S-1. The most prestigious class in the entire school.

A class reserved for the top students the ones with the highest scores, the sharpest minds, and the best academic records. A place where intelligence is everything. And yet, despite its reputation, S-1 is not known for being lively.

Here, conversations are rare. There’s no idle chatter, no casual gossip, no meaningless small talk. Students don’t waste their time discussing yesterday’s drama or what they ate for lunch.

The moment the professor enters, all eyes are on the front. No distractions. No excuses. Every second counts—because in S-1, the only thing that matters is knowledge.

This is a place where students breathe in textbooks and exhale exam scores. A single mistake, one moment of lost focus, could mean falling behind. And falling behind in S-1? That’s the same as failure. No one in this class can afford to fail either no one in this class can afford to be careless.

S-1 is not just a classroom. It’s a battlefield and yet, in this world of silence and discipline… two students break the pattern.

Not by shouting.

Not by causing chaos.

But simply by talking like normal people also in a place like this, that alone is enough to shake everything.

While the rest of the class continues in silence, these two talk, laugh quietly, and go about their day as if they weren’t sitting in the most introverted class in the entire school.

“Did you finish the assignment?” Nam Tae Hee whispers, tapping her pen against her notebook.

Lee Hae Soo sighs dramatically, resting her chin on her hand.

“Technically… yes. But why don’t u finish it last night when I told u to do it? Did u didn’t do it? Not even a little?” She asks her serious question.

“

Humph. It’s not like i didn’t even touch these assignments last night. I got so much work to do..” Tae Hee protested. “Look, as long as I do it right? I promise to do this by myself later.” She adds.

Hae soo look at her only friend with full of doubt. She sighs once again. She passes the assignment to Tae Hee. Hae Soo shakes her head. Tae Hee’s got bad behaviour which is she always depends on the other to did something for her especially homework. Bad behaviour by not doing the homework by herself.

Tae Hee makes a face, staring at her own blank worksheet with deep regret. The weight of the untouched homework sinks in.

“You know you’ll be regret this when exams come” Hae Soo says as she looks at Tae Hee that in rush while writing on the paper. They’ve had this conversation *way too many times*.

“That’s a problem for future me,” Tae Hee shrugs, then glances around. “Everyone in this class might be a robot. Im still don’t get use to this” She continues writing the job that undone.

Hae Soo follows her gaze. Rows of students, heads down, focused. No side conversations, no passing notes, no whispering.

“Hmm. We could call them insanely insane. Someone that obsessed with their result and academics? Kinda though?”

“Oh, they are,” Tae Hee mutters. “They have to. One mistake and—”

A sharp voice interrupts.

“Nam Tae Hee.”

Both girls freeze. The professor’s eyes are on them. Hae Soo quickly look away

“Is there something you’d like to share with the class?”

For a brief moment, the entire classroom holds its breath. Then, as if nothing happened, the students return to their work, uninterested. This isn’t the first time. It won’t be the last.

Tae Hee steal a glance at Hae Soo before looking down at her notebooks.

“We’re so dead,” Tae Hee whispers.

“Nope, only you.” Hae Soo grins and it sounds funny to her that makes her almost burst out laughing but fortunately, she holds it.

Kang Deok-kyun sighed, rubbing his temple. “I see. So you expect partial credit for partial effort?”

Hae Soo, sitting beside her, bit her lip to keep from laughing. Watching Tae Hee suffer was always entertaining.

The rest of the class? Completely unfazed.

No one even looked up from their work. No whispers. No reactions.

It was just another normal day in S-1. And for Tae Hee? Just another lecture from Kang Deok-kyun.

As soon as the bell rang, signaling the start of their 30-minute break, Tae Hee let out an exaggerated groan and slumped over her desk.

“I swear, Kang Deok-kyun enjoys making my life miserable,” she mumbled.

Hae Soo, still amused, leaned back in her chair. “It’s not his fault you never do your homework.”

Tae Hee shot her a betrayed look. “I thought you were supposed to be on my side.”

“I am. That’s why I’m laughing.”

Tae Hee let out a dramatic sigh before straightening up. She scanned the room—nothing had changed. Most of the students stayed in their seats, either reviewing notes, solving practice problems, or reading. It was so painfully quiet.

“We need to get out of here before this atmosphere kills me,” Tae Hee announced, stretching her arms. Hae Soo smirked.

“Where to? The cafeteria?”

Tae Hee nodded eagerly. “Obviously. I need food to recover from this emotional damage.”

Without waiting for a response, Tae Hee grabbed Hae Soo’s wrist and pulled her toward the door. No one paid them any attention. It was as if they didn’t even exist.

The two of them weren’t exactly “outsiders” in S-1, but they weren’t like the others either. While the rest of the class lived and breathed academics, they were just… normal. And right now, the only thing that mattered was getting snacks before the cafeteria got crowded. As they stepped into the hallway, Tae Hee sighed in relief.

“Ah, freedom.”

Hae Soo chuckled. “You say that like we just escaped from prison.”

Tae Hee nodded seriously. “Have you seen our class? It’s basically solitary confinement just with more textbooks.”

