The first class had just ended.
Seo-yeon and I ran to the bathroom together. She looked at me with wide eyes, panic written all over her face.
"What happened?! What's with that new student sitting next to you?!"
I took a breath and whispered, "That's the guy I told you about…"
Seo-yeon's jaw dropped. "The tall, handsome student sitting next to you?! No way!"
"Yes," I sighed. "What a coincidence."
She laughed softly. "He looks kind of scary… but if you say he's nice, I'll believe you."
We both giggled, trying to calm down, then headed back to class.
A few weeks later, Seo-yeon introduced me to someone from grade 2–6.
He was cute, funny, and charming in his own way.
His name was Ji-sung.
We started going out together, and soon, we were inseparable.
Tonight would be our tenth date.
That evening, I dressed up a little , a soft pink sweater, my favorite perfume, and light makeup.
When I went outside, he was already waiting for me with a shy smile.
"How cute he is…" I thought.
We went to a fancy restaurant, the kind I'd only seen in dramas.
We talked and laughed. Then, out of nowhere, he said,
"I know it's early… but will you go out with me?"
I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Yes," I told him, smiling. "I'll go out with you."
At the end of the date, he walked me home. We kissed goodnight, and my heart raced so fast I couldn't fall asleep that night.
Of course, I told Seo-yeon everything — and she screamed with excitement for me.
The next day.
It was another normal morning at school.
Everyone already knew about my relationship with Ji-sung.
We spent the day together, walking down the hallways like any other couple.
That Wednesday, I had to stay late for a lab project.
While walking back through the quiet corridor, I suddenly saw Joon-ho standing there
frozen, his eyes wide in shock, as if he'd just seen something terrible.
I approached him, confused. "Joon-ho, what's wrong?"
He looked at me, panicked. "Don't come closer!"
But I did.
And then I saw it.
Ji-sung.
With Yu-na
Seo-yeon's enemy.
Together.
Laughing.
And then… kissing.
My heart stopped.
My mind went blank.
Before I could even move, Joon-ho quickly turned to me and covered my eyes
but it was too late. I had already seen everything.
Seo-yeon's voice echoed from down the hallway, "What's going on?!"
But I didn't answer.
I ran.
I ran until my legs gave up, until I couldn't breathe.
Joon-ho caught up and found me behind the bushes, crying so hard that my chest hurt.
He sat beside me silently for a moment, then gently pulled me into his arms.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
His hug was warm
steady, like a bear's embrace that made the world quiet again.
Later, we went to the library to finish our music assignment.
But I couldn't concentrate. My mind was somewhere else.
After a while, Joon-ho got up and left without a word.
"Where are you going?" I asked, my voice weak.
He didn't answer.
Five minutes later, he came back — with a bunch of chocolates and banana milk.
My favorite.
He placed them on the table quietly.
I smiled faintly. "Thank you."
We worked together in silence until it was time to go home.
When I got back, I called Seo-yeon and told her everything.
She was furious, ready to punch Ji-sung's head off.
I begged her not to
I didn't want the whole school to know.
She agreed… but promised she'd never talk to him again.
The next day.
Break time.
I sat quietly in class, trying to pretend nothing happened.
Then, the door opened.
Ji-sung walked in.
He looked around until his eyes landed on me.
"Ha-rin," he said, stepping closer. "Why have you been ignoring me all day? Did I do something?"
I said nothing. I just kept looking at my notebook.
He moved closer.
But before he could reach me
Joon-ho grabbed his wrist.
"Don't," he said, his tone sharp but calm
Ji-sung's eyes widened. "Let go. This is between us."
"No," Joon-ho replied coldly. "She doesn't want to talk to you. Leave her alone."
The whole class went silent.
I stood up quietly, brushed past them both, and walked out of the room without looking back.
Behind me, I heard Ji-sung calling my name
and Joon-ho's voice, low but firm:
"She doesn't need you anymore you cheater ."
For the first time, someone stood up for me.
And somehow… that meant everything.
A few days later.
After school, I went to the big bookstore downtown.
By the time I finished, it was already past 10 PM.
The air was cold, and the streets were almost empty.
I decided to walk home it was only 15 minutes away.
But I took a wrong turn and ended up in one of the rougher parts of the city.
A group of boys appeared from the corner, laughing loudly.
They started talking to me, blocking my way.
One of them got too close.
"Hey, pretty girl, where are you going alone?"
I froze. My bag felt heavier with every step I tried to take.
When I tried to walk past, one of them grabbed my wrist.
And then —
a voice behind him said,
"Go back."
A tall boy with blond hair and sharp, cold eyes stepped out of the shadows.
He looked devilish and beautiful at the same time.
Before I could even react, he started fighting them
fast, brutal, efficient.
Within minutes, they were all on the ground.
He turned to me. "You okay?"
I nodded shakily. "Y-yeah… thank you."
He looked away, brushing his bleeding knuckles.
"I'm Min-jae," he said simply.
We talked for a while, and I realized he went to my school.
When I noticed his hands, I told him they needed to be bandaged. He refused.
So I dragged him to the nearby convenience store.
I bought some ice and a bandage, wrapping his hand myself while he told me about his life
his mother, his struggles, his dream to help her.
But then he said something that froze my heart:he worked for a gang.
I told him about my brother
about what happened to him.
I begged him to be careful.
He just smiled faintly.
"It's fine. You saw how I handled them earlier."
I couldn't help but laugh softly. "I trust you."
He offered to walk me home, and I didn't refuse.
The streets were quiet.
When we reached my house, I thanked him and we exchanged phone numbers.
As he turned to leave, I looked at him under the streetlight
and for some reason, I knew this wouldn't be the last time we'd meet.
To be continued