"No, we're not like that... she's just a girl I know!" Non shouted, his voice louder and more awkward than he intended.
His sister stared at him, clearly intrigued, before turning to look at Seen with a thoughtful expression. "Hmm... yeah, that actually makes sense. What would make my lazy, carefree brother date a girl as cute as her anyway? Guess I got carried away from all the drama I've been watching lately."
She then gave a shy, almost cat-like smile and looked at Seen apologetically. "Sorry if I made things uncomfortable."
Seen smiled back, gently. "It's fine... you didn't bother me."
Noon's eyes shifted subtly, his face blank but his mind clearly spinning. His sister's smile grew as she eagerly sat down beside Seen, launching into a flurry of questions.
Meanwhile, Noon remained in his spot, still and quiet—like a statue. His thoughts swirled behind his neutral expression, though his eyes flicked toward them every now and then. He let out a mental sigh.
Sigh... poor girl, my sister's going to wear her out with questions. Not my problem though... but why am I thinking about this so much? It's not like I like her or anything...
His cheeks turned faintly pink.
Stop it, me. Think about something else. Oh yeah... the novel. I need to finish the first volume.
But his train of thought halted when he caught a bit of the conversation between his sister and Seen.
"Oh, you're a first-year too? And your major sounds amazing! Lucky you. Unlike my lazy brother who went for... geology," his sister said with a teasing smile.
Seen chuckled nervously. "Well, it's not that amazing... and geology isn't that bad, I guess."
At that moment, their mother came downstairs, her voice soft and warm. "Oh, sweetheart, I hope my kids aren't bothering you. They're not bullying you, are they? I'm a friend of your mother's, by the way. I borrowed something from her last week—I'll give it to you so you can return it to her."
Then she turned to Noon and added in a tired tone, "And you... please, clean your room, okay?"
---
Later, nothing major happened. Seen remained surrounded by the mother's and sister's questions, while Noon continued sitting like a statue. Somehow, Seen managed to gracefully excuse herself, saying she needed to head back.
Now, she stood at the doorway, slipping her shoes on.
"Oh, sweetie... you're not going to let the kind girl who brought your things walk home alone at this hour, are you?" his mom said.
"Yeah, brother... don't you know how dangerous the world's gotten for beautiful girls like us?" his sister added with a grin.
Noon shot them both a look of disbelief. It was obvious they were forcing him to escort her. With a sigh, he got up and walked over to her.
And now, the two of them were walking outside.
Noon spoke first. "Thanks for bringing the coat... that was really kind of you. And sorry if my family annoyed you—they're just... a bit too cheerful sometimes. We don't get many visitors."
Seen was quiet for a moment before walking beside him, her voice soft. "No need to thank me... and your family didn't bother me at all. They're kind. It's clear they care about you."
He smiled faintly, his tone slightly teasing. "Yeah, they do... but sometimes I wish they'd tone it down a bit. No one likes being the center of everything, right?"
Her expression suddenly stiffened, as if a gloomy cloud passed over her face. Noon immediately sensed he said something wrong, though he had no idea what.
"Ah... sorry, if I said something that bothered you. I'll shut up," he muttered awkwardly.
She replied, barely audible, "It's okay... you didn't say anything wrong. I'm just... tired."
He glanced at her gently. "Well, if I ever do annoy you, don't hesitate to tell me."
They continued walking in silence for a while—under the soft glow of the streetlights, surrounded by the peaceful quiet of the neighborhood.
Then, suddenly, Seen asked, "By the way... what's your name?"
He blinked, slightly dazed, but quickly answered, "Oh... I'm Noon! And you?"
"Seen," she replied with a soft smile.
"Weird that I haven't noticed you before," she added. "Especially since we live in the same neighborhood."
He gave her a surprised look. "That's not too strange... I don't go out much. Even at university, I don't move around a lot."
Their eyes met for a second—silent, shy. His face grew warmer, and she quickly looked away, cheeks lightly flushed.
"Well... I'll be noticing you from now on," she said, her voice warm and encouraging.
His blush deepened. Scratching the back of his head, he mumbled, "Ah... yeah... me too."
