JIAH POV
My room smells like pencil shavings and shampoo.
Homework is spread out in front of me—math, English, something I don't remember assigning myself—but I'm not really doing it. I'm tapping my pen against the desk, foot bouncing, humming under my breath without realizing it. Some random song stuck in my head. Off-key. Loud enough that even I notice.
I giggle.
At nothing.
Okay—at him.
God. Get it together.
I try to reread the same sentence for the fourth time and fail again because my brain keeps replaying today like it's a fan edit. The smile. The hair thing. The way my heart nearly escaped my body. I press my lips together to stop another stupid grin.
"Jiah?"
I freeze.
Yes. That's my mother's voice. In my house. Which means—oh god—both my parents are home today.
"Yes?" I call, too high. Too fast.
My door opens. Mom steps in, still in her work clothes, eyes immediately narrowing in that doctor-mom way that sees through organs and lies.
She tilts her head. "Did something happen today?"
My heart jumps. "No?"
She walks closer. Squints. Then gently cups my cheek, thumb brushing my skin. "You look… happy. Glowing."
Glowing??
I almost choke. My hand flies up to my face. Is it really that obvious? Am I walking around like a lovesick idiot with a neon sign?
"It's nothing," I say quickly. "School was just… fine."
She hums, unconvinced, but doesn't push. Just smiles softly and leaves with a "Don't stay up too late."
The door clicks shut.
I exhale. Hard.
Okay. Calm down.
I sit back down, force my eyes onto my homework, pen moving slower now. Breathing steadier. Heart still stupidly warm.
Nothing happened.
I repeat it until the words almost feel real.
________________
ENHYEOK POV
I get off the bus two stops early.
I don't know why.
I do that sometimes. Walk the rest. Clear my head. Pretend I'm not thinking about anything when I very clearly am.
The morning air's cold enough to bite. My hands are in my pockets. Earphones in, but nothing playing.
And then I see her.
Seo Jiah is walking ahead of me.
Fast.
Too fast.
Like she's late for something important even though school's still five minutes away. Backpack bouncing, steps uneven, hair swaying like she forgot gravity exists.
Lovesick idiot.
I don't speed up. I don't slow down. I just… watch.
She keeps checking her phone. Not texting. Just unlocking it, locking it, unlocking it again. Like she's expecting a message to materialize out of thin air.
Today's math test results, my brain supplies, uninvited.
Great.
I already know how this ends. Either she barely passes and acts like she won a Nobel Prize, or she fails and pretends she doesn't care while absolutely caring.
I sigh through my nose.
I don't have the patience to tutor that loser in both love and math.
One is already exhausting. Two would be hell.
She reaches the school gate first. Slows down. Then stops.
I stop too. A few steps behind. Not obvious. Not close.
Her head tilts.
I follow her line of sight.
Baek Jiho.
Standing by the field. Jacket on. Hands in his pockets. Looking stupidly calm like he didn't cause a public mental breakdown yesterday.
Of course he's here.
Jiah freezes.
Actually freezes.
Her whole body goes still for half a second, like someone hit pause.
Then she smiles.
Soft. Dumb. Unprotected.
I scoff before I can stop myself.
Unreal.
She doesn't even go to him. She just… looks. Like that's enough. Like seeing him existing in the same space feeds whatever the hell this is.
Is she really in love with him?
Or is it just a crush that got out of control because he finally gave her attention?
I don't know which one's worse.
She starts walking again.
And then—
she fucking skips.
One little hop. Then another. Not full jumps, just these light, ridiculous steps like she's in a music video only she can hear.
I stare.
What is she. A kindergarten kid?
How does a person do that and still function in society?
Her shoulders are relaxed now. Her steps are loose. She hums under her breath, off-key. I can't hear the song but I know it's something annoying.
So this is what he does to her.
Shows up once, smiles, touches her hair—
—and suddenly she's floating.
I click my tongue.
Pathetic.
But also.
Annoyingly… kind of funny.
I almost call her name.
Not loud. Just enough to startle her. Just enough to wipe that look off her face and replace it with that defensive glare she gives when she's embarrassed.
It'd be easy.
Too easy.
My mouth opens—
"Yu Enhyeok."
I stop.
Turn.
Park Areum.
_________________________
JIAH POV
I slide into the classroom still riding that weird leftover buzz in my chest, like my morning coffee hit late and wrong.
Bora and Haerin are already there, sitting way too close together, whispering like middle-schoolers plotting crimes. The second they see me, their faces light up in that synchronized way that never means peace.
"Ohhh," Bora sings softly, eyes scanning me head to toe. "Here comes Jiho's girlfriend. Seo Jiah in the flesh."
Haerin gasps dramatically. "Our celebrity."
I snort and drop my bag on the desk. "Don't tease me, bitches."
They laugh, satisfied. Mission accomplished.
I sit between them, chair scraping loudly because I don't care enough to be quiet. My leg starts bouncing the second I sit down. I pretend it's the chair. It's not.
