After classes had ended and the closing bell echoed through the halls, Linda, Alex, and Sophia decided to hang out together. The week had been long, and they were all eager to unwind.
As they strolled through the school courtyard, Sophia suddenly lit up with an idea.
"Hey," she said, turning to the others, "why don't we invite the new boy—Jae-min—to hang out with us?. "
Without waiting for their response, Sophia dashed off toward Jae-min, who was quietly packing his bag at the edge of the schoolyard.
"Hey, Jae-min!" she called out with a bright smile.
Jae-min looked up, a little startled. "Hi, Sophia."
"My friends and I are heading to this cool spot to eat. There's a nice restaurant nearby, and their food is amazing!"" she said enthusiastically. "You should totally come with us. I promise, the food there is really good."
Jae-min hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Before he could answer, Alex ran over and joined them. "Don't say no," he said with a playful pout. "It'd be rude to turn us down—please?" he added with a cute, pleading tone.
Jae-min glanced away shyly, but then nodded. "Okay… sure."
So the four of them headed out together. The restaurant was cozy and full of warmth. They ordered a variety of dishes, chatting and laughing as they ate. Jae-min tasted the spicy tofu stew and raised his eyebrows in pleasant surprise.
"This is the first time I've tried Korean dishes like this," he admitted.
Linda looked at him, puzzled. "Really? I thought you were Korean."
Jae-min paused for a moment, then answered, "Well… I am. But my mother is Chinese, and I actually grew up in China."
"Ohhh," Sophia said with a playful grin. "That explains why you're so handsome."
The group burst into laughter, but Jae-min just smiled modestly, clearly not used to such attention.
After their meal, the group stepped out into the soft glow of the evening.
"Will you hang out with us more often?" Linda asked as they walked toward the crossroads.
Jae-min hesitated again, then said gently, "I'm not really used to being around people a lot. I prefer to be alone most of the time."
The others exchanged understanding glances. "That's okay," Alex said. "We get it."
"Anytime you feel like joining, though," Sophia added, "just know you're welcome."
Jae-min nodded, appreciative of their kindness.
With that, they all went their separate ways, the bond between them just beginning to take shape.
When Jae-min arrived at his apartment, he quietly shut the door behind him and let out a breath. The space was clean and minimal, a reflection of his precise personality. Cool lighting bathed the living area where a sleek black couch faced a low table. A few books were stacked neatly on a shelf, and the apartment carried a faint scent of fresh linen.
Without wasting time, he walked into the bathroom still wearing his white singlet and joggers. The shower hissed to life, steam quickly fogging up the mirror. Jae-min stepped under the water, letting it soak through his singlet and run down his body. He stood there in silence, unmoving, as if trying to clear more than just the day off his skin.
After a moment, he wiped a corner of the mirror and stared at his reflection. His eyes were focused, cold—sharp enough to cut through fog.
From the glass stand beside the sink, he reached for a small silver case. He opened it, took out a pack of pills, slipped one into his mouth, and swallowed it without hesitation. His breathing grew heavy for a moment, chest rising and falling faster—then slowly steadied as he gripped the sink.
Dressed in a fresh black T-shirt, he stepped into his bedroom just as his phone began to ring. He picked it up.
"I said watch her, not hang out with her," a deep voice said on the other end.
Jae-min's lips curled into a smirk. "Do you think I can watch her without getting close?" he replied sharply. "She's surprisingly easy to reach."
There was a pause. Then the voice, now more intense, warned, "Don't fail this mission. It's important to the master."
"I won't fail," Jae-min answered coolly and ended the call.
He tossed the phone onto his bed, walked to his desk, and flipped open his laptop. His fingers flew across the keyboard, typing quickly and precisely. Whatever he was doing, it was second nature. After a few minutes, he closed the laptop, expression unreadable.
Then, without another word, he lay down on the bed. The quiet hum of the city filled the room. Slowly, the night swallowed him, but his mind remained alert—calm on the outside, calculating within.
The morning sunlight spilled lazily through the blinds of Jae-min's apartment, painting faint stripes across the clean white walls. A cool breeze drifted through the slightly open window, carrying in the sounds of early traffic and distant horns.
Jae-min sat up slowly in bed, running a hand through his tousled hair. His brows creased for a second, still caught between the tail-end of sleep and the start of reality. After a short yawn, he dragged himself up and made his way to the kitchen.
The apartment still held a bit of warmth from the night before—silent, orderly, but not lifeless. A faint aroma of citrus-scented cleaner lingered in the air. He turned on the coffee machine, grabbed a pan, and began preparing breakfast with the tired precision of someone who didn't particularly enjoy mornings but refused to leave them messy.
He had eggs, toast and a few slices of tomato. He sat at the table with his phone by his elbow, and ate slowly while checking a news feed he barely cared about. He didn't scroll far before setting the phone down again. His attention didn't linger long on any one thing.
After breakfast, he cleaned up, brushed his teeth, and took a quick shower—still in his singlet and long baggy pants, like always.
Back in the living room, he dropped onto a mat for a light workout like Sit-ups, Push-ups, nothing really intense. Just enough to get the blood moving. He wasn't trying to impress anyone—just maintain control. His expression shifted in and out of focus, sometimes blank, sometimes a little annoyed as if his own body wasn't moving fast enough.
Then his phone rang.
He froze mid-stretch, looked toward the sound, and frowned slightly. It was Unknown number.
He wiped his hands on a towel, walked over, and picked it up.
"Yeah?" he answered flatly.
"Hey, Jae-min!" came a high, excited voice.
He blinked. "...Who's this?"
"It's Sophia!"
He stared at the phone like it had personally offended him. "Sophia? You mean Sophia from school?"
"Yep, that's me!" she said cheerfully.
He let out a quiet scoff, shaking his head. "How did you even get my number?"
There was a guilty pause, then she admitted, "Okay, don't get mad—I kind of… looked through the school register. I stalked you. Just a little."
Jae-min tilted his head, his tone laced Tony's with dry sarcasm. "You're nosy. You know that, right?"
Sophia just laughed. "I know. But I was just wondering if you were coming to school. It's already starting, and you're not here."
He walked to the window, pulling the curtain aside and staring down at the street. "I'm not coming to school today," he said simply. Then, without waiting for a reply, he ended the call.
Back in her room, Sophia blinked at her phone, stunned. "What an unserious boy," she muttered, dropping the phone beside her. "Second day of school and he's already skipping."
Meanwhile, Jae-min tossed his phone onto the couch, ran a hand through his hair, and muttered under his breath, "Why is everyone in this town so energetic in the morning?"
He finished his water, grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair, and slipped it on. No books. No bag. Just keys and a phone.
Then he stepped out, locking the door behind him. The hallway was quiet, and his footsteps echoed softly as he made his way into the waiting day—unbothered, unreadable, but definitely not plain.