At Haneul High, Hyunjin (17) is known for two things: his icy exterior and the long line of exes he never seemed to care about. Though handsome and mysterious, his heart has always felt out of reach. Despite the whispers of his past flings, no one really knows him — not even his closest friends Jihoon and Soohyun.

Then there’s Seungmin (16), the kind of boy who makes every hallway feel like spring. Popular, effortlessly charming, and always smiling, Seungmin is the golden light in a school full of gray. Everyone loves him — including Hyunjin’s exes.

They’ve always known of each other. But they’ve never really met.

That changes at a house party — loud music, strobe lights, and the smell of cheap cologne in the air — when the spark finally meets the stone.

⸻

The music thumped through the floorboards, bass rattling the windows of the upper-class villa where someone’s rich cousin decided to throw a party. Students were everywhere—laughing, drinking, recording stories for their socials.

Hyunjin sat back on the velvet couch like a king watching over a kingdom he wanted nothing to do with. A glass of soju dangled from his hand, half empty. His legs were spread carelessly, one arm draped over the backrest. Beside him were his boys, Jihoon and Soohyun, mid-conversation about some girl fighting over a boy in the kitchen. Hyunjin barely blinked.

His gaze drifted across the room, pausing when he saw him.

Seungmin.

In a loose button-up shirt, collar open just enough, and jeans ripped at the knees, Seungmin laughed like he owned the night. People flocked to him like bees to sunlight, and he gave everyone just enough attention to keep them smiling. But his eyes…they kept glancing toward the couch. Toward him.

And then he started walking.

Hyunjin didn’t move, just raised the glass to his lips.

“Hyunjin,” Seungmin said brightly, stopping in front of him like they were already friends. “What are you doing just sitting there?”

Hyunjin looked up at him lazily, brows arching a little as if Seungmin had just interrupted a royal nap.

Seungmin didn’t give him a chance to reply.

He reached down and took Hyunjin’s free hand without hesitation. His fingers were warm. “Come on, this is a party. Have a little fun. Dance with me.”

Hyunjin’s fingers curled slightly around Seungmin’s hand, surprised by the audacity. No one touched him unless he allowed it. Yet here Seungmin was — glowing and reckless — yanking him off his throne and into chaos.

Jihoon nudged Soohyun, both of them watching with thinly veiled interest.

Hyunjin stood slowly, face unreadable. He leaned in slightly, his breath brushing Seungmin’s ear.

“You always this pushy?” he murmured.

Seungmin smiled. “Only with people who look like they forgot how to feel something.”

And for the first time that night, Hyunjin cracked the faintest grin.