During lunch,
Jungwon and Kwon made their way to the cafeteria, chatting casually as they grabbed their meals.
While eating, Jungwon suddenly felt the urge to use the restroom.
He stood up. "Watch over my food. I need to ease myself—I'll be right back."
After finishing in the restroom, he washed his hands. As he dried them and prepared to head out, he accidentally bumped into someone at the doorway.
Startled, Jungwon looked up, ready to apologize—
But the words stuck in his throat.
"How can a high schooler be this handsome?" he thought, eyes wide as he took in the figure before him.
The guy was tall, well-built, with sharp features and an effortlessly cool aura. He stood there, emotionless, waiting.
This was Sechan—a senior, heir to the CEO of Light Corp, rich, and intimidatingly good-looking.
"You're not going to say anything?" Sechan asked, his tone dry and unreadable.
Jungwon blinked and quickly snapped back to reality.
"I—I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!"
Sechan said nothing. He simply walked away without another glance.
Still flustered, Jungwon returned to the cafeteria.
As he walked in, he noticed a few guys gathered around Kwon, casually chatting. Jungwon took his seat and started eating again.
Kwon turned to him with a smile. "This is Jungwon. We're both freshmen," he said, gesturing to the group. "Meet the seniors."
Jungwon offered a polite smile. "Nice meeting you," he said, then quietly returned to his lunch.
When he was finished, he got up with his tray—only to bump into someone again.
It was Sechan.
This time, Sechan's expression darkened. "Watch it," he snapped, clearly annoyed, before storming off.
Jungwon stared after him, eyebrows raised, then scoffed as he muttered under his breath, mocking Sechan's tone:
"Watch it… I was even about to say sorry."
He rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself, brushing it off as he walked to return his tray.
It was a beautiful day.
Jungwon felt especially lighthearted and decided to explore the school grounds. The campus was still new to him, and today felt like the perfect day to wander.
With a cheerful spirit, he turned to his friend.
"I'll be idling around today. Join me?" he asked Kwon.
Kwon gave a slight shrug. "I'm meeting up with the seniors."
Jungwon pouted, disappointed. "Please, just this once. Let's go around together."
But Kwon shook his head. "I'll catch up with you later."
With no other choice, Jungwon set off to explore on his own.
Meanwhile, in another classroom…
Sechan was having a quiet conversation with his close friend, Tae—the eldest son of the CEO of Yosan Company. Like Sechan, Tae was tall, cold, and carried an intimidating aura that made people instinctively keep their distance.
As Jungwon wandered through the empty halls, he passed by a room where only two students were inside, deep in conversation.
He paused.
The sight of Sechan and Tae, with their sharp features and effortless charm, took his breath away. Jungwon couldn't take his eyes off them.
Tae, noticing the lingering stare, narrowed his eyes and called out,
"Hey. What are you looking at?"
Startled, Jungwon snapped back to reality but said nothing. He simply walked away, continuing his self-guided tour.
Sechan watched the freshman walk off, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Tae raised a brow and glanced between his friend and the vanishing boy.
"I feel sorry for that freshman," he said with a smirk.
Sechan didn't respond. He simply turned and walked away.
Back on campus…
Wandering alone was turning out to be more boring than Jungwon expected. He missed having someone to talk to.
Eventually, he gave up and headed to the cafeteria, where Kwon was already eating with a group of seniors. Jungwon joined them, and soon he was laughing and enjoying the moment.
Outside, Sechan and Tae were passing by when they noticed the scene.
Sechan's eyes locked onto Jungwon.
Tae followed his gaze. "Isn't that the freshman we saw earlier?"
Sechan smirked. "Hmm."
Tae tilted his head. "Who's the other guy?"
Sechan shrugged, uninterested.
Later that day…
Curious, Tae approached a student in the hallway.
"Hey. Do you know that guy?" he asked, pointing subtly toward Kwon.
The student glanced over. "Huh? Oh, yeah. That's Kwon."
Tae smiled, patting the student's shoulder. "Thanks."
The student, clearly intimidated, nodded and scurried off.
Tae entered the classroom where Kwon was busy working on some calculations. He walked right up and stood in front of his desk.
"Hey. Are you Kwon?"
Kwon looked up, confused. "Huh? Yes, I am."
Other seniors passing by slowed in shock. Tae—Tae—was talking to a freshman? And casually?
Tae and Sechan were known for being untouchable, even in their own classes. Seeing him interact with someone so freely was like witnessing a miracle.
Tae stared at Kwon's face. His bright, youthful expression and the warm brown of his eyes caught him off guard.
Beautiful… he thought briefly—then quickly pulled himself back together.
"Some girl asked me to give you this," he said, handing over a folded piece of paper.
Kwon took it and read aloud:
Hi Kwon,
I know this is sudden. I find you cute and carefree, and I'd like you to be my boyfriend.
Can you go out with me?
Hoping to hear from you.
Kisses.
Kwon frowned, puzzled. "Who is this…?"
Tae stood there silently, clearly amused by Kwon's reaction.
As he turned to leave, Kwon called out, "Wait—may I know your name?"
Tae paused. "Tae."
"Can you please return this and tell… whoever it is… that I'm not interested?" Kwon asked, scratching his neck shyly.
Tae took the note back.
Just as he turned, he couldn't help asking, "Why are you rejecting her? Are you taken?"
Kwon looked up, blinking. "No, I'm not taken. I'm just… not interested right now." He smiled politely.
Tae's eyes lingered a little longer on that shy smile.
So he's single, he thought, a spark of interest lighting in his eyes.
He smirked and walked off, leaving Kwon completely confused.