The cafeteria around us had gone suddenly, suspiciously quiet. I could feel eyes turning toward our table, conversations dying as students craned their necks to see what was happening.

"Kang Ji-hoon?" she asked, her voice sweet and uncertain.

My stomach dropped. "Um, yes?"

She smiled perfect, smile that had probably broken a dozen hearts. "I'm Seo Yuna, from Class 11-A.""I know who you are," I managed, completely bewildered. Why was the school goddess talking to me? She held out the envelope, her cheeks flushing . "I've been watching you for a while, and... well, I think you're really sweet. I love your nature and smile. You probably think I'm crazy, but there's something about you that's just... different."

"Different... how?" I whispered, voice barely more than a tremor, every nerve in my body alight with anticipation.

Yuna tucked a strand of her perfectly styled hair behind her ear, looking almost nervous for the first time since I'd known of her existence. "You remember last month when Jinwoo was being really mean to that transfer student from Thailand? Everyone was just standing around, watching or laughing. But you..." She looked down at her hands. "You didn't say anything dramatic or make a scene. You just quietly walked over and sat next to him during lunch. You shared your food and helped him get comfortable. You also reassured him softly, telling him no one was making fun of him that it was just Jinwoo's way of teasing, nothing more.You didn't do it for attention or to look good. You just... cared."

I blinked, remembering the incident but not thinking it was particularly noteworthy. "That wasn't anything special..."

"But it was," she insisted, her voice becoming more confident. "And it wasn't just that one time. I've noticed how you always clean up the art supplies in the back corner that everyone else ignores. How you hold stubborn door open and actually wait to make sure person gets through safely( Time Plz : That service was only for min-jae). "

 Her cheeks grew pinker. She continued ,"And when you smile... it's not like other guys who smile because they want something. Your smile is genuine. It reaches your eyes and makes them crinkle at the corners. It's warm and makes me feel like... like I'm seeing the real you.You're kind without expecting anything back."

I stared at her, processing everything she'd just said. All those little moments I thought no one noticed..."You've been watching me?" I asked, still not quite believing.

Yuna nodded, looking embarrassed but determined. "I know how that sounds. But it wasn't creepy watching, I promise. It's just... in a school full of people trying so hard to be noticed, you're the one person who doesn't seem to care about any of that. And somehow, that makes you the most noticeable person." She smiled shyly. "At least to me."

"I was wondering," she continued, her voice growing softer, more nervous, "if maybe you'd like to go to the spring festival with me as my date?"

(Spring Festival: A series of festivals in korean calendar that take place one after another during spring.)

Suddenly entire cafeteria exploded.

"WOOOOAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Students at nearby tables erupted in cheers and whistles. Someone started clapping. Others pulling out phones for recording . The noise was deafening.

"Oh my god, Yuna confessed!"

"To Ji-hoon? Really?"

"Lucky bastard!"

"She's so pretty!"

"Did you see that letter? "

My face burned with embarrassment as the attention focused on our table. I sat frozen, the pink envelope still extended toward me, while chaos erupted around us.But through all the noise, all I could hear was the sudden, deafening silence from the person.

I looked at Min-jae.His face had gone completely blank. Not angry, not hurt just... empty. Like someone had switched off all the warmth that usually lived in his eyes. His chopsticks were suspended halfway to his mouth, forgotten. He stared at Yuna and her love letter with an expression hwhich cant be expressed in words.

"Min-jae?" I whispered, but he didn't seem to hear me over the roar of the crowd.Woo-sung was looking at me with growing alarm, clearly reading the tension that the rest of the cafeteria was missing.Yuna was still standing there, waiting for my answer, her perfect smile starting to falter as she noticed my hesitation.

The cheering continued around us, but all I could focus on was the way Min-jae. His  jaw had tightened, the way his hands had clenched into fists on the table.Just this morning, we'd been kissing in a storage closet. some minutes ago, I told him "no more hiding." And now...

Now the most popular girl in school was asking me to date her in front of everyone, and I had no idea what to say and how to say it.

The cafeteria was still buzzing, the air crackling with too much noise, too much attention, too many eyes drilling into me all at once.Seo Yuna was still standing in front of me, her delicate hands outstretched, that pale pink envelope like a detonator between us And everyone literally everyone was waiting for me to say something.

Say no, my heart screamed. Look left. See Min-jae. See the boy who had been kissing me just this morning, who always made my chest ache.

"I..." I started, my voice barely audible over the noise. "Yuna, I'm really flattered..."

"Think about it!" she said quickly, placing her envelope on the table in front of me. "You don't have to answer right now. Just... read my letter, okay?"

I was drowning in noise.But above it all, it wasn't the whistles or clapping that crushed me.It was the silence coming from Min-jae.He was frozen his chopsticks still in his hand mid-air, that unreadable blank mask plastered on his face.And then, before I could find my words, he set the chopsticks down, stood, and smiled. A sharp, brittle smile, the kind people use when they're trying not to bleed in public.

