oppa - means older brother and can only be used by younger women
Sunbae - means senior
***
Beep… Beep… Beep….
Min-jun tossed a pillow at the alarm clock, sending it crashing to the floor, where it continued to blare. He sat on the edge of the bed, mumbling under his breath. His unkempt hair stood up wildly, giving him a childlike appearance. Slowly, he pulled his 5-foot-11-inch frame toward the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, he was at the dining table, still half-asleep, as he spooned food into his mouth. He was already dressed in his school uniform — a dodger blue blazer with sharp silver seams and a neatly embroidered silver school crest over the heart. The crispness of the fabric contrasted comically with his groggy demeanor. His eyes flew open when he heard his father's footsteps descending the stairs. He straightened up quickly, glancing at his reflection in the glass cabinet in front of him to make sure nothing was amiss. Min-jun's gaze turned cautious as he watched his father sit across from him.
"Good morning, Abeoji."
"Good morning, Jun-ah," Min-hyuk greeted, picking up the daily newspaper from the table, where it had been set for him, and glancing at the front page. The maid placed his breakfast before him as he leisurely skimmed the headlines. Min-jun stood up silently, slipping his school bag over his shoulder.
"Fix your tie," Min-hyuk said, not lifting his gaze from the newspaper. Min-jun looked at him briefly before adjusting his silver tie and politely exiting the living room.
***
Min-jun sat on the stone bench, trying not to bounce his leg, struggling to push down the anxious feeling rising in his chest. He clutched the basketball in his hands, running his fingers along its rough surface to calm his racing thoughts. Slowly, he looked around, his eyes scanning the familiar school buildings, each proudly flying the blue-silver school flag. Towering limestone structures with tall, arched windows and intricate silver detailing lined the manicured courtyards. Grand marble staircases and ivy-draped columns gave the school an air of timeless elegance, while polished brass plaques gleamed beside heavy oak doors engraved with the school's crest. A heavy sigh escaped him. The time to say goodbye to the place he cherished the most was creeping closer.
This school had been his sanctuary—a home away from home and the media's relentless scrutiny. It was the one place where Min-jun could simply be a student, not the son of the Minister of Health. Among peers who came from equally prominent or wealthy families — the sons and daughters of ministers, CEOs of multinational corporations, top-tier lawyers, and influential diplomats — he'd finally been able to live a normal life. Their last names carried weight in boardrooms and political circles, yet within these walls, status was a background hum, not the center of attention. Well, as normal as it could be, aside from the occasional disruption caused by his fan club. Though they had become an inevitable part of his school life, they were mostly a source of amusement for his friends, who teased him endlessly about it.
'Oh God, I wish they would leave.'
Min-jun longed to carry out his duties without distraction, to focus on the game and nothing else. He tilted his head toward the sun, its rays still soft and golden, brushing against his skin with the tenderness of a whispered promise. The early morning sky was painted in pastel hues of peach and pale blue, and a cool breeze stirred the air, carrying with it the faint, sweet scent of dew-kissed grass. He watched as the basketball team members trickled onto the court, arriving one by one, their blue and white team uniforms catching the light and adding bright splashes of color to the luminous dawn. The sight brought a quiet warmth to Min-jun's heart, easing the knot of anxiety that had been coiled within him. As the players gathered in the center of the court, the gentle hum of their chatter blending with the soft rustle of the breeze, Min-jun rose from the bench, ready to join them.
The team had opted for the outdoor court to take advantage of the pleasant weather. Most of the players were in grade 12 and rarely got a chance to enjoy the outdoors due to the school's demanding schedule and relentless workload. Their days typically began before sunrise with early morning study sessions, followed by a full slate of intensive classes that stretched well into the afternoon. Even after school officially ended, they were expected to attend cram sessions or private tutoring, often lasting late into the evening. With more than half of their day dedicated to studying, the little free time they had left was quickly swallowed up by club activities, sports practice, and preparation for endless mock exams. It was a life of tight schedules, heavy textbooks, and stolen moments of relaxation — and today's morning practice under the open sky felt like a rare, precious breath of freedom.
As he stepped into the court, Min-jun felt his anxiety evaporate. He felt at home as he watched the team line up and bow.
"All hail, Captain Han," Vice Captain shouted. Min-jun winced as the giggles of his fan club filled the air.
"Guys, guys, please…" Min-jun tried to calm his playful members. "We only have time for one game after warm-ups, okay? So, no fooling around."
"We were just trying to lend a hand since your fan club is around," a team member teased. Min-jun exhaled and directed his attention to the speaker.
"I wish they would vanish."
"Tough luck, bro. With that face and body, you will never be able to escape them."
"Yeah. I'm beginning to realize that," Min-jun said sadly. 'If only they knew how I feel....' He thought and shook his head helplessly.
"Hang in there, bro," Vice-Captain said as he patted Min-jun's butt with affection. "Okay, guys, let's start," he shouted at the rest.
