A week after school began, Françoise Dupont was already deep in its usual chaos: group chats buzzed about Ladybug sightings, Marinette was knee-deep in panic over Adrien, and Chloe still terrorized the halls with her heels clicking like war drums.
Then the car pulled up.
Ha Joon had finally arrived.
He stepped out casually, one hand in his coat pocket, the other adjusting his sunglasses. There were no reporters this time, no stage lights — just a boy who looked impossibly cool for someone walking into a building full of hormonal teenagers.
"Finally," Chloe muttered from the gate, arms folded.
Sabrina peeked behind her. "You said he'd come today…"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I knew he would."
Ha Joon caught her eye immediately. He smirked and walked up without a single ounce of hurry.
"You missed a week of school," she snapped.
"Fashionably," he replied.
Chloe's eyes narrowed. "I don't care."
"Sure you don't."
Sabrina giggled. Chloe elbowed her, but not too hard.
Truth was, their trio made sense. Chloe needed someone who could call her out, Sabrina needed someone who wasn't mean to her, and Ha Joon needed people who didn't expect him to be perfect. They bickered constantly, but it was the kind that didn't hurt. Chloe would roll her eyes, call him annoying. He'd fire back. And beneath all of it was a strange sort of… loyalty.
Chloe didn't say it, but she waited for him.
---
Inside the Classroom
Adrien had already started school a few days ago. When Ha Joon walked in late to homeroom, Adrien glanced up.
Their eyes met.
A pause.
Then a nod.
They sat near each other — not side by side, but within orbit. Enough to acknowledge the other, never enough to cross the line.
They understood each other in a way that required no words. And they didn't like it.
Adrien saw the way Ha Joon moved: calm, smooth, confident without effort. And Ha Joon saw Adrien's carefully practiced modesty, the kind that made people fall for him even when he didn't want them to.
They both hated masks — mostly because they wore them too well.
Marinette, watching from across the class, scowled.
> Not this guy again.
> Why is Adrien even near him?
> What's so special about him?
She hated how much attention Ha Joon got without doing anything. She hated the way he walked past her without blinking. She hated that she cared.
Alya leaned over. "That's Ha Joon. The K-pop star, remember?"
Marinette forced a smile. "Yeah. I know."
> Great. Another distraction.
---
The Broadcast
At lunch, a live broadcast aired in the background.
Mireille Caquet had just won the spot as Weather Girl, and her competitor, Aurore Beauréal, walked off set—visibly upset.
Ha Joon, sitting on the windowsill with Chloe and Sabrina on either side, tilted his head.
"Watch her get akumatized," he said casually.
Sabrina blinked. "What?"
"She's upset. Feels cheated. It's enough."
"You say that like it's normal," Chloe muttered.
"It kind of is." Ha Joon leaned back. "That's how this world works."
Chloe side-eyed him. "You talk like a narrator."
He smiled.
She looked away first.
Behind them, a quiet figure walked through the hallway outside, guitar case slung across his back.
Luka.
Kuma.
Ha Joon froze.
> There he is…
His chest felt tight — not in a romantic way, not yet — but in that aching, half-familiar kind of way. Luka moved like water: calm, quiet, unnoticed by most. But Ha Joon saw him.
> You deserved better.
> I'll be better… if you'll let me.
But Luka didn't look his way. He kept walking.
Ha Joon said nothing.
He wouldn't know how to say hello even if he tried.
---
Stormy Weather
It happened fast.
The wind outside turned vicious. Snow began falling sideways. Students screamed. The broadcast cut to static. Then — Stormy Weather took over the screen.
"She got akumatized," Sabrina whispered.
Ha Joon nodded like he already knew.
Through the upper hallway window, he watched it all unfold. Ice climbed the buildings. Paris dimmed under thick clouds.
Then they arrived.
Ladybug. Chat Noir.
He watched them dance across the city — she, sharp and nimble; he, cocky but not useless.
Stormy Weather hurled wind and hail. Chat Noir took the hit. Ladybug adapted instantly, always moving, always redirecting. They fought like instinct.
> So this is the beginning…
> They don't even know each other yet.
He didn't move. Didn't get involved. He couldn't, anyway.
But he watched.
Eyes following every move.
---
After the Fight
When the sun returned, the school slowly came back to life.
A few students clapped at the TV replay. Alya was already blogging.
Adrien passed Ha Joon near the stairwell.
He paused.
"Didn't expect you to be so calm," Adrien said.
"I've seen worse," Ha Joon replied, eyes still on the screen.
Adrien didn't ask. Just nodded. Kept walking.
They didn't like each other. But neither of them hated each other either.
Respect came easy when you both wore masks.
Chloe stepped up beside Ha Joon with crossed arms. "Well, that was stupid. A weather girl? Seriously?"
"She was hurting," Ha Joon said.
Chloe scoffed. "Everyone's hurting. Doesn't mean you throw a tantrum in the sky."
Sabrina nodded behind her. "Yeah!"
He smiled faintly. "You're not wrong."
Chloe blinked at him.
Sabrina's eyes widened.
> Was that a compliment?
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
Ha Joon's eyes drifted out the window again.
Luka was gone.
But he'd be back.
And this time… Ha Joon would be ready.