When Mr. Park entered with a male student, the class, which had just begun to settle down, filled with whispers again.
Especially the girls.
They were busy watching the new student standing beside Mr. Park.
“Who is he?”
“He’s so handsome…”
“He’s tall, too.”
“Is he a model?”
Ji-a rolled her eyes lazily.
She really didn’t understand why her friends were making such a fuss.
They just didn’t know yet that the guy standing in front of the class was actually incredibly annoying.
“Everyone, quiet down.”
Mr. Park’s voice immediately silenced the class again.
“Starting today, you’ll have a new classmate.”
Mr. Park turned toward the student beside him.
“Go ahead and introduce yourself.”
The boy stepped forward once.
His expression remained blank.
As though the dozens of eyes watching him meant absolutely nothing.
“My name is Baek Eun-ho.”
That was all.
No smile.
No friendly greeting.
Not a single extra word.
After introducing himself, he stood straight again, as if there were nothing else left to say.
The class, which had briefly gone quiet, filled with awed voices once more.
“Oh my gosh…”
“His voice is nice, too.”
“I like his voice.”
“He’s so cool.”
Ji-a nearly choked when she heard them.
Seriously?
The guy had only said four words.
Yet her friends were already acting as if they were looking at a celebrity.
“Baek Eun-ho, you can sit in the empty seat by the window in the back.”
Eun-ho nodded slowly.
He started walking toward his seat.
As he passed Ji-a’s row, his steps slowed slightly.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Eun-ho’s dark eyes were as calm as the surface of a lake.
Ji-a, on the other hand, stared at him without making any effort to hide her annoyance.
If glares could turn into physical objects, Ji-a was sure that guy would already have been crushed beneath an eraser, a book, and a desk all at once.
Strangely, Eun-ho didn’t look bothered in the slightest.
He merely raised one eyebrow before continuing toward his seat.
And for some reason…
That only made Ji-a even more annoyed.
Throughout math class, Ji-a couldn’t concentrate at all.
Her eyes kept darting toward the back row.
More specifically, toward Baek Eun-ho.
The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.
What made her even more furious was the fact that the source of her irritation looked perfectly fine.
He didn’t even seem the slightest bit guilty.
Ji-a grumbled under her breath as she doodled in her notebook.
“Annoying…”
“Han Ji-a.”
Ji-a froze immediately.
Slowly, she raised her head.
Mr. Park was staring at her from the front of the classroom.
And that was definitely not a good sign.
“Yes, sir?”
“Once you’re done creating a masterpiece in your notebook, come up front and solve problem number one.”
Ji-a’s heart dropped into her stomach.
Math.
Of all the subjects in the world, why did it have to be math?
She always managed to disappoint Mr. Park every time there was a test.
And now she had to solve a problem in front of the entire class.
All because she’d been caught not paying attention.
“Damn it…”
Ji-a rose from her seat with dragging steps.
In her head, she immediately searched for someone to blame.
Hah.
This was all Baek Eun-ho’s fault.
If it weren’t for him, she could’ve focused on the lesson.
Ji-a stood in front of the blackboard.
Just reading the problem written there already made her head spin.
Numbers.
Formulas.
Symbols.
It all looked like an alien language to her.
As she stared helplessly at the problem, she heard a soft snicker from the back of the classroom.
Ji-a immediately turned around.
And sure enough, Baek Eun-ho was covering his mouth with one hand. Even though he was trying to hold it in, it was obvious he was laughing.
Ji-a’s eyes widened.
How dare he!
“Han Ji-a.”
Mr. Park’s voice made her face the blackboard again.
“Why are you just standing there, staring at the problem with a look like you want to fight it?”
The entire class burst out laughing.
Ji-a pointed toward the back row.
“Sir, the new student was laughing at me!”
Dozens of eyes instantly turned toward Eun-ho.
Eun-ho, suddenly the center of attention, merely blinked slowly.
“I wasn’t laughing, sir.”
“LIAR!”
Ji-a shouted immediately.
“I saw him myself!”
“Han Ji-a.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Solve the problem.”
“But, sir—”
“Now.”
Ji-a let out a long breath.
But before turning back to the blackboard, she stole a glance at Eun-ho.
He looked back at her.
And what made Ji-a even more annoyed…
The corner of Eun-ho’s mouth was slightly raised.
