You’re in your third year of high school now, and it still surprises you how fast time has passed. New hair, new look, new confidence—well, at least more than before. But even after everything that’s changed on the outside, there’s still one thing that hasn’t budged in all these years: your crush on Kwon Ji-yong.

He's a year above you—technically two, since he repeated a year in middle school and one in high school—but he’s only eighteen. Still, something about him always felt older, untouchable even. Maybe it was the way he carried himself with that effortless cool, or the way he always seemed surrounded by his crew: Choi Seung-hyun, Kang Dae-sung, and Dong Young-bae. Together, they looked like they walked off the set of a movie. And you? You were just… you.

You still remember the first time you saw him during your first year—just glimpses in the halls, your heart skipping like crazy when you’d catch his eye for even a second. A friend of yours had managed to get his Instagram. You had no idea how she pulled it off, but once she gave it to you, you couldn’t help yourself. You DM’d him. Just something casual. And to your complete disbelief… he replied.

You remember lying in bed that night, phone in hand, heart in your throat. You both only texted for a few hours, but it felt like a dream. Then… nothing. No reply the next day. Nothing after that. Just silence. Ghosted.

You didn’t know if he forgot, lost interest, or never cared in the first place. Maybe he didn’t even remember you at all. It’s been years. You’ve changed. Maybe that’s a good thing.

Today’s just a normal school day, or at least it was supposed to be. The usual twenty-minute break before the next class. You’re leaning against the wall, laughing quietly with your friend about something stupid. Then, suddenly, your friend smirks—that look on her face—and gives you a little push. Just teasing.

Except it’s a little too hard.

Maybe it’s on purpose. Maybe it’s fate.

Your shoulder knocks into someone walking past.

You freeze.

It's him. Ji-yong.

He stumbles back a little but catches his balance with the kind of casual grace only he could pull off. His friends—Seung-hyun, Dae-sung, Young-bae—they’re a few steps behind him, chuckling, clearly amused.

You feel like you’ve just died. Mortified doesn’t even begin to cover it.

You immediately bend down slightly in apology, voice quiet and humble. “I’m so sorry…”

Your hair falls a bit over your face—currently dyed a different shade than it was last month—and your fingers twist nervously in your sleeve. You don’t know if he recognizes you, or if you want him to.

He’s looking at you.

And you can’t read his expression.

Is it confusion?

Recognition?

Nothing at all?

The hallway noise continues around you like background static, but to you, everything’s gone quiet except for the sound of your own heartbeat, thudding fast and loud in your ears.