The silent morning

The school gates opened at exactly seven o'clock every morning.

At 7:10, the familiar yellow school bus slowly entered the campus.

As usual, Kang Suju was one of the first students to get off.

She adjusted her backpack, thanked the driver with a polite smile, and quietly walked toward her classroom.

The hallway was completely empty.

Only the sound of her footsteps echoed through the corridor.

She unlocked the classroom door, switched on the lights, and walked inside.

Everything was peaceful.

Rows of empty desks...

A gentle breeze entered through the open window...

The morning sunlight painted the classroom in a soft golden color.

Suju loved this time of the day.

No one laughed at her.

No one whispered about her weight.

No one compared her with others.

For these two hours, she could simply be herself.

She slowly sat beside the window and took out a small notebook.

Instead of studying immediately, she began drawing.

A tiny cat.

Then another.

Soon the page was filled with little cats wearing funny hats, sleeping inside flower pots, and chasing butterflies.

She smiled to herself.

The stray cat she fed every afternoon had unknowingly become her favorite thing to draw.

Almost fifteen minutes later...

Click.

The classroom door opened.

Without raising her head, Suju already knew who had arrived.

Cheng Muka.

He entered quietly, carrying only a black backpack.

His uniform was perfectly neat as always.

Not a single wrinkle.

Not a single strand of hair out of place.

He looked around the classroom once before walking toward the last row.

As he passed by Suju's desk, he noticed her notebook for a brief second.

A page full of little cats.

The corners of his lips almost lifted.

Almost.

But he quickly looked away before she could notice.

Suju, on the other hand, pretended not to notice him at all.

She continued drawing even though her heart had started beating a little faster.

"Why do I get nervous whenever he comes in?"

She didn't know.

Maybe because he was too handsome.

Maybe because he was always so calm.

Or maybe...

Because he was the first boy who had looked at her without laughing.

...

Nearly thirty minutes passed.

Neither of them spoke.

Only the sound of turning notebook pages filled the classroom.

Suddenly...

A cold breeze entered through the open window.

Suju shivered slightly.

She stood up to close the window, but it was stuck.

She pulled once.

Twice.

Nothing happened.

Meanwhile, Muka quietly looked up from his book.

Without saying anything, he walked toward the window.

Suju immediately stepped aside.

Muka placed one hand on the frame and gently pushed.

The window closed with almost no effort.

"Oh..."

Suju blinked.

"Thank you..."

"It's okay."

Only two words.

Yet hearing his calm voice made Suju freeze for a second.

Before she could say anything else, Muka had already returned to his seat and opened his textbook again.

As if helping her was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Suju looked at him for a few moments before quietly sitting down.

She couldn't stop thinking about those simple words.

"He isn't cold... he's just quiet."

For the first time, she realized that there was a difference.

...

Outside, the rain began falling again.

Small droplets tapped gently against the classroom windows.

The weather became darker.

Suju looked outside.

"I hope the little cat found somewhere dry..."

She whispered without realizing it.

Muka heard her.

"A cat?"

Suju looked surprised.

"You... heard me?"

He nodded once.

"I feed a stray cat every day after school."

"You like cats?"

She smiled softly.

"Very much."

"They don't judge people."

The moment those words left her mouth, the smile on her face slowly disappeared.

She wasn't talking about cats anymore.

She was talking about people.

Muka lowered his eyes for a moment.

He remembered what had happened yesterday.

Some students had laughed.

Someone had made fun of her.

And she had left the classroom crying.

He hadn't known her at the time.

But for some reason...

Watching her wipe away her tears had stayed in his mind.

He didn't know why.

After a brief silence, he quietly asked,

"What color is the cat?"

Suju looked at him, surprised that he was continuing the conversation.

"White... with orange spots."

"Does it have a name?"

She laughed softly.

"I never gave it one."

"You should."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"I think every friend deserves a name."

For a second...

Neither of them spoke.

Suju didn't know why, but those words warmed her heart.

Maybe...

Because someone had finally called the little stray cat her friend instead of saying she was weird for feeding it.

She looked out the window again.

A tiny smile appeared on her face.

Muka noticed it.

Without realizing it himself...

He smiled too.

Only for a second.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.

Neither of them knew it.

But that quiet morning had become the longest conversation they had ever shared.

The conversation ended as quietly as it had begun.

Neither of them knew what to say next.

The classroom fell silent once again, but this time the silence didn't feel uncomfortable.

Outside, the rain continued to fall, tapping softly against the windows.

Suju looked at the grey sky for a while before opening her notebook again.

She picked up her pencil and began drawing another little cat.