They stopped in front of a modern, round-shaped house. Seen opened the gate, then turned to him with a gentle smile.
"Alright, I'm home... thanks for walking with me, Noon."
He smiled back. "And thanks for everything, Seen."
...
---
Two weeks passed since that day.
They hadn't talked much directly, but Noon began to notice something—Seen kept appearing around him. At university. On the bus. In the neighborhood. Not a day went by without seeing her.
And on the other side, Seen saw him too... even more than he saw her. Especially whenever Noon visited her mother's store—he was a regular, after all.
Recently, she had truly started to notice his presence.
And every time they crossed paths at the station, she greeted him kindly... though nothing more than that ever happened.
---
Sin was sitting on one of the benches in the university garden. Her friends' voices echoed faintly in the background, like distant sounds that no longer concerned her. Her gaze was fixed on something far away… something even she couldn't quite define.
One of the girls complained in a tired tone,
"Ugh... did you see that? Chemistry class was brutal. I just want this year to be over already."
The other one chuckled,
"Seriously... but hey, we've got less than a month left, and then—we're finally free!"
Then, she turned to Sin.
"So, Sin… what's your plan for the break? Coming with us? Or are you staying to help out at your family's shop?"
"Sin?!"
But Sin didn't answer. She wasn't even looking at them. Her mind was wandering in a way that was… unusual for her.
The two girls exchanged a glance, and then one of them followed Sin's gaze.
Across the garden sat a tall boy, his long black hair slightly tousled by the breeze. Dressed head to toe in black, he sat calmly on a bench, reading something on his phone.
Their eyes met again—this time, with mischievous grins.
One of them leaned closer and gently grabbed Sin's arm.
"Oh my... Sin~ who's that guy?"
The other added teasingly,
"Did Sin finally find her campus crush?"
It hit Sin all at once.
She had been staring at Noon. For a while now. Without even realizing it.
Her face flushed bright red, and she quickly straightened up, defensive.
"W-What?! No! It's nothing like that! He's just… someone I know. That's all."
But her friends weren't buying it. Their grins only widened as they leaned in closer.
There was no escape now.
…
Later on—
"So let me get this straight," one of the girls laughed,
"You fought over a lab coat, then went to his place to return it… and that's how you started talking?"
Sin responded softly,
"Y-Yeah, something like that... But honestly, I don't even know what kind of relationship we have."
The other girl raised an eyebrow.
"The real question is—what kind of relationship do you want?"
Sin froze, her eyes dropping to the ground as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"I… I'm not sure. I just… he makes me curious. Or something like that."
The moment those words left her lips, the two girls exchanged a quick smile, stood up from the bench, turned toward Noon—
And walked straight toward him.
Leaving Sin behind in a state of panic and disbelief.
---
Across the garden, Noon sat quietly, reading manga on his phone, waiting for break time to end. He had started sitting in this area recently… even though it was usually crowded. Not really his thing.
Maybe… just maybe, because he knew Sin often sat here too.
He noticed her now. Sitting not too far away. Staring in his direction—or maybe somewhere else entirely. The distance made it hard to tell. But the thought that she might be looking at him... made something warm stir inside his chest.
And then—
He saw her two friends stand up and walk straight toward him.
Noon froze.
"What?! Why are they coming over here?! Did they catch me looking at them? Crap… or maybe even worse!"
He had just seconds before they reached him. One of them had short brown hair and stood tall, the other had messy blonde hair and a playful smile.
The blonde spoke first, her tone sweet and casual.
"Hey, you're Noon, right? So… our friend over there wants to talk to you. Think you could go say hi?"
"...What?!"
Noon's brain completely shut down. His expression turned blank. This wasn't a scenario he had ever prepared for. At all.
Without thinking, without questioning, he jumped to his feet, left his bag behind—and started walking toward Sin.
He didn't know why.
He didn't know what he was going to say.
He didn't even know what this was about.
But he went.
Her friends stood behind, watching with satisfied smiles.
Sin, on the other hand, stood frozen at the far end—her heart pounding so loud it echoed in her ears, her eyes unable to settle on anything.
And so…
Their very first real encounter was about to happen.
An encounter that would change everything.
An encounter that would merge two separate paths—
Into one.
---