Episode 1 — The Girl From Busan
Rain quietly covered the streets of Seoul.
Cars passed through glowing roads while strangers disappeared beneath umbrellas.
Standing alone at a small bus stop was Yoon Soo-bin.
A suitcase rested beside her feet.Her fingers tightly held a sketchbook against her chest.
The cold wind brushed against her wet hair as she looked around nervously.
Narration:
“Seoul felt colder than Busan.”
“Maybe because nothing here felt like home yet.”
A soft memory crosses her mind.
Warm sunlight.Ocean waves.The small seaside café in Busan.
Young Soo-bin sat near the window secretly sketching customers while her father cleaned tables nearby.
Father: “Soo-bin, stop drawing people secretly.”
“You’re making them nervous.”
Young Soo-bin giggles softly.
Soo-bin: “But they look prettier when they smile.”
Her father lightly flicks her forehead.
“That’s because you only draw happy things.”
Narration:
“Busan wasn’t rich.”
“But it always felt warm.”
Another memory suddenly appears.
Five-year-old Soo-bin standing near the doorway.
Her mother holding a suitcase.
Cold eyes.Cold voice.
Mother: “I can’t stay here anymore.”
Little Soo-bin grabs her father’s sleeve tightly.
“Mom…?”
But the woman leaves without turning back.
The door closes slowly.
Narration:
“After that day…”
“It became just me and dad.”
KRRRAAAK.
A loud thunderstorm suddenly explodes across the sky.
Back in present-day Seoul—
Soo-bin flinches badly.
Her breathing becomes uneven instantly.
The rain pours harder.
People rush past her carelessly while she struggles to calm herself down.
Narration:
“I hated thunderstorms.”
“Every time it rained…”
“My chest felt heavy.”
Her sketchbook suddenly slips from her trembling hands.
SPLASH.
The book falls directly into a muddy puddle.
Papers scatter across the wet road.
Soo-bin: “Ah—!”
She quickly kneels down trying to save her drawings before they are ruined completely.
Rain soaks her sleeves.Mud stains her fingers.
Yet nobody stops to help.
Then suddenly—
the rain above her disappears.
A black umbrella appears quietly over her head.
Soo-bin slowly looks up.
A tall boy had knelt beside her silently.
Wet black hair covered part of his sharp eyes while rain slid slowly down the umbrella beside him.
Without saying a word—
he carefully picks up each soaked sketch from the ground.
Gentle hands.Cold expression.Beautiful face.
Soo-bin’s heartbeat suddenly stumbles.
Narration:
“Why did my heart suddenly feel strange…?”
The boy quietly looks at one of her sketches.
A drawing of the Busan ocean.
For a moment—
his dark eyes soften slightly.
Then he hands it back to her carefully.
Soo-bin: “T-thank you…”
Her cheeks slowly grow warm.
Butterflies spread uncontrollably through her chest.
Embarrassed, Soo-bin quickly grabs her sketchbook and turns around to leave.
But then—
his deep voice stops her.
“Where are you going, lost bunny?”
Soo-bin freezes immediately.
Her eyes widen slightly.
The nickname catches her completely off guard.
Slowly—
she turns back toward him.
Rain reflected softly in his dark eyes.
One hand rested inside his pocket while the other held the umbrella over both of them.
He looked unreal.
The boy quietly points toward the opposite street.
“Haedam High School is this way.”
Soo-bin’s heart races even faster.
She lowers her head quickly to hide her burning cheeks.
Soo-bin: “T-th-thank you…”
Her voice trembles slightly.
The boy watches her silently for a moment before stepping back into the rain.
And somehow—
even after leaving—
his presence stayed beside her.
Narration:
“Why was someone I just met making my heart race this much…?”
A few minutes later—
Soo-bin rushes inside Haedam High School completely soaked from the rain.
She nervously slides open the classroom door during attendance.
The entire classroom immediately turns toward her.
Whispers spread everywhere.
“That’s the transfer student?”
“She came from Busan?”
“She’s prettier than I expected…”
Soo-bin’s hands tighten nervously around her notebook.
Soo-bin: “I-I’m Yoon Soo-bin…”
But while bowing—
all her papers suddenly fall onto the floor.
CLATTER.
Pens roll across the classroom.
The room becomes awkwardly silent.
Soo-bin’s face turns bright red instantly.
Soo-bin: “I’m sorry—!”
Before she can panic further—
a cheerful girl suddenly kneels beside her.
“Wow.”
“First day and already creating chaos?”
The girl laughs warmly while helping gather her papers.
This was Kang Na-ri.
Bright smile.Warm eyes.The type of person who naturally made others comfortable.
Narration:
“Kang Na-ri was different from everyone else.”
“While everyone watched awkwardly…”
“She was already beside me.”
Na-ri hands Soo-bin her notebook dramatically.
Na-ri: “Congratulations.”
“You officially made the most memorable entrance of the year.”
Soo-bin accidentally laughs.
Soo-bin: “Please let me disappear.”
Na-ri: “Too late.”
“I already decided we’re friends.”
The teacher sighs helplessly.
Teacher: “Everyone, this is Yoon Soo-bin.”
“Please take care of her.”
Na-ri immediately pats the empty seat beside her.
“Sit here.”
“I promise I’m only slightly insane.”
For the first time since arriving in Seoul—
Soo-bin smiles genuinely.
Classes continue quickly.
Soon—
the lunch bell rings.