***
"Oppa, are you okay?"
Han Min-jun's fangirls rushed toward him, their voices tinged with genuine worry. Some clutched their hands to their chests, eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears, while others hovered anxiously, unsure whether to reach out or give him space. Their neatly pressed blue-silver uniforms fluttered in the breeze as they crowded closer, forming a protective circle around him. Whispers of panic rippled through the group.
The sudden collapse of the basketball hoop had stunned everyone, freezing the court in a stunned silence as Min-jun fell hard onto the ground. The gravel-strewn outdoor court left painful scrapes on his hands and arms, bright against his pale skin, from his desperate attempt to break the fall. After briefly reassuring the girls with a strained smile, Min-jun urged his teammates to continue playing without him and walked off the court, his figure retreating as worried glances and hushed murmurs followed him like a tide.
"I'm okay, it's not as bad as it looks," he reassured forcing a smile as he passed his fan girls and tried to hide his wince of pain. 'Damn, it stings like crazy..' he thought as he walked up to his friend, who was waiting for him.
"Changmin-ah, I can make it to the infirmary by myself. Could you get my bag from the classroom and leave it at the library front desk? I'm going to skip classes today," he said, eyeing his bloodied arms and hands. Chang-min had already assisted him in cleaning and wrapping the wounds with clean towels.
Min-jun made his way to the infirmary at a slow pace, trying to steady his nerves. He was relieved that he didn't meet any students on his way.
'A few more months to go,' he thought as he entered the infirmary and congratulated himself for staying out of trouble so far. He often wished he had come from a less privileged background, desiring the freedom and anonymity that came with it. However, being the heir to one of the largest hospital chains didn't give him that luxury, and his appearance only worsened it.
'They wouldn't look at me twice if I had an ugly face.'
With a sigh, Min-jun stepped into the empty, silent infirmary. The room smelled faintly of antiseptic and lavender, a clean but oddly comforting scent. Sunlight streamed in through the tall, half-draped windows, casting soft golden patterns onto the polished floor and the neat rows of beds lined with crisp white sheets. A few medical charts were neatly stacked on the counter, and glass-fronted cabinets displayed rows of carefully labeled supplies — bandages, ointments, and gleaming silver instruments.
He wiped his face with the warm, steamed towel provided by the nurse and placed it over his face, savoring the comforting heat after taking his painkillers. The infirmary's gentle stillness, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioner and the distant chirping of birds outside, wrapped around him like a soft blanket. The soothing warmth, coupled with the quiet surroundings and the effects of the medication, made Min-jun feel drowsy.
As he started to drift off on the infirmary bed, the soft rustle of someone approaching barely registered in his mind. He felt someone carefully treating his wounds — the delicate touch and the coolness of their hands on his scraped arms were oddly soothing. Without opening his eyes, Min-jun idly wondered who was attending to him, letting the comfort lull him deeper toward sleep.
'Must be Ha-yun. She always volunteers at the infirmary,' he thought, trying to ignore the pain he felt as his hands were moved.
The person treating Min-jun's bruises was exceptionally gentle, ensuring not to cause him any pain. However, Min-jun was caught off guard by the sudden sting of the antiseptic, causing him to take a sharp breath.
"I'm sorry, sunbae; I should have warned you," a gentle, calming male voice said, catching Min-jun off guard. He lowered the towel from his face and looked at the person tending to his injuries. The small boy, dressed in the standard white t-shirt and trousers of the volunteer infirmary staff, appeared plain and unfamiliar to Min-jun.
Min-jun was fairly certain the boy was a junior, though he wasn't sure which class he belonged to. Thanks to his unwanted popularity among the younger students, Min-jun often found himself being dragged into their classrooms whenever they spotted an opportunity. As a result, he had become familiar with most of the juniors in the school, whether he liked it or not.
Min-jun's eyes wandered over the boy's small face and delicate hands. His long, slender fingers were clean and neatly kept, almost resembling a girl's. Each gentle touch sent an unexpected jolt through Min-jun's heart, leaving him both confused and intrigued. He found himself unable to look away, his gaze tracing the boy's long eyelashes and the small beauty mark on his left eyelid.
His eyes are beautiful, Min-jun thought, leaning in without even realizing it.
He was startled when the boy spoke, his voice soft but clear.
"All done," the boy said, pressing the last bandage into place before finally looking up at him.
The moment their eyes met, Min-jun felt his heart plummet, as if it had dropped a mile. The boy's eyes were a breathtaking shade of blue — deep and endless, like an enchanting sea under a midsummer sky. Sunlight spilled through the window, catching in those irises and setting them ablaze with a shimmering, ethereal light. For a moment, the world around Min-jun faded away, leaving only the boy and the haunting pull of those brilliant blue eyes. It felt almost like he had wandered into a dream he never wanted to wake from, utterly spellbound.