Every day felt the same for Yuna.

Ever since her mother left when she was ten-running away with another man and leaving behind nothing but whispers-life had slowly lost its color.

Her father changed after that.

He stopped working. Started drinking. Came home every night smelling like alcohol and regret.

In the end, it was her grandmother who took her in.

School wasn't any better.

The stares.

The whispers.

The same questions people already knew the answers to.

"Is it true your mom ran away?"

Yuna never answered. She just walked past them like she didn't hear anything at all.

Somewhere along the way, she stopped smiling.

Stopped trying.

She used to be the top student.

Now she was just... average.

Invisible.

That morning was no different.

5:30 AM. Wake up. Shower. Get ready.

With her phone propped up in front of her, she watched a random drama while doing her skincare-one of the few things that made her feel... something.

Ping.

A message popped up.

Lina: "Yuna, did you check the group chat?"

Yuna frowned slightly and typed back.

Yuna: "No. Why?"

Almost instantly-

Lina: "WHAT? You didn't see it??"

Yuna sighed.

Yuna: "Just tell me."

Lina: "A new student is joining today. And he's HANDSOME."

Yuna stared at the screen for a second before typing:

Yuna: "So?"

There was a pause... then-

Lina: "You're so boring 😭 But what if he likes you?? Imagine him asking you out-"

Yuna didn't reply.

She simply locked her phone.

On her way to the bus stop, something small caught her attention.

A kitten.

Tiny. Quiet. Curled up near the sidewalk.

Without thinking, Yuna took out her phone and crouched down, focusing the camera.

Click.

She didn't notice the black Lamborghini parked just a few steps ahead.

Or the boy stepping out of it.

Tall. Sharp features. Expensive uniform worn carelessly.

His eyes landed on her phone.

And his expression darkened.

He slammed the car door shut and walked straight toward her.

"Hey. You."

Yuna looked up, startled.

"Were you just taking pictures of me?"

She blinked. "What? No-"

"Don't lie," he cut her off coldly. "Delete it."

"I wasn't taking your photo," she said quietly.

His jaw tightened. "Everyone says that after they get caught."

Before she could react, he reached for her phone.

Yuna pulled back instinctively-

-but it slipped from her hand.

Crack.

The sound felt louder than it should have.

For a moment, everything went silent.

Yuna slowly picked it up.

The screen was shattered.

Her chest tightened, but no words came out.

She just stared at it.

The boy glanced at the phone... then back at her, completely unfazed.

"If you deleted it earlier," he said, shrugging, "that wouldn't have happened."

Yuna looked up at him.

Waiting.

For an apology.

But it never came.

Instead, he turned, got back into his car, and drove off like nothing had happened.

Only then did Yuna realize-

He was wearing the same school uniform.

Her grip on the broken phone tightened slightly.

Next time...

I won't stay silent.

By the time Yuna reached the school gate, Lina was already there—waiting, as usual.

The moment Lina saw her face, her expression changed.

“Hey… what happened?” she asked, stepping closer. “Why do you look like that?”

Yuna didn’t answer immediately.

She simply held out her phone.

The cracked screen said everything.

Lina’s eyes widened. “What the—?! Who did this?!”

Yuna sighed softly and explained everything.

From the kitten…

to the misunderstanding…

to the boy who didn’t even apologize.

When she finished, Lina looked ready to explode.

“You just let him go?!” she snapped. “Yuna, if I see him, I swear—”

Yuna shook her head. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s NOT fine,” Lina muttered. “Next time you see him, you tell me. I’ll deal with him myself.”

Despite everything, Yuna felt a small warmth in her chest.

They walked to class together and took their usual seats.

A few minutes later, the classroom door opened.

The teacher walked in.

And behind him—

Yuna froze.

Him.

The same boy.

The one who broke her phone.

Her grip on the desk tightened slightly.

“Meet your new classmate,” the teacher said. “Transfer student—Jinhyuk.”

Yuna leaned slightly toward Lina and whispered, “That’s him.”

Lina’s eyes lit up immediately as she looked at him, then back at Yuna—with a slow, mischievous smirk.

“Oh,” she whispered. “So fate really exists.”

Yuna frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“I think you two are meant to meet,” Lina teased. “Look at him—handsome, rich, and already causing problems in your life.”

Yuna rolled her eyes. “He’s just arrogant.”

Meanwhile, Jinhyuk stood at the front, completely unfazed by everyone staring at him.

“Introduce yourself,” the teacher said.

Jinhyuk glanced around the class, bored.

“I’m Jinhyuk,” he said flatly. “Don’t bother me. I’m not here to make friends.”

The class immediately filled with whispers.

“Wow…”

“He’s so cool…”

“Did you see his car?”

