The Perfect Boy
The classroom was already buzzing with noise before the bell even rang. Students chatted loudly, laughter coming from groups. A few still quickly copied homework pretending the deadline hadn’t already passed. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just another morning. Alex Kim sat at his desk writing. His notebook was perfectly lined up with the edge of the table. Every line of text was neat, controlled, too clean for someone his age. He didn’t rush. He didn’t hesitate either. Steady writing. Like everything had already been planned out.
“Hey, Alex, can you show me number three?” A hand reached over his shoulder before he even reacted.
Without complaint Alex slid the notebook slightly to the side.
“Yeah.” The answer came calmly, almost automatically.
A moment later—“I finished it,” he added, eyes back on his work.
“Alex, did you complete the assignment?” Another voice. From a direction. He turned the page.
“I did.” No extra explanation. No hesitation. Just enough to end the conversation. “Alex, want to go karaoke later?” This time he paused.
He looked up slowly like he was thinking about something. A small smile formed—politely practised.
“Maybe. I’ll see.” Just like that, the conversation ended.
It was always like this. People came. People asked. He answered. Simple. Smooth. Predictable.
Somewhere in the class someone laughed. “He’s perfect, isn’t he? Every girl’s dream.”
Alex heard it. He didn’t react. His eyes went back to the notebook. Clean handwriting. No erased mistakes. No messy corrections. Perfect, in every way.
After a second he simply turned the page instead of admiring it.
“Oi, Kim.” A voice cut through the calm. A chair scraped loudly beside him as someone dropped into the seat without asking.
Toby. Messy hair. Untucked shirt. Glasses slightly crooked like they were tired.
He sighed dramatically.“ Doing your perfect student routine again?”
Alex didn’t even look up. “I’m just working.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Toby leaned back, stretching like he owned the chair. “That’s what you always say.” Toby glanced sideways at him.
There was a silence before he spoke again. “Hey… have you ever liked someone?”
Alex paused. Not because he was surprised. Because the question didn’t fit the moment.
“…What do you mean?”
Toby grinned like he had been waiting for that reaction. “You know. Anyone. Like Lily or Daisy in our class?”
Then, without waiting, he started listing. “Erica’s cute. Her temper is scary… Mimi-Chan—she’s on another level.”
Alex shook his head slightly. “Not really.”
Toby let out a laugh. “Crazy. Mr. Perfect doesn’t do romance.” He leaned forward a little, studying him carefully now.
“Honestly… sometimes you don’t feel real.”
That finally made Alex look at him. “I’m here.”
“Physically, yeah,” Toby said. Mentally? I’m not convinced.” A smirk formed. “You feel like a CEO or something.”
Alex didn’t respond. He simply went back to his notebook.
“Anyway,” Toby suddenly straightened, like he was switching topics on purpose,
“Question.”
Alex sighed faintly. “What?”
“2D or 3D?”
“…What?”
“Which one’s better?”
A beat passed.
“No.”
“Wrong answer, bro.”
The classroom slowly settled as the morning chaos faded. Without the bell, everyone was already getting into a routine. Alex closed his notebook. For a moment he didn’t move. Everything around him looked normal, familiar, and safe. Yet—Something about it always felt slightly off.
“Hey.” Toby nudged him again. “You spaced out.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did,” Toby said immediately. “You always do that.”
Then lower teasing: "Or were you thinking about finding a girl behind my back?”
Alex didn’t answer. Instead, his gaze drifted forward without meaning to. A few rows ahead a girl with pink hair was talking with her friend. She turned slightly. Their eyes met for a moment. Then she looked away.
“Alright, everyone, sit down.” The teacher walked in.
The noise stopped instantly. Chairs shifted. Books opened. The day officially began. Alex straightened his posture. Same position as always. Same expression. If someone looked at him, nothing would stand out. Everything was in place. Perfectly normal. Somewhere under that routine—A faint tiredness lingered. Not enough to show. Just enough to exist.
The classroom filled with voices again. “Did you finish the homework?”
“Let me copy it later.”
“Basketball after school?” Life continued without hesitation.
“Oi, Kim.” Toby dragged a chair again like distance didn’t exist. “What’s up? You look so down. Heartbroken already?”
