PARK SUNGHOON

In the same school where everything glittered—impeccable uniforms, luxury cars waiting at the entrance, and laughter filled with confidence—there was someone who seemed completely out of place: Park Sunghoon. Sunghoon always arrived early. Not because he wanted to, but because he had nowhere else to go. His home—if you could even call it that—was an old building with broken walls and a roof that leaked every time it rained. Every morning, before putting on his worn uniform, he walked the streets collecting cardboard to sell. His hands were rough, his shoes worn out, and his gaze… tired, as if life had already shown him too much. At that elite school, where most of the students were children of rich and influential families, he was seen as a mistake. The taunts began as soon as he crossed the threshold . —“Look who’s here, the cardboard collector…” —“Aren’t you ashamed to be here?” The laughter was constant. Sometimes they hid his things, other times they pushed him in the hallways. No one intervened. No one defended him. Sunghoon just lowered his gaze, clenched his fists, and kept walking, as if becoming invisible were the only way to survive. But among all those people… there was someone who did see him. A girl. She was the complete opposite of him. She came from a wealthy family, was beautiful, elegant, and always surrounded by people who wanted to be near her. Her life seemed perfect… at least from the outside. However, every time she saw Sunghoon alone, sitting in a corner or staring out the window as if he wanted to disappear, something inside her trembled. She didn't understand why she liked him. Maybe it was his quiet strength. Maybe it was his way of resisting without giving up. Or maybe… because no one else chose him. She tried to approach him several times. —“Hello… Sunghoon, right?” He looked up, surprised. Nobody spoke to him like that. -"…Yeah." Her voice was low and uncertain. And when he realized who she was, he tensed up. —“You shouldn’t talk to me.” -"Because?