Chapter 1
THE GIRL WHO RUINED MY MORNING
7:42 a.m.
Han Seo-ah stood outside Haedam High School, staring at the enormous school building.
“Okay,” she whispered to herself. “New school. New life. No problems.”
She took one deep breath.
“Easy.”
Her phone buzzed.
Mum: Don’t be late on your first day.
Seo-ah rolled her eyes.
“I’m literally here.”
She put her phone away and walked through the gate.
Three minutes later, she realized she had absolutely no idea where her classroom was.
She stopped.
Looked left.
Looked right.
Then looked at the map on her phone.
“Why does this school need seventeen buildings?”
She walked faster.
Then faster.
Then—
BAM.
Someone walked straight into her.
Her phone flew out of her hand.
“My phone!”
She bent down at the same time as the stranger.
Their hands reached for it.
Their eyes met.
A tall boy in a perfectly pressed school uniform stared back at her.
He picked up her phone.
“You dropped this.”
Seo-ah took it.
“Thanks.”
She checked the screen.
A tiny crack.
Her eyes widened.
“You broke my phone.”
The boy blinked.
“I didn’t break it.”
“You walked into me.”
“You were walking while looking at your phone.”
“So?”
“So you weren’t looking where you were going.”
Seo-ah stared at him.
“Are you seriously blaming me?”
He looked completely calm.
“Yes.”
She almost laughed.
“Wow.”
He handed her the phone.
“Try looking up next time.”
Then he walked away.
Seo-ah stood there in disbelief.
“Unbelievable.”
She watched him disappear into the crowd.
“First day,” she muttered.
“Seven minutes in.”
She looked at her cracked screen.
“And I’ve already found the most annoying person in Seoul.”
TEN MINUTES LATER
Seo-ah finally found her classroom.
She opened the door.
Everyone turned.
The teacher looked at her.
“You must be Han Seo-ah.”
Seo-ah smiled awkwardly.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You’re late.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Take the empty seat at the back.”
Seo-ah nodded and walked toward it.
Then she stopped.
The boy from earlier was sitting beside it.
She stared at him.
He looked up.
Their eyes met.
His expression changed slightly.
“You.”
Seo-ah pointed at him.
“You!”
The entire classroom went silent.
Someone near the window whispered,
“Do they know each other?”
Seo-ah dropped her bag onto the chair.
“Unfortunately.”
The boy leaned back.
“That’s my seat.”
She looked at the empty chair.
“Your name is written on it?”
“No.”
“Then sit somewhere else.”
He stared at her.
She stared back.
Neither moved.
The teacher sighed.
“Kang Ji-won.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Let her sit there.”
A few students laughed.
Ji-won looked at Seo-ah.
Seo-ah smiled sweetly.
“Thank you.”
He quietly moved to the next seat.
As the lesson began, Seo-ah opened her notebook.
Then she noticed something written on the corner of her desk.
KANG JI-WON
She looked at him.
“You’re really attached to this seat, aren’t you?”
He didn’t look up.
“Very.”
Seo-ah smiled.
“Too bad.”
For the first time that morning, Ji-won smiled.
Just slightly.
And Seo-ah immediately looked away.
She didn’t know why.
She only knew one thing.
Her plan for a peaceful new beginning had officially failed.
And it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet.
