Our first few months at Jirisan High had flown by, and just like that, our very first semester was behind us. It was time for summer vacation.
We spent most of it together—Min-ah, Soo-hee, and me—going to the beach, taking pretty selfies, and making memories that felt like they'd last forever. It was a blur of sun-soaked afternoons, late-night calls, impulsive hangouts, and a completely ruined sleep schedule.
It was loud and messy and perfect.
Everything was going smoothly. Until one day everything changed.
The first day back after summer break, and I was already late to class. That never happened—at least, not usually. But that morning had been chaos: alarms I somehow slept through, keys that mysteriously vanished, and a hairstyle that refused to cooperate.
As punishment, the teacher told me to wait outside until the lecture ended. I sighed and stepped into the hallway, more annoyed at myself than anything else—until I noticed someone already there, leaning casually against the wall like being late was a lifestyle.
"Hello, fellow latecomer," he said, his voice light, teasing.
His hazel eyes caught the morning light just right—like golden hour woven into honey. I felt my heart trip over itself. *Is he from class 1-3 too?*
"Hey," I replied, a little flustered. "You are…?"
"Joon-seo," he said, pretending to look offended. "Though I'm a little heartbroken you didn't already know that."
I laughed softly. "Sorry—I'm bad with names. I'll remember it now. I'm Eun—"
"Eun-ha," he cut in, smiling like he'd won something. "I know."
I blinked. "You do?"
He shrugged, feigning innocence. "You're kind of hard to miss. Quiet, always scribbling in your notebook during breaks… You always sit by the window, right?"
My mouth opened slightly. *He noticed that?*
"Stalker much?" I teased, trying to hide the way my heart was doing somersaults.
He laughed. "Maybe. Or maybe I just have a good memory."
Inarrowed my eyes playfully. "Or maybe you just like watching people."
"Only the interesting ones," he said without missing a beat, his gaze lingering just a second too long.
My cheeks flushed.
"I do hope you remember my name from today on, Eun-ha," he added with a wink.
There was something about him—gentle, confident, and just a little too charming. I hated how easily he got under my skin.
After that day, I started seeing him everywhere. A shared laugh in the hallway. A casual wave across the cafeteria. Sometimes he'd walk into class late on purpose, just to catch my eye and flash that crooked smile.
"I'm seeing more of you lately," I said once, trying not to sound too curious.
Joon-seo glanced sideways at me with that lazy, knowing smile. "I bet you're looking for me when I'm not there."
I scoffed, but he wasn't entirely wrong.
"Getting a little full of yourself, aren't you?" I shot back, though I couldn't help the smile tugging at my lips.
He leaned in slightly, just enough to make my breath catch. "Maybe. But am I wrong?"
I opened my mouth to reply but hesitated. He was teasing, sure—but his tone was soft, like he genuinely wanted to know. That threw me off more than the flirting.
"Don't flatter yourself," I finally said, nudging him lightly with my elbow.
He chuckled, rubbing the spot like I'd actually hurt him. "Ouch. Cold."
"You'll survive."
He looked at me again—really looked—and for a moment, the grin faded into something gentler.
"I like seeing you," he said, quieter this time. "It makes the day less boring."
I stared at him, unsure of what to say. The teasing was easy. This… wasn't.
So I did what I always did when things got too real—I laughed.
"Then you must've been 'so' bored before I came along."
"Totally miserable," he said with a grin, but there was something in his eyes that didn't quite match the joke.
It was always like that—light teasing, harmless flirtation… but something about it lingered. The way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't paying attention. The way my name sounded softer when it came from him.
Min-ah noticed too.
"Oooh, someone's got a fan," she said one afternoon as we walked back to the dorms.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, but I already knew.
She raised a brow. "Joon-seo. Hazel eyes. Heart-eyes for you every time you walk past."
I wanted to deny it, but the heat rising in my cheeks said otherwise.
I laughed it off. "You're imagining things."
She grinned. "You can't lie to me."
Truth was, I didn't know what to call it yet. It was new. Soft. Untouched. Still mine.
But the days passed, and he only drew closer. He started sitting next to me at lunch, texting me late at night just to ask how my day was, or to send me the dumbest memes that made me laugh when I didn't even want to smile.
Slowly, without realizing it, I started to let him in.
I noticed my name scribbled in the corner of his notebook—small, almost hidden, like a secret he wasn't ready to share. But it was there. Written in the same messy scrawl he used when he rushed to take notes, like it had slipped out without him meaning to. I caught myself staring at it longer than I should've, heart fluttering like I was fifteen again and crushing for the first time.
Then there were my initials—dangling from his keychain in the form of a tiny charm. It wasn't flashy or obvious. In fact, most people probably wouldn't notice. But I did. I always did. And when he saw me looking at it once, he didn't explain or joke it away. He just smiled, like it made perfect sense for something of mine to be with him.
His friends weren't exactly discreet, either. Every time I walked by, they elbowed him with smug grins, muttering things they probably thought I couldn't hear. One even sang a line from a cheesy love song under his breath once. Joon-seo always rolled his eyes, trying to play it cool, but I could see the pink tint rise to his ears.
Subtle as a neon sign.
But he never denied it. Never brushed it off. And that silence said more than any confession ever could.
*Is this what happiness feels like ?*
Something unfamiliar bloomed inside me.
Something real.
Something that made me believe.