Tick-tock. The sound of heels echoed in the room, and the entire lively office fell silent.

“Hi, see Madam is coming!”

“Oh my goodness, she looks like a model.”

“Is she single? She’s got such a charming aura.”

“Shut up! She’s our boss. Have you heard the rumors?”

“What rumors?”

“Our boss has never dated anyone.”

“Well, she is perfect.”

---

[Madam enters the room. Everyone greets her politely.]

“Good morning, Ma’am.”

“Good morning, everyone. We have a very important and urgent meeting today. I hope you’re all prepared. If we close this deal, our brand will go to the top of the market rankings. So let’s put our best foot forward!”

(She said with a bold smile, but not without a genuine warmth.)

“Yes, we are!”

---

[Later in the office]

"Secretary jinho, please give me the file we’re supposed to present today to Mr. Park's & Co.food.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

---

Everyone calls me perfect. But if they knew about my past—my school life—they’d never say that. So, they never think beyond the surface.

---

“Ma’am, the file.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Secretary jinho, can you give me some background on the park's Food CEO?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

"park's Food is a top food brand in the market. But here’s the interesting part—it used to be a family business. After the retirement of Mr. park, his grandson took over. And within five years, he took the park's Food brand to the top of the industry.

Everyone was shocked by his market strategy."

---

“Oh, that’s it. Now it’s my job to convince him of a collaboration.”

“Yes, Ma’am. You guessed it right. Since it’s still a youth-led brand, we have a chance. I know you can do it. You’re too good to be second.”

“Let’s hope we strike a deal with the park's Food brand. What’s his name, by the way?”

“Ahh, his name is…”

---

[A woman enters]

“Ma’am, the park's Food CEO and his partners are here.”

“What? But we still have time before the meeting! Why are they early?”

“Secretary jihno, please prepare our team and the file. I’ll welcome them.”

“Okay, Ma’am.”

---

[I go to the door to welcome them.]

“Hello, welcome to Go food. I am Seo yumin, CEO of Go food Company.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Seo yumin. I am Park haejin, CEO of Park's Food.”

---

park haejin…

No! He’s haejin... my past.

I looked at him closely, and yes—he was haejin. My past.

---

“Secretary jinho please take Mr.park haejin and her team went to the meeting room. I’ll join shortly.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Please, this way.”

---

I rush straight to the washroom and splash water on my face.

So many thoughts running through my mind.

“Why… why did he come here? I ran away from my past. I never wanted to face it again.”

Breathe. Calm down, yumin. You have to face it. No more being selfish. He forgot—you should too. You are confident, capable, and perfect. Go and close the deal. You have to be perfect. Be perfect.”

yumin went to the meeting room and presented her proposal and business idea to everyone.

(Everyone claps)

"Good presentation," haejin said.

"We like your idea. We want to proceed with Go food."

"Oh, really? That’s great!"

haejin reached out to shake hands with yumin, and they exchanged a firm handshake.

"So, because of this deal between the park's Food and Go food, we would like to treat you to dinner."

"Can you please join us , Mr. Park?"

"Yes, why not? It’s a good thing."

Later, we had dinner with our teammates. I think haejin didn’t recognize me... probably because I look so different now, compared to the past.

“Ahh, thank God he didn’t remember me.”

"What happened, Mr. jinho? Why do you look so stressed?"

"Ma'am, actually... one of our team members drank too much. I booked a taxi, but it's late. I don’t know how to handle them."

"It’s okay. You can drop them off at their houses in my car. Go ahead, I’ll manage."

"But ma'am—"

"It’s okay, Mr.jinho. Go."

---

yumin waited outside alone.

"Why are you here?

Are you waiting for someone, Mrs. yumin?"

"Yes, I’m waiting for my taxi."

"Should I drop you off instead?"

"Ah, no... it's okay, Mr. park."

"No, Mrs. yumin. It’s late. Please come, let’s go together. I’ll drop you at your house."

"Okay..."

"Manager, take the car to Mrs. yumin house first."

"Okay, sir."

--

"Thank you, Mr.Park."

