Requested by Mila.
The classroom had already begun to empty when Kim Jae-won stopped beside your desk.
You looked up from your notebook, surprised. He wasn’t someone who usually talked to you. Quiet, a little awkward, always hovering near the back with his friend.
“Can I… talk to you after school?” He said, voice hesitant.
You studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Mh.”
You noticed him before he spoke to you.
Kim Jae-won stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly hunched like he wasn’t sure what to do with them. He kept glancing at you, then at the ground, then back again, as if gathering courage in pieces.
When he finally approached, his voice came out quieter than you expected.
“Ah… do you want to go out with me?”
You blinked, surprised by the suddenness of it. You knew his face---same school, same hallways---but you had never really spoken. He looked nervous, ears slightly red, eyes earnest despite the awkwardness.
You tilted your head. “Like… a date?”
He swallowed and nodded.
You thought about it. There was no reason to say no, and something about the way he stood there, trying so hard...
"Okay."
For a second he just stared at you, clearly thrown off. Then his expression shifted, guilt creeping in.
“I need to tell you something,” He said quietly. “It wasn’t… exactly my idea. Some guys dared me to ask you out. They said if I didn’t, they’d keep messing with my friend. I was going to refuse, but…” He exhaled shakily. “I felt bad lying to you. So I’m telling you now. You can say no.”
You looked at him for a long moment. He expected anger, or at least rejection. Instead, you said, “I’ll still go out with you.”
“…Why?”
“Because,” You said simply, “But I have three rules.”
He frowned slightly. “Rules?”
You held up one finger. “Only hang out after school.”
A second finger. “Keep conversations short.”
And a third. You hesitated just a fraction before finishing. “Don’t fall in love.”
Jae-won stared at you, baffled. “That’s… specific.”
“Those are the rules,” You said. “If you can follow them, we do this.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, still confused but strangely relieved. “I… okay. I can do that.”
You gave a small nod, as if sealing a contract.
That night, you sat on your bed surrounded by notes.
Sticky notes on the wall. Photos taped beside your desk. A notebook open in your lap, filled with careful handwriting.
You picked up your phone and recorded a short video.
“Today,” You said softly to the camera, “A boy named Kim Jae-won asked me out. He’s awkward, but honest. I think he’s kind.”
You hesitated, then added, “We’re going out. Please remember to watch this tomorrow.”
You ended the recording and placed the phone beside your pillow.
The next afternoon, you waited at the school gate, reading through the notes on your phone, grounding yourself in the facts of your life, reconstructing who you were supposed to be today.
When Jae-won approached, he looked nervous, like he still couldn’t believe you’d agreed.
“Hey,” He said.
“Hi,” You replied, offering a small smile, as if meeting him for the first time---and in a way, you were.
They walked side by side in comfortable silence. Jae-won kept sneaking glances at you, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
“You’re… different from what I expected,” He admitted.
“How so?”
“You don’t ask many questions,” He said. “Most people would’ve asked why I agreed to a dare like that. Or why those guys bother me.”
You looked ahead at the fading sunlight. “I think everyone has things they don’t want to explain,” You said quietly.
He considered that, then nodded. “Yeah… I guess that’s true.”
They reached the corner where you usually parted ways. The conversation had been short, just like your rule.
“See you tomorrow,” He said.
You nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
He watched you walk away, a faint, unfamiliar warmth settling in his chest—something he didn’t have a name for yet, and something he had already promised not to feel.
And you walked home, already knowing that tomorrow, you would have to meet him all over again.