Yeon Si-eun pushed open the classroom door earlier than most would even think of arriving — a habit born less from enthusiasm and more from efficiency. The room was dim, curtains drawn tight, the air faintly stale from being shut all night. Only one other person was inside.

Ahn Su-ho.

He was sprawled across three desks near the back, a thin duvet draped lazily over him, his arm tucked under his head with his pillow. His breathing was slow, heavy, the kind of sleep that came from someone who didn’t care what time it was — or who saw him.

Si-eun’s gaze lingered just long enough to take in the scene before moving on. He crossed the room, flicking on the lights. Su-ho stirred at the sudden brightness, his eyes half-opening just in time to watch Si-eun tug the curtains open and crack the windows, letting in a thin stream of pale morning light.

Without a word, Si-eun sat at his desk, opened his book, and began to read, his pen scratching quietly against the paper. Behind him, Su-ho gave a faint, almost inaudible exhale and turned his face away from the light, sinking back into sleep.

The silence stretched — until footsteps echoed in the hallway.

You stepped through the door. The only girl in the entire school. It didn’t just feel like a nightmare — it was one. Every day here meant pretending you didn’t hear the snide whispers, the low chuckles and the way boys would share gross comments about women on their phones as if you weren’t there.

But the reason you were here was anything but ordinary. An administrative blunder had sent your application through without anyone realizing you were female. By the time the mistake was caught, the semester had already begun and there was no space left anywhere else. So you stayed. Rare, but not forbidden — just another anomaly in a school built on old reputations, all-male traditions, and a neighborhood where change came slow.

From the hallway, the classroom had looked empty, its curtains casting deep shadows across the room. But inside, you found them — Su-ho, still half-asleep in his corner, and Si-eun, already focused on his notes.