"Okay, but are we seriously not going to talk about the thing between Hyuntak and her?" Baku’s voice echoed across the courtyard bench, his straw poking through his banana milk like a dagger.

Juntae rolled his eyes. "You mean the way he stares at her like she hung the moon but refuses to make actual human conversation?"

"Exactly," Baku grinned. "Peak rom-com behavior. I’m invested." Sieun glanced over to where you were—sitting under the tree beside the gym, sketching again. Hyuntak sat beside you, earbuds in, as usual, one side loosely hanging out. He wasn’t looking at you directly, but his whole body leaned slightly your way. Sieun just muttered, "He’s in denial."

The moment you stood up, dusting your skirt off and showing Hyuntak something in your sketchbook, his expression changed—just slightly. His brow furrowed, the corner of his lip twitching like he was fighting a smile.

Juntae caught it immediately. "Yup. He’s down bad."

Later that afternoon, while Sieun and Hyuntak waited by the gate after school, Baku approached you from behind. "Hey," he said, offering you a can of peach soda. "You looked kinda out of it in class. You okay?" You blinked, surprised but smiling softly and shake your head.

Baku’s grin widened a little too easily. "Wanna walk a bit? I’ll carry your bag." From a few meters away, Hyuntak watched. Silent. Eyes narrowing just a little. His jaw tightened. Baku picked up on it—he always did—and of course, leaned in closer.

"So what’s in that sketchbook, huh?" he teased. "Are you secretly drawing me?" You just chuckled. Baku took it and flipped through a page anyway.

And that’s when Hyuntak moved.

One second he was casually leaning on the wall, the next he was there, right beside you, plucking the sketchbook clean out of Baku’s hands.

"Don’t touch her stuff," he muttered, voice low and firm. Baku raised his hands in surrender, grinning like the devil. "Damn, chill. Didn’t know it was that serious."

"It’s not," you and Hyuntak said at the same time. A beat of silence.

That night, your phone buzzed.

[Go Hyuntak]:

don’t let people touch your stuff like that humin’s annoying ... did you eat

You smiled, heart thudding louder than it should’ve. And replied:

[You]:

you jealous or something?

Three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Then appeared again.

He never replied.

But the next day, he was already waiting in the stairwell. With two drinks.