---

The weather was clear. Bright sunlight poured in through the wide-open window, almost blindingly so. It was a languid afternoon, and most of the students in the classroom had their heads bowed, dozing off. He was no exception.

Today, his hairstyle has changed. Simply trimming his somewhat unkempt hair revealed his long neck and soft jawline, making them noticeably stand out. This caused quite a stir since morning.

Junyoung stared at his flawless skin. Her seat was diagonally behind his, making it easy for her to steal glimpses of his side profile. His shirt was always crisply ironed, looking so clean that it seemed to exude a refreshing scent, even during this time of year when most started to give off the smell of sweat.

As his nodding head abruptly fell forward, he seemed startled and quickly raised his head. The sunlight split his face into light and shadow.

What a pleasant face to look at. His white, aristocratic skin, harmoniously balanced eyes, nose, and mouth, and a shy, fleeting smile made him look picture-perfect.

From the beginning, he had an aura that didn’t suit this remote countryside. However, his calm and gentle expression seemed to effortlessly diffuse the sense of unfamiliarity he brought.

Despite transferring in the middle of the school term, he quickly won everyone over and was nicknamed the “Prince.”

“Who wants to come up and solve this?”

The teacher’s voice tapped on the blackboard, prompting Junyoung to turn her head lazily with her chin resting on her hand. All she had done this entire class was sneak glances at the Prince, but even with a quick look, she could tell the answer to the problem on the blackboard.

“Na Seungwoon, you seem well-rested enough. Come up here,” the teacher said.

Seungwoon, who had been singled out among the students trying to avoid eye contact, looked startled and stood up hesitantly. He quickly scanned the problem on the board, then laughed awkwardly with a flustered face.

“Uh, this is too difficult, Teacher.”

“What’s so hard about it? Didn’t you cover up to the next chapter back in Seoul?”

“Well, I’ve never solved this type of problem before. Also, I just woke up and my head’s still foggy…”

The students burst into laughter at his playful tone. Even the teacher softened his gaze as if taken aback. As Junyoung twirled her pen between her fingers, she felt the teacher’s gaze land on her, as expected.

“Junyoung.”

“Yes,” she answered, rising from her seat.

As she stood, he turned to look at her. Junyoung ignored even the slightest glance and walked straight to the front.

Her long hair fluttered in the breeze from the whirring fan. For a moment, she regretted not tying her hair—it might look messy.

In her peripheral vision, she thought she saw him smile at her with an expression of apology and gratitude, but she wasn’t sure. Standing in front of the blackboard, she wrote down the answer without hesitation. The teacher, who was standing with his arms crossed, chuckled.

“She seemed distracted, but as expected of our class’s top student.”

Top student in the whole school, actually. Granted, it’s a small and unimpressive school, she thought to herself. Junyoung gave a slight nod and returned to her seat. Among the scattered students, Seungwoon’s pale face stood out. With his short-cropped hair revealing a neat forehead, he smiled brightly with his handsome face.

For some reason, she felt like sighing but pressed her lips together and returned to her seat. Just as Seungwoon seemed about to say something to her, her expression hardened as the teacher’s voice rang out.

“Na Seungwoon, just because you’re in the countryside doesn’t mean you can slack off. Doesn’t it hurt your pride to lose to a girl?”

“Girl, girl…” The teacher’s habit of using the term grated on her nerves, and Junyoung’s brow furrowed as she gripped her pen tightly. Seeing her face, Seungwoon quickly spoke up.

“Teacher, Junyoung is…”

“Teacher.”

At the loud *thunk* of someone abruptly standing, the entire class simultaneously turned to look.

“Class is already over.”

The gruff voice was firm and unapologetic. The teacher frowned and pointed a finger at the source of the disruption.

“You, Kwon Beomjin. It’s the teacher’s job to decide when class is over…”

“But I really need to use the bathroom. Like, right now. My belt’s practically undone already.”

When the girls caught sight of the dangling end of Beomjin’s leather belt, they screamed sharply. Junyoung was the only one who didn’t turn around. The teacher, clearly flustered, hastily gathered his books.

“Fine, go. Class dismissed.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The classroom erupted into chaos as groups of students began moving about noisily. Junyoung, who had been closing her books, looked up at the shadow cast over her desk.

“I’m sorry you had to solve the problem because of me.”

Standing there scratching the back of his neck was Seungwoon. His tall figure stretched his shadow long over her. Beneath his rolled-up shirt sleeves, pale arms crisscrossed with faint blue veins extended like tree branches.

A subtle, soapy scent drifted from him—a clean and comforting smell.

“Move.”

“What?”

