The morning sunlight descended gently over the bustling street food district, bathing the lively road in a warm golden radiance.
Cold wind drifted intermittently through the narrow street, carrying with it the rich aroma of ramen broth, grilled meat, fried tempura, and spicy rice cakes sizzling over iron pans.
People moved constantly around the food stalls.
Students skipping school.
Office workers on late morning breaks.
Couples sharing snacks while laughing softly together.
In the middle of that vibrant atmosphere, Jison and Soo-bin sat facing each other at a small table with two chairs.
The atmosphere between them had somehow become strangely natural despite meeting properly only today.
Then—
An elderly woman walked toward their table carrying two large bowls carefully in her wrinkled hands.
The owner of the stall.
Her face carried the warmth of someone who had spent decades feeding people.
She placed the bowls gently onto the table.
Bright red broth shimmered beneath the sunlight while steam curled upward beautifully from the spicy ramen.
The old woman looked at the two students sitting opposite each other.
Then a knowing smile slowly appeared on her face.
"You two look good together," she said kindly.
"Have fun."
The moment those words entered the air—
Jison nearly malfunctioned.
His previously calm expression immediately collapsed into visible embarrassment.
"W-What?!"
He hurriedly raised one hand and waved it frantically in denial.
"Ah, you've misunderstood us!"
He pointed awkwardly toward Soo-bin.
"She's just my senior!"
The old woman merely smiled wider.
The kind of smile that clearly said she didn't believe a single word.
"Mmhm," she replied knowingly.
Then she calmly turned around and returned toward her stall.
Meanwhile—
Soo-bin remained completely relaxed.
She casually picked up noodles with her chopsticks and continued eating as if she hadn't heard the old woman's comment at all.
Seeing her calm reaction somehow made Jison even more embarrassed.
This senior seriously has zero shame...
Trying to recover mentally, Jison picked up his chopsticks awkwardly before speaking.
"Senior..."
He glanced around carefully at the surrounding people.
"Aren't you worried someone might see us together and rumors start spreading around school?"
However—
What he actually meant internally was completely different.
Fuck...
If someone sees me eating with Choi Soo-bin—
That psycho senior Woo-jin mentioned will definitely murder me.
I won't even survive until graduation.
Soo-bin noticed his cautious expression immediately.
A faint smile appeared across her lips.
"Oh?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Are you worried about my reputation..."
Then her voice softened unexpectedly.
"...or are you scared Nam Seo-jun might beat you up?"
Hearing that unfamiliar name, Jison blinked in confusion.
"Nam Seo-jun?"
He casually took a bite of ramen before continuing,
"I don't know who that is."
The moment Soo-bin heard that answer, genuine surprise flashed through her eyes.
"You seriously don't know him?"
She stared at him for a second before laughing softly in disbelief.
"Well... I guess it makes sense."
She rested one elbow lightly against the table.
"At first, you didn't even recognize me properly."
Her gaze became thoughtful.
"And considering you couldn't even tell who I was, that means you've probably never paid attention to me at school either."
She twirled noodles around her chopsticks absentmindedly.
"Which also means you definitely haven't heard about him."
Then she sighed faintly.
"Nam Seo-jun is the guy who beats up students whenever they get too close to me."
Jison paused mid-bite.
His brows slowly furrowed.
What kind of crazy bastard is that?
Meanwhile, Soo-bin continued calmly, though annoyance could be heard faintly in her voice now.
"I honestly don't know why he's so obsessed with me."
She rolled her eyes slightly.
"He confessed to me over eighty times already."
Jison froze.
"Eighty?!"
She nodded casually.
"And that's only during the past few months."
Then after thinking briefly, she added,
"I've already lost count including the previous years."
The chopsticks in Jison's hand stopped moving entirely.
His eyes widened in absolute disbelief.
What the fuck...
Eighty confessions?!
Is he mentally ill?!
Meanwhile, Soo-bin merely continued eating calmly as if discussing something completely ordinary.
"Honestly," she said quietly, "I've only ever seen him as a friend."
Then her expression dimmed gradually.
"And besides..."
Her gaze lowered toward the table.
"I never planned on getting a boyfriend in the first place."
The playful atmosphere disappeared almost instantly.
The warmth in her voice faded.
"You already saw my family situation."
The moment those words left her mouth, her fingers tightened slightly around the chopsticks.
Her body trembled faintly again.
Very subtly.
But enough for Jison to notice.
Her eyes remained lowered toward the steaming ramen bowl while strands of hair partially concealed her expression.
The lively sounds of the street suddenly felt distant.
Jison stared at her silently for several seconds.
Then—
Without thinking too deeply—
He casually spoke.
"Still..."
Soo-bin looked up slightly.
Jison continued eating while talking as if discussing something entirely normal.
"You could at least try dating first."
He shrugged lightly.
"You didn't even give the guy a chance."
The moment those words entered her ears—
Soo-bin froze.
Her chopsticks slowly lowered back into the bowl.
