Shin Ho-jin could barely open his eyes when he woke up that morning. School was an unavoidable part of life, and it was starting again that day. 

Ho-jin was now in his final year of high school. He did not particularly like the March weather outside his window, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he could not interfere with God's work.

He practically dragged himself to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. What was causing that strange feeling he'd had since waking up? He didn't spend much time thinking about it and soon blamed the March weather he hated so much.

By the time he started walking to school, he had already forgotten all about that feeling.

But it really was a strange day, and someday, when his life flashed before his eyes, he would remember it.

—

The cafeteria at Seonghwa Middle and High School was every bit as chaotic as the first day of school called for. Trays clattered, students talked nonstop, and chairs scraped against the tiled floor, the noise echoing through the cafeteria. The teachers on duty had taken it upon themselves to help the new middle school students settle in. Judging by the looks they exchanged, they seemed to be wondering why they hadn't studied business and become team leaders at one of Korea's six biggest companies instead.

With years of cafeteria experience under his belt, Ho-jin carried his tray in one hand and started walking with his two friends. They were looking for a table away from the middle schoolers, and judging by their body language, it was clear that Ho-jin would have the final say.

Ho-jin was tall, and his black hair, cropped in a military-style cut, made his jawline even more defined and added to his confident look. His eyelashes and the tiny mole under his left eye made him even more handsome than he already was. And as a nineteen-year-old legal adult in a place where ninety percent of the people were minors, he did not mind the admiring looks one bit.

One of the girls eating near the windows, no, let us say the prettiest one, called out to Ho-jin by his given name, loud enough for everyone to hear, and waved at him with a smile. 

His friends were not about to miss that opportunity.

"Aishh¹... Ho-jin's fan club showed up too..."

When Ho-jin turned to his friend, the smile he had given the girls turned into a grin so fake and exaggerated that anyone could see through it. "Ya²," he said. "Watch how you talk about Min-ji."

Unfortunately, defending a girl who was not even his girlfriend only made the others laugh harder. Part of it was that they knew Ho-jin was not being all that serious.

"Idiots," Ho-jin said. As he started walking, he turned back toward the girls. When his eyes met Lee Min-ji's, he gave her a casual wink. And Min-ji really was the only one who understood what he meant by it.

Everyone knew they had been flirting since last year, and by now, nobody questioned what a rich girl like Min-ji saw in an ordinary guy like Ho-jin. Actually, there was nothing particularly complicated about their relationship, and there was not some big story behind it either. Min-ji liked being the girl Ho-jin had chosen more than she liked Ho-jin himself, and Ho-jin liked that she was content with that. There was no room for a serious relationship in his life.

The truth was, Min-ji was too good for Ho-jin, and they both knew it. He liked spending time with a girl who was rich enough to make life easy and getting a glimpse of a world he would have to bust his ass to enter. And having even a small place in each other's very different worlds was enough for both of them.

Who would not want a girlfriend that easy to get along with?

Ho-jin was still looking at Min-ji, thinking about what they would do after school, and he was too distracted to notice the short little thing in his way.

The sudden clatter of trays hitting the floor made everyone stop what they were doing, leave their food, and turn toward Ho-jin. He looked from the soup running down his arm to the rice scattered around his feet. His expression hardened at first, but when he saw the tiny kid standing in front of him, his anger gave way to the sympathy he had for the new middle school students.

The kid in front of him was really short, and his head was lowered. Ho-jin could not see anything but his black hair. And his red ears. Yeah, he could tell how pale the kid's skin was from his hands, but his ears were bright red right then.

Ho-jin looked around for a moment, searching for a teacher on duty, but could not spot one. The teachers were still dealing with the new middle school students at the cafeteria entrance, and the crowd between the tables blocked them from view. Instead, he found the whole cafeteria staring at him, including Min-ji and her friends.

Finally, someone laughed, making no real effort to hide it. From somewhere else, he clearly heard someone say "Shin Ho-jin," and that was enough for him to decide it was time to get the situation under control.

Ho-jin did not raise his voice. He simply asked, "Why aren't you watching where you're going?" Yeah, he was not cruel enough to want to see a kid crying on the first day of school. 

And it had not even crossed Ho-jin's mind that when the kid finally looked up, the boy's beautiful blue eyes would surprise him, or that seeing how even the boy's jaw had not fully developed yet would make him feel a little sympathy.

"Maybe if you'd watched where you were going instead of trying to impress every girl in the cafeteria, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

And this time, everyone really went quiet. No, there were a few chuckles. Ho-jin was pretty sure he had even heard someone say, "Holy shit."