Lina leaned in again. “I heard his father owns one of the biggest companies in Seoul. He even donated money to this school.”

Yuna muttered under her breath, “So that’s why he thinks he can act like that.”

“Jinhyuk, take the seat behind Yuna,” the teacher instructed.

But Jinhyuk didn’t move.

Instead, his gaze shifted—directly to Yuna.

“I’ll sit there,” he said, pointing at the empty space beside her.

For a second, Yuna didn’t understand.

Then she did.

“No—” she started—

But before she could say anything, Lina stood up.

“Well, my job here is done,” Lina whispered with a grin. “Enjoy.”

“Lina!” Yuna hissed quietly. “Come back here!”

Too late.

Lina had already moved to the seat behind.

And Jinhyuk was now placing his bag beside Yuna.

He sat down casually, like he owned the place.

Yuna turned toward him, glaring.

He noticed.

Of course he did.

A slow smirk appeared on his lips.

“What?” he said lazily. “Why are you staring at me like that…”

He leaned slightly closer.

“…broken phone girl?”

Yuna blinked.

Broken phone girl?

Her fingers clenched under the desk.

This guy

The classroom finally settled into silence as the lesson began.

Yuna kept her eyes on her notebook, trying her best to ignore the presence sitting right beside her.

But it was impossible.

She could feel it.

His gaze.

Lazy… but watching.

“You’re really quiet,” Jinhyuk said suddenly, his voice low enough that only she could hear.

Yuna didn’t respond.

She just kept writing.

He leaned back in his chair, smirking slightly. “Or are you still upset about your phone?”

Her grip on the pen tightened.

“I told you,” she said quietly, “it wasn’t your fault, right?”

Yuna stopped writing.

Slowly, she turned her head and looked at him.

For the first time, there was no hesitation in her eyes.

“It was your fault.”

Jinhyuk raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

“Oh? So now you can talk?”

Yuna looked away again. “Just stay quiet.”

He let out a soft chuckle.

Interesting.

“Yuna.”

Her name echoed through the classroom.

She froze.

The teacher was looking straight at her.

“Since you seem busy talking,” he said, “solve this problem on the board.”

A few students snickered quietly.

Yuna stood up slowly, her heart starting to race.

Math.

The one subject she used to be good at.

Used to.

She walked to the board, picked up the chalk… and stared at the question.

Her mind went blank.

Completely blank.

Behind her, whispers started.

“She can’t do it…”

“She used to be top, right?”

“What happened to her?”

Her fingers tightened around the chalk.

She knew this.

She should know this.

But the numbers blurred together.

Seconds felt like minutes.

“Yuna?” the teacher said impatiently.

Her chest felt heavy.

“I…”

“Can’t solve it?” he finished.

A few laughs broke out this time.

Yuna lowered her gaze.

“…no.”

“Then detention after school,” he said coldly. “Maybe that will help you focus.”

“Sir.”

The voice came from behind.

Calm. Unbothered.

Jinhyuk.

“I’ll go too,” he said.

The class went silent.

The teacher frowned. “And why would you do that?”

Jinhyuk shrugged. “I was talking too, wasn’t I?”

The teacher looked suspicious, but then sighed. “Fine. Both of you. After school.”

Yuna turned slightly, confused.

Why would he—

But Jinhyuk was already leaning back in his chair again, like nothing mattered.

After school.

The classroom was empty except for the two of them.

Yuna sat at her desk, staring at her broken phone.

The cracked screen reflected her tired expression.

“You’re really bad at math,” Jinhyuk said casually from behind her.

Yuna didn’t turn around. “You didn’t have to come.”

“Who said I came for you?” he replied.

She stayed silent.

A moment passed.

Then—

“Give me your phone.”

Yuna frowned and looked back. “Why?”

“Just give it.”

She hesitated… but slowly handed it over.

Jinhyuk examined the broken screen, clicking his tongue.

“Cheap,” he muttered.

Yuna’s expression hardened slightly. “Not everyone is rich.”

He glanced at her.

For a second, something in his expression changed.

Then he looked away.

“Wait here tomorrow morning,” he said, standing up.

“What?”

“I’ll fix it.”

Yuna blinked. “I don’t need your help.”

Jinhyuk smirked slightly.

“Too late, broken phone girl.”

He walked toward the door… then stopped.

Without turning back, he added—

“And next time, don’t freeze like that.”

Yuna’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“On the board,” he said. “You knew the answer.”

Silence.

“…you just didn’t try.”

And then he left.

Yuna sat there, unmoving.

His words echoed in her mind.

You knew the answer.

Her fingers slowly tightened.

For the first time in a long while—

Someone noticed.