Chapter 1: Invisible
At Hanwoo High School, everyone knew Kang Joon. Tall, athletic, smiling even when his shirt was wrinkled - he looked perfect without trying. People whispered he could've been an idol trainee, but he just shrugged and kicked a soccer ball instead. Teachers adored him. Classmates followed him.
And me? I stared from behind my thick-rimmed glasses, silently counting the freckles on his neck like they were constellations only I knew.
"Yah, Seo Hana." My best friend Seolha poked me in the ribs during lunch. "You're doing the stare thing again."
I jerked my eyes back to my tray. The rice seemed to glare up at me. "No, I wasn't."
Seolha rolled her eyes. "You've liked him since middle school. Are you ever going to say something?"
I tugged my bangs lower to hide my face. "He doesn't even know I exist."
Truth was, I couldn't blame him. Braces. Crooked bangs. Glasses thick enough to see the future. Among the polished girls in our class, I was just background scenery.