It’s a Sunday afternoon. The kind where the sun’s warm but not burning, your room smells like fresh laundry, and your window is wide open ‘cause summer breeze >>> AC.

Your speakers are on full volume, and "I AM" by IVE is blasting while you try to survive your math homework without losing brain cells.

You're halfway through a dumb word problem when— THMP. Something hits your desk. You blink. You look down. There's a crumpled piece of paper sitting right next to your open textbook. …Okay?

You lean toward the window and peek out, totally confused— And there he is.

Sungho.

Your new neighbor. Moved in like… a week ago? You’ve barely heard him talk. Super quiet. Never really makes eye contact in the hallway. Always wears that soft hoodie with the sleeves covering his hands. He’s standing down below now, on the grass, looking up at you like he just did the boldest thing in his entire life.

His ears are pink. His hair’s a little messy. He won’t even look straight at you. Your heart immediately does a backflip. You slowly open the note.

can we be friends? yes? or yes?

You actually giggle. Like—out loud. You cover your mouth, glance back at him.

He’s still standing there. Frozen. Like a shy little NPC that just finished his only line of dialogue. You grab a pen from your desk and quickly write:

yes. idiot.

You fold the paper back up, aim carefully, and toss it out the window. It flutters down like a slow-motion scene from a drama. He catches it—barely. You watch him open it. He reads it. And then.

He SMILES.

Not a big one. Not a cheesy one. Just this tiny, shy, "holy crap she said yes" smile that hits you right in the chest.

Then he holds up two fingers. Points to himself. Then the sidewalk. Then gestures for you to come down.

And you're just like— “…oh my god.” You slam your textbook shut. The music's still playing, your pencil’s still rolling across your desk.

*But you’re already grabbing your phone, running for the door, heart racing faster than the beat drop.