The classroom was alive with noise.Chairs scraped against the floor, laughter burst in sudden waves, and pens tapped rhythmically against desks. Everyone seemed to belong — groups of friends whispering secrets, a cluster of boys planning their next game, a trio of girls sharing earphones and nodding to some catchy song.
Everyone had a place.
Except for Yoon Ha-jin.
At the very back, next to the open window, he sat alone. His sketchbook lay open, pencil tracing quiet lines across the paper. Today's drawing was of the sky again — streaks of sunlight trying to break through heavy clouds. His hand moved slowly, carefully, as though the rest of the world didn't exist.
And to him, it didn't.It was easier that way.
Then—
"Hey, window boy."
The voice was clear, sharp, and unfamiliar.
Ha-jin froze. He looked up.
Standing in front of him was a girl he had never seen before. Her uniform matched theirs, but the way she wore it didn't — shirt slightly untucked, sleeves rolled high, tie loosened like she couldn't care less. Her hair was short, a layered bob that stopped just at her jawline, framing her sharp eyes.
She was smiling — bold, mischievous, like she had already figured him out.
"I'm Seo Mina," she announced, dropping her bag on the desk beside his as if the seat had always belonged to her. "Transfer student. What's your name?"
Ha-jin blinked. People didn't talk to him like this. They usually didn't talk to him at all. His throat tightened before he managed to answer.
"…Ha-jin."
"Mhm." She tilted her head, testing the sound of his name, then leaned forward on her desk, chin resting on her palm. "So, Ha-jin… you draw a lot, huh?"
His heart jumped. His hand moved instinctively to close the sketchbook, but not fast enough. Her sharp gaze had already caught the unfinished drawing — the fractured sunlight bleeding through clouds.
"It's nothing," he muttered quickly.
Mina's lips curved into a grin. Not mocking — curious. "Nothing looks pretty amazing to me."
The words landed heavier than they should have. No one had ever said that about his drawings before. They weren't supposed to be seen, let alone praised.
But Mina didn't give him time to react. She leaned back in her chair, stretching casually."Anyway, I'm sitting here now. Hope you don't mind."
Ha-jin blinked again, stunned.She had already decided.
The rest of the class kept buzzing, indifferent, but for the first time, Ha-jin's world felt… different. Like a drop of color spilling across a gray canvas.
That night, in his small room, he sat by the window again. The sketchbook lay open in front of him, pencil hovering. He wanted to finish the drawing, but his hand wouldn't move. Instead, his mind replayed her voice.
"Nothing looks pretty amazing to me."
For the first time in a long while, Ha-jin felt something stir inside him. A restlessness. A warmth he couldn't name.
Seo Mina had arrived like spring itself — sudden, sharp, unstoppable.And nothing would be the same again.