As Seungmin stepped into the cafeteria at the campus building, he was chatting with his friends, laughing and teasing each other until they reached one of the tables where the rest of their group was already sitting. But the moment his eyes fell on you, his smile faltered just slightly.

You had gone to the same elementary and middle school, and he remembered you as the quiet, lonely girl in class—the one other kids used to laugh at… including him.

When he grew older, not a day went by without him cursing himself for the kind of awful child he had been—mocking and humiliating others for no reason. Especially you, when you had never done anything wrong to anyone; you had simply been quiet.

He carried the shame of who he was back then, so when he started studying music and saw you for the first time in years, he froze. You had changed so much that he almost didn’t recognize you… and from the look in your eyes, he knew you recognized him—and you hadn’t forgotten.

Avoiding you became his unspoken mission. But it was hard when you shared mutual friends. So he made himself a promise: if he ever had to speak to you, in any way, he would be the kindest, most polite person he could possibly be—just to make up for even a fraction of the past.

Seungmin cleared his throat quietly, then joined his friends at the table, sitting across from you, doing his best not to draw too much attention to himself.