Yeonjun || Yeongyu

The hallways of the high school shook with the clatter of hundreds of feet, ringing laughter, and snatches of conversation. Amid this chaotic symphony, the measured thud of Choi Yeon-joon's black combat boots stood out. 11 "G." The final year. The last year of being king of this concrete jungle. His gaze, cold and indifferent, slid over the faces of those around him. Girls blushed and froze, like wounded birds. Boys swallowed nervously and looked away. He didn't notice them. Or rather, he saw right through them. False smiles, greedy curiosity, hidden envy. Friends don't exist. That was his law. The smell of cigarettes and sweat from yet another fight in the restroom mingled with the taste of cheap coffee from the school cafeteria. Choi blared through his headphones. "Our hearts demand change…" Yeonjun grinned. What change? Everything would remain the same as it always had been. He, at the top of this pyramid, alone against everyone else. Across the school, in a quiet literature room, Choi Beomgyu, 11A, was rereading Crime and Punishment. A ray of sunlight slid through his tousled hair, reflecting off his glasses. The citrus scent of his perfume (the only weakness that makes him feel a little more confident) filled the room. Beomgyu was the pride of his teachers. His intelligence, his analytical mind, his ability to see beauty in the most mundane things—it was rare. But among his students, he remained invisible. No one understood him. No one even tried. He didn't feel lonely. He liked being alone. Books were his best friends, and knowledge was his refuge. In this world where people judged a book by its cover, he preferred to remain in the shadows, observing life from the outside. Today, however, his usual solitude was interrupted. A crowd of students, whispering excitedly, had gathered near the information board. Beomgyu, showing uncharacteristic curiosity, also approached. A new list of students assigned to help organize the school charity fair hung on the board. Beomgyu found his name on the list: "Choi Beomgyu + Choi Yeonjun."