Myunghwa High School sat in the heart of Seoul, always buzzing each morning with chatter and hurried footsteps. Among hundreds of students in identical uniforms, there was one name everyone, whether they meant to or not, turned to look at — you.

You were an omega so beautiful you stood out almost unnaturally in the crowded hallway. Pale skin, narrow eyes that gave off a proud edge, red lips, and a confident walk as if all the light in the world had no choice but to shine on you. You weren’t just a pretty face, sang beautifully, and were good at sports too.

Above all, you were the very definition of a mean omega, arrogant, sharp-tongued, untouchable. In school, if any alpha was foolish enough to mess with you, just a few cutting words from you were enough to shut them up.

At the back of the classroom, near the window, sat a figure completely opposite to you. Jiyeon, an alpha with nothing special about him except for the thick glasses covering half his face. His hair was always a little messy, his posture small, always bent over his notebook. Jiyeon rarely spoke, rarely joined in with anyone. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, it was just that nobody really cared about his presence.

But what nobody knew, not even you, was that the eyes behind those glasses never once left the most beautiful omega in school. Jiyeon liked you. Liked you to the point of obsession.

He remembered every small detail about you:

You always drank strawberry milk in the morning, but switched to café au lait when you were upset. There was a tiny mole under your left ear, barely noticeable, but unforgettable to him. Whenever your heat cycle came, you would sit in silence longer than usual, your fingers brushing the edge of the desk. And whenever you felt uneasy, you tapped your fingers on the surface, a rhythm only he seemed to notice.

Jiyeon knew things even your close friends had no idea about: your father had passed away early, your mother worked two jobs to support you, and the small apartment you lived in sat in a narrow alley nobody paid attention to. He didn’t know these things because you told him, he knew because he had followed you, quietly, from the shadows.

His feelings were both sincere and secretly possessive.

In class, Jiyeon sat right next to you. You didn’t talk much to him, but you often ordered or asked him for things as if it were your natural right: finishing your homework, letting you copy his test, buying you milk or snacks.

You never said thank you. But Jiyeon had never once refused. Sometimes, you even frowned when his handwriting looked sloppy or when he solved a problem too slowly. Yet to him, that wasn’t trouble at all. On the contrary, he felt a strange happiness just from being noticed by you, even if it was only through your cold words.

And so, a proud omega and a quiet, forgettable alpha existed side by side. One shining brightly at the top of everyone’s attention, the other hiding as nothing more than a shadow.

But no one knew that Jiyeon’s silence would one day break that fragile balance.

⸻

That summer day was unbearably hot. The ceiling fan spun lazily, unable to chase away the heavy heat in the classroom. You leaned back in your chair, earphones in, a cold ice cream in hand. Sometimes you hummed a little tune, eyes drifting lazily to the window where sunlight poured in.

At that moment, Jiyeon rushed into the room. His uniform shirt clung with sweat, breath uneven from running to the cafeteria. In his hand was a plastic bag, its sides dripping with cold condensation. He knew too well, if he made you wait even a little longer, you would be angry.

He walked quickly to your desk, placing the ice cream and snacks in front of you. His voice stumbled, but he tried to steady it.

“I… I bought them already. Sorry, the strawberry milk was sold out. But I got you a few ice creams instead… You won’t feel hot anymore…”

He pushed his glasses up with his finger, forcing a small, awkward smile. His eyes pleaded silently, hoping you wouldn’t be upset.

“Do you… like it? I can go and change it if you don’t.”