The Unlikely Coincidence
The next morning.
The classroom felt a little louder than usual.
Outside the window, faint cloudy sunlight filtered through, and puddles left by yesterday’s rain still dotted the edges of the soccer field. The hallway echoed with the rapid footsteps of students running to class, while inside the room the sounds of desk lids slamming, laughter, and someone checking homework mixed together.
Kang Tae-jun arrived a little later than normal.
His bag hung loosely from one shoulder, his hair looked as if he’d run his fingers through it without much care, and faint shadows of tiredness lingered under his eyes.
“You’re here.”
Lee Hyun-woo waved a hand while tearing open a burger wrapper.
Tae-jun simply dropped into his seat.
“Still pretty beat up today, huh?”
“I’m fine.”
“That face saying you’re fine doesn’t convince anyone.”
Hyun-woo glanced at Tae-jun’s expression and let out a small chuckle.
“You played games again last night, didn’t you?”
Tae-jun placed his bag on the desk and answered shortly.
“A little.”
“Even for you, that’s almost two in the morning?”
“It wasn’t quite that bad.”
“So three o’clock?”
Tae-jun stayed silent.
Hyun-woo burst out laughing right away.
“Exactly.”
Tae-jun waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s noisy.”
Yet his expression carried a strange haze, as if something beyond mere sleep deprivation lingered.
It was the training session with Shopsop from last night that kept replaying in his mind—the way to read the opponent’s next move by watching their movements, the tiny habits a character shows before a skill is cast, the hesitation in timing, the direction of retreat.
Those words had clearly been spoken in-game. Yet they somehow overlapped with scenes from reality.
Seo Ha-yoon dodging a ball in the gymnasium, reacting too quickly, judging too precisely, as if she had already known the ball’s trajectory before it even left the hand.
Tae-jun unconsciously turned his gaze toward the window.
In that instant—
Clang.
The classroom door opened.
Seo Ha-yoon stepped inside.
Her long golden hair flowed calmly down past her shoulders, and her clear golden eyes remained as quiet as ever. The noise in the room quieted for a brief moment. Several students naturally turned their heads, and friends waved first.
“Ha-yoon-ah, hello.”
“Hello.”
Ha-yoon greeted them with a gentle smile.
After a short conversation with her friends, she walked toward her seat. Her eyes met Tae-jun’s.
“Kang Tae-jun.”
Tae-jun froze for a second.
“Yeah.”
“You look tired again today.”
Hyun-woo jumped in immediately.
“Accurate. She says he stayed up late again last night.”
Tae-jun shot Hyun-woo a glare.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your face is saying it.”
Ha-yoon looked at both of them and gave a small smile.
“You stayed up very late, right?”
“Just a little.”
“That’s good enough.”
Her voice stayed calm, the same as always. She sounded concerned but not burdened. Hearing that tone made Tae-jun’s expression tighten for a brief second.
The way she summarized everything in a few concise words, as if she already knew without needing an explanation.
It was nothing like the cold, direct tone of Shopsop from last night’s chat. Ha-yoon was soft and quiet.
Yet strangely, neither of them spoke at length.
They said exactly what was needed.
“Why are you like this?”
Ha-yoon asked.
Tae-jun turned his gaze away belatedly.
“No reason. Nothing.”
Hyun-woo narrowed his eyes beside him.
“Suspicious.”
“What is?”
“You kept staring at Ha-yoon just now.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
Ha-yoon watched them and smiled quietly before returning to her seat.
Tae-jun fiddled with the pencil case on his desk for no reason.
Nothing was certain.
It was simply that something felt oddly distracting.
*
Second-period Korean class.
The teacher stood in front of the class and wrote large letters on the blackboard.
**[Performance Evaluation]**
A small sigh escaped the classroom.
“Ah, another group presentation?”
“Group work again?”
“Please don’t make it personal.”
The teacher set down the chalk and surveyed the students.
“This performance evaluation is a group presentation. The topic is the changes in communication methods in modern society. It includes everything from data collection to writing the presentation script and delivering the speech.”
Murmurs rose among the students.
“The groups will be assigned by me.”
