Chapter 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: First Love
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The cheapest bulgogi burger from the school store.
Siwoo crouched down on a secluded bench with a full view of the sports field and peeled off the wrapper.
Chomp, chomp.
The crumbly bun and cold patty slid into his mouth, but he couldn't taste the hamburger at all despite it filling his mouth.
His mind kept replaying the face of the girl he'd passed in the hallway just moments ago.
'What's her name... What class is she in... Is she close with Juwon...'
Her jet-black bob hair sparkling in the sunlight. Eyes that looked like those of a haughty cat.
A barrage of questions twisted through his head.
When her dry gaze had brushed over him earlier, Siwoo had even felt a fleeting illusion that his vision had sharpened.
It had been that intense, that unreal.
'No, what would a guy like me even do knowing her name.'
Siwoo let out a self-deprecating sigh as he moistened his parched throat.
He blankly scanned the sports field with listless eyes.
The balmy lunch hour.
Boys chasing a soccer ball, kicking up sand and shouting.
Girls clustered on the bleachers, giggling as they chewed on candy.
In the midst of that boisterous, noisy scene, Siwoo remained alone.
'It's not so bad. Honestly, this kind of life might be okay...'
He tried to console himself and was about to take a big bite of the remaining burger when...
"Hey, Nam Siwoo! What are you doing out here?"
A familiar, bright voice came from behind him.
"Ack!"
Startled, Siwoo nearly swallowed a chunk of unchewed burger whole down his throat.
He whipped his head around to see Seo Juwon—the center of that flashy group from earlier—standing there, shaking a cola can.
"Oh? Uh, the view's nice here..."
Juwon chuckled at his words and plopped down on the bench next to him.
"What view? Everything looks the same from here."
Juwon took a refreshing swig from his cola can, then glanced at the pitiful burger in Siwoo's hand.
"You're eating that? Lunch was good today. Should've just had the cafeteria food."
Siwoo gave an awkward smile at Juwon's innocent jab.
He couldn't bring himself to say he didn't have the guts to eat alone in the bustling, noisy cafeteria.
Juwon nudged Siwoo's side as he blankly chewed his burger and stared out at the field.
"By the way, I saw you earlier—you were really into that book. What is it? Fantasy?"
"Huh? Oh... just some web novel. It might seem kinda childish..."
Siwoo turned his head sheepishly, but Juwon's eyes lit up.
"Dude, childish stuff is the best. I love that crap too. What're you reading? Something about getting betrayed and regressing back in time?"
"Huh? Yeah... I like that kind of thing... You know about it too, huh."
"Any guy's gotta love regression stories, right? I stayed up till dawn reading one and almost got to school late. But hey, if you read that much every day, don't you know how to write a bit too?"
Juwon's friendly chime-in softened Siwoo's wariness a notch.
"Me? Nah, no way. I just like reading them..."
"Nah, looking at your face, you totally have that writer vibe."
Siwoo couldn't hold back and let out a chuckle at Juwon's out-of-left-field joke.
It was the first relaxed laugh he'd let out in three weeks.
Satisfied with the reaction, Juwon slapped Siwoo's shoulder.
"See? You should smile more. But seriously, try writing something sometime. And if you do, lemme read it."
Juwon's straightforward kindness felt like it was drying out the damp heaviness in Siwoo's mood.
'This guy's really nice... If things keep going like this, it might actually be okay...'
Siwoo was just starting to relax his tension for the first time in ages when...
"Hey. Seo Juwon."
A voice so cynical it dripped with annoyance.
Siwoo's head turned instinctively at the sudden sound, and his eyes widened.
'...!'
There, behind the bench, silhouetted against the stinging spring sunlight, stood the bob-haired girl from the hallway earlier, legs crossed casually.
Up close, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
Her pale skin contrasted sharply with her raven-black hair swaying in the breeze.
"You said you'd just toss the cola can and come right back. What're you doing? The others are waiting."
"Oh, you guys ate already?"
Juwon waved casually, greeting her like it was no big deal.
She—Iseol, apparently—ignored his hello and walked around the bench to Juwon's side.
Then she glanced down briefly at Siwoo, who was frozen stiff clutching his burger wrapper.
"Who's this."
