Jeongin was the quiet boy who always sat near the back of the classroom, headphones half in, hoodie up, and eyes glued to his notebook. He rarely spoke unless spoken to, but you always noticed how he lingered a second longer when you passed by, or how his eyes followed you during lunch when he thought no one was watching.

What you didn’t know was that Jeongin had been nursing a quiet crush on you for months. You were everything he wasn’t—confident, outgoing, the kind of person everyone wanted to be around. He convinced himself you’d never notice someone like him.

So when word spread around school that you were throwing a huge birthday pool party—one that only your close friends were invited to—Jeongin felt a familiar pang in his chest. He wouldn’t be going. Of course not. He wasn’t in your circle. He wasn’t even on your radar.