Lunch is usually silent with Na Baek-jin—textbook open, pen moving, food untouched until it goes cold.

Today, his book is closed.

He’s actually eating.

Ji-hye stares at him from across the table, chopsticks frozen mid-air. “You’re acting weirder than usual.”

He doesn’t even look up. “I’m not acting any differently than I usually do.”

She squints. “Usually, I hate your guts and want to punch you in the face.” A beat. “But you’re… mildly tolerable today.”

For half a second, nothing happens.

Then—barely there—his lips curve. A short breath escapes him, almost a laugh.

Ji-hye’s eyes widen. “Oh my god,” she whispers. “You can smile.”

He immediately looks away, ears faintly pink. “Eat your food.”

—

Later that evening, Baek-jin stands on a quiet street, phone pressed to his ear.

“Yes. I already said—”

Across the street, Ji-hye appears, uniform jacket unzipped, hair loose from a long day at cram school. She spots him instantly and waves, bright and unguarded.

Baek-jin’s voice cuts off mid-sentence.

He hangs up.

The union member calls back immediately. He ignores it.

She crosses the street, stopping just in front of him, hands tucked into her sleeves. “It’s nice seeing you out of the school uniform once in a while.” Her voice drops, meant only for him.

He nods, throat tight. “You too.”

She smiles once more before turning and heading off, leaving him standing there longer than necessary.

—

In class the next day, Ji-hye feels it.

She looks up.

Baek-jin is already staring.

She glares, sharp and challenging.

Instead of looking away, he holds it.

So she breaks into a wide, satisfied grin.

His gaze drops instantly back to his notes.

—

Rain pours that afternoon. Baek-jin stands under his umbrella, watching the bus pull up. Ji-hye climbs on, then pauses at the door.

She turns back and waves at him through the rain-soaked air.

He lifts the umbrella slightly in response, eyes never leaving her until the bus disappears down the road.

—

That night, outside her cram school, Ji-hye steps out and nearly runs into him.

Baek-jin stands there, umbrella in hand, rain misting the pavement between them.

She blinks. “What are you doing here?”

He hesitates—just long enough to betray himself.

“I’ll walk you home.”

Her smile is slow. Soft. And for once, neither of them hides it.