Chapter 1 — The Girl Everyone Knew
The first thing Kang Min-jun noticed wasn't the teacher's voice.
It was the desk.
It sat in the last row by the window.
Neat.
Clean.
Occupied.
He frowned.
That desk wasn't there yesterday.
The thought lingered in his mind as he looked around the classroom. His classmates chatted as if it were any other morning, laughing over unfinished homework and weekend plans. No one seemed bothered.
No one except him.
"Everyone, settle down," their homeroom teacher said with a smile. "We have someone joining us today."
The classroom door slid open.
A girl stepped inside.
She wore the Haesung Academy uniform perfectly. Her black hair rested just above her shoulders, and her calm eyes scanned the room before stopping for a brief moment on Min-jun.
She smiled.
"My name is Yoo Seo-ah," she said softly. "Please take care of me."
The class burst into applause.
"Welcome!"
"It's nice to finally meet you!"
"You'll love Class 2-A!"
Min-jun stared in disbelief.
Finally?
His heartbeat quickened.
She wasn't new to them.
It was as if they had known her for years.
The teacher pointed toward the empty desk.
"Seo-ah, your seat is where it's always been."
Always been?
Min-jun's chest tightened.
Yesterday, there had been no desk.
No chair.
No Yoo Seo-ah.
She walked slowly down the aisle.
As she passed his desk, she stopped.
For a single second.
Without looking at him, she whispered,
"Don't tell anyone you remember."
Min-jun froze.
His pencil slipped from his hand and rolled across the floor.
When he looked up again, Seo-ah was already sitting by the window, quietly opening her notebook.
The lesson began.
Everyone acted as though nothing strange had happened.
Everyone...
Except him.
Minutes later, unable to focus, Min-jun glanced out of the classroom window.
His breath caught.
Standing outside the school building...
was another girl.
She looked exactly like Yoo Seo-ah.
Same face.
Same uniform.
Same smile.
The girl slowly raised one finger to her lips.
🤫
Then she disappeared.
End of Chapter 1
🖤 The Girl Who Never Existed
Written by Yinyin
