“Can I… call you Minmin?” she asked nervously, eyes searching for his response.

Minjae nodded, saying nothing — but a slight blush appeared at his ears.

Mirae giggles quietly as she watches his ears get redder. She continues to tease him, just to see the sight of him being flustered

“Minmin?” She says, waiting for his reaction. He doesn’t respond but he looks away, waiting to hear what she was going to say.

But Mirae wasn’t going to take that reaction. She stopped in front of him, forcing him to stop too. Then she spoke out loud and clear for him. 

“Do you like my braids, Minmin?” She holds out both of them, obviously trying to show him how they looked. She watches him closely seeing how he would react.

Minjae opened his mouth for a split second — then quickly closed it, like he’d changed his mind about whatever he was going to say.

“Hmm. I’ll take that as a yes.” Mirae smiled, continuing to walk by his side.

——

A new week rolled in, and Jeonju High School, of course, buzzed with the usual stress of test season. Mirae, who majored in science subjects, felt confident in most of her classes — except for English. So, just before lunch, she made her way to her English teacher’s office, assignment in hand.

“Ms. Hwang,” Mirae spoke up. “I need help with this English assignment.”

Ms. Hwang looked up with a warm smile. “It’s great that you care about your weaknesses and want to improve, Yoon Mirae.”

“As for help,” she continued, “I’ve got a packed schedule — so I’ll assign you a tutoring partner.”

Mirae couldn’t help but wonder who her tutoring partner might be. She didn’t know many students in her grade — except for Minjae, of course.

Ms. Hwang walked her over to the class of the student who’d be helping her. But as soon as they reached the door, Mirae froze. This was his classroom.

Her mood immediately lifted. If this went how she hoped, she’d get to see Minmin every day during their study hour.

“Minjae-yah, come here,” Ms. Hwang called, gesturing for him to step forward.

Minjae walked out into the hallway, and the usual chorus of “Ooo~” erupted from behind him as his classmates teased him like they always did when someone got called by a teacher.

“From now on, you’ll be tutoring Ms. Yoon Mirae during your self-study period,” Ms. Hwang said with a smile. “Understood?”

Minjae nodded without saying a word, and Ms. Hwang walked away, leaving the two of them alone in the hallway.

For a second, neither of them spoke. So Mirae took the opportunity to flash him a bright smile, watching closely for her favorite moment.

“Minmin, what a coincidence,” she said sweetly. “I didn’t know you were good at English.” Her voice was light, playful — teasing just enough to poke at him without being too obvious.

She waited.

There it is again! He is so adorable

His ears. That same familiar red creeping up like a guilty little secret.

“Ha! There it is again,” she thought with a silent squeal, trying not to grin too hard as she watched the tips of his ears betray him once more.

Minjae cleared his throat and tried to sound composed. “We can start today. Our self-study period starts right…”

Ding-ding-ding!

The bell rang at the exact moment he spoke.

Mirae gasped, eyes wide. Took this moment as an opportunity to tease him once more. “Woah! Minmin, are you a magician?” she asked dramatically, placing a hand over her chest. “That timing was scary perfect, I’m not surprised though.”

Minjae looked away, scratching the back of his head again, clearly trying not to smile. And once again, Mirae caught it — that small smirk at the corners of his lips.

——

As Minjae led Mirae to the study lounge, Mirae asked a billion questions — including one that she knew would make him flustered.

“Minmin, Minjae-yah, Minbun, Min-toast— I can’t decide which nickname fits you best.” She looked at him, curiously waiting for his response.

He finally glanced at her, leaning in just a bit closer than usual. “None.”

Mirae was surprised at his action, but it didn’t scare her. “Admit it. You like all of those nicknames.”

He looked away again, but she could still see his lips twitching—like he was holding back a smile.

Mirae thought of a brilliant idea to keep the teasing going. She waited until they were in private before asking her next question.

“Would you prefer if I called you oppa?” she asked innocently, waiting patiently for his reaction.

*Oppa literally translates to "older brother". It's a term used by younger females (girls or women) to address older males. Sometimes romantic interests ;)

Minjae coughs, as if he were choking on air. “W-what?” He turns to her, trying to play it cool — but his ears, yet again, betray him.

Mirae giggles, clearly enjoying the sight. “I’m just kidding!” she grins. “But… you’re blushing.”

“I– I’m not…” he mutters, quickly turning away as he pulls out his notebooks.

Mirae suddenly remembered the real reason she was here — she needed good marks in English to get a job abroad.

“Right! You’re my tutor.” She hurried to grab her own notes. “We’re here for a very important reason.”

Then, without a word, she pulled out a pair of unprescribed glasses and put them on.

Minjae glanced at her, chuckled under his breath, and mouthed the word, ‘crazy.’

But Mirae didn’t even notice.

As Minjae explained what Mirae needed to fix in her grammar, she focused carefully on his words. Even the way he tutored was attractive to her — so calm, so serious about his work.

He had even prepared a practice test to check how well she was doing. Now, he reviewed her answers, scanning for any mistakes.

Mirae spotted a question she was sure she got right.

“Minmin… I thought I had this one.” She sighs, leans over the paper, then looks up at him — her face only inches from his.

As expected, Minjae’s ears turned red again. But this time, Mirae felt her own cheeks heating up too.

They were way too close.

Suddenly, a pen rolled off the table and dropped to the floor. They both reached down at the same time — only to end up grabbing each other’s hand by accident.

“Oh sorry.” They both say at the same time, looking away too.

Then they both bent to pick it again. This time, they couldn’t help themselves from laughing.

As soon as Mirae stopped, she gazed at Minjae, noticing how free he looked when he laughed. His dimples were noticeable too, and Mirae found that so cute about him.

“I guess being mysterious isn’t the only thing he’s good at.” She thought to herself.

Maybe he’s also good at making her heart skip.

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR**