Something ordinary

JU MIN JI

Love cannot be measured in numbers, yet for me, it is. But why? Why only for me? I don’t know whether it is a curse or a blessing. All I ever wanted was to live an ordinary life, but as they say, an ordinary life is the hardest thing to obtain. And I am not special enough to have it—only cursed enough to carry this kind of power, a power that never lets me truly be myself.

“Minji, what are you looking at?”

“I’m Sol,” she said, staring at the sky.

“Mm… nothing,” I laughed softly.

“Come on, let’s go to class,” she said, taking my hand.

“Don’t you think you’re weird sometimes? Always so lost in yourself?”

She reached out, touched my forehead, and laughed before pulling her hand away.

“Let’s go,” I said, and she nodded.

I met Im Sol when I first joined the school in ninth grade. She was my only true friend—the one who stayed even when I barely spoke. She was one of the most popular students in our school. Almost everyone had a crush on her because of her looks and her grades. Not only boys admired her; girls wanted to be her friend too.

I never understood why, out of everyone, she chose me. She had so many people around her, yet she always made sure to look out for me.

I don’t feel left out—but sadly, when I look in the mirror, I see how different I am from her. Disappointment fills my face when I see my love points, reminding me that no one truly loves me, except my best friend and my brother. Out of my twelve points, most belong to Im Sol. One belongs to my brother.

But there is one love point that remains a mystery.

It existed even before I met Im Sol—or before I saved Ri Sook’s life, after which he started liking me enough to give me one point. I don’t think about it much anymore, but it appeared just after I walked into this class. It has been three years since then, and my points have never increased again.

In truth, I have the lowest love points I have ever seen in anyone. Sometimes, I dream of dying in a terrible accident, and somehow those dreams are always connected to my love points. These dreams only started after I joined this school.

One day, someone unknown starts sending me messages. Since then, it regularly sends me messages, warning me to increase my love points—or I will die. I never dared to show it to anyone. If I did, my secret ability to see everyone’s love points would be exposed to the world. That fear is why I stay quiet, hidden, far from everyone’s eyes.

Sometimes, someone actually tries to kill me—but it always fails. Recently, the messages have stopped. And whenever that happens, something dangerous always follows, like a silent threat closing in on me.

I tried increasing my love points by talking to Im Sol’s friends, hoping it would help.

But nothing changed.

Just like always.

No matter how hard I tried, the numbers above my head remained painfully still.

I learned to stop expecting miracles.

At school, I blended into the background, existing quietly beside Im Sol’s brightness. People smiled at her, called her name, waited for her attention. I stood just a step behind, invisible enough to be forgotten, visible enough to be pitied.

And yet, I survived.

Every day felt like borrowed time. I counted my steps, my words, my breaths—as if moving too freely might trigger the fate already written for me. Love, I realized, wasn’t just something people wanted. It was something that kept them alive.

That was when I noticed him.

It happened on an ordinary afternoon—the kind I trusted the most because nothing ever went wrong on days like that. I was walking down the hallway, my eyes fixed on the floor, when something unfamiliar brushed against my senses.

A presence.

I looked up before I could stop myself.

The number above his head didn’t just glow—it flooded the space around him. It wasn’t something I could count easily. Millions of love points shimmered like a constellation, steady and endless, as if love itself had chosen him as its home.

My breath caught.

I had seen high numbers before. I had seen people overflowing with affection, admiration, and care. But this was different. This wasn’t excess.

This was certainty.

Hwang Nam-woo stood there as if the world had never tried to break him. His expression was calm, unaware of the impossible weight he carried above him. When his eyes met mine, something inside me twisted—fear, curiosity, and a feeling I refused to name.

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