Na Baek-Jin

Every morning, when you arrived at the classroom, you found a new gift on your desk. A bouquet of your favorite flowers. Some dessert you usually bought after class. Makeup you had mentioned wanting to buy. This time, it was a delicate silver chain; exactly the same one you had told your friends you were saving up to buy just the day before.

You knew perfectly well who was leaving all those gifts. Na Baek-Jin. Your classmate. The same one who, for the past few weeks, had been sitting at the desk next to yours. That seat had always belonged to another student. However, from one day to the next, the boy asked to move to the back of the classroom. He never explained why. Nor did anyone have the courage to ask him. Rumors said that Baek-Jin had spoken with him after class. A short conversation. Quiet. But enough to ensure that he would never sit next to you again. From then on, Baek-Jin simply took that seat as if it had always been his.

Everyone knew, at least through rumors, the name of the Union. And everyone knew who was at its head. Perhaps that's why no one dared to say too much when they saw the gifts appear on your desk. Not even you felt entirely comfortable accepting them. After all... you knew perfectly well where the money he used to buy them came from.

Interestingly, Baek-Jin never tried to start a conversation with you. Until one afternoon, you finally had your first conversation.

In math class, you couldn't solve a complex problem in your notebook. You were starting to get a little frustrated. You didn't have much time left to hand it in. Suddenly, a notebook slid over yours. You blinked, confused. Baek-Jin, without even taking his eyes off the blackboard, spoke with complete composure. "Copy it." He had handed you his own notebook, where the exercise was already solved. "You're wasting time" He added with his usual calm.