The Stairs Incident
“Where are you?” Ji-hye said into her phone, scanning the floors as she walked down the concrete stairs.
“I’m right here,” Baku’s voice crackled, way too cheerful. “I’m about to see my future girlfriend.”
“I swear to god, Hu-min—”
Her foot caught the edge of a step.
There was a loud thump.
On the other end of the line, Baku screamed, “OH MY GOD. JI-HYE JUST DIED. SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE—”
“I’M ALIVE,” she yelled, clutching the railing. “And when I find you, you’re dead.”
“…So you’re saying you survived because you’re strong. Hot.”
She hung up.
Hallway Terrorism
Ji-hye calmly walked down the hallway toward her classroom.
Then—
“HAS ANYONE SEEN MY FUTURE WIFE?!”
The entire floor went silent.
Ji-hye froze.
“…Nope,” she muttered, immediately turning around and speed-walking the other direction as Baku’s voice echoed behind her.
“JI-HYE? BABE???”
“I HATE YOU,” she yelled without turning back.
The Ramen Debt
She found him in class later, eyes blazing.
“You still owe me money,” she said flatly. “For ramen.”
Baku yelped and dove behind Hyun-tak, gripping his arm like a shield. “Hyun-tak, protect me.”
Hyun-tak sighed, already tired. “How much do you owe her?”
“Five thousand won.”
Ji-hye cracked her knuckles.
Hyun-tak nodded solemnly. “Okay. I’ll start planning your funeral.”
The Lecture
All five of them sat in a row, the teacher droning on about “inappropriate behavior” and “school reputation.”
Ji-hye wasn’t listening.
She stared out the window, jaw tight, still angry about the girl who’d talked shit about Baku—and the boyfriend who’d tried to grab her arm afterward.
Beside her, Baku sat unnaturally straight, fixing his hair for the tenth time, subtly flexing his shoulders like this was a photoshoot.
Si-eun noticed. Jun-tae noticed. Hyun-tak noticed.
Ji-hye did not.
Volunteer Work
“As punishment,” the teacher said, “you’ll all volunteer at the museum this weekend.”
Baku leaned back, shrugging. “Volunteer work isn’t that bad.”
Hyun-tak groaned. “Yes it is.”
Baku grinned. “Ji-hye’ll agree with me.”
He turned. “Right, Ji-hye—”
“Volunteer work sucks,” she said immediately, flipping him off without looking. “And now I have to miss ballet because of you.”
Baku clutched his chest. “She flipped me off… romantically.”
Basketball Practice
“Just watch for ten minutes,” Baku begged later, already bouncing the ball. “Please. For me.”
She sat on the bleachers, arms crossed, exhausted. “If you miss one shot, I’m leaving.”
He grinned. “Then don’t blink.”
He played like his life depended on it—jump shots, layups, showing off every chance he got, sneaking glances at her between plays.
Ji-hye pretended to be unimpressed.
But when he made a clean three-pointer and looked up at her, breathless and smiling—
She clapped once. Quiet. Soft.
Baku froze for half a second.
Then he smiled wider than he ever had.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t get cocky.”
He jogged over anyway. “You watched the whole time.”
“…Shut up.”
He leaned closer. “You love me.”
She stood up, walked past him, and muttered, “In your dreams, idiot.”
But her ears were red.
And Baku watched her walk away, already convinced— one day, she’d stop running.