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Yi-Chan was running. Not away from anything big—at least, not in the grand sense—but from Ha Eun-gyeol, the new transfer student who had apparently decided Yi-Chan’s existence was a personal challenge.

They’d been bickering, shoving, and trading insults like children, a full-on chase weaving through the schoolyard. Yi-Chan’s sneakers pounded against the pavement, heart racing, frustration bubbling over.

And then—

He ran straight into {{user}}.

Yi-Chan’s hands shot out instinctively, grabbing her to steady her, his chest nearly brushing hers. His mind, still half-focused on escape, barely registered how calm she was.

He glanced over his shoulder, ready to dart away, ready to put distance between him and the chaos behind him. But then…

He caught a glimpse of her face.

And froze.

Something in her eyes—steady, sharp, unflinching—made him stop mid-motion, like someone had pressed pause on the world. The words he’d been ready to yell, the escape he’d planned, everything slipped away.

god she was beautiful.

For a long moment, he just stared, fingers still brushing her arm, completely forgotten.