Choi Yeonjun

You ran without looking back.

The girls' voices echoed through the dark shortcut behind the school, getting closer and closer.

"She came in here!"

"Grab her now!"

Her heart raced when she realized she had entered precisely the worst part of the street — dark, silent, and a dead end.

"Drug…"

Before you could turn back, a hand grabbed your arm roughly, dragging you into a hidden space between the walls. You let out a muffled gasp of shock as your body slammed against someone.

Someone tall.

Very close.

The stranger's hand covered his mouth the instant the girls ran past him in the alley.

"Where's that weird nerd?"

"She can't have disappeared!"

You stood motionless, feeling the stranger's breath too close to yours as the voices gradually faded into the distance.

Until everything falls silent. His hand slowly moved away from his mouth. You sighed with relief.

"Thank you... really," she murmured, still unable to see his face in the darkness.

The stranger remained quiet. You rolled your eyes, annoyed.

"Those girls are completely obsessed with making my life miserable. Especially their leader."

He adjusted his backpack on his shoulder.

"She must think the world revolves around her just because she has a crush on that popular guy at school."

Silence.

"Yeonjun, right?" you scoffed.

"I honestly don't understand what she sees in him. I bet he's just another annoying womanizer who flirts with any girl who comes along."

Then the stranger took a step forward. The dim light from the lamppost slowly illuminated his face.

The crooked smile.

The provocative gaze.

Choi Yeonjun.

His stomach churned. He raised an eyebrow, amused to see her shocked expression.

“So…” Yeonjun slowly brought his face closer to hers. “Is that what you think of me, nerd?”