Hae Soo couldn’t argue with that. Also with that, the two made their way to the cafeteria, unbothered by the fact that the rest of S-1 probably didn’t even realize they had left.

“Hae Soo, go line up for food. I’ll grab drinks,” Tae Hee instructed as they entered the bustling cafeteria.

Hae Soo sighed but didn’t argue. She just gave a small nod and headed toward the food counter while Tae Hee made her way to the vending machines.

The line was already long, filled with students from different classes. S-1 students were rarely seen here, most of them probably brought their own neatly packed, nutritious lunches. Hae Soo grabbed a tray and stepped into line, staring blankly ahead. It was just another normal lunch break. Or so she thought. Because she had no idea what was happening behind her.

At the back of the line, two guys were laughing, shoving each other playfully.

“I swear, you almost tripped over nothing,” one of them snickered.

“Shut up, I lost my balance for a second!” the other huffed, pushing his friend back.

Hae Soo stood in line, waiting for her turn, completely unaware of the impending disaster behind her. It was all fun and games until one of them stumbled forward.

And suddenly, chaos.

Then—

*BAM.*

Something—or someone—slammed into her back. She barely had time to react before she was shoved forward, straight into the person in front of her.

*SPLAT.*

The tray of food the guy was holding tipped slightly, but miraculously, his clothes remained spotless.

Hae Soo? Not so lucky. It’s not her day today. Her uniform was a disaster. Rice stuck to her sleeve, soup dripped down the hem of her skirt, and—oh, great—kimchi on her white shirt.

Dead silence. She blinked. Slowly. Processing. She was still leaning against the guy she crashed into. His chest was firm. Too firm.

Oh no—

Horrified, she quickly pushed herself off him and stumbled back. Mortified.

Slowly, the guy turned around. Tall. Sharp features. *Expression colder than winter*

Hae Soo swallowed hard. *Great. Just great.*

His eyes flickered down at her ruined uniform, then back up at her face. Unreadable.

Meanwhile, behind her—

“Pfft—”

Laughter.

She spun around. The two idiots responsible for this mess were barely holding in their laughter.

“Dude, I barely pushed you, why’d you crash into her like that?” one of them snickered, nudging his friend. The other guy, the one who bumped into her, raised his hands in surrender. “Not my fault! It was an accident!”

Hae Soo took a deep breath, her eye twitching.

“You—”

She stops for a reason. She steal a glance over the guy in front of her, the one she bumped into. Let out a slow, heavy sigh. He looked mad.

His sharp features were set in an unreadable expression, but his dark eyes flickered with irritation.

Yet… there was something familiar about him. Hae Soo frowned, studying his face. Why does he look so familiar? She knew she had seen him before. Many times. In the hallways. Near the school gate. At the library. Everywhere. But… where exactly? She couldn’t remember.

Besides, it sucks to remember something that forgettable.

Before she could figure it out, a voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Hae Soo—what the hell happened?” Tae Hee had returned, her brows furrowed as she took in the scene. Her eyes landed on the two idiots still chuckling behind them. Instantly, her expression darkened.

“You guys—are you serious? You literally just crashed into her, and now you’re laughing?” Tae Hee snapped, crossing her arms.

One of the guys shrugged. “It was an accident.”

“Yeah, no need to be so dramatic,” the other one

added, rolling his eyes. He sounds super sarcastic at this moment that makes Tae Hee more piss off.

Tae Hee scoffed. “Dramatic? You—”Before she could go off, Hae Soo gently tugged at her sleeve.

“Tae Hee, let it go,” she said calmly. “It’s not a big deal.”

Tae Hee turned to her, looking completely betrayed. “Not a big deal? Your uniform is ruined!”

Hae Soo sighed. “I’ll just change into my PE shirt. Problem solved.”

Tae Hee hesitated, clearly not satisfied, but she let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. But those guys still suck.”

The two guys? Unbothered. The cold guy in front of Hae Soo? Still staring at her.

Without another word, Hae Soo turned on her heel and walked toward the locker room, still wondering why his face felt so familiar.

Minutes later, after changing into her PE uniform, Hae Soo sat beside Tae Hee in the hallway, sipping on the drink Tae Hee had bought. Neither of them spoke much. They had no appetite left after that ridiculous accident.

Tae Hee was still grumbling under her breath, occasionally shooting glares at the two guys who had zero remorse.

Hae Soo, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thinking about that cold guy.

“Why does he look so familiar?”

She hated when her brain did this—when she knew she had seen someone before but couldn’t remember when or where. Sighing, she shook the thought away.

“What are u talking about?” Tae Hee feels something that got her friend attention.

“The guy that also in the line, the guy infront of me. Somehow I think I know him” She replies.

“Whatever. Probably just another random senior or something,” Tae Hee didn’t have a time to look at other people that time other than that two guys. She wants to kill them for sure

—

After the break, they returned to class. Hae Soo stepped inside, barely paying attention. Until she looked up.

And froze.

