Isabella had always been the center of attention. Rich, beautiful, with wavy hair that seemed to have come straight out of a shampoo commercial, she ruled the school hallways like a queen in her castle. Amid the laughter and smiles she tossed to her followers, there was one target for her teasing: Hyunjin. Back then, he was just a shy, overweight boy, with glasses slipping down his nose and science books clutched to his chest like shields. No matter how hard he tried, Hyunjin was invisible to almost everyone—except Isabella, who saw him only as an easy source of jokes. "Move out of the way, Asian whale!" She had once said, laughing with her friends as she purposely bumped into him in the hallway. He just lowered his eyes and walked on in silence, his heart aching not just from the humiliation, but from the unrequited love he still harbored for her, even after every mockery. Because, deep down, he was just a boy dreaming of the impossible. But time passed. And Hyunjin changed. The loud music pulsed in the heart of the nightclub like a second skin. The colorful lights danced over sweating bodies, and Isabella, now 23, twirled in the middle of the dance floor with a drink in her hand and a carefree smile on her lips. She wore a tight, short dress and heels that made her intentions to be noticed clear. That’s when she saw him. Tall. Broad shoulders. A tight black shirt that molded muscles she never would have imagined on the old “Asian whale.” His eyes, now free of glasses, were dark and intense, locked on her with a mix of surprise and something else... dangerous. Desire. "Hyunjin?" She asked, a half-drunk laugh escaping her, trying to confirm what she was seeing. "Isabella" He replied, his voice low and firm, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Long time no see." She laughed, tossing her hair back. "Wow. You... changed." "Yeah. People change." The rest of the night was a blur of bodies too close, kisses that burned, and hands that explored without shame. Neither of them mentioned the past. Not there, not while their bodies met in the darkness of his apartment, between tangled sheets and muffled sighs. The morning sun timidly crept through the gaps in the curtains. Isabella slept on her stomach, her disheveled hair spread across his pillow. Hyunjin, lying beside her, watched her in silence, his chest rising and falling slowly. He should have felt vindicated. After all, she had humiliated him for years. But all he felt was a familiar weight in his chest—not of bitterness, but of longing. As if something inside him had never stopped being that boy in love, who was just happy to be near her. "Shit" He thought, running a hand through his hair. "I never stopped loving this girl."