“I’m just reviewing,” Alex said.
“Yeah sure. As cold as ever.”
Alex didn’t respond. Before long the teacher clapped once.
“Group project today. I will assign groups. ”
Groans immediately spread across the room.
“Again?” “Why group work…”
Toby leaned closer. “If I get stuck with people, I’m blaming you.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t have to.” Names began to fall from the teacher’s list one by one. Then it stopped.
“Toby Kang… Alex Kim… Daisy Hanna… Erica Han.”
Silence. Not loud. Noticeable. Toby slowly turned his head.
“…We’re popular.”
“Must be Mimi-Chan’s charm,” Alex said calmly.
“Bro, you just agreed with that?”
Chairs scraped. Daisy walked over first, placing her books neatly on the table. “Looks like we’re working together.”
“Yeah,” Alex replied.
Her tone was calm. Observant, not intrusive.
Another chair dragged loudly.
“Move.” Erica Han sat down with her bag crossing her arms immediately. “I don’t like wasting time.”
“Scary,” Toby muttered.
“I heard that" .The worksheet was placed in the centre.
Daisy picked it up first. “It’s not too complicated. We can divide it.”
“I’ll write,” Alex said simply.
“Of course you will,” Toby muttered.
Work began quickly. Daisy read carefully. Erica answered without delay. Alex wrote everything down smoothly, like the answers were already organised in his head.
Toby leaned back.“I’ll supervise.”
“You’re not doing anything,” Erica said instantly.
“That’s not true. I’m providing support.”
“You’re useless.”
“That’s harsh.”
Daisy glanced up.“…That doesn’t really mean anything.”
“It means I’m important without effort.”
Alex continued writing without reacting to any of it. The noise around him didn’t interrupt his focus. It never really did.
“This one is tricky,” Daisy said after a moment. “Can you help?”
Alex leaned closer to the paper. His eyes scanned it once.“…We can solve it like this.”
He explained briefly. Simple, direct, and correct. Erica clicked her tongue softly.
Toby blinked. “You solved that way fast. Are you even human?”
“It’s simple.”
A student ran past the classroom. “Don’t forget the match after school!”
“Bring water this time!” The room stayed half-chaotic half-focused.
“Playing later?” Toby asked suddenly.
“No.”
“Of course not. Mr. Perfect steals all the attention anyway.”
The group finished earlier than most. Daisy checked the answers more. “This should be fine.”
“Obviously,” Erica said.
Toby stretched. “Great teamwork. Especially me.”
“You did nothing,” Erica replied.
“I contributed emotionally.”
“That’s worse.”
The teacher looked up. “Which group wants to present?”
Silence. No one moved.
Toby leaned toward Alex. “Go on, bro. Your moment.”
Alex stood up without hesitation. “I’ll do it.”
Whispers followed immediately. He always did this. Always confident. Always reliable. Always chosen. At the front he spoke. His voice was clear. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t make any mistakes. Some students paid attention. Some didn’t. Some lost interest. It didn’t matter.
“He’s so reliable…” someone said.
“If only I had a boyfriend like that,” another student whispered.
Alex heard it. He was used to it. He finished speaking. Sat down. His expression didn’t change. He was calm.
“Not bad,” Erica said.
“Thanks,” he replied.
Toby adjusted his glasses. “Mr. Perfect does it again,” he said with a hint of sarcasm.
The bell rang. The day went on. Chairs moved. People started talking. Life continued.
“Want to hang out?”
“Don’t be late.”
“Let’s grab drinks?” Toby stood up and stretched. “So what’s next?”
“I don’t know,” Erica said.
“That’s boring,” Toby said.
Daisy picked up her bag carefully. “I have practice,” she said.
“Basketball?” Toby asked.
She nodded.
“I have a part-time job,” Toby said.
“I need to save up for Mimi-Chan merchandise.”
“You’re weird,” Erica said.
Alex packed his bag last. He was done. Everything was normal. He was perfect.
“You never mess up, do you?” someone asked.
Alex paused. He turned slightly. Daisy was looking at him. She wasn’t joking. She was just observing him.
“Not really ” he said.
She frowned slightly. For a moment something was in the air. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t obvious. It was there. For the time that day Alex didn’t know what to say.
