Episode 2 – Opening Scene: Eyes on Her

The next day, the weather was bright again. Soft wind, clear sky.

Sojin sat at her desk quietly, pretending to read her book—but her eyes kept glancing forward.

She could feel it.

Someone was looking at her.

She slowly looked up from her book…

Eun-woo.

He was sitting in his usual place—calm, focused—but for a moment, his eyes were on her.

Sojin panicked inside.

> “W-Why is he looking at me?! Did I do something weird?! Is my hair messy? Oh no… what if there's rice on my face from yesterday?!”

She quickly touched her cheeks.

Just then, their eyes met.

Sojin froze.

Eun-woo blinked… then looked away like nothing happened.

Sojin ducked her head behind her book like a turtle going into its shell.

> “I-I’m invisible. I’m a ghost. I do not exist…”

From beside her, Eun-kyung leaned over and whispered with a grin:

> “He was totally looking at you.”

Sojin shook her head furiously.

> “N-No! He was probably looking at the… wall!”

Eun-kyung giggled.

> “Sure. The wall with glasses and a pink notebook?”

Sojin turned even redder.

Her hands gripped her book tighter.

> “I’m never looking up again…”

Right after the class settled down, a school staff member entered the room.

> “Attention, students. Two periods are off today. Some teachers are stuck in traffic and will arrive late.”

The classroom immediately exploded with whispers and excitement.

> “Yesss!”

“Free time!”

“Let’s go to the ground!”

“I’m gonna sleep in my seat…”

Eun-kyung looked at Sojin with a smile.

> “Wanna go outside?”

Sojin nodded softly.

> “Okay… but I don’t play sports.”

> “No problem. We’ll just walk and talk.”

☀️ Outside, the playground was full of cheerful noise. Some students sat under trees, others ran around. The sun was warm, and the wind playful.

Sojin and Eun-kyung walked along the edge of the field. Sojin was starting to enjoy it — even the sound of laughter didn’t feel scary now.

Suddenly…

VROOM!

A loud engine roared from the front gate of the school.

All heads turned.

From the school entrance, a black motorcycle rolled in smoothly, like a scene from a movie.

The rider wore the school blazer over a casual white shirt, half-buttoned. His black hair was messy but stylish. A silver chain glinted under his collar.

The boys stopped talking.

The girls stared with wide eyes.

> “Wait… who is that?”

“Is that… Joon-woo?!”

“OMG! He came on a bike again!”

“Look at that entrance! Is this a school or a drama?!”

The bike came to a stop near the parking line. The rider kicked the stand, removed his helmet—

And yes, it was Joon-woo.

Tall, lean, sharp eyes.

He ran a hand through his hair and glanced at the crowd — like he didn’t care at all.

Sojin, watching from a distance, blinked in surprise.

> “Who… is he?”

Eun-kyung crossed her arms.

> “That’s Joon-woo. He’s… kind of a legend here. Strong, cool, and never follows rules.”

> “He’s… a student?”

> “Somehow, yeah. But also like a gangster from a K-drama.”

Sojin stared at him. For a second, Joon-woo’s eyes swept over the crowd…

And stopped.

Right on her.

Just for a second.

Sojin looked away immediately, heart skipping.

> “W-Why is he looking at me…?!”

Eun-kyung raised an eyebrow.

> “Wow. First Eun-woo. Now Joon-woo? What are you, a magnet?”

Sojin shook her head quickly.

> “No! N-No magnet! I’m… I’m just a tiny mouse!”

Eun-kyung laughed.

> “Well, Miss Mouse, I think the wolves just noticed you.”

Joon-woo stood beside his parked bike, casually removing his helmet. His sharp eyes scanned the school ground — calm, bored, confident.

Every girl watched him like he was the lead actor in a drama.

Whispers echoed across the students.

> “He’s so cool…”

“Did you see how he came in?”

“I want to talk to him once…”

But one person didn’t stare.

In fact, one girl turned her face away on purpose.

Kim Sojin.

Joon-woo noticed it instantly.

His eyebrow lifted slightly.

> “Huh…? She looked away?”

He stared at her more carefully.