Bora leans in, chin on her palm. "So," she whispers, eyes glittering, "do you think he'll confess soon?"
My heart does a stupid little flip before my brain slaps it back down.
Haerin shakes her head immediately. "Don't jump too ahead, okay. We can wait."
I nod, relieved she said it first. "Yeah. She's right. Waiting is good. Waiting builds character."
Bora opens her mouth to argue—
The door slides open.
The air shifts. It always does. Like someone turned the volume down without asking.
Yu Enhyeok walks in.
Conversation dies instantly. Not just ours. The room's. Chairs stop squeaking. Someone coughs awkwardly. He moves to his seat by the window like gravity personally favors him, drops his bag, sits. Earphones in. Done.
Bora leans closer, whispering again. "Do you think you'll pass the test?"
I laugh under my breath. "No. No way. I'm failing for sure. And I hate being tutored by him."
Haerin tilts her head. "But… he's hot."
"Hot my ass," I whisper back immediately. "He's a walking fridge. Zero emotions. Dude wouldn't even care if he won a national math competition. I swear he's so egoistic and arrogant."
Bora blinks. "Arrogant? Egoistic? Why do you think like that? He seems so nice to Areum."
Haerin nods. "Of course he is. She's his girlfriend."
I scoff. "Not gonna lie, they look like a drama bully rich couple."
Bora smirks. "Okay, yeah. I give him that."
Haerin sighs dreamily, eyes drifting to the window seat. "I haven't seen him talk to any other girls besides Areum. Maybe she doesn't like him talking to everyone. Bro, look at him. He's so hot. If I were his girlfriend, I'd put him in a box and throw the key away so no one else could see him."
Bora and I turn to her slowly.
"…Are you serious?" I whisper.
"Psychopath," Bora adds.
Haerin shrugs. "I'm just saying."
Bora presses her lips together. "Yeah, he's hot. But sometimes when he looks at me after I ask something, I feel like I committed a crime."
Haerin whispers back, thoughtful. "He has double eyelid."
I roll my eyes. "My Jiho also has double eyelid."
Bora snorts. "Why are you mentioning charcoal when we're talking about a literal diamond?"
I frown. "Diamond? Who. Enhyeok?"
Haerin glances toward the window seat again, then back at me, lowering her voice even more. "Do you think he's hearing us?"
I follow her gaze, see the earphones, the stillness, the complete lack of interest.
"No way," I whisper confidently. "He puts those in like oxygen. Dude never sits without them. He's never gonna hear us."
_________________
ENHYEOK POV
I can hear you, ladies.
I don't turn my head.
I don't lift my eyes.
I don't react.
My gut won't let me.
It's early. Too early for this kind of nonsense. The sun isn't even fully up and they're already whispering like this is some after-school gossip club. Talking about me. In the morning. About my face. My "vibe." My girlfriend. My nonexistent personality.
Absurd.
Do they not have anything better to say?
I stare at the window like it's the most interesting thing in the world. Dust floating. Light hitting the glass wrong. Anything except them. Earphones still in. No music. Just silence and their voices bleeding through anyway.
Then the bell rings.
Sharp. Final.
Everyone moves at once. Chairs scrape. Bags thud. The room resets like nothing happened.
She sits beside me.
Seo Jiah.
Her chair bumps the desk slightly. Not graceful. Never is. And then—
her scent hits.
Clean. Warm. Not perfume-heavy. Something soft. Something stupidly distracting.
Fuck.
What is she wearing?
I don't look. I don't need to. It's already there, in the space between us. Too close. Too familiar for someone I don't even talk to.
Ms. Park walks in, claps her hands once. "Alright. Quiet. Today I'm announcing the math test results."
The class collectively dies.
Groans. Complaints. Fake prayers.
I lean back, one arm resting on the desk, gaze drifting forward. This part is boring. Predictable.
I glance sideways.
Jiah already looks done. Head tilted back slightly. Eyes unfocused. Like she's already accepted defeat. She's tapping her pencil against the desk too fast, leg bouncing like it's trying to escape.
She knows.
Ms. Park starts calling names.
Scores pass. High. Low. Average. Reactions follow accordingly.
"Yu Enhyeok."
I don't move.
"Top score."
Cheers erupt. Someone whistles. Someone else slaps my shoulder like we're friends. I don't look at any of them. I don't smile. I don't say thanks.
It's math. Not a miracle.
Ms. Park keeps going.
I wait.
Not for myself. That part's over.
For her.
Because if she fails, this becomes my problem.
"Seo Jiah."
She practically jumps out of her seat.
Too fast. Too obvious.
Her face goes pale. Not dramatic pale. Real pale. Like she might actually pass out. She grips the edge of her desk, nods stiffly, walks up like she's heading to her execution.
I watch.
I shouldn't. But I do.
She looks ridiculous. Overthinking every step. Holding her breath like that'll change numbers on paper.
It's just a math result.
I almost laugh.
Ms. Park adjusts her glasses.
"PASS "
The smirk on my lips gone instantly.