Students immediately rush toward the cafeteria while talking loudly.
Na-ri grabs Soo-bin dramatically.
Na-ri: “Come on.”
“You can’t survive Haedam cafeteria politics alone.”
The cafeteria buzzed with noise and conversations.
But at the very back near the windows—
one table remained almost empty.
And sitting there alone—
was him.
The boy from the bus stop.
Lee Si-woo.
Rain clouds darkened the sky behind him while he lazily rested against the window.
Untouchable.Cold.Beautiful.
Only one boy sat beside him casually eating ramen.
This was Park Jae-hyun.
Jae-hyun: “You know normal people blink during conversations, right?”
“You stare like a mafia boss.”
Si-woo ignores him completely.
Meanwhile—
Soo-bin unconsciously keeps glancing toward him.
Again.
And again.
Na-ri slowly narrows her eyes.
Na-ri: “You’ve looked over there fourteen times already.”
Soo-bin almost chokes on her drink.
Soo-bin: “W-What?!”
“No I didn’t!”
Na-ri smirks dramatically.
“Sure.”
“And I’m secretly dating the principal.”
Soo-bin hides her burning face.
Then quietly—
she speaks.
Soo-bin: “Actually…”
“He helped me this morning.”
Na-ri casually takes another bite.
Soo-bin: “At the bus stop.”
Na-ri freezes completely.
Soo-bin: “It was raining and—”
Na-ri suddenly CHOKES violently.
“W H A A A T?!”
Nearby students immediately turn toward them.
Soo-bin: “S-Shhh!!”
Na-ri grabs Soo-bin’s shoulders dramatically.
“LEE SI-WOO helped YOU?!”
“THE Lee Si-woo?!”
Meanwhile—
from the back table—
Jae-hyun notices the commotion curiously.
Na-ri still looks completely shocked.
“That guy barely helps himself.”
Soo-bin blinks softly.
“Really…?”
Na-ri slowly glances toward Si-woo.
For a moment—
her expression becomes quieter.
“He wasn’t always like this.”
Soo-bin looks at her curiously.
“Before…”
“He used to smile a lot more.”
Before Soo-bin can ask more—
CLANG.
The cafeteria suddenly falls silent.
A girl had purposely bumped into Soo-bin’s table.
Lunch spills all over Soo-bin’s uniform.
Cold juice drips down her sleeves.
Everyone gasps.
Standing there was Han Seo-ah.
Beautiful.Rich.Feared.
The self-proclaimed queen of Haedam High.
Behind her stood her group of girls.
Seo-ah looks down at Soo-bin mockingly.
Seo-ah: “Oops.”
“My mistake.”
But everyone knew it wasn’t.
Na-ri immediately stands up angrily.
Na-ri: “Are you serious right now?!”
Seo-ah rolls her eyes.
“Relax.”
“It’s just a uniform.”
Nearby students whisper nervously.
“Seo-ah likes Si-woo…”
“She’s been obsessed with him since childhood.”
Meanwhile Soo-bin lowers her head quietly in embarrassment.
Then suddenly—
a chair scrapes loudly.
The cafeteria instantly becomes silent again.
Lee Si-woo had stood up.
Even Seo-ah’s expression stiffens slightly.
Si-woo walks toward Soo-bin calmly.
No anger on his face.
That somehow made him scarier.
He bends down.
Picks up the fallen lunch tray.
Then—
without hesitation—
places it directly on top of Seo-ah’s head.
SPLAT.
Silence.
Then—
the cafeteria explodes with laughter.
Even some girls from Seo-ah’s own group accidentally laugh.
Seo-ah: “EWWWW!!”
Juice drips from her expensive hair.
Her face turns bright red.
Si-woo stares at her coldly.
Then quietly says—
“If you’re going to act pathetic…”
“At least don’t do it so loudly.”
The laughter becomes even louder.
Seo-ah’s eyes fill with tears instantly.
Students immediately start recording.
“OH MY GOD—”
“Someone upload this.”
“Seo-ah got destroyed.”
Seo-ah runs away crying while her friends awkwardly follow behind her.
Meanwhile—
the entire cafeteria remains shocked.
Even cafeteria workers stopped moving.
Then—
Si-woo quietly turns toward Soo-bin.
He takes out a black handkerchief from his pocket and offers it to her.
His dark eyes meet hers softly.
And for the first time—
a tiny smile appears on his lips.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But enough to make Soo-bin’s heart completely lose control.
Si-woo: “You should clean that before it stains.”
Soo-bin freezes.
Her heartbeat becomes unbearably loud.
THUMP.THUMP.THUMP.
The cafeteria immediately erupts into whispers again.
“WAIT—”
“Did Lee Si-woo just smile?!”
“HE GAVE HER HIS HANDKERCHIEF—”
Phones immediately come out everywhere.
Students posting videos online:
#SIWOO_IN_LOVE
#NEWGIRL
#HAEDAMCOUPLE
Soo-bin’s trembling hands slowly accept the handkerchief.
It smelled faintly like rain.
And somehow—
comfort.
Narration:
“I barely knew him.”
“But every time he looked at me…”
“My heart forgot how to stay calm.”
Si-woo quietly walks back toward his seat.
Meanwhile—
Soo-bin watches him leave with burning cheeks.
And for the first time—
she realizes something terrifying.
Narration:
“Maybe…”
“I was already falling for him.” ☔✨
