chapter eight

aeri noticed him first. he was sitting near the back, his head down, elbow propped up on the desk like always. it was rare seeing him in one of her classes—she must've just never paid attention before. but now she did. now, she saw everything.

like the way his pencil moved across the margin of his notebook. not writing—drawing.

she slid into the seat next to him without asking. his shoulders stiffened for a second, then relaxed again when he saw it was her.

"what're you drawing?" she asked, leaning in.

he looked at her, hesitant. "it's nothing."

"doesn't look like nothing."

he paused, then turned the notebook slightly toward her. just enough so she could see.

it wasn't a masterpiece. just a little sketch of a cat curled up next to a stack of books, sleepy-eyed and soft. the lines were rough, but there was something calming about it.

"that's cute," she said, smiling. "you draw often?"

"not really," he mumbled. "just when i'm bored."

"you get bored in this class?"

he finally let out a tiny laugh. it was soft, barely there, but real.

"only every day," he said.

aeri grinned, tapping her pen against her desk. "well, maybe if you sat near the front, it'd be less boring."

"or louder," he replied.

"fair," she said, pretending to be offended.

he glanced at her again, more curious than cautious now. "you're always talking. like... always."

"and you're always quiet. like... painfully quiet," she teased.

he didn't respond right away, but the corner of his mouth twitched, like he was trying not to smile. she counted that as a win.

just as she was about to ask something else, the teacher walked in and class began. aeri leaned back in her chair, still smiling a little. and though she faced the front, her thoughts lingered on the boy beside her—the one who drew sleepy cats and was finally starting to speak.

when the bell rang, students filed out like a wave, noise rushing in from all directions. aeri took her time packing up, stealing a glance at wonwoo as he quietly closed his notebook and tucked it into his bag.

she caught up to him in the hallway, matching his pace without saying anything at first.

he noticed. of course he did.

"are you... following me?" he asked, not looking at her.

"depends," she said. "are you going to lunch?"

he gave a small nod.

"then i guess i am."

wonwoo didn't argue. he just adjusted the strap of his backpack and kept walking.

they didn't talk much, but it wasn't uncomfortable. there was something oddly nice about walking beside him, no noise between them except the shuffle of feet and distant voices from other students.

after a few seconds, she spoke again. "so, what else do you doodle? more cats?"

he gave a quiet shrug. "sometimes buildings. or faces. depends on what's in my head."

"draw me sometime," she said, only half-joking.

he looked over at her, expression unreadable. "maybe."

she blinked. "was that a yes?"

he didn't answer. just kept walking, lips twitching like he was holding back a smirk.

by the time they reached the cafeteria, people were starting to notice. aeri felt the weight of eyes on her—on them. whispers trailing behind like shadows.

but she didn't care. not in that moment.

"do you wanna sit with me?" she asked, stopping at the edge of the lunchroom.

wonwoo looked around, hesitating. "with your friends?"

"no," she said quickly. "just us."

he hesitated. "won't your friends say something?"

"they always say something," she said with a shrug. "i'm used to it."

he stared at her for a second too long, then gave the smallest nod.

they found a table by the window—quiet, tucked away. he pulled out a book halfway through his meal and opened it like she wasn't even there. she watched him, amused.

he really didn't care what anyone thought.

"you're such a nerd," she said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"you're loud," he said without looking up.

she raised an eyebrow, pretending to be offended. "did you just insult me?"

"maybe," he said again.

she laughed. he didn't.

but for a second, he looked at her—really looked—and she wondered what he was thinking.

whatever. it didn't matter.

she was still winning.