The classroom became even more restless at those words.
Hyun-woo immediately leaned toward Tae-jun.
“If we end up in the same group, it’ll be great.”
“Yeah.”
“But if the teacher picks us, it could be a disaster.”
Tae-jun nodded vaguely.
After a moment, the teacher began calling names.
Students lifted their heads when their names were called. Some looked relieved, others disappointed.
“Group 3. Kang Tae-jun, Seo Ha-yoon, Lee Hyun-woo, Kim Min-seo.”
Hyun-woo flicked Tae-jun’s arm.
“Yo.”
Tae-jun looked up.
Ha-yoon turned her head slightly from the front. When their eyes met, she gave a short smile.
Tae-jun nodded awkwardly.
Hyun-woo’s mouth curved up.
“Lucky.”
“What?”
“You’re in a group with Ha-yoon. Your presentation score is basically saved.”
Tae-jun let out a small sigh.
“Don’t think of it that way.”
“Why? It’s true.”
Other students nearby voiced envy.
“Wow, a group with Seo Ha-yoon is basically done for.”
“This group doesn’t have to worry about the score.”
Ha-yoon showed no reaction to the comments. She wasn’t overly modest, nor did she look burdened. She simply opened her notebook quietly.
The teacher instructed the groups to move seats and discuss.
Students began pushing desks around.
Tae-jun and Hyun-woo went to Ha-yoon’s seat. Kim Min-seo brought a chair as well, and the four of them sat in a circle.
Ha-yoon unfolded her notebook first.
“It might be better to divide the roles from the start.”
Hyun-woo raised his hand immediately.
“I can do anything except the presentation.”
Min-seo smiled.
“That means you’ll handle the data collection, right?”
“If that’s what you heard, yes.”
Tae-jun looked at Hyun-woo with a dumbfounded expression.
Ha-yoon smiled lightly and picked up her pen.
“Then Hyun-woo and Min-seo can divide the data collection, and I’ll handle the script. Tae-jun, are you okay with the presentation?”
Tae-jun’s eyes widened.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
“Your voice is fine, and you don’t get distracted by your gaze when speaking.”
Tae-jun couldn’t answer right away.
Hyun-woo laughed.
“Wow, you’re getting recognized.”
“Quiet.”
Ha-yoon looked at Tae-jun and spoke calmly.
“It’s better if someone who’s good at speaking handles the presentation. And you organize your thoughts quite well, better than I thought.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Tae-jun looked slightly flustered.
Ha-yoon continued as if she already knew.
“You answer questions promptly and only say what’s essential without rambling.”
At those words, Tae-jun paused again.
Hyun-woo saw Tae-jun’s face and raised an eyebrow.
“Hey, why are you stiff again?”
“No.”
Ha-yoon looked at Tae-jun too.
“If you don’t want to do the presentation, I can switch you.”
“No. I’ll do it.”
Tae-jun answered shortly.
Ha-yoon nodded.
“Then let’s organize the data tonight and make a group chat.”
Min-seo took out her phone.
“Then we’ll exchange contact information.”
Naturally, they exchanged numbers.
Tae-jun stared at the screen for a moment as Ha-yoon’s contact was saved to his phone.
**[Seo Ha-yoon]**
The name and surname appeared.
At that moment, a strangely awkward feeling rose inside him.
At school, she was just a classmate.
In the game, she was Shopsop.
No secrets had been revealed yet.
Yet simply saving one name had created an invisible line between the two worlds.
Ha-yoon said it casually.
“Is the evening okay for you?”
“Eh?”
“Organizing the data. We’ll need to talk a bit in the group chat.”
Tae-jun answered.
“It’s fine.”
Hyun-woo chimed in from beside him.
“She might be busy since she has to game at night.”
“Hey.”
Ha-yoon smiled shortly.
“Then we can finish before it gets too late.”
Tae-jun looked at her again at those words.
Before it gets too late.
Ha-yoon seemed to have said it without any particular meaning. But to Tae-jun, it sounded strangely different.
As if she already knew he would log in at night.
*
That evening.
Tae-jun sat at his desk staring at his phone.