“Move. I need to go to the bathroom, and you’re blocking the way.”

At her words, Seungwoon stepped back, his ears turning red. As Junyoung passed him through the now-clear space, voices rose behind her, purposefully loud enough for her to hear.

“She’s got such a nasty personality. Don’t bother talking to her, Seungwoon. She’ll just ruin your mood.”

“But I wasn’t…”

“It’s so hard not to feel sleepy, right? The weather’s just too good these days. I want to go out and have fun. What are you doing this weekend?”

As the sticky, drawn-out voices trailed off, Junyoung left the classroom. Walking down the hallway, she glanced down at her shirt sleeve. The frayed ends, a testament to how worn-out it was, seemed to beg for attention.

Everything felt shabby. Nothing she owned was in decent condition—everything was old and worn down.

Most people here weren’t much different from her. The only exception was Na Seungwoon.

Of course, even among the lot, she considered herself on the lower end of the spectrum.

“…Disgusting.”

Muttering under her breath, she lifted her head high and walked on. Her mind was filled with the image of Seungwoon’s awkward smile as he stepped aside.

***

When the sun sets, the mountain grows dark quickly. Junyoung, her bag slung over her shoulder, wasn’t heading home.

Unfortunately, her home wasn’t a place conducive to studying. For starters, there wasn’t even a desk.

Studying at school was an option, but the atmosphere there wasn’t right either. Few students aimed for college, and those who did usually attended cram schools instead of staying behind at school.

Junyoung, of course, couldn’t afford cram school fees. In a classroom full of kids with the mindset of “Why are you studying and ruining our fun?” the thought of trying to study there was unbearable. That’s when she stumbled upon this place.

Leaving through a barely-known gap in the school fence and walking up a short trail into the mountains brought her to an old, warehouse-like house. No one knew how long it had been there.

The small two-story wooden house had been discovered during a night she wandered aimlessly after being slapped by her drunk mother. On the first floor was a desk with a window and a bit of extra space. Upstairs was a lone bed.

Clearly, someone had lived there not long ago. The desk, books, fireplace, and bed weren’t too worn. There was even running water and a makeshift toilet outside.

But for whatever reason, the house was now empty, and that was what mattered.

Nestled in the mountains, it was as quiet as a temple and pleasantly cool in the evenings—even chilly. It was, without a doubt, the perfect place to study.

Junyoung adjusted her bag and frowned. The lights in the house were on. She sighed, slipping the key to the makeshift padlock on the door back into her pocket.

Pulling the door handle, she was greeted by warm air wafting out.

“You’re here.”

The low, sleepy voice came from upstairs, accompanied by the rustle of movement. Clicking her tongue, Junyoung placed her bag on the desk and looked up. Beomjin, his hair dishevelled and yawning, was emerging groggily from the bed.

“You haven’t come through the school fence recently. You’ve been sleeping here all this time?”

“Yeah. And I’m going back to sleep.”

Contrary to his words, Beomjin, still half-asleep, trudged down the stairs. Though the school didn’t have uniforms, he wore a black t-shirt like one, much like how Junyoung treated her white shirt as such.

Beomjin was tall. He might not have been much taller than Seungwoon, but while Seungwoon had the lithe build of a celebrity, Beomjin’s broad shoulders and athlete-like physique made him appear far more intimidating.

His sharp features added to this impression. His sun-kissed skin, piercing eyes, razor-edged jawline, and straight nose teetered on the edge between strikingly handsome and outright intimidating.

Even with his tousled black hair obscuring half his face, the intensity in his gaze was evident. Combined with his naturally defiant demeanour, most people found him more fearsome than attractive.

“Want some ramen?”

The already small space on the first floor felt even more cramped when Beomjin came down. As always, Junyoung took her seat at the desk the moment he set foot on the stairs. She opened her bag and replied curtly.

“Not interested.”

“Should I add an egg?”

“Add it. But don’t overcook it like last time.”

Scoffing, Beomjin turned on the faucet. He had brought the pot, bowls, and two sets of utensils to the house. He was also the one who had installed the padlock on the door.

Though Junyoung had first met Kwon Beomjin in high school, they hadn’t spoken until recently. They weren’t in the same class during their first year, and neither had the type of personality to initiate conversations.

Of course, she had known about him. His parents had passed away when he was young, and he’d been shuffled among relatives until he came to the village in middle school. Rumours swirled that he’d been involved in a violent incident at his previous school, making even teachers wary of him.

Even when they ended up in the same class during their second year, they still didn’t interact. Junyoung had assumed it would stay that way until graduation.

That is, until about a week after she started frequenting this house and discovered him sleeping on the upstairs bed.