A shy girl. Small frame. Glasses. Sitting beside her friend. Not dressed flashy, not showing off — she was the only one not reacting to him.

> “Every girl in this school stares at me like I’m a star… but this girl? She ignored me?”

A smirk slowly formed on his lips.

> “Interesting…”

Without warning, he walked toward them.

Sojin saw him approaching and panicked inside.

> “H-He’s coming here… no no no—!”

Her heart pounded like crazy. She quickly stood up—

And ran away behind the big tree nearby, almost tripping over her own feet.

> “W-Why am I running?!”

Eun-kyung blinked.

> “Yah! Sojin?! Where are you going?!”

Joon-woo stopped mid-step, confused but amused.

He chuckled under his breath.

> “She ran away from me…? Is she scared of me or just playing hard to get?”

Behind them, a group of girls watched everything.

Their expressions changed.

Jealousy.

> “Who is that girl…?”

“Did she really just run when Joon-woo came?”

“She’s acting innocent to get his attention.”

“Ugh. So annoying.”

Minji stayed quiet. Her eyes followed Sojin carefully.

She didn’t speak, but her smile was fake.

In her mind—

> “You think you’re special because two boys looked at you? Let’s see how long that lasts.”

Meanwhile, Eun-kyung ran to Sojin, who was hiding behind the tree like a scared kitten.

> “What was that?! You ran like he was a ghost!”

> “I-I got nervous! He was coming… straight to me…”

Eun-kyung laughed.

> “Girl, relax! It’s just Joon-woo!”

> “Just Joon-woo?! He looked like a gangster! A handsome one!”

Eun-kyung shook her head with a big smile.

> “You’re amazing. First you make the class topper notice you… now the school’s coolest boy wants to talk. And you? You run!”

Sojin blushed hard.

> “I didn’t mean to! My legs moved on their own!”

They both burst into quiet laughter.

But deep in the crowd, Joon-woo stood with his hands in his pockets, watching from far.

> “Kim Sojin, huh? You’re not like the others…”

His smirk returned — calm and dangerous.

> “Let’s see what makes you run next time.”

After the playground drama, Sojin and Eun-kyung sat under a tree, drinking water and talking quietly.

Suddenly, Sojin stood up nervously.

> “Uhm… I-I need to go to the restroom…”

Eun-kyung nodded.

> “Want me to come with you?”

Sojin smiled a little.

> “It’s okay… I’ll be quick.”

But as Sojin walked alone down the empty hallway… her steps slowed.

The silence made her heart race. Her hands clutched her skirt tightly.

> “Why… did I come alone? I hate quiet places…”

She opened the restroom door slowly — it creaked.

No one was inside.

> “No one here… good.”

She stepped in, but the silence felt too heavy. The flickering tube light above buzzed softly.

Sojin bit her lip.

> “I-I should’ve asked Eun-kyung to come with me…”

Just as she turned to leave and go call her—

Footsteps.

Multiple.

From behind the door, voices echoed.

And then — Minji entered, followed by three other girls.

They blocked the exit.

Minji leaned against the sink, smiling coldly.

> “Wow… what a surprise. The ‘shy new girl’ is here all alone.”

Sojin’s heart froze.

She looked around — no escape.

The lights flickered again.

Her hands trembled slightly, but she stayed silent, her back straight.

Minji stepped closer, smirking.

> “You made quite the scene today… Everyone’s talking about you, Sojin.”

Sojin didn’t reply. Her breath was shaky, but she stood still.

> “Don’t cry… don’t cry… just breathe…”

Minji tilted her head.

> “Scared already?”

And just then—

CRACK.

The lights above flickered once more… and the mirror on the wall showed something strange:

For a split second — Sojin’s reflection was not scared.

It was calm. Powerful.

And smiling.

But only for a second.

Minji didn’t see it.

But Sojin did.

She stared at the mirror, eyes wide.

> “W-What… was that?”

Darkness passed over her pupils for a brief moment—

And then, just like that, the lights stabilized.

Minji was still talking. The girls still stood there.

But Sojin’s breath was now calm.

Her hands weren’t shaking anymore.

Something had changed.

Even if she didn’t understand it yet.

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