Four people were in the group chat.
[Kim Min-seo: I found a few data links.]
[Lee Hyun-woo: I sent a few articles too.]
[Seo Ha-yoon: I’ll check them.]
[Seo Ha-yoon: Tae-jun, you just need to outline the presentation flow.]
Tae-jun slowly typed his reply.
[Kang Tae-jun: Got it.]
Ha-yoon’s message came immediately.
[Seo Ha-yoon: Don’t make it too long. Divide it into three parts.]
[Seo Ha-yoon: Causes of change, advantages, problems.]
[Seo Ha-yoon: Add our opinions at the end for a clean finish.]
Tae-jun stared at the screen.
The organization speed was fast.
The data had only just been uploaded, yet she had already structured everything.
Hyun-woo reacted right away.
[Lee Hyun-woo: Fast as always.]
[Lee Hyun-woo: As expected from the top student.]
[Seo Ha-yoon: Just to make it easy to read.]
Tae-jun moved his fingers.
[Kang Tae-jun: I’ll organize the presentation according to that flow.]
[Seo Ha-yoon: Okay.]
[Seo Ha-yoon: Adding one example when you speak would make it feel more natural.]
Tae-jun stopped again.
She had accurately observed his speaking habits from even this short school assignment.
Where he would get stuck.
Where it would flow better.
What to add.
Her judgment was too fast and too precise.
Tae-jun stared at the phone screen for a long time.
Then a private message came from Hyun-woo.
[Lee Hyun-woo: Hey.]
[Lee Hyun-woo: You chatting with Ha-yoon feel good?]
Tae-jun answered immediately.
[Kang Tae-jun: Stop talking nonsense.]
[Lee Hyun-woo: Fast reaction means it’s true.]
Tae-jun didn’t send another reply.
At that moment, Ha-yoon’s message appeared again in the group chat.
[Seo Ha-yoon: That’s enough for today.]
[Seo Ha-yoon: Everyone, rest up.]
It was 10:43 p.m.
Tae-jun checked the clock at the top of the screen.
A strangely ambiguous time.
Normally, it would be time to log into Origin Fantasia.
[Kang Tae-jun: Good work.]
He sent the message and set the phone down.
A moment later he turned on the computer.
The monitor lit up, and blue light spread through the dark room.
The Origin Fantasia login screen appeared.
Tae-jun selected Arc Saber.
The moment he logged in, a whisper notification rang.
[Shopsop: You’re late today.]
Tae-jun’s fingertips stopped.
The login time was 10:47 p.m.
Four minutes after Ha-yoon ended the chat.
Tae-jun looked at the chat window.
It was only one short line.
Yet he couldn’t dismiss it lightly.
[Arc Saber: Sorry, a little late. Because of school stuff.]
The reply came right away.
[Shopsop: School stuff?]
[Shopsop: Did you do the assignment?]
Tae-jun’s hand paused over the keyboard.
The room was quiet.
Only the computer fan hummed faintly.
Tae-jun slowly typed his reply.
[Arc Saber: How did you know?]
A brief silence.
Then Shopsop’s reply appeared.
[Shopsop: If it’s school stuff, it’s usually one of two things.]
[Shopsop: Studying for exams or doing assignments.]
Tae-jun stared at the screen.
It was a reasonable answer.
Enough to let it pass.
Yet the feeling of suspicion refused to disappear.
[Arc Saber: It was the assignment side today.]
[Shopsop: It looks that way.]
Tae-jun frowned slightly.
[Arc Saber: It looks that way?]
This time the reply came a bit late.
[Shopsop: Your tone.]
[Shopsop: Tired but not bad tone.]
Tae-jun let out a dry chuckle.
It was absurd to read that from just game chat, yet the thought crossed his mind that if anyone could, it would be Shopsop.
The person who reads an opponent’s movements, who reads status even from a few lines of chat.
And daytime Ha-yoon was the same.
Even without him saying it, she had noticed he was tired and decided he could handle the presentation.
Too naturally.
Too precisely.
[Shopsop: You’re not going to raid today either.]
[Shopsop: Let’s do a short training session.]