Without thinking, she added something new.

A tall boy standing beside the cat with an umbrella.

The moment she realized what she had drawn, her eyes widened.

"W-What am I doing...?"

She quickly closed the notebook before anyone could see it.

Fortunately, Muka was busy solving a mathematics problem.

Or at least...

That's what Suju thought.

In reality, Muka had noticed her sudden reaction.

He looked at her for a brief second before returning to his book.

He didn't ask any questions.

He wasn't the type of person who liked making others feel embarrassed.

...

Another thirty minutes passed.

The rain had finally stopped.

Warm sunlight slowly entered through the classroom windows.

Suju stretched her arms and looked outside.

There were still more than ninety minutes before class would begin.

She quietly stood up and walked toward the bookshelf at the back of the classroom.

There were only a few old novels and magazines.

She searched through them one by one.

Suddenly—

One of the books slipped from her hands.

Before it could hit the floor...

Someone caught it.

Suju looked up.

Muka was standing beside her.

For a second, neither of them moved.

The distance between them was much closer than before.

Suju immediately stepped back.

"Th-thank you..."

Muka handed her the book without saying anything.

As he was about to leave, his eyes fell on the title.

The Language of Flowers.

"You read novels?"

Suju looked surprised.

"You... know novels?"

"I've read a few."

"I thought you only studied all day."

For the first time...

Muka looked slightly embarrassed.

"I study because I have to."

"Not because I want to."

Suju blinked.

That answer wasn't what she had expected.

She had always imagined that Muka was someone who loved studying every second of the day.

Now she realized...

Even he had things he didn't enjoy.

...

"What kind of novels do you like?" Muka asked.

Suju thought for a moment.

"I like stories where people slowly become friends."

"No fighting?"

She shook her head.

"No misunderstandings?"

Another shake.

"I like peaceful stories."

Muka quietly looked at her.

"That suits her..."

He thought.

Someone who had spent years being hurt by others would naturally wish for a peaceful world.

Without realizing it...

He wanted that for her too.

...

The classroom clock ticked slowly.

Eight o'clock.

Still another hour before everyone else would arrive.

Suju suddenly remembered something.

"Oh!"

She quickly opened her bag.

Inside was a small bottle of milk.

She smiled.

"I almost forgot."

Muka looked at her curiously.

"Is that for breakfast?"

"No."

She laughed.

"It's for the little cat."

"You really spoil it."

"It waits for me every day."

There wasn't a hint of regret in her voice.

Only happiness.

Muka found himself listening to every word she said.

It wasn't because the story was interesting.

It was because...

She sounded genuinely happy whenever she talked about that little stray cat.

And somehow...

He liked hearing that voice.

...

A few minutes later, Suju looked out of the window again.

"You know..."

She spoke softly.

"I think animals are kinder than people."

Muka remained silent.

She continued.

"When I was bullied..."

"The cat never looked at me differently."

"It still came running whenever it saw me."

"It never cared how I looked."

She smiled sadly.

"Sometimes I wish people were like that."

Those words stayed in Muka's heart.

He had transferred to many schools because of his father's work.

Everywhere he went, students judged each other by appearance, popularity, or grades.

He had never cared enough to think about it.

Until now.

Looking at Suju...

He finally understood how painful those small jokes could become.

Without thinking, he spoke.

"You shouldn't believe everything people say."

Suju looked at him.

"They're wrong."

She froze.

Nobody...

Not even once...

Had ever said those words to her.

Her eyes slowly became watery.

She quickly looked away before he could notice.

"Thank you..."

She whispered.

Muka didn't answer.

He simply looked out of the window.

For some reason...

Seeing her smile felt better than getting full marks on an exam.

That thought surprised even him.

He had known her for only a short time.

Why was he paying so much attention to her?

He couldn't understand it himself.

...

Suddenly—

Voices echoed from the hallway.

Other students had finally started arriving.

The peaceful silence that belonged only to Suju and Muka disappeared.

Within minutes, the classroom became noisy.

Students laughed.

Friends gathered together.

Someone turned on music.

The ordinary school day had begun.

Suju returned to her usual quiet self.

She lowered her head and took out her textbooks.

Muka did the same.

From a distance...

It looked as though nothing had happened between them that morning.

No one would ever guess that they had actually talked.

Not even for a few minutes.

But deep inside...

Both of them knew.

Something had changed.

It was only a tiny change.

Almost impossible to notice.

Yet it was enough to make both of them unconsciously look for each other every morning before class began.

Neither Suju nor Muka realized it yet...

But those quiet mornings were slowly becoming the most important part of their day.

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