Seong-je

Ever since that defeat in the tunnel, Geum Seong-je had tried to erase Jihoon's image from her mind. She had tried, she really had. But that morning, in the courtyard of his own school, the universe seemed to mock him.

Leaning on the rooftop railing, Seong-je was chewing gum boredly when his eyes caught sight of him. There he was: Jihoon, walking slowly through the yard, looking around as if he were searching for something—or someone.

He wasn't wearing that school's uniform. He didn't belong there. It was obvious he hadn't gone to study. He had another reason.

And yet... for Seong-je, the reason was the least of it. His presence was enough to make her chest tighten again in that annoying way she couldn't understand.

Geum Seong-je: (thinking, tensing jaw) — What the hell are you doing here...? — Did you come to make fun of me?

He could feel the electric tingle running down the back of his neck. That mix of anger, anxiety, and... even something stranger. Something I didn't want to name.

From a distance, she watched as the wind played with Jihoon's black and white hair, further mussing it. The uniform was a little too big for him, his backpack hanging loosely off one shoulder. His expression was the same as always: calm, serious, as if nothing in this world could affect him.

And that's when Seong-je felt that uncomfortable pang again. That feeling of wanting to get closer, of wanting to... provoke something. Anything. A look, a word, a reaction. It wasn't just the desire to see him on his knees. It was the desire to be seen by him.

Geum Seong-je: (thinking angrily) — Damn brat... —What the fuck are you doing to me?

He abruptly pushed himself away from the railing, furious with himself. How could he feel this way about someone he was supposed to hate? How could he want to get closer when all he had wanted before was to beat him? But it was too late. A crack had opened inside him. And no matter how hard he tried to deny it, Jihoon had already entered through that crack...

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