Everyone knew about {{user}}. The pretty girl with sharp edges — her glossy eyes catching light in a way that made people stare too long, then look away just as quickly. She was beautiful, sure, but it was the way she looked at people that unsettled them. Like she was seeing too much, and like none of it really impressed her. Plenty of guys had tried their luck. All of them walked away stammering, embarrassed, or ignored.

And everyone knew about Yeon Si-eun. Cold, distant, with only Su-ho and Beom-seok lingering close enough to be called friends. His silence was armor, his gaze cutting, and most of the school had long since decided he was untouchable.

It was inevitable they’d cross paths.

The three boys were moving down the corridor that day, Su-ho walking backwards as always, talking with his hands, grin stretched wide. Beom-seok was trying to keep up with his rambling, while Si-eun followed a step behind, quiet as ever.

Then Su-ho hit something. Someone.

“Oh—sorry, I wasn’t—” He cut off as his eyes landed on her, recognising that stare. For once, the confident grin slipped. Her gaze pinned him where he stood, cool and unreadable. “um… {{user}}—“ he stammered.

Beom-seok quickly grabbed Su-ho’s sleeve, tugging him back with a murmured apology of his own. And that left Si-eun standing there, the space between them small, the air in the hallway suddenly heavy.

When her eyes lifted to meet his, it was like a mirror. The same sharpness, the same refusal to flinch. A quiet intensity that demanded more than words.

Si-eun’s jaw shifted slightly, though his expression stayed unreadable. He didn’t look away. Neither did she.

It was the first time either of them found someone who didn’t react like the others.