Chapter 1: The Boy They Don't Know
Morning came quietly.
Sunlight slipped through the half-open curtains, drawing thin golden lines across the room.
But the room itself… wasn't normal.
Wires tangled across one corner. Small bottles, tools, and metallic parts were scattered neatly—too neatly—on a long desk. A faint chemical smell lingered in the air.
At the center of it all, lying lazily on his bed—
Kim Tae Kook.
"…Already morning?"
He opened his eyes slowly, staring at the ceiling like he had somewhere else to be.
Or perhaps…
Somewhere else he belonged.
He sat up, brushing his hair back.
His gaze shifted—automatically—to a drawer beside his bed.
Locked.
Always locked.
For a moment… he just stared at it.
Silent.
Thinking.
Then—
"KOOKY!!!"
A loud voice shattered the silence.
Tae Kook sighed deeply, falling back onto his bed.
"…There it is."
Downstairs, chaos was already waiting.
Ae Rin sat at the table, happily swinging her legs like she owned the house.
"Kooky is late! Kooky is late!" she sang.
Tae Kook walked in, half-awake.
"You're noisy."
"And you're slow."
"I just woke up."
"And I woke up earlier. So I win."
"…Win what?"
"Life."
He sat down, picking up his breakfast casually.
Across from him, Ae Rin leaned forward, squinting at him.
"…You're suspicious today."
Tae Kook paused mid-bite.
"…What?"
She pointed dramatically at him.
"Your clothes."
White shirt.
Black coat.
Long black trousers.
Clean. Sharp.
Definitely not a school uniform.
"…It's called fashion," he replied.
"It's called lying," she shot back.
Their mother glanced over.
"What are you two arguing about?"
"Nothing," Tae Kook answered instantly.
"He's hiding something," Ae Rin said at the same time.
Silence.
Tae Kook slowly turned to her.
"…Eat your food."
Ae Rin smiled.
"I will."
A pause.
"…After you tell me where you're going."
Tae Kook ignored her.
But she didn't miss it—
That tiny pause.
That tiny shift in his eyes.
Got you, she thought.
A few minutes later—
Tae Kook stood by the door, adjusting his coat.
"I'm leaving."
"Don't be late!" their mother called.
"I won't."
Another lie.
Outside, the air was cool.
Quiet.
Normal.
Too normal.
Tae Kook walked down the street, hands in his pockets.
His expression had changed.
No longer lazy.
No longer casual.
Now—
Focused.
A car passed.
People walked.
Life moved on.
But Tae Kook wasn't paying attention to any of it.
Instead—
His eyes lifted.
Across the street.
There.
Standing at a bus stop.
A girl.
Long dark hair swayed slightly in the morning breeze.
Her uniform was neat, untouched by the rush of the day. She stood still, holding her bag lightly, her gaze calm… distant.
Like she was in her own world.
Tae Kook stopped walking.
"…She's early again."
He didn't smile.
He didn't move closer.
He just… watched.
From a distance.
Always from a distance.
The bus arrived.
Students began to board.
She stepped forward—
Then paused.
For a brief second—
She turned her head slightly.
Their eyes met.
Tae Kook froze.
Not shocked.
Not panicked.
Just… caught.
Then—
She looked away.
And got on the bus.
Like nothing happened.
The bus drove off.
Tae Kook stood there a moment longer.
Silent.
"…Troublesome."
But he didn't sound annoyed.
Behind him—
A small figure popped out from behind a pole.
"I KNEW IT!"
Tae Kook didn't even turn around.
"…You again."
Ae Rin ran up to him, grinning like she had just solved the biggest mystery in the world.
"You weren't going to school…"
She pointed dramatically in the direction of the bus.
"…YOU WERE WATCHING A GIRL!"
Tae Kook finally looked at her.
Calm.
Cold.
"…Say that again."
Ae Rin leaned back slightly.
"…You were watching a girl?"
Silence.
Then—
Tae Kook turned and started walking.
"Go home."
Ae Rin gasped.
"No way! I'm coming with you!"
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
He stopped.
Looked down at her.
"…If you follow me," he said quietly,
"you say nothing about what you saw."
Ae Rin's eyes sparkled.
"…So there IS something to say."
Tae Kook sighed.
"…You're impossible."
She smiled proudly.
"I know."
He continued walking.
Ae Rin followed closely behind, whispering to herself—
"Kooky has a secret…"
A pause.
"…and I'm going to find out everything."
Ahead—
The school gates came into view.
Students gathering.
Voices rising.
A normal day beginning.
But for Tae Kook—
This wasn't just school.
It was a place where he had to pretend.
A place where—
He couldn't afford to be himself.
And somewhere inside those gates…
Was the girl.
The one he watched.
The one he avoided.
The one who might—
Without even trying—
Expose his entire world.
Tae Kook stepped forward.
"…This is going to be annoying."