As if he were enjoying her suffering.
“And Baek Eun-ho.”
Eun-ho stood from his seat.
“Yes, sir?”
“Since you seem to be enjoying your classmate’s predicament so much, help Han Ji-a solve the problem up front.”
The class immediately erupted.
“WOOOAH!”
“This is getting good!”
“Mr. Park is so cruel!”
Ji-a’s eyes widened.
“Sir! I don’t need his help!”
“Good.”
“Because I can do it my—”
“Then go ahead and solve it.”
Ji-a immediately fell silent.
Mr. Park stared at her flatly.
“Exactly what I thought.”
The entire class laughed.
With an easy stride, Eun-ho walked toward the blackboard.
Ji-a snorted irritably when he came to stand beside her.
“Don’t think I need your help,” she whispered.
“Then why are you still standing here?” Eun-ho replied without looking at her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If you could do it yourself, you should’ve finished by now.”
Ji-a fell silent.
“Annoying…”
“I heard that.”
“I meant for you to.”
For the second time since entering the classroom, the corner of Eun-ho’s mouth lifted slightly again.
And for some reason…
That only made Ji-a even more annoyed.
Beside her, Eun-ho picked up a piece of chalk and began solving the problem.
His hand moved quickly and steadily.
As if the problem that had nearly made Ji-a give up were nothing more than basic math.
A few minutes later, Eun-ho set down the chalk.
“Finished, sir.”
The entire class immediately turned toward the blackboard.
Mr. Park walked over to check his answer.
A moment later, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
“Good.”
He nodded slowly.
“Your answer is correct.”
Ji-a glanced at the blackboard.
The numbers and formulas written there still looked like secret code to her.
How could this guy solve it so quickly?
“You two may return to your seats.”
Mr. Park turned toward Ji-a.
“Han Ji-a.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Looks like you need to learn from Baek Eun-ho.”
Several students immediately snickered.
Ji-a forced a smile.
“Yes, sir.”
Even as she screamed inside.
No way.
I’d rather repeat the entire year than study with him.
As they walked back toward their respective seats, Eun-ho suddenly slowed down until he was walking beside Ji-a.
“If you want, you can come to my desk after school.”
Ji-a turned toward him suspiciously.
For the first time since that morning, she saw a faint smile on his face.
And for some reason…
That smile looked incredibly annoying.
“I’ll teach you with infinite patience.”
Ji-a immediately snorted.
“Not a chance.”
Of course, she didn’t say it out loud.
Mr. Park was still in the classroom, and she didn’t want to get another lecture.
So Ji-a only moved her lips without making a sound.
“Not. A. Chance.”
Eun-ho happened to notice her lips moving and raised one eyebrow.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You just said something.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“I saw your lips move.”
“Maybe there’s something wrong with your eyes.”
For a moment, Eun-ho simply stared at her.
Then…
He chuckled softly.
And for a reason Ji-a couldn’t explain, that laugh only made her face grow hotter.
The break bell finally rang.
Before Mr. Park had even fully left the classroom, Ji-a was already getting ready to stand.
“I’m going!”
Hye-ri didn’t even have time to ask anything before Ji-a ran out of the classroom.
“There she goes again…” Hye-ri muttered with a helpless shake of her head.
Ji-a raced down the school hallway with far more energy than she’d had during math class.
She had only one destination.
The cafeteria.
More specifically…
Choco Mint milk.
Today was the day a new shipment arrived, and the supply was usually very limited.
If she was even a little late, she would definitely miss out.
“This time, I’m definitely getting it!”
Ji-a quickened her pace.
When she reached the cafeteria, her face immediately lit up.
There was still one carton of Choco Mint milk left in the drink cooler.
“Yes!”
Ji-a quickly reached out her hand.
But just before her fingers touched the bottle, another hand grabbed it first.
Ji-a froze. Slowly. Very slowly. She turned to the side. And in an instant, her smile vanished.
Baek Eun-ho. Of course.
Who else could ruin her day besides that guy?
Eun-ho looked at the carton of Choco Mint milk in his hand for a moment before glancing at Ji-a.
“That’s mine.”
Eun-ho raised one eyebrow.
“Really?”
“I saw it first.”
“But I took it first.”
Ji-a pointed at the carton.
“I’ve been eyeing it since I left the classroom.”
