Chapter 1: The Arrival of the Chapter 1: The Arrival of the Ice Queen

​At Seoul Star Academy, there were two suns. One was Kang Min-ho.

​Min-ho was the "National School Crush." He had the kind of smile that made girls drop their textbooks and a jump shot that brought the scouts from Seoul National University to every game. He was kind, effortlessly brilliant, and somehow remained humble despite having a dedicated fan club that cleaned his desk every morning.

​Then, there was Yoo Hana.

​Hana didn’t walk; she strutted. As the daughter of a luxury cosmetics mogul, she was the school’s "Baddie"—the undisputed beauty who wore a customized, shorter blazer and a signature shade of crimson lipstick that was technically against school code. No one dared tell her. She was sharp-tongued, fiercely independent, and had a "don't touch me" aura that kept everyone at a ten-foot radius.

​The Encounter

​The collision happened in the rooftop garden, the only place Hana went to escape the fake smiles of her "entourage."

​She was leaning against the railing, scrolling through her phone, when a shadow fell over her. She didn't look up. "If you’re here to ask for a selfie, the answer is no. If you’re here to confess, the answer is also no."

​"What if I'm just here to get my sketchbook back?"

​Hana froze. That voice wasn't one of the usual sycophants. She looked up into the dark, amused eyes of Kang Min-ho. He was leaning against the doorway, looking entirely too handsome in the afternoon light.

​"You left it on the bench yesterday," he said, holding up a black leather book. "I didn't realize the 'Ice Queen' spent her free time sketching stray cats in the alleyway. You’re actually quite good."

​Hana’s cheeks flashed a rare pink. She snatched the book from his hand. "You looked inside? That’s an invasion of privacy, Kang."

​Min-ho took a step closer, crossing the "dead zone" no one else dared to enter. He leaned down, his face inches from hers. "It’s hard not to look when the art is more interesting than the artist’s reputation."

​The Tension

​Over the next few weeks, the school's atmosphere shifted. The Baddie and the Crush were seen together—constantly.

​It wasn't a fairy tale. It was a battle of wits. Hana would insult his "golden boy" persona, and Min-ho would counter by buying her the specific strawberry milk she liked but refused to buy herself because it "ruined her aesthetic."

​The breaking point came during the Autumn Gala.

​Hana stood alone on the balcony, looking like a literal goddess in a black silk gown. The school's "it-girls" had spent the night whispering about how she was too cold for someone as warm as Min-ho.

​"They're wrong, you know," Min-ho said, stepping out from the shadows. He had loosened his tie, looking more human and less like a poster boy.

​"About what?" Hana snapped, though her voice lacked its usual bite.

​"About you being cold." He stepped into her space, his hand resting on the railing next to hers. "You’re not cold, Hana. You’re just protective. But you don't have to guard the gate when it's just me."

​He reached out, his thumb brushing a stray hair from her face. The "Baddie" of Seoul Star Academy felt her heart skip a beat. For the first time, she didn't pull away.

​"You're very annoying, Kang Min-ho," she whispered.

​"I know," he smiled, that famous smile that usually belonged to the whole school, but right now, was only for her. "But I’m the only one who can handle you."

​He leaned in, and as the fireworks from the gala exploded over the Seoul skyline, the Ice Queen finally melted.

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