went off. The room was still dark, but she didn’t need light to know what time it was. Her body already understood mornings better than her mind did. From the kitchen, she heard movement. Quiet, familiar. “Emma, breakfast is ready,” her mother called. Laura Park. Emma sat up slowly, staring at the wall for a moment before she moved. In the kitchen, Laura was already dressed in her nurse uniform, tying her hair back like every other morning. Her father, Michael Park, stood near the door, adjusting his tie in front of the mirror. “You’re getting quieter these days,” he said without turning around. “I’m fine,” Emma replied. Laura placed a plate on the table. “You need to stop skipping meals in your head.” Emma didn’t respond to that. Michael picked up his bag. “I’ll be late tonight. Don’t wait up.” The door closed. No pause. No hesitation. Just another morning that ended the same way. School was already loud when Emma arrived. Students filled the hallways in groups that made everything feel faster than it needed to be. She walked through them alone, like always. Class 2-3 was noisy, chaotic, alive. Emma stepped in and stopped for half a second. There was only one seat left. Third row. Near the window. She should have walked past it. She didn’t. She sat down. And that was the mistake she didn’t recognize yet. The boy beside her didn’t react at first. Daniel Kim. He just sat there, staring out the window like the classroom wasn’t real. Then, without looking at her fully, he spoke. “You shouldn’t sit there.” Emma blinked. “Why?” A pause. For the first time, he turned slightly. Not enough to face her completely—just enough for his eyes to meet hers. “That seat wasn’t supposed to be taken,” he said. Emma looked at the desk again. “It’s just a seat,” she replied. Silence followed. Not uncomfortable. Just… heavy. Then Daniel looked away again, like the conversation had already ended in his mind. But Emma stayed seated. And something about that decision felt like the beginning of something she didn’t understand yet.