“Congratulations.”
“What do you mean, congratulations?”
“Your hard work was pointless.”
Ji-a stared at him in disbelief.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
“I was thirsty.”
“Since when do people like you drink Choco Mint milk?”
Eun-ho fell silent for a moment. To be honest, he didn’t know either.
He’d never bought Choco Mint milk before. He’d once tried his younger sibling’s, and it had tasted like toothpaste to him.
But of course, he wasn’t going to say that.
“Since today.”
Ji-a immediately snorted in annoyance.
She turned toward the cafeteria attendant.
“Ma’am, is there any strawberry milk left?”
The middle-aged woman smiled apologetically.
“Sorry, Ji-a. That was the last one. Another class bought them all up earlier.”
Ji-a felt as if the world had collapsed around her.
Slowly, her gaze fell back to the bottle in Eun-ho’s hand.
A gaze filled with sorrow. And a little murderous intent.
Eun-ho looked at her for a few moments. Then, unexpectedly, he held out the bottle.
Ji-a’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Really?”
But before she could take it, Eun-ho pulled his hand back.
“No.” Then he walked away.
Ji-a froze for two seconds.
Two full seconds.
After that…
“BAEK EUN-HO!”
Her scream echoed throughout the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, for the first time that day, the corners of Eun-ho’s mouth lifted into a small smile.
For some reason…
Seeing Han Ji-a angry was much more entertaining than he’d imagined.
Ji-a spent the rest of the school day in a foul mood.
It felt as though nothing had gone her way since morning.
Arriving late to school.
Falling in front of the gate.
Being humiliated during math class.
Running out of strawberry milk.
And all of it had happened after the appearance of one person named Baek Eun-ho.
Ji-a let out a long sigh.
There was only one possible conclusion.
Today was the unluckiest day of her life.
Meanwhile, the person responsible for all her bad luck looked perfectly fine.
Baek Eun-ho sat at his desk reading a book.
For the first time in months, he felt that today hadn’t been so bad.
In fact, it had been pretty enjoyable.
For the past few months, his life had felt bleak.
His days passed monotonously, steeped in sadness.
But ever since he met Han Ji-a that morning…
For some reason, everything felt a little different.
That girl was noisy.
Careless.
And very easy to irritate.
But that was exactly why today felt so much more alive than the days before it.
Maybe…
His parents’ decision to transfer him to this school hadn’t been such a bad idea.
“Han Ji-a…”
Ji-a, who had been propping up her chin, immediately turned around.
Hye-ri whispered softly beside her.
“Hm?”
“Why have you looked so annoyed all day?”
“I’m not annoyed.”
“Liar.”
“Just a little.”
“A little?”
Hye-ri raised one eyebrow.
“You look like you want to push someone off the school building.”
Ji-a immediately glanced toward the back row.
Straight at Baek Eun-ho.
Hye-ri followed her gaze.
And immediately understood.
“Ah…”
“Don’t start.”
“Shouldn’t you be happy?”
“Happy?” Ji-a asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
“There’s a new student in our class.”
Hye-ri glanced at Eun-ho with sparkling eyes.
“He’s handsome.”
“No,” Ji-a replied with an annoyed snort.
“He’s tall,” Hye-ri countered.
“So what? Aren’t most of the guys in our class that tall?” Ji-a shot back.
“He’s smart.”
“He just thinks he’s smart.”
Hye-ri held back a laugh.
“What is wrong with you?”
Ji-a snorted.
“I just don’t like him.”
“Strange.”
“What’s strange?”
“During break, girls from other classes came here just to see him.”
Hye-ri’s eyes sparkled again.
“They’re all jealous that Baek Eun-ho was placed in our class instead of theirs.”
Ji-a rolled her eyes.
“Then they can have him.”
“Han Ji-a!”
“I’m serious.”
“I don’t understand how you can be the only girl in this school who doesn’t like Baek Eun-ho.”
Ji-a was about to answer.
But before she could open her mouth, she felt something.
As if someone were watching her.
Slowly, she turned around.
And sure enough.
Baek Eun-ho was looking in her direction.
Their eyes met.
For one second.
Two seconds.
Then…
Eun-ho raised one eyebrow.
As if asking,
“What?”
Ji-a immediately turned her face away in annoyance.
“God, he’s annoying,” Ji-a muttered irritably.