"Oh, my desk mate, Nam Siwoo. Say hi—this is Baek Iseol. Friend from middle school."
Iseol didn't even twitch an eyebrow at the introduction.
She looked at Siwoo's flustered, lost face and tossed out a curt line.
"You should get your glasses prescription checked. Your eyes look tiny."
That was it. As if she'd said all she needed to, Iseol turned and prodded Juwon.
"Hurry up. Dasom's throwing a fit that she'll leave without you."
He couldn't tear his eyes away from her retreating figure, which seemed to move in slow motion.
A ringing filled his ears.
He'd always thought falling in love at first sight was just exaggerated nonsense from novels.
But the pounding in Siwoo's heart right now was far more violent and insane than any description in a book.
All that lingered in her wake was the faint, tickling scent of shampoo.
"Ugh, dude. Did you see her attitude? Don't take it to heart."
Juwon checked Siwoo's expression, grimaced, and stood up.
"Anyway, I'm outta here. See you in class!"
Juwon dashed after Iseol, and silence returned to the bench.
It felt like a storm had just blown through, but no one was around—just the half-eaten, cold burger in his hand.
That indifferent voice replayed automatically in his ears.
'You should get your glasses prescription checked. Your eyes look tiny.'
"...Hoo."
Without thinking, he pushed up his glasses.
He even covered his eyes with his palm to check.
He should have felt offended, but his heart kept racing for some weird reason.
Because even though she didn't know his name, the fact that she'd commented on his glasses felt like a kind of attention.
Ding-dong-dang-dong.
The preliminary bell signaling the end of lunch snapped Siwoo back to reality.
"...Gotta head in."
As he started walking, it seemed like that faint shampoo scent still lingered at the tip of his nose.
The classroom erupted into chaos the moment school ended.
Chairs scraping everywhere, shouts of invitations to hang out.
"Uwaaah~ Finally over. My poor back."
Juwon stretched in the seat next to Siwoo, groaning dramatically.
Siwoo gave an awkward smile and quickly packed his bag.
He wanted to get out of this school fast, flop onto his bed, and find some peace in the group chat with his middle school friends.
"Siwoo. Heading straight home?"
Juwon slung a sturdy arm around Siwoo's shoulder as he packed.
Siwoo flinched involuntarily and nodded.
"Y-yeah... Gonna study a bit, read some novels..."
"Liar. You won't study."
Juwon laughed at his flustered expression, then lowered his voice a tone.
"Siwoo, I'm not saying this to be mean or anything. Just hear me out, no misunderstanding."
Siwoo tilted his head at Juwon's cautious tone, devoid of his usual playfulness.
"What is it?"
"You... don't have any close friends at this school, do you?"
Siwoo froze for a moment.
More than hitting the nail on the head, it was startling that Juwon had noticed after just one day.
As Siwoo's eyes darted uncertainly, Juwon realized his mistake and quickly averted his gaze.
"Oh? Uh... well, my middle school friends all went different places..."
Siwoo mumbled dejectedly, dropping his eyes, and Juwon waved his hands frantically.
"No, seriously, I wasn't trying to call you out or anything! Sorry if it hurt your feelings. I'm just bad at beating around the bush."
Seeing Juwon's panic finally eased Siwoo's mind a little.
'He was just genuinely curious.'
"But... why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"Well, at lunch earlier, you were eating a burger alone. If you didn't have anyone to eat with and were just filling up on bread..."
Juwon scratched the back of his head with a grin.
"Wanna eat with me and my friends from now on? They're all good people."
Siwoo's heart sank at the offer.
He knew exactly what position Juwon's group held in this rowdy school—how flashy and attention-grabbing they were.
Even now, he could see the other kids in class eyeing Juwon, dying to buddy up with them.
'Me, hanging with those glamorous people?'
"N-no! I'm fine eating alone—"
"Nah, you're just nervous, right? They're all nice, it'll be fine."
There was no room to refuse.
Juwon gripped Siwoo's shoulder firmly and started dragging him toward the back door of the classroom.
"W-wait, hold on, Juwon!"
Despite Siwoo's desperate struggles, Juwon's overwhelming physique pulled him along effortlessly.
Finally shoved out the back door, Siwoo's vision filled with the flashy group in school uniforms he'd seen in the hallway earlier.