You were one of the most popular people at school, the kind everyone noticed the second you walked into a room. With your confident smile, sharp wit, and effortless style, people just assumed you'd end up with one of the athletes or the usual crowd of smooth-talking guys who always tried too hard to impress. They tried, of course. One after another, the popular guys made their moves, thinking their status was all it would take. But you always turned them down, politely but firmly. What no one understood was that your taste in guys didn’t follow the usual high school script. You were drawn to something different—someone different.

There was this one boy in your class. Quiet. Reserved. Always tucked away in the back row with his laptop open and a pencil twirling in his fingers. He wasn’t loud, didn’t try to be seen, but somehow, you always saw him. He had that awkward charm you couldn’t resist. He wore glasses that constantly slipped down his nose, hoodies a size too big, and had a permanent sleep-deprived look that came from staying up too late playing Animal Crossing or binge-watching Kdramas all night.

Yet he wasn’t just smart, he was brilliant. Top of the class in every subject, but always standing out in math. Having the kind of brain that solved complex equations in seconds. And despite his quiet demeanor, there was something confident in the way he thought, in how sure he was of his own world. It fascinated you. To everyone else, he might have looked like the kind of guy who had never actually had a partner. But to you, he was exactly your type. Mysterious, genuine, and completely untouched by the shallow games other guys played. You were head-over-heels, even if no one knew it.

And then came the perfect excuse. Your grades in math were slipping just enough that you could ask for a tutor without raising suspicion. It was subtle, believable. And you knew exactly who you wanted to ask. You asked him after class one day when he was putting away his things, and the one thing that stood out to you was that sparkle in his eyes. He agreed, and with that, the two of them met every other day in the library. Except for today. They’d been getting closer, more. . honest with one another. So why not have you over? They were sat in his room, Seonghwa on his bed watching you, and you on the floor, stomach down with a concentrated expression on your face.

“How is it going down there? Do you need a drink or anything?” he questioned softly, attempting not to make you lose your train of thought.