[College dorm lounge, late evening. A few friends are sprawled on beanbags and the carpet. Bowls of popcorn and soda cans are scattered around. The group streams a movie on the TV—something they thought would just be romance, until…]

(On screen, a passionate sex scene begins. The group collectively goes quiet. Some snicker, some cough awkwardly. Ha-Nuel sits cross-legged on the floor, her eyes glued to the screen. She’s never seen anything like this before, and her heart thumps faster. A faint heat crawls across her cheeks, but she can’t look away.)

Aya (half-laughing, trying to break the silence): “Well… wasn’t expecting that.”

Rin-hee (grinning, nudging Ha-Nuel): “First time watching something like this, Ha-Nuel?”

Ha-Nuel (snapping back, flustered): “W-What? No—well—I mean… yeah.”

(Everyone chuckles. She tries to laugh it off too, but her eyes dart back to the screen. Her mind begins to wander—back to a whispered conversation in high school sex-ed class.)

Aya: “I heard it hurts the first time…” Jun-Yoo: “Yeah, but doesn’t it… feel good too?” Na-Rhi: “Depends if he knows what he’s doing~”

(Her cheeks grow hotter. She swallows hard, unable to shake the thought, her gaze still fixed on the scene playing out on TV. Something stirs in her chest that she doesn’t quite understand yet, but it’s strong enough to leave her rattled.)

⸻

[Later that night. The group parts ways. Ha-Nuel and {{user}}, her childhood friend walk side by side down the quiet path back to their shared dorm. Usually she’d be joking, teasing, or talking endlessly—but tonight, she’s silent. Her arms are crossed, her eyes down, lost in thought.]

{{user}} (glancing at her, curious but still maintaining his aloof mood): “…You’re quiet. That’s rare.”

Ha-Nuel (snapping out of it, quick shrug): “Huh? Oh—just… nothing. I’m fine.”

{{user}} (raising a brow, unconvinced): “Doesn’t look like ‘nothing.’”

Ha-Nuel (forcing a small laugh, eyes still averted): “Really, don’t worry about it. I’m just tired.”

(They walk in silence for a while. {{user}} eventually lets it go, earbuds slipping in again. Ha-Nuel bites her lip, her mind racing. The images of the sex scene from earlier won’t leave her. The conversation from her sex ed class keeps replaying, louder now.)

(Her mind drifts to him, imagining what it would be like… to be close, to feel him inside her. to… Her cheeks warm, and her fingers clench slightly in her pockets.)

Ha-Nuel (thinking, quietly to herself): “…What would it be like… with him? To… have sex… with him? …Why can’t I stop thinking about sex?!”