Laniville High School ~

"Can you hurry up? We're going to be late," Leehan muttered, rushing down the corridor.

"This is my best speed," Jaehyun replied lazily, deliberately slowing down even more.

Leehan stopped abruptly, frustration etched on his face. "Fine, let’s just sit here and enjoy the moment. At this pace, there’s no chance we’ll make it on time." He dropped onto a nearby bench with a sigh.

Jaehyun smirked, standing over him. "What’s gotten into you? Are you still drunk from last night or something?"

Leehan shot him a glare. "We drank apple juice, Jaehyun. Apple. Juice."

Jaehyun chuckled, flashing his trademark grin. "Hey, you never know. I might’ve found a way to get drunk off apple juice."

"Unbelievable," Leehan muttered, shaking his head as he stood. "Let’s go, or we’ll really be late."

With Jaehyun finally cooperating, they hurried towards class.

ᯓ ᯓ ᯓ

The classroom buzzed quietly as students shuffled in.

"Hey," a voice broke the silence, tentative and polite.

"Hi," came the nonchalant reply.

"Mind if I sit here?" The younger boy motioned towards the empty chair beside the speaker.

"Go ahead," came the flat response.

The younger sat down, pulling out a notebook and beginning to write. The quiet resumed, but not for long.

"Uh, my name’s Woonhak. What’s yours?" he asked, his curiosity evident.

No answer.

Woonhak frowned, leaning closer. "Hey, do you have—" He paused mid-sentence when he noticed the older boy had headphones on, completely immersed in music while sketching in his notebook.

Without thinking, Woonhak snatched the headphones.

"Hey! What the fu—" The older boy glared, catching himself just in time.

"Do you ignore people like this every day, or am I getting special treatment?" Woonhak asked, arms crossed.

"Do you stick your nose into other people’s business every day, or is this my lucky day?" came the dry retort.

"Rude."

"Nosy."

The tension hung for a moment before the older boy sighed and tapped Woonhak’s shoulder. "It’s Taesan."

Woonhak’s eyes lit up. "I’m Woonhak! Let’s be friends. I’m new here, and I don’t know many people yet. Oh, wait—this must be your first year too! I’m so glad I met you. By the way, I’m great at foot volleyball, and I live near—"

"STOP!" Taesan cut him off, bewildered. "That’s… a lot of information for someone you just met."

"Well, it’s good to get to know each other if we’re going to be friends, right?" Woonhak replied cheerfully, unbothered.

"Yeah, sure," Taesan muttered, quickly returning to his sketchbook.

"Can I see what you’re drawing?" Woonhak’s curiosity struck again.

Taesan hesitated but eventually nodded. "Sure."

He focused on the portrait he was sketching, while Woonhak, unable to sit still, fidgeted and glanced around the room. It was becoming painfully clear to Woonhak that his new friend was his complete opposite- or so he thought.

"Taesan-ah!" A loud voice boomed from outside the classroom, startling both boys.

Taesan flinched and quickly shut his sketchbook, stuffing it into his bag. Woonhak glanced towards the door, curious about the source of the commotion.