Chapter 3 - The Forgotten Classmate (i)

Hae Soo glanced at the overdue notice in her hand and sighed. “I’ll just return these after class,” she thought to herself.

With that settled, she made her way back to the classroom.

As she entered, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at him. That cold guy she somehow never noticed for seven months.

He was sitting at his desk, writing something in his notebook, completely unbothered by her existence.

She frowned slightly.

“How does someone blend in this much?”

Shaking off the thought, she walked back to her seat and nudged Tae Hee.

“Hey,” she whispered. “What’s that guy’s name?”

Tae Hee blinked at her, confused. “Which guy?”

Hae Soo subtly tilted her head toward him. Tae Hee followed her gaze, then gave her a look.

“Wait. You mean Cha Ji Hoon?”

Hae Soo froze.

“Cha Ji Hoon?” she repeated.

Cha Ji Hoon heard them.

But he didn’t react.

Not even a twitch of his eyebrow. Not even the slightest change in expression.

Instead, he simply turned back to his book, flipping the page as if their conversation meant absolutely nothing to him. Because, to him, it really didn’t.

Just like the others in this class, he was completely detached from anything that wasn’t related to academics.

No unnecessary interactions. No pointless conversations. Just books, studying, and silence.

That was Cha Ji Hoon.

Cold like the winter—distant, untouchable, uninterested.

And somehow, despite sharing the same classroom for seven months, Hae Soo had never even realized he existed.

It was almost funny. To her, he was invisible.

But now, for some reason, she suddenly noticed him.

The classroom returned to its usual silent atmosphere as the door slid open.

Kang Deok-kyun, their homeroom teacher, stepped inside, carrying a few books in one hand and a coffee cup in the other. His sharp eyes scanned the room, as if making sure everyone was present.

“Alright, settle down.”

Not that anyone was talking—except for maybe Hae Soo and Tae Hee, who had already quieted down the moment the teacher entered.

Kang Deok-kyun placed his books on the desk and looked around, only for his gaze to land on Hae Soo.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Lee Hae Soo.”

Hae Soo flinched. “Yes, seonsaengnim?”

*seonsaengnim means teacher in korean*

He crossed his arms. “Why are you wearing your PE uniform instead of the standard school uniform?”

Hae Soo blinked, suddenly remembering her tragic lunch accident. Oh. Right.

She let out an awkward cough. “Uh… someone ruined my uniform, so I had to change.”

Kang Deok-kyun sighed, rubbing his temples. “Define ‘ruined.’”

Hae Soo forced a smile. ”…Food incident.”

The teacher gave her a long, exhausted look.

Across the room, not a single student reacted.

No one cared.

No one even turned their heads.

Kang Deok-kyun, finally deciding he had better things to do, rubbed his temples and muttered, “Fine. Just don’t make a habit of it.”

“Yes, seonsaengnim.” Hae Soo nodded quickly.

With that, the teacher turned toward the board and began writing the lesson. The class, as always, returned to its usual silent, robotic atmosphere.

The moment the final bell rang, Tae Hee was already on the move.

“Finally!” she cheered, shoving her books into her bag without a care. “Let’s get out of here!”

The other students—well, most of them—also began silently packing their things, ready to go home.

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