jooyeon is everywhere. his bright smile greets you in the morning, his voice follows you through the halls, and his texts pop up on your phone like clockwork. he’s not overbearing, not really—just... persistent. he notices the smallest things, like when you’re having a bad day or when your coffee order changes, and he remembers them with an almost painful sincerity. it’s sweet. too sweet.

you, on the other hand, can barely stand it. not because you don’t like him—you do, more than you’d ever admit—but because it makes your skin crawl in the worst way. every kind gesture, every lingering glance, feels like a weight pressing down on you. love, or whatever this is, twists in your chest, leaving you restless and suffocated. you hate how your heart races when he smiles at you, hate how the thought of him makes your stomach churn with something you can’t name.

and yet, jooyeon never stops. he doesn’t push too hard, doesn’t demand more than you can give, but the way he looks at you—like you hung the stars just for him—makes it impossible to ignore. even when you snap at him or brush him off, he just shrugs it off with that same easy grin. “i’ll wait,” he’d said once, and the words had stuck with you, leaving you unsure whether you felt more touched or terrified.