The Start of Something… and Someone New

The rain had not stopped.

If anything, it had grown steadier—softer now, yet more persistent, as if the sky had settled into a quiet determination to linger. Droplets slid down the tall glass windows of the university corridors, distorting the outside world into blurred streaks of grey and silver.

Inside, however, everything felt… different.

Not loud. Not chaotic.

Just quietly altered.

Mingyu walked through the corridor beside Jecy, her phone loosely held in her hand as they spoke about nothing in particular. Words were exchanged, small and ordinary, but her mind wasn’t fully present in them.

It lingered elsewhere.

On the stairwell.

On that moment.

On him.

Her fingers tightened unconsciously around her phone.

Break time…

He said he would come…

A faint, unfamiliar anticipation curled quietly in her chest.

She didn’t like it.

She didn’t understand it.

And yet—

She didn’t stop it either.

Then—

Without warning—

He appeared.

Standing directly in front of her.

As if he had always been there… waiting.

Mingyu’s steps halted instantly.

Her breath caught—sharp and sudden.

Duan Xiu.

The same composed expression.

The same quiet intensity in his eyes.

And for a second—

The world around her dissolved again.

The corridor noise faded.

The distant chatter blurred.

Even the rain seemed quieter.

All she could hear—

Was her own heartbeat.

Fast. Uneven.

She stared at him.

Not intentionally.

Not consciously.

Her mind simply… stopped.

Words refused to form.

Thoughts refused to align.

She had never stood like this before.

Never felt this kind of pressure in silence.

Not with anyone.

Duan Xiu noticed immediately.

A faint smile touched his lips—soft, controlled, almost unreadable.

He took a small step closer.

Not enough to invade her space—

But enough to make his presence undeniable.

“What happened?” he asked quietly.

His voice was calm.

But there was something beneath it—

Something that lingered just out of reach.

Mingyu tried to respond.

But nothing came out.

Her throat felt dry.

Her heartbeat louder than ever.

Jecy, standing beside her, raised an eyebrow before lightly pinching her arm.

Mingyu flinched—just enough to break the silence.

“N-nothing…” she managed, her voice softer than she intended.

Duan Xiu let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a chuckle.

Not mocking.

Not amused.

Just… understanding.

And then—

He didn’t wait for her to recover.

He started the conversation himself.

Casually.

Naturally.

As if this moment wasn’t strange at all.

He asked simple questions—

About her classes…

About her day…

About whether she always rushed through the rain like that.

There was a lightness in his tone now.

A subtle ease that slowly unraveled the tension around her.

And unexpectedly—

He teased her.

Just a little.

Enough to catch her off guard.

Enough to make her look at him again—properly this time.

Mingyu had always believed something firmly.

People who became close too quickly…

Were never real.

They were temporary.

Careless.

Easy to approach—

And easier to lose.

But Duan Xiu…

Didn’t feel like that.

There was a difference she couldn’t name.

Something quiet.

Something steady.

And that… confused her more than anything else.

Days passed.

Then weeks.

What began as a simple meeting…

Slowly turned into routine.

They started walking to university together.

Meeting during breaks.

Sitting in the library—sometimes studying, sometimes not.

Conversations stretched longer.

Silences grew more comfortable.

There were small arguments—

Over nothing.

Over everything.

And laughter that came unexpectedly.

Duan Xiu helped her with her studies.

Explained things patiently.

Stayed longer than necessary.

And sometimes—

He showed up at her house.

At first, it felt unusual.

Out of place.

But slowly…

It became normal.

Her parents liked him.

Trusted him.

Because he was always there—

Quietly taking care of things she didn’t even notice herself.

Three months passed.

And without realizing it—

Duan Xiu had become…

Someone important.

The morning felt ordinary again.

Mingyu entered her classroom and took her seat, opening her notebook almost immediately.

Her pen moved steadily across the page, her focus returning to its familiar place.

The teacher hadn’t arrived yet.

The classroom buzzed with energy—voices overlapping, laughter scattered across corners.

But Mingyu remained unchanged.

Quiet.

Focused.

Then—

The teacher walked in.

And someone followed.

The shift was immediate.

Attention moved.

Voices lowered.

“Students,” the teacher said with a faint smile, “meet your new classmate—Kim Minseok.”

A ripple of curiosity spread across the room.

The boy stepped forward.

Calm. Composed.

“Hello,” he said softly.

“I transferred here from Namsung University. I hope we can get along well.”

His presence was… noticeable.

Effortlessly so.

Within seconds—

The class was drawn to him.

Glances.

Whispers.

Silent admiration.

But Mingyu—

Didn’t look up.

Her pen didn’t stop.

Her focus didn’t shift.

As if none of it mattered.

That—

Caught his attention.

Kim Minseok’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary.

The only one…

Who didn’t react.

A faint smirk formed on his lips.

Interesting…

He thought quietly—

“She’s different.”

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