Tae-jun straightened his posture.
[Arc Saber: Yes.]
The PvP training field opened immediately.
A wide circular arena.
Faint magic circles were etched into the floor, and low mist surrounded it. On the opposite side of the screen, Shopsop’s character stood.
The battle start countdown appeared.
3.
4.
5.
Start.
Tae-jun moved first.
It was different from last night. He didn’t rush in blindly. He observed Shopsop’s position, measured the distance, and thought about the direction to retreat.
Yet Shopsop was still one step ahead.
Just before Tae-jun cast his skill.
Shopsop had already slipped sideways.
Tae-jun’s attack sliced empty air.
Immediately a chat message appeared.
[Shopsop: You were fine just now.]
[Shopsop: You moved first at the end.]
Tae-jun narrowed his eyes.
[Arc Saber: First?]
[Shopsop: Character direction.]
[Shopsop: You already showed it before pressing the skill.]
Tae-jun stared at the screen and recalled the group project time from daytime.
The words Ha-yoon had said when she assigned him the presentation.
You don’t get distracted by your gaze when speaking.
You only say what’s essential.
You answer questions promptly.
She had observed his habits even in that short conversation.
Tae-jun attacked again.
This time he deliberately pretended to move in the opposite direction.
But Shopsop didn’t fall for it.
Instead, she stood first in the real path of retreat.
The skill activated.
Hit.
[Shopsop: If you’re going to fake it, fake it all the way.]
[Shopsop: Hesitating in the middle makes it clearer.]
Tae-jun stared at the chat window and smiled faintly.
It was scary and annoying, yet somehow he understood.
[Arc Saber: It really shows everything.]
[Shopsop: Not everything.]
[Shopsop: You show too much.]
Tae-jun tightened his fingertips.
The words strangely didn’t feel bad.
Rather, it made him want to do better.
The battle continued.
Tae-jun attacked many times and blocked many times. But he lasted longer than before. His attack timing grew a little more natural, and his evasion wasn’t as random.
Shopsop’s chat grew shorter too.
[Shopsop: Now.]
[Shopsop: That’s good.]
[Shopsop: You’re too late.]
[Shopsop: Again.]
When the training ended, sweat soaked Tae-jun’s fingertips.
His character had lost.
Yet strangely, he felt relieved.
[Arc Saber: You won again today.]
[Shopsop: It was inevitable.]
Tae-jun chuckled.
[Arc Saber: I could have let you win a little.]
No reply for a moment.
Then a short message appeared.
[Shopsop: I’ll let you win.]
Tae-jun smiled helplessly.
“Too much.”
But the next message continued immediately.
[Shopsop: Still, you’ve improved a lot compared to before.]
Tae-jun’s hand stopped.
It was praise.
Short and casual, but undeniably praise.
Tae-jun stared at the screen for a moment before sending a reply.
[Arc Saber: Thank you.]
At that exact moment, his phone rang briefly.
It was a group chat notification.
[Seo Ha-yoon: Ah, I’ll organize the first part of the presentation materials tomorrow morning and bring it.]
[Seo Ha-yoon: Tae-jun, just review the presentation flow again.]
Tae-jun set the phone down briefly before replying.
[Kang Tae-jun: Got it.]
Then he turned his attention back to the monitor.
One side was Seo Ha-yoon.
The other was Shopsop.
The times of the two messages were almost identical.
Tae-jun stayed silent for a while.
Then a message appeared in the chat.
[Shopsop: That’s it for today.]
[Shopsop: Don’t stay up late tomorrow.]
Tae-jun narrowed his eyes.
The phone screen still showed Ha-yoon’s message.
[Seo Ha-yoon: Don’t sleep too late.]
Tae-jun looked back and forth between the two sentences.
Don’t stay up late tomorrow.
Don’t sleep too late.
He finally laughed softly.
“…It’s strangely similar.”
Even saying it himself sounded a little odd.
Two messages arriving at almost the same time.
Tae-jun leaned back in his chair and breathed out slowly.
“No way… it really must be a coincidence.”
He said it, but the voice in his heart lacked conviction.