Lee Minho

Lee Minho always looked away. It wasn't ordinary shyness; it was almost an automatic reflex, like staring at someone for more than two seconds could be dangerous. At school it became a joke, but he pretended not to care.
Until one day, during a partner assignment, they paired him with Jiwoo Lee.
— You never look at anyone? — Jiwoo Lee asked, blunt.
— I don't like to — he answered quickly, looking at his notebook.
Jiwoo Lee laughed softly. — Weird. But okay.
The silence became comfortable, surprisingly. Jiwoo Lee didn't force a conversation, just sat there, doodling in the corner of the page while thinking. Lee Minho noticed. For the first time, he didn't feel pressured.
As the days went by, they kept getting paired for assignments. Small conversations started to happen, simple and effortless. And before he knew it, Lee Minho began to lift his gaze, just a little.
In one of those moments, their eyes met.
He froze. But he didn't look away right away.