Ho-jin smirked for a moment, but there was no amusement in it this time. When he leaned toward the kid, he looked genuinely intimidating. He was much taller and bigger, and he expected the kid to step back when he said, "Say it again?"

"You heard me," the kid said, staring straight at Ho-jin. Then he glanced at the trays on the floor before looking at the name tag on Ho-jin's chest. "'Shin Ho-jin.' Got it."

The kid picked up his tray from the floor and took a step, as if refusing to look Ho-jin in the eye again. Ho-jin felt himself jolt when the kid's small shoulder bumped into him.

"If you don't wanna get reported, don't bother me again," the kid said. "I know your name now."

Only one thought was going through Ho-jin's head right then. What the fuck is wrong with this kid? 

All those people standing around watching, his reputation taking an unexpected hit, some tiny kid acting tough with him like that… He had not even managed to open his mouth, and just as he turned to say something, a voice from the entrance interrupted him. One of the teachers on duty, who had been dealing with the students at the entrance, had finally noticed the crowd gathered around them. "Move aside," the teacher shouted. "You're blocking the way."

Everyone had already started giggling without even trying to hold it in, but that was not what bothered Ho-jin right then. He was really pissed that some tiny kid who was obviously in his first year of middle school had dared to challenge him like that.

With a blank expression, he grabbed a few napkins from nearby and wiped his hands. Then he threw them in the trash and headed toward the changing room.

—

Moon Ji-hun... why did you do that, Moon Ji-hun?Idiot… 

Ji-hun could not believe something like this had happened to him on his very first day of school. When he had arrived that morning, the first thing he had done was stop by the gym office and fork over 5,000 won for PE clothes in his size. They actually cost 75,000 won³, but thanks to government assistance, he had only had to pay 5,000.

He was grumbling to himself as he changed clothes, so distracted and in such a hurry that he did not even notice the door opening. When he turned toward the creaking sound, he saw Shin Ho-jin standing there, looking at him. 

Shit.

For a few seconds, they stared at each other in stunned silence, as if the worst possible thing had just happened. Ji-hun had only managed to get one leg into his sweatpants, and now he was standing on one foot, still in his underwear and completely caught off guard. The changing room was so quiet that even the sound of a single drop of water falling from the showers echoed.

Ji-hun quickly pulled on his sweatpants and started tying the drawstring. He was so small that the waistband looked like it could slip right off his ass at any moment.

Ho-jin could barely hold back his laughter. He really did not want to embarrass the little kid, so he quickly closed the door and said, "Ya. Are you okay?"

Ji-hun kept his eyes on his locker as he stuffed his dirty school clothes into a bag. "It's none of your business how I'm doing."

Ho-jin had not expected that answer. He burst out laughing and rubbed one eye. "You're really something else, aren't you?" But then he started walking toward Ji-hun. He had already stopped laughing, and there was not a trace of amusement left on his face. He gave the locker a light punch and stood over the smaller boy. "I'm trying to talk to you like a normal person," he said, his eyes wide. "You're the one who bumped into me, and I'm clearly your sunbae⁴. What's your problem?"

Ji-hun slowly raised his head to look at him. He was scared shitless, but he was determined not to show it. "My problem?" he said without even blinking. "I don't like bullies."

"Bully?" Ho-jin asked, surprised. "When did I ever bully you?"

"You don't have to," Ji-hun said. "Your face and the way you act say enough. And just so you know, I'm not scared of that kind of thing." Then he gripped his bag tighter so Ho-jin would not notice his shaking hands and headed for the door. He grumbled as he left without looking back.

Ho-jin watched the door close, still in shock. The whole thing had pissed him off for two different reasons. First, some ridiculous incident in the cafeteria had ended with him confronting a tiny kid on the very first day of school. And second, a middle schooler had actually dared to speak to him like that.

Now he knew what that strange feeling he had woken up with that morning was about. "You messed with the wrong person, hoobae⁵..." he said with a grin.

—

¹ Aish/Aissh - 아이씨 A common Korean exclamation used to express annoyance, frustration, irritation, or anger, similar to "damn" or "damn it" depending on the tone. It is informal and can sound rude.

² Ya - 야 A casual Korean interjection used to call out to someone, often between close friends. Depending on tone, it can express annoyance, surprise, or get someone's attention. Not rude in informal settings, but inappropriate when used toward elders or strangers.

³ ₩75,000 - Approximately $55. 

⁴ Sunbae - 선배 A Korean term used to address or refer to someone who is more senior in the same school, workplace, profession, or field. It indicates greater experience or an earlier position within that shared environment. 

⁵ Hoobae - 후배 A Korean term used to address or refer to someone who is junior in the same school, workplace, profession, or field. It indicates less seniority or a later position within that shared environment.