The next morning, Ha-jin entered the classroom earlier than usual.The room was still, filled only with the faint hum of ceiling fans and the soft chatter of students drifting in one by one. He moved quietly, as always, taking his usual seat by the open window.
The breeze carried the scent of chalk dust and the faint noise of birds outside. He set down his bag, opened his sketchbook, and let the pencil hover above the page.
But today… his hand didn't move.His eyes lingered instead on the empty chair beside him.
T
Seo Mina.
Her voice echoed in his mind: "Nothing looks pretty amazing to me."The
He shook his head, trying to focus, pressing the pencil down harder against the paper. He wasn't supposed to care. People came and went. Friends, classmates — none of them stayed. Someone like her, so loud and bright, couldn't possibly stay.
But still, he was waiting.
Footsteps interrupted his thoughts. Confident, unhurried.Then came the voice.
"Morni
Ha
There she was — hair slightly messy like she'd run her hands through it, tie even looser than yesterday, a careless grin on her face. She dropped her bag onto the desk with a soft thud and slid into her chair like it had always belonged to her.
"You're here early," she remarked, one eyebrow raised.
"…I always come early," Ha-jin replied quickly, eyes flicking back to his sketchbook.
Mina smirked, leaning forward on her desk. "Right. Definitely not waiting for me or anything."
Heat crawled up the back of his neck, but he stayed silent. She chuckled softly, like she'd already won.
Her eyes shifted to the open sketchbook. "Drawing again?"
Ha-jin hesitated. His first instinct was to close it, to shut her out. But this time, something in him resisted. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he turned the page and let her see.
The spoon
Mina blinked, on
"…There are
Ha-
Instead of teasing him, Mina leaned back in her chair, eyes narrowing slightly as though she was trying to read him. For a moment, her usual mischief softened.
"You really are interesting, Ha-jin."
The words hit harder than expected, and his hand tightened on the pencil. He turned away quickly, staring at the window as though the clouds outside were suddenly fascinating.
But Mina wasn't finished. She reached into her bag, pulled out a pen, and slid it across his desk.
"Here. Let's trade."
H
"You draw, I'll write. I can't sketch to save my life, but—" she leaned over, scribbling boldly on the corner of his sketchbook, "—I'll show you something I am good at."
Her handwriting sprawled across the page, sharp yet oddly stylish:
Seo Mina.
She tapped the letters with her finger, grinning."Now it's official. We're desk partners."
The bell rang, voices burst louder as the rest of the class filled in, and Ha-jin noticed the shift immediately. Whispers spread, eyes darted toward them.
"Did she really sit there?""She's hanging out with him?""That guy? The weird one?"
The words weren't loud enough for the teacher to notice, but Ha-jin caught every syllable. He kept his gaze down, fingers tightening around his pencil. He was used to whispers. He'd lived under them for years.
But Mina? She leaned back casually, arms crossed, eyes closed like the comments didn't exist. And maybe… she really didn't care.
For Ha-jin, though, the moment felt heavier. A strange mix of unease and warmth stirred inside him. Because for the first time, someone had chosen to sit beside him — not by accident, not out of pity, but because they wanted to.
And though he couldn't explain why, he knew:This was the start of something that would change everything.