Her jaw almost hit the floor. There, sitting at his desk, as if nothing had happened.. Was that cold guy. In her class.

also as her classmate..?

Hae Soo blinked. Once. Twice.

“Huh—?” She whipped her head toward Tae Hee, who had already walked past her, unfazed.

“Tae Hee,” she hissed, grabbing her friend’s sleeve.

Tae Hee raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Hae Soo slowly pointed toward him. “Why is he

here?” she whispered.

Tae Hee gave her a blank stare. “What do you mean? He’s always been here?”

Hae Soo’s brain short-circuited. Always… been here? She had been in the same class as him for seven months. And somehow—SOMEHOW—she never noticed?!

Oh my.

She wanted to scream. But instead, she just stood there, staring at him in disbelief. Hae Soo couldn’t stop staring. *Seven months. Seven. Whole. Months.* And she never realized this guy was in her class?

There were only about 20 students in S-1, and yet he somehow blended into the background so well that her brain just refused to acknowledge his existence.

Was he a new student? No way, right? It was already July. Confused, Hae Soo did the most uncharacteristic thing ever. She walked toward his desk.

Tae Hee, who had been about to sit down, snapped her head toward Hae Soo like she just committed a crime.

“Wait..Hae Soo? What are you doing?”

Hae Soo ignored her. She needed answers.

The cold guy was flipping through his notebook, completely unbothered. She cleared her throat. “Hey, excuse me?”

Silence. No reaction. Not even a glance. Bet that he’s also an *NPC* in this class too similar to the other. Tae Hee watched from her seat, looking deeply entertained.

Hae Soo frowned. Was he ignoring her?

She tried again, leaning slightly closer. “Hey. You. Have you always been in this class?”

This time, he finally looked up. Dark eyes. Blank expression. Therefore, in the most flat, uninterested tone, he said—

”…What?”

Hae Soo blinked. “I mean… are you a new student? I don’t remember seeing you before.”

He stared at her for a few seconds, as if processing whether her question was even worth answering.

Then, he sighed. “I’ve been here since the start of the semester.”

Hae Soo felt her soul leave her body.

Tae Hee slammed her forehead against her desk, laughing. *“Oh my god, Hae Soo. Seven months.”*

Tae Hee was losing it.

Hae Soo, on the other hand, was still in shock. Seven months?! How?! She glanced back at the cold guy, still half-expecting him to say, “Just kidding, I transferred yesterday,” but… no.

He was dead serious.

Hae Soo stared at him, her brain refusing to accept reality.

“Are you sure?” she blurted out.

His blank expression didn’t change. “Why would I lie?”

Good point.

But still. How did this happen? She remembered everyone in class, even the ones who barely spoke.

And yet, somehow, this guy’s presence completely erased itself from her memory.

Was he some kind of ghost?

Before she could question him further—

“Hae Soo!” A voice called from the hallway.

She turned just in time to see Kang Min Jae walking toward her, looking as relaxed as ever. Her senior.Hae Soo blinked, momentarily distracted.

“Sunbae?” In Korean culture, "sunbae" (선배) means "senior" or "predecessor," referring to someone who is older or more experienced, especially in a school or workplace context.

Min Jae grinned. “Yo, you free? Need to borrow you for a sec.”

Hae Soo hesitated, glancing back at the cold guy.

But when she turned to him, he was already ignoring her again.

Like their conversation never even happened. She scowled. Rude.

Letting out a sigh, she turned back to Min Jae. “Yeah, sure. Do you need something? I got 7 minutes more before the next class.”

Min Jae smirked. “What, can’t a sunbae just call his hoobae for no reason?” In the context of Korean culture, especially in the context of K-pop and K-dramas, "hoobae" (후배) means "junior" or "underclassman", referring to someone who is newer or less experienced than another.

Hae Soo gave him a flat stare. “No, its just i don’t have much time right now, be quick. What do u need?”

He let out a chuckle. “Alright, alright. I actually do need a favor.”

She raised an eyebrow. “A favor?”

Min Jae stopped walking and leaned against the wall, tilting his head slightly.

“You see… I kinda forgot to return some books to the library. And by ‘forgot,’ I mean I absolutely did not forget—I just don’t wanna go.”

Hae Soo narrowed her eyes. “So you’re making me do it?”

He grinned. “Not ‘making’ you. More like… asking nicely?”

She crossed her arms. “Where are the books?”

Min Jae pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. It was a *late return notice.*

Hae Soo took one look at it and sighed. “These are already overdue.”

“Exactly. That’s why I need you.” He flashed another charming smile. “You’re responsible. The librarian likes you. If I go, I’ll probably get an hour-long lecture.”

She sighed again. Of course.

Min Jae was a senior, a year older than her, but somehow, he acted more like a lazy junior.

“Fine,” she muttered, taking the paper. “But you owe me.”

He clapped his hands together. “You’re the best, Hae Soo.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Go do your actual responsibilities, sunbae.”

Min Jae just laughed, patting her head before walking off.

Hae Soo looked down at the *overdue notice* and shook her head.

“Seriously. What am I, his assistant?” She thought to herself.