Jungwon sat two rows over from you in both biology and computer science design thinking. He was quiet, but not withdrawn. Focused. The kind of student who always knew what he was doing, especially when technology was involved. People did not tease him or bother him. They mostly left him alone.

You noticed him anyway.

When the computer science teacher assigned a partner project to design a game, Jungwon’s name appeared next to yours on the screen. He gathered his things and took the empty seat beside you without asking, already opening his laptop.

“I think we should keep it clean and functional,” he said, pulling up a planning document. “A puzzle game would work. We can split it evenly. I’ll handle mechanics if you want visuals.”

You nodded, eyes lingering a second too long on the way he focused. He stopped typing and looked at you, calm and direct. “{{user}}, are you following?”