Then—
A faint irritation appeared across her face.
Not anger from arrogance.
Not anger from offense.
But something deeper.
Something exhausted.
Her head lowered again quietly.
One of her hands moved downward and tightly grabbed the fabric of her skirt beneath the table.
Her fingers trembled visibly now.
When she spoke again, her voice was quieter.
Fragile.
"Do you really think..."
She bit her lip faintly.
"...that someone in my situation can afford to waste time on something like love?"
The moment those fragile words left Soo-bin's mouth, Jison immediately realized he had said something insensitive.
His expression stiffened slightly.
Ah shit...
He wasn't good at conversations involving emotions in the first place.
Especially not complicated family situations.
Jison scratched his cheek awkwardly before speaking quickly.
"Oh... sorry."
His voice carried genuine sincerity.
"I'm just really bad at relationship stuff."
For a brief moment, Soo-bin stared at him silently.
Then a small smile appeared on her lips.
However—
Unlike before, the warmth within that smile no longer remained completely.
There was sadness hidden behind it now.
Exhaustion.
A kind of quiet resignation.
"It's fine," she said softly.
Then she lightly tapped her chopsticks against the edge of her bowl.
"Now hurry up and eat."
Her gaze shifted toward the bustling street ahead.
"We still have a lot of time left today."
A faint pause followed.
Then she added calmly,
"And you still have to stay with me until I figure out where I'm sleeping tonight."
The moment those words entered his ears—
Jison froze.
Completely.
Right.
Her father.
That drunken bastard had told her not to come home.
Or he'd kill her.
Although Jison didn't genuinely believe the old man would actually murder her—
He knew something worse.
That man would absolutely hurt her again.
Badly.
The image of the slap mark on her cheek resurfaced vividly in his mind.
Instantly, Jison's grip around his chopsticks tightened unconsciously.
The wooden sticks creaked faintly beneath the pressure.
Soo-bin noticed the subtle reaction immediately.
Her eyes lowered toward his hand for a second.
Then—
A faint smile appeared across her face again.
This time softer.
More genuine.
Without saying anything further, she quietly continued eating her ramen.
Meanwhile, Jison remained silent.
For reasons even he didn't fully understand—
Thinking about her returning to that house irritated him immensely.
After several more minutes, both of them finally finished their meal.
The bowls were nearly empty except for traces of broth remaining at the bottom.
Jison stood up first.
"I'll go pay."
Hearing that, Soo-bin instinctively opened her mouth to protest.
But before she could say anything—
A palm suddenly appeared directly in front of her face.
She blinked.
It was Jison.
He lowered his hand again immediately after stopping her.
"If you're about to say 'let me pay because I invited you,' then forget it."
His tone was unusually firm.
Then he added more quietly,
"Save your money."
Soo-bin looked slightly surprised.
Jison continued naturally,
"If you don't find a place to stay tonight, you'll need money for a hotel anyway."
Silence.
For a brief second, Soo-bin genuinely didn't know how to respond.
No one usually thought about things like that for her.
Most people only admired her appearance.
Desired her attention.
Obsessed over her beauty.
But this boy—
Was silently considering practical things for her future without making a big deal out of it.
An unfamiliar warmth spread faintly through her chest.
And without realizing it—
A slight blush formed across her cheeks.
"...Okay," she answered quietly.
For once, she didn't argue.
Meanwhile, Jison simply turned around casually and walked toward the stall counter.
The elderly owner smiled knowingly again while accepting the payment.
After paying quickly, Jison stepped aside and unconsciously glanced toward the banking app open on his mobile screen.
His remaining balance displayed clearly.
9,67,137 won.
A substantial amount for a student.
Jison stared at the number thoughtfully.
Well...
I've been saving this money for years to buy that thing I wanted.
His gaze lowered slightly.
But honestly...
I don't think I need it anymore.
A small sigh escaped him.
Then slowly, the corners of his lips lifted faintly.
So let's spend some of it today.
After locking his phone, he returned toward Soo-bin.
This time, however—
His expression carried noticeably lighter energy.
Stopping beside her, he spoke casually.
"Senior."
Soo-bin looked up toward him.
Jison smiled slightly.
"Let's just enjoy today."
The morning sunlight reflected softly in his dark eyes.
"We already skipped school anyway."
For a second, Soo-bin simply stared at him silently.
Then—
A genuinely gentle smile appeared across her beautiful face.
The kind that reached her eyes this time.
"...Okay."
She nodded softly.
Meanwhile, Jison looked at her internally while maintaining a calm expression outwardly.
Well...
I can at least do this much for her.
After all—
According to the system—
She was apparently destined to become one of his queens.
The thought sounded absurd even inside his own head.
Still...
For some reason, it no longer felt entirely impossible.
And with that—
The two began walking side by side beneath the bright morning sky.
Cold wind brushed gently past them while crowds moved endlessly throughout the city streets.
Their destination—
Gangwon's most popular shopping mall.