"Ahh, why are you calling me like that, yumin ? We know each other..."

sigh

"I think you don’t want to know your team members that we’re classmates. You and I were in the same school. Please call me by my name, if no one else knows,There was no one around."

...****************...

To be continued....

I ran up to my room, overwhelmed, thinking about everything that happened today.

My entire past suddenly came rushing back to me.

(5 Years Ago)

"Yumin! Get up, you have to go to school!"

"No, Mom..."

"Shut up and get up, you lazy girl!"

"Ugh, okay..." (I slowly got up and went to wash my face.)

"Ugh, it's me... why do I look so ugly?"

I sighed.

"I have glasses because of my bad eyesight... and even braces because of my crooked teeth. Ugh. When I got both of these, I started to feel like I was just... average in everything..."

(tears up while looking in the mirror)

"Yah! Yumin, are you ready? Your bus is about to leave!"

"Yes, Mom!"

---------------

As I walked toward the school gates, I adjusted my glasses nervously. My braces felt tighter than usual, and I kept my head low, hoping to blend in.

But then I saw him—my only friend.

"Yumin!" She waved excitedly from under the big tree near the entrance.

His name was ha rin . A quiet girl,kind-hearted, and just as out of place as me.

"Hey, yumin," I said with a small smile.

SHe grinned. "You look... better today."

I laughed. "That’s a lie, but I’ll take it."

Just then, she appeared—Rina, the queen bee of the class. Tall, perfect skin, no braces, no glasses. Basically everything I wasn’t.

She strutted up to ha rin and smirked.

"Aww, is the nerd squad having a reunion again?"

She glanced at me from head to toe. "Yumin, are those the same glasses from last year? Still stuck in loser mode?"

I didn’t flinch. Instead, I fixed my bag on my shoulder, tilted my head, and replied calmly:

"At least I don’t need fake confidence to walk into school. You sure you’re not running out of battery for your ego today?"

Her smile faltered.

"Come on, harin . Let’s go. The air’s getting toxic here," I said coolly and walked past her like she didn’t exist.

rin looked shocked for a second, then burst into a laugh as she followed me.

Inside, I was still the girl who cried in front of the mirror.

But for once—I didn’t let anyone see it.

We entered the classroom just before the bell rang. I took my usual seat in the second-last row by the window, with rin beside me.

The class buzzed with chatter until our homeroom teacher walked in, followed by a tall guy with jet-black hair and a cold expression.

"Good morning, class. We have a new transfer student today."

The class went silent immediately—the eyes locked on him.

"I’m Park Haejin."

That’s all he said. Short. Cold. No smile.

Still, it was enough.

The girls in the class started whispering instantly.

"He’s sooo handsome!"

"Did you see his jawline?"

"I bet he’s from Seoul or something rich like that!"

The teacher continued, "Park Haejin, you can take that empty seat behind Yumin."

He pointed toward me.

I froze.

"Yumin, please help him with books, notes, and class chapters for this week."

"Yes, sir..." I muttered.

Park Haejin walked toward the seat behind me without looking at anyone. His eyes were unreadable—cold, maybe even annoyed?

I tried to stay still, but inside, my brain was running a race.

> “Why behind me? Out of the whole class? Ugh… just stay quiet and don’t embarrass yourself, Yumin.”

I could still hear the girls whispering.

"She’s so lucky."

"Why her?"

"Maybe he’ll never talk to her anyway."

I glanced sideways at rin. She gave me a playful smirk.

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window, pretending I didn’t care.

But deep down, I felt something strange.

It wasn’t just the class reacting to Park Haejin...

Even my heartbeat wasn’t acting normal.

---------

By lunchtime, it felt like Park Haejin had been at our school for years, not just a few hours.

The cafeteria buzzed louder than usual.

Girls surrounded his table, laughing at everything he said—even when he wasn’t saying much.

Boys from the basketball team were already inviting him to join tryouts.

He hadn’t even touched his food, and yet everyone acted like he was a celebrity.

I sat at my usual corner table with rin , poking my food with a spoon.

"Is it just me or is he already running the school?" rin mumbled, biting into his sandwich.

