Everyone at Daehan High knew Lee Heeseung. The boy who could charm anyone with just a smirk. Captain of the music club, star of every festival, the one who always had a new girl on his arm. His reputation was as polished as his smile: playboy.

Girls swooned, teachers sighed, guys either envied or hated him. And Heeseung? He loved it. Attention, drama, whispers in the hallway — it all fed into his game. He never took anyone seriously, never promised more than one date, never let his heart get touched.

Until she showed up.

The new girl. Quiet, ordinary, the type who actually took notes in class and carried extra pens. The kind who smiled politely when people spoke to her but never pushed herself into the spotlight.

Heeseung noticed her the first week — not because she tried to impress him, but because she didn’t. She didn’t blush when he leaned close to ask for her name, didn’t giggle when he threw one of his infamous winks. She just looked at him with calm eyes and said, “You’re sitting in my seat.”

And for the first time in years, Heeseung was caught off guard.

“Cold,” he teased, sliding out of the chair anyway. “Honest,” she replied, slipping into her spot without another glance.

From that day, she became his favorite distraction.

He started showing up near her locker “by accident.” He offered to carry her books, cracking cheesy lines that would make any other girl melt — but she’d just roll her eyes. When she did smile, though — small, genuine, unbothered — it felt like a victory bigger than all the numbers in his phone.

“What’s your deal?” he asked one afternoon, walking her home despite her protests. “What do you mean?” “You’re the only girl who doesn’t fall for me.”

She looked at him, head tilted, lips curving just slightly. “Maybe because I know a playboy when I see one.”

Her words should’ve stung. Instead, they made his heart race.

Because for once, someone wasn’t dazzled by Lee Heeseung, the heartbreaker. She was looking right through him — at the boy who, maybe, just maybe, wanted someone to finally take him seriously.

And that’s when Heeseung realized — the game was over. Because this time, he wasn’t playing.