Episode 2

The next day, Ana tried to stay out of Seo-jun’s way, but somehow, they ended up in the same classroom again. She kept her head down, pretending to focus on her notebook, but she could feel him across the room, calm and untouchable as always.

During lunch, she went to the cafeteria earlier than usual. She wanted a quiet corner, away from the usual crowd. As she sat down, she noticed him walking in, alone. The noise around him seemed to fade, and every head turned without him needing to look.

Ana’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked down at her tray, pretending she hadn’t seen him.

Then, without warning, a small tray bumped against hers. Ana looked up.

Seo-jun stood there, holding a sandwich she had almost dropped from the table next to her.

“Here,” he said quietly. “You dropped it.”

“Ah… thank you,” Ana murmured, cheeks warm.

Her hands shook slightly as she accepted the food.

He nodded once, a small motion, then turned to walk away. She wanted to say something else but didn’t know what. Words always failed her around him.

All day, Ana kept thinking about that small moment. She wondered why someone like Seo-jun, surrounded by whispers and fear, would notice her at all.

The following week, small things continued to happen. A chair moved slightly when she entered a crowded classroom. A textbook fell from a desk, and a hand was there before she even reached for it. He never said much, never smiled widely, never drew attention—but he was always there when she needed him.

Ana’s friends noticed.

“Why do you keep looking at him?” one whispered one day.

“I’m not,” Ana said quickly, but her heart betrayed her.

Every day, it became harder to ignore. And every day, the quiet tension between them grew—a conversation without words, a connection that no one else understood.

Ana didn’t know then what Seo-jun was thinking, and he never revealed it. But little by little, the ice around him was starting to crack—just enough for her to see the soft side no one else ever did.

And though they still didn’t speak their feelings, both of them knew something had changed. Something small, something dangerous to their quiet lives.

They liked each other.

They just didn’t know how to say it.

It was a rainy afternoon when Ana found herself running late to class.

Her umbrella had flipped inside out, leaving her drenched and frustrated.

She ducked into the classroom, shaking off water and ignoring the curious glances of her classmates.

From the back, she heard a familiar voice.

“You always seem to have trouble with the rain.”

Ana froze. Seo-jun was standing there, holding a large black umbrella. His hair was damp, but he looked calm, untouchable, and somehow in control of the entire classroom.

“Uh… I… it’s just…” Ana stammered, looking away.

He held the umbrella out for her, not saying a word. Ana hesitated, then stepped under it. It was big enough to cover them both, and she couldn’t help but notice how close they were, without him moving an inch.

“Thanks,” she murmured.

He nodded and walked to his desk, leaving her confused and, more than she wanted to admit, happy.

From that day on, Ana noticed small gestures: a pencil returned without being asked, a jacket draped over her chair when it was cold, a book saved from falling off a desk. Each gesture was quiet, subtle, almost invisible—but Ana felt them all.

She didn’t want to admit it, but her thoughts were beginning to revolve around Seo-jun more than they should.

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