"Nope, not just you," I replied, staring across the cafeteria at the now full table around Haejin.

> “When did he even make so many friends? He literally said three words this morning. Do people get popular just by having a good look now?”

I sighed and looked down at my tray.

"It’s weird," I muttered. "He barely talks, but everyone wants to sit with him. I’ve been here for years and the only person who talks to me is you."

rin grinned. "Lucky you."

I laughed lightly, then my eyes drifted back toward Haejin. He wasn’t laughing or even smiling. Just nodding while others talked around him. Like his mind was elsewhere.

And then—for a split second—he looked across the cafeteria...

Right at me.

Our eyes locked.

I quickly looked away, my heart skipping

< " What was that ? Did he actually look at me ? Or it was just a coincidence"

Rin noticed," Did he just _?

"No , don't start "I muttered , shoving a spoonful of rice in my mouth to end the topic .

But even as i chewed , my brain wouldn't stop thinking.

" Park haejin who are you really?"

...****************...

> “Park Haejin… who are you really?”

That question haunted me all the way home.

The next morning, everything felt normal on the outside. Same school walls, same noisy hallways, same whispers about Park Haejin everywhere I went.

But something felt different.

Especially when I walked past him in the corridor.

He didn’t glance at me.

Didn’t say a word.

But for one split second, I felt his eyes on me—like a flicker of attention he didn’t want anyone to notice.

---

Meanwhile, in the boys' classroom corner...

Haejin sat quietly with his so-called new ‘friends’—the boys who had suddenly started clinging to him like magnets just because he was tall, good-looking, and mysterious.

He didn’t say much.

Didn’t laugh.

Didn’t even fake interest.

He just... sat there. Listening. Observing. Silent.

And then, the topic shifted.

"Bro, did you see the new girl in Class A? She’s HOT."

"Not as hot as Minju, though. That girl’s unreal."

One of them chuckled. "But we all agree on one thing—there’s one girl who could scare off the whole school."

Haejin didn’t even look up.

"Yumin," the boy said, laughing. "Like seriously—glasses, braces, always alone, acts like she owns the back row. Ugh. I don’t even know why she bothers showing up."

Another guy added, "Yeah, I heard she confessed to someone last year and got rejected in front of the whole class. Honestly, with that face?"

"No offense, but she’s the ugliest girl here."

Everyone laughed.

Everyone… except one.

Haejin.

His fingers tapped the table once.

Then stopped.

> “Ugliest girl?”

He didn’t say a word. Not because he agreed—

But because he didn’t care what others thought.

Judging people by looks?

It disgusted him quietly, but he didn’t bother wasting breath on fools.

But then—

"Hey, Haejin," one of the boys smirked, elbowing him. "You sit behind her, right? What do you think? She's not your type either, right?"

There was a pause.

Every guy at the table stared at him, waiting.

Haejin looked up.

Eyes cold. Emotionless.

He didn’t say a single word.

Just picked up his water bottle, stood, and walked away like they didn’t exist.

The boys blinked.

"What was that?"

"Did we say something wrong?"

"Nah, he probably just doesn't like talking. Chill."

But no one noticed the look in his eyes as he walked down the hallway…

Like something had shifted inside him.

---

Meanwhile, back at her desk, Yumin scribbled in her notebook, unaware of the conversation that had just happened. Unaware that, for the first time, Park Haejin didn’t just see her as a random classmate…

He saw someone differently.

Someone he didn’t want others mocking.

Even if he didn’t know why yet.

> And he didn’t like it either.

Not one bit

It was raining.

Not the soft, romantic kind.

The crazy, unpredictable, "I forgot my umbrella and now I look like a disaster" kind.

Yumin stood at the school gate, cursing her luck.

Jiwoo had already gone, and of course… her umbrella was sitting safely at home, next to the books she meant to bring.

"Just great. I love being soaked and single."

She hugged her bag and started walking toward the bus stop anyway.

---

Haejin stood near the gate, watching from under his black umbrella. He had no intention of getting involved.

But then… he saw her.

