Noon sat on the edge of a university lecture hall, pretending to listen to a lecture about galaxies, planets, and the universe.
He sighed inwardly.
"What does any of this have to do with geology? I just want to go home..."
He didn't really care. He hated his major—and honestly, studying in general. He wasn't good at it, and subjects like soil layers, volcano formations, oceanic ages, or even global warming just didn't interest him. Maybe they sparked his curiosity every now and then, but most of the time? He'd rather sleep through lectures or binge anime.
"College isn't that bad though… for two reasons: One, I get to sit in the garden and read manga or novels in peace. And two… those idiots."
He didn't have many friends. His quiet nature and unusual appearance tended to attract attention—both good and bad. Real friendships were rare, and in truth, the ones he had weren't even initiated by him. Others had approached him. Socializing had always been exhausting.
He stood up from his seat, slung his bag over his shoulder, and made his way down the lecture stairs—ignoring the professor's voice, the stares of other students, and the looming finals. The university allowed students to come and go as they pleased, and Noon took full advantage of that. He walked out without a word, like always.
Outside, in the front plaza, he settled onto a random bench and pulled out his phone.
Opening his messaging app, he scrolled to a contact saved under the name "The Goat"—his weird nickname for a friend.
He typed out a quick but loaded message:
> "Hey idiot. Today's classes are mind-numbingly boring. I've got a long break. If you're free, come meet me. I want to ask you something. I'm at Annex 5, sitting on the benches. Don't be late."
He smirked a little before sighing.
"Bet he'll reply with: 'Why would I come to you? Buzz off!' …but he'll show up. He needs to learn to be honest with himself. Then again, so do I."
Before he could lock his phone, a notification popped up:
> "You and Seen haven't talked in a week. Say hi!"
He ignored it and locked the screen.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to message her… but what reason would I give? I don't want to come off as weird. And I still can't explain why I ran off that day... She probably thinks I'm a total idiot. Damn it, Sis… why'd you show up at that moment?"
Suddenly, a hand grabbed him by the back of the neck. He flinched, instantly grabbing it in reflex.
He turned—and saw a guy just a bit taller than him, with smooth pale skin, wavy tangled black hair, calm dark eyes, and a sly smile. He wore a red-tinged shirt and gray slacks.
With a mock-angry grin, the guy said:
"Next time you ask someone to come over, maybe answer your messages, dumbass."
Noon gave a sheepish smile.
"Ah, sorry Park… I got lost in thought and forgot to check my phone."
Park plopped down beside him.
"It's fine. Lucky for you, I was nearby. So? What's this important thing on your mind?"
Noon averted his gaze and muttered:
"Nothing specific."
Park eyed him for a moment… then hopped over the back of the bench and sat facing him.
"It's a girl, isn't it?"
Noon's ears turned bright red, and he tried to recover quickly.
Park burst into laughter.
"It's obvious, man. You always get weird when it comes to girls. Come on, tell me—what happened?"
They sat quietly under the summer sun, with a soft breeze carrying fallen leaves across the pavement.
And slowly, Noon started talking. Not everything, but enough.
He was naturally closed-off, but Park was one of the rare people who could coax him out of his shell.
He told him everything that had happened with Seen—from the start to the awkward end.
Park listened in silence… then suddenly burst out laughing.
Noon shot him a confused look.
"What's so funny?"
Park grinned.
"You don't really need my help. From what I'm hearing, Seen's clearly interested in you—and she sounds pretty nice, too. Just remember, if things work out, I have to meet her!"
Then, with a more serious tone, he added:
"All you need to do, Noon, is something really simple."
Noon raised an eyebrow.
"Dude, just finish the sentence already."
Park smiled calmly.
"No one knows the 'right' path. Only you can figure that out. But if you want my advice… take the first step. Like I said, Seen likes you. So just talk to her. Sure, running away was awkward—but it's not the end of the world. Start again. Say something. Try. That's all it takes."
He gave Noon's shoulder a gentle pat.
Noon looked at him skeptically and muttered:
"You and your advice… Do you think you're a therapist now?"
Park laughed as he stood up.
"Me? A therapist? Nah. I'm a marketing student, bro!"
He laughed out loud and walked toward the annex door, waving over his shoulder:
"Rely on yourself. Take a risk! Don't waste your one chance!"
Noon watched him go, then smirked and said with quiet determination:
"Don't worry… I won't waste it."
And then, more softly:
"…I think."
He sat still for a moment… then suddenly slapped himself—hard.
Luckily, there weren't many people around to witness it. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he opened his chat with Sein. He had gotten her contact info the last time they spoke in the park… but he'd never sent her anything. Not once.
He started typing:
> "Hey… Sein, how are you? It's been a while. I just wanted to check in."
He stared at the words, reading them again and again. Then he deleted the message.
Typed again:
> "Hi Sein, we haven't talked in a while. How have you been?"
Deleted that too.
Finally, he settled on something simple:
> "Hey Sein. It's been a while."
He stared at the screen, not fully satisfied—but unable to come up with anything better. So he sent it.
And then… he waited.
He kept watching for that little "read" notification.
Less than twenty seconds later:
> Read.
And two minutes after that:
> "Oh, hey Noon. Yeah, it has. How have you been? I haven't seen you around at all. Everything okay?"
He blinked.
She actually asked. She actually cared.
After a bit of hesitation, he replied:
> "I'm okay… Sorry, I've just been a bit busy. And honestly… I felt kind of embarrassed after what happened last time."
Her reply came quickly:
> "Don't overthink it. It wasn't that bad. But didn't we agree to talk more? Disappearing like that is what's really annoying."
His ears turned red. He was completely drawn into the conversation now, disconnected from the world around him.
He typed:
> "Yeah… you're right. I'm sorry. Like I told you before… I'm an introvert. But I'll do anything to make it up to you."
And she answered:
> "Then here's what you can do. Next time… don't run away like that. Deal?"
He smiled without realizing it.
> "Deal. I promise."
Then came a new message:
> "I know you're shy… I am too. But there's something I've been curious about. Why did you ask about my house when we got off the bus? You walked me there that night, remember?"
His fingers hovered over the keyboard. Then he began to type:
> "Ah… sorry. I guess I didn't really need to ask. I think I was just nervous… and overthinking things. I know I'm shy, but… I grew up in that neighborhood. I know that house isn't yours. It's actually my little brother's friend's place. But I didn't want to call you out or make things awkward."
This time, her reply took a few minutes.
Finally:
> "You're right… I'll tell you next time. Looks like you're smarter than I thought! Not that I thought you were dumb! Ugh, never mind, sorry. My class is about to start, so I have to go now."
He grinned, then replied:
> "I'm not smart! Anyway, go ahead. But now that we've finally talked… how about we make plans to hang out?"
She sent back a reply that felt like it had a hidden smile behind it:
> "You are smart. Fine, I'm off now. But about meeting up—how about this time… we go home together?"
He answered instantly:
> "Sounds perfect."
And just like that… their first real phone conversation ended.
Both had spoken a little differently than usual—like they were braver versions of themselves. But that was okay. Noon felt at peace, like he had made up with a part of himself. They'd meet again soon. He stayed sitting on the same bench, waiting for the time when Sein would head home.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the conversation, Sein was burning up with embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed so red, her friends asked if she was running a fever. She couldn't believe she had actually talked to him—and in that way.
But she was happy.
> Did he really have to notice that wasn't my house? This is so embarrassing… how am I supposed to explain it?
She entered her class with a soft smile, a warmth fluttering in her chest.
That was their first step toward reconciliation.
Their first real conversation.
And with summer just around the corner… how much closer would their hearts grow?