"Wow," he said, his tone light and way too fake. "I'm really happy for you two."

My heart plummeted. "Actually..." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I was also planning to go to the festival with my date too, but I haven't ask yet."

Gasps rippled nearby. 

But I know

I know who.probably He was planning to go with me.

The way his jaw tightened  before his smirk reappeared. The way his eyes not trying to meet mine.

Indeed, he was jealous... and filled with a rage he could barely contain.

And I came to realize I'd just made the stupidest mistake.

Before I could protest, she turned and walked away, leaving me staring at the pink letter like it might explode again.Woo-sung leaned in the moment Yuna skipped off, obviously thrilled. clutching her pink envelope like it was holy scripture. 

"Well," Woo-sung said finally, his voice carefully neutral, "that was... unexpected."

I looked at Min-jae again. He'd resumed eating, but his movements were mechanical, like he was on autopilot mode. He hadn't looked at me once since Yuna left.

"Min-jae," I said quietly, reaching across the table to touch his hand.

He pulled away before I could make contact, finally meeting my eyes. What I saw his eyes it made my heart sink—pain, jealousy, and something that looked frighteningly close to resignation.

"Congratulations," he spat, voice dripping. "Seo Yuna. This bitch is... unbelievable and You also"

"I never asked for this," I hissed. "I don't even want..."

Don't you?" The question was quiet, but it hit like a slap. "The most beautiful girl in school just asked you out in front of everyone. Isn't that every boy's wet dream ?

"No! Min-jae, you know that's not..."

But he was already standing, gathering his tray. "I need to get to class early. I'll see you guys later."

"Min-jae, wait"

But he was gone.

"Wowww," Woo-Sung whispered in my ear, his grin wicked. "So that's it, huh? Goddess confesses, and it looked like you were about to say yes." He cupped his hands dramatically around his mouth. "And your wife looks ready to divorce you before the wedding certificate signed."

I groaned. "Shut up, Woo."

"No seriously," he continued, stabbing a dumpling onto his chopsticks, "if this were a drama, This would be that scene where the love triangle music swells, cameraman zoom in on Min-jae's angry and jealous face, and then bam!!....cut to his tragic monologue."

I glared. "i was about to say No...Clear No"

"Uh-huh. Try telling this to your wife." He gestured vaguely around. " Most of students already gossiping faster than the speed of light. Half the school thinks you were about to say YES"

"But I didn't say yes" 

"Neither 'yes' nor 'no' slipped from your lips," he smirked, eyes glinting with malice. "Learn this fast, Hoon. Nobody likes being someone's second choice in public. If he misreads your silence as accepting her invitation, he'll have divorce papers drawn up before the ink on your marriage certificate dries."

I buried my face in my hands. "But... Woo-Sung—"

"Relax," he said, patting my back far too cheerfully. "I got your back. I'll help with the  your court case."

I groaned louder.

The rest of the day was torture. Min-jae sat through our shared classes like I didn't exist, staring straight ahead, taking notes . When I tried to catch his eye, he looked right through me. When I passed him notes, he didn't even try to see me.

By the time the final bell rang, I was desperate. I caught up with him at his locker."Min-jae, please. Can we talk?".He didn't look at me as he shoved books into his bag. "What's there to talk about?"

"Everything! This morning, what happened between us, how I feel about you..."

"How you feel about me?" His laugh was bitter. "Right. And how do you feel about Seo Yuna?"

"I don't feel anything for Seo Yuna! I barely know her!"

"But you're going to read her letter, right? You were about to say yes, weren't you? If not, then why did you hesitate to reject her?"

I looked down at my pocket, where I'd been carrying that letter around all day like a weight of guilt. 

"I... I don't know. Maybe I was just—"

"Just what? Trying to see what you're missing?" Min-jae slammed his locker so hard it rattled the hallway. "You know what, Ji-hoon? Maybe you should read her damn letter. Maybe you should haul your ass to the spring festival with her. Maybe you should feel what it's like to be with the girl everyone gossips you're supposed to be with."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut.

"That's not what I want!" 

"Isn't it?" His voice cracked, fury and hurt blazing in his eyes. "Because from where I'm standing, you're torn between what you truly want and what you think you should want, right? And frankly, I'm done trying to compete with a ghost of an expectation"

He turned to leave, but I grabbed his arm.

"Don't walk away from me," I pleaded. "Please. We just figured this out. We just started..."

"Started what?" His voice cracked. "Pretending we could make our thing works?"

"We can make it work!"

He laughed -  hollow, bitter sound that echoed off the cold lockers. "Can we?" His eyes burned with furious disbelief. "The most beautiful girl in school asks you out, and you can't even spit out simple NO. What the hell am I supposed to think? That you're torn between me and some perfect image everyone else worships?"

Before I could answer, he jerked his arm free and walked away to class, leaving me standing alone in the dark locker room with a shattered heart. 

I will never forget this  - cold, bitter attitude of Min-jae... NEVER.

To be Continued...