Yumin—walking into the rain without complaining, her uniform slowly getting drenched, her hair clinging to her cheeks, and her glasses fogging up slightly.

But… something was different.

The way she didn’t care.

The way she laughed at herself when her shoe splashed into a puddle.

The way the wind messed up her hair, but she kept walking confidently—like she didn’t owe beauty to anyone.

For the first time, Haejin didn’t see glasses or braces.

He saw her eyes sparkle when she looked up at the sky.

He saw her lips curved in a smile that wasn’t for anyone else—just for herself.

And something in his chest twisted.

> “She’s… actually…”

---

Suddenly—THUD!

Someone ran into him from the side.

"AHHH sorry!! I wasn’t looking—"

It was Yumin.

She had slipped while walking fast past the gate, and crashed straight into the person she didn’t expect at all.

Park. Haejin.

For the second time that week…

She ended up tangled in a very awkward position—with him catching her halfway.

Her hands were on his chest. His umbrella had dropped. Rain poured around them like a perfect drama set.

Their eyes locked.

"You again?" he said softly.

Yumin blinked. "You caught me again. Are you secretly my guardian angel or something?"

He didn’t smile. But he also didn’t look away.

Raindrops slid down his hair, and his hand was still around her arm.

He stared at her face, close enough to see how different she looked without glasses… since they had fallen during the fall.

And for the first time—he noticed...

The shape of her eyes.

The curve of her cheekbones.

The light in her gaze.

> "Why… didn’t I see it before?"

Yumin slowly pulled back, cheeks turning red.

"Um… thanks. Again. I should really stop falling near you."

She picked up her glasses, wiped them, and turned them.

But this time—

Haejin picked up the umbrella… and held it over both of them.

"I’ll walk you."

She froze. "Wait, what?"

He didn’t answer. Just started walking beside her, holding the umbrella high enough to cover them both.

> And that was the first time Yumin heard silence that didn’t feel awkward.

It felt warm.

The walk under the umbrella started calmly—quiet footsteps on wet roads, the soft rhythm of raindrops hitting the umbrella.

But in minutes, the sky changed.

The rain grew wild.

The wind picked up speed.

It was no longer soft or romantic—now it was a full monsoon mood.

"This is getting bad," Yumin shouted over the wind, grabbing the umbrella with both hands.

It was wobbling, threatening to fly away.

"We can’t walk like this anymore."

She looked up at Haejin, whose black hair was now sticking to his forehead.

"My house is nearby. Let’s go there. You can leave when it calms down."

Haejin hesitated. "I mean—"

"Or would you rather get hit by lightning?"

He blinked. "Right. Lead the way."

---

They finally reached a small building. Yumin opened the old iron gate and led him to a narrow set of stairs.

"It’s not much. Just... home."

Inside was a simple, cozy apartment. Worn-out sofa, a small TV, and a few plants by the window. A family photo hung near the dining area.

"You live here alone?" Haejin asked, looking around curiously.

"No. My mom lives with me."

He raised a brow and smirked.

"Awwww… little Yumin still lives with her mommy?" he teased.

She shot him a look. "Don’t act like you don’t have parents too."

"Touché."

She went to get towels while he stood awkwardly near the entrance, dripping wet.

She returned with two.

"Here, dry off. I’ll get you some clothes—well, my dad’s old ones. Hope you don’t mind looking like an uncle for a bit."

He gave a short laugh. "Better than catching pneumonia."

As she handed him the towel, he froze for a moment.

Her thin school uniform was soaked, clinging to her skin.

The light fabric is now slightly transparent under the bright living room light.

Her bra outline is slightly visible—she didn’t notice.

But he did.

And he instantly looked away.

> Control yourself, Park Haejin.

Without a word, he stepped forward and gently placed the towel over her shoulders.

She blinked. "Oh... thanks."

He didn’t say anything. His ears had turned a bit pink.

"You… should go change first," he said, voice a bit lower than usual.

"I’ll wait here."

She gave a nervous smile and quickly disappeared into her room.

As the door closed behind her, Haejin exhaled deeply, running a hand through his wet hair.

> "What the hell is happening to me?"

...****************...

To be Continued.....