The next day, people noticed.

Not Hana—
but him.

Whispers followed her down the hall now, not because of who she was, but because Minjae was walking beside her.

“Why is he with her?”
“She’s so… normal.”
“Isn’t he way out of her league?”

Hana heard every word.

She slowed her steps. “You don’t have to walk with me.”

Minjae stopped.

“I want to.”

She looked at him, confused. “Why?”

He thought for a moment. Then—

“Because you’re calm,” he said. “And you don’t pretend to be anything else.”

Hana laughed softly. “That’s just another way of saying I’m boring.”

He frowned. “No. It’s another way of saying you’re real.”

That made her chest ache in a way she didn’t understand.

Still… the looks hurt.

“I don’t want you to get teased because of me,” she said quietly.

Minjae stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“I don’t care what they think.”

Her heart definitely skipped this time.