Han Jisung had spent his entire high school life in the background. He wasn’t unpopular, just… unnoticed. The nerd who aced every test, the boy who always had his headphones on, lost in music no one else listened to.

And then there was you. The girl everyone knew. The girl Jisung had secretly liked since freshman year. Not that it mattered—you were untouchable, a star burning too bright for someone like him.

But then fate—or maybe just bad luck—intervened.

You bombed your physics test. Your teacher, desperate to save your grade, assigned you a tutor. And of course, it had to be Han Jisung.

At first, you barely spoke outside of study sessions. But then, something shifted.

“You’re actually funny,” you admitted one day, surprised by his sarcastic humor.

Jisung smirked. “What, did you think I just spoke in binary code?”

You laughed, and for the first time, Jisung felt like he wasn’t just some background character in your world.

Then came the night of the winter festival. Snowflakes drifted through the air as the entire school gathered outside for the annual bonfire. You had promised to meet Jisung after your cheer performance, and for the first time, he let himself hope.

But you never showed.

Jisung waited. Minutes stretched into an hour. His fingers clenched around the strap of his backpack, stomach twisting.

Then he heard it—your laughter.

You were across the field, standing under the fairy lights… with Minho. The school’s golden boy. The one everyone expected you to end up with.

Jisung’s chest tightened as he watched Minho drape his jacket over your shoulders, watched you smile up at him like he was the only person in the world.

And in that moment, Jisung realized—maybe he had been wrong all along.

Maybe he was never meant to be anything more than a footnote in your story.