The New Mysterious Student

*Chirp, chirp, chirp.*

The sound was sharp, constant—like the birds outside her window were having a full-on argument at sunrise.

Nari groaned, dragging her pillow over her face to block out both the noise and the light spilling into her room. The window was still open from last night's heat, letting in the cool morning air... and unfortunately, the chaos of nature.

"Ugh... shut up..." she mumbled into the fabric, her voice muffled and heavy with sleep.

The birds did not, in fact, shut up.

Before she could even attempt to fall back asleep, her bedroom door flew open with a loud bang.

"Nari! What is the meaning of this!?" her mother's voice cut through the room like an alarm. "How are you still asleep when school starts in fifteen minutes?!"

Nari let out an annoyed sigh, pulling the pillow off her face and slowly sitting up, her hair a complete mess. She blinked a few times, clearly not ready to face the world.

"Mom... can you knock next time?" she said, her tone flat with irritation. "Instead of ruining my beauty rest?"

"Beauty rest!?" her mother repeated, almost offended. "Well, it clearly isn't doing much for you, so get up before I drag you out of that bed myself!"

Nari stared at her for a second, unimpressed.

Wow. She really just called me ugly.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm up," she muttered, pushing the blanket off herself and stretching reluctantly, every movement slow and unwilling. Mornings were easily the worst part of her day—and waking up this early for school made it ten times worse.

⸻

The next ten minutes were pure chaos.

Nari rushed through everything—brushing her teeth, splashing water on her face, and digging through her closet for her uniform. Clothes were tossed aside one after another until she finally found her uniform.

She changed quickly, then paused in front of the mirror, giving herself a quick once-over. A little makeup—just enough to look alive—then she grabbed her brush and ran it through her hair, taming it just enough to be acceptable.

Not perfect. But good enough.

By the time she rushed downstairs, she was already running late.

A piece of toast sat waiting for her on the counter. She grabbed it without a second thought, mumbling a quick, "Bye," before heading out the door.

The morning air was still cool as she stepped outside, the quiet neighborhood a sharp contrast to the chaos she had just left behind.

Luckily, school was only a five-minute walk away.

Unluckily... she was probably still going to be late.

By the time Nari reached the school, she was slightly out of breath, her steps quick and uneven as she rushed through the front doors.

The halls were already quiet—too quiet.

Great. I'm late.

She hurried down the corridor, her shoes tapping against the floor as she made her way to her classroom. Without thinking, she grabbed the handle and pushed the door open a little too hard.

Bang.

The sound echoed through the room, instantly pulling everyone's attention toward her.

"Oh—" Nari started, freezing for half a second as all eyes landed on her.

Her teacher, standing at the front of the class, let out a tired sigh. "Nari," she said, her tone calm but clearly unimpressed, "please try to be on time next time."

Nari gave a small, awkward nod, not bothering to argue. She slipped inside quietly this time, closing the door behind her with much more care.

Trying to avoid any more attention, she made her way to her usual seat somewhere in the middle of the classroom, sliding into it like nothing had happened.

But as she settled in, something felt... off.

Or rather—someone.

Her gaze drifted toward the back of the room.

There, in the far corner by the window, sat someone she had never seen before.

A boy.

He was leaning slightly toward the window, his attention completely outside, like the class didn't exist. A notebook rested open on his desk, and his pen moved occasionally across the page, slow and deliberate.

He didn't talk. Didn't look around. Didn't even react to her dramatic entrance.

It was like he was in his own world.

Nari narrowed her eyes slightly, studying him for a moment longer than necessary.

New student...?

She had to admit—he was cute.

But something about him felt distant. Closed off.

Not her type.

Still... she found herself glancing back at him again.

Nari had barely looked away when the girl sitting in front of her suddenly turned around in her seat, a knowing look already on her face.

"He's cute, right?" her friend whispered, a small grin tugging at her lips.

The question snapped Nari out of her thoughts.

"Huh—?" she blinked, clearly caught off guard.

Her friend didn't wait for a proper answer. "He's new," she continued casually, lowering her voice just enough so the teacher wouldn't hear. "His name's Minjae. He just showed up today."

Minjae.

The name lingered in Nari's mind for a moment longer than it should have.

Without meaning to, she turned her head again, her gaze drifting back toward the corner of the classroom.

There he was.

Still by the window. Still quiet. Still writing.

But now that she was actually looking... something felt off.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Why does he look so familiar...?

It wasn't just a passing thought—it clung to her, uncomfortable and persistent, like a memory just out of reach. She felt like she'd seen him before. Met him, even.

But where?

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't place it.

After a few seconds, she let out a quiet breath and turned back around, brushing the feeling off.

Whatever... I'm probably overthinking it.

She faced forward again, forcing herself to focus on the lesson as the teacher continued talking.

----

What Nari didn't notice-

Was that from the back of the room, Minjae had stopped writing.

His pen hovered just above the page as his gaze slowly lifted, landing on her.

Not curious. Not surprised.

Just... still.

His eyes lingered on the back of her head for a long, silent moment—unblinking, unreadable.

Then, just as quietly, he looked away.

Back out the window.

As if nothing had happened at all.

About an hour later, the bell finally rang.

The sharp sound cut through the classroom, and instantly, everyone began moving—chairs scraping against the floor, voices rising as students packed up and rushed out the door like they'd been waiting all day for that moment.

Nari stretched slightly in her seat, relieved the class was over, and started gathering her things.

Before she could fully stand, someone passed by her desk.

Minjae.

He moved quietly, almost blending into the chaos, his bag slung over one shoulder as he headed for the door without a second glance at anyone.

Nari stood up a little too quickly—

—and walked straight into him.

"Ah—!" she stumbled slightly from the impact. "I'm so sorry!"

Her apology came out fast and genuine, but Minjae didn't even pause.

Didn't look at her.

Didn't respond.

He just kept walking, like she hadn't said a word, and disappeared out the door with the rest of the students.

Nari blinked, still standing there.

"...Wow. Rude," she muttered under her breath, frowning slightly.

She grabbed her bag and turned to leave, ready to forget about it—

—but as she took a step forward, her foot came down on something that definitely wasn't the floor.

"-Huh?"

She quickly lifted her foot, looking down.

A notebook.

Small. Dark-colored. Slightly worn at the edges.

Nari tilted her head, then her eyes widened a little in realization.

Wait... isn't this-

She glanced toward the door.

"Hey-!" she called out instinctively, picking it up. "You dropped someth-"

She stopped mid-sentence.

He was already gone.

"...Right. Of course he is," she mumbled.

For a second, she just stood there, the notebook in her hands.

She could just give it back later.

That would be the normal thing to do.

...but then again-

Her grip tightened slightly as a small, mischievous thought crossed her mind.

He was kind of a jerk.

A tiny smirk tugged at her lips.

Maybe I'll just... take a quick look.

What was the worst that could happen?

Curiosity getting the better of her, Nari flipped the notebook open.

At first, she didn't really process what she was seeing.

Then her eyes scanned the page again.

And again.

Her expression shifted.

Names.

Rows of them.

Her classmates' names, written neatly across the pages... each followed by notes.

Detailed ones.

"...What is this-?" she whispered, her voice dropping.

Her eyes widened as she read a few lines.

"This is-!"

To be continued.

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