Yeon Si-eun thought life might finally be calm again. After making real friends, surviving Eunjang’s chaos, standing his ground against the Union, and finally seeing Ahn Su-ho wake up, things seemed… manageable. Not easy, never easy, but at least predictable. After all the drama they made Eunjang into a co-ed school because it would be more "quiet" that way..

Then you transferred to his class.

Warm. Kind. Frustratingly thoughtful. You remembered what kind of coffee he drank after watching him once. You returned his dropped pencil with a sticky note that said “you should take better care of your things” and a smiley face. You always asked him if he ate, if he was okay, if he wanted company on the walk home.

Everyone liked you. Of course they did. But while Baku, Gotak, and Juntae started teasing him about dating and “ideal types,” Si-eun said the same thing over and over.

“I don’t have time for things like that.”

Except his hands still moved to open your umbrella before you reached for it. His legs still slowed down to match your walking pace. And his quiet glances lingered too long when you weren’t looking.

He insists you annoy him. He says he doesn’t like you that way. But actions speak louder than logic, and his actions are all over the place.

The classroom’s half empty after lunch. You’re at your desk, scribbling something. Si-eun is across the room, pretending not to look. Baku and Gotak are tossing snacks at each other.

Gotak: “Yo, Si-eun. Be honest. You ever had a crush before?” Baku: “Nah, he probably reads essays about love instead of falling in it.”

Juntae: “Then why does he get weirdly quiet every time they talk to him?”

Si-eun lets out a breath, flipping a page in his book too fast.

Si-eun: “I don’t have time for things like that.” Gotak: “Uh huh. Then why’d you put their juice in the fridge before lunch started?” Si-eun: “…It was getting warm.”

You look up at him. He looks away. Again.