The shrill ring of the alarm clock sliced through the quiet morning.
Seojin opened his eyes to a ceiling painted a soft cream and the faint smell of floor polish.
For a heartbeat, he forgot where he was. Then it hit him again he had been reincarnated.
He pushed himself out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom.
After a quick wash, a buzz cut clean, low-maintenance, and quietly confident. The mirror reflected a boy with sharp, clean features and a relaxed half-smile, his neat haircut only sharpening the focus on his striking eyes and calm presence.. He wasn't just good-looking he had that natural charm that made people notice.
Unfairly handsome the kind of face that didn't just turn heads, it made people stare. In this world, looks were everything, and he had more than enough to leave a mark without saying a word.
Outside, the early morning hustle of the neighborhood was already alive.
Four silhouettes can be seen walking side by side. Lee Junhyun and Kim Inseop were caught in the middle of a lively conversation, their voices rising and falling with exaggerated drama as they tossed jokes and playful jabs back and forth.
Beside them, In-ohno walked in silence, staring straight ahead with an unreadable expression, as if the chatter barely registered. He moved like someone lost in thought, detached from the noise just inches away.
Ji Suwon wore his usual goofy grin, his eyes bright with mischief. He strolled along without a care, his lightheartedness standing in sharp contrast to the noisy chaos beside him.
*Brrrrrrrr.*
'Finally,' Ji Suwon thought, his face lighting up with a grin of barely contained excitement.
.
[View Message]
Okay HAHAHA
—HARANGHARANG—
Suwon stared at the screen, his expression blank before his face slowly fell.
"…That's it?" he muttered under his breath, disappointment settling over him like a shadow.
"I've been waiting since last night…"
He slipped the phone back into his tteokboki coat pocket.
"Maybe she's busy. Whatever."
As the group continued on their way, a voice called out from behind.
"Hey!"
They all turned, curious. Their reactions were immediate.
Inseop's first thought was pure annoyance. How can someone look like that?
Lee Junhyun blinked in surprise but managed a neutral tone. "Uh… can we help you?"
The boy approaching them offered a small, polite smile that somehow made him even more harmless.
"Sorry for calling out like that," he said, voice calm but clear. "I'm looking for Sanji High School. I think I might've taken a wrong turn. Could you tell me if I'm headed the right way?"
Junhyun opened his mouth to reply, but Inseop spoke first, his tone casual with a hint of curiosity.
"Just follow the road ahead or just come with us. We're headed the same way."
"Thanks." The boy's smile widened slightly. "My name's Yoon Seojin."
Junhyun nodded back with a small grin. "Yeah, looks like it. I'm Lee Junhyun."
Inseop crossed his arms, giving a brief nod. "Kim Inseop."
Suwon introduced himself with a friendly grin. "Ji Suwon. Nice to meet you."
They all turned toward the quiet boy at the back. Junhyun cleared his throat, giving him a nudge.
"That's Oh Inho. He's not much of a talker, you see."
Seojin chuckled softly, nodding at the group. "Nice to meet you all."
Sanji High school
It wasn't my first time seeing this place, but seeing the place in person compare is has big difference The building itself stood tall and unshaken, a massive red-bricked structure that seemed to stretch endlessly across the horizon. Its countless windows reflected the pale sky, glinting like watchful eyes that had witnessed generations come and go. The rooftop, crowned with an extra level, gave the place an almost regal authority, as if it oversaw not just the grounds but the city rising faintly behind it.
Students streamed through the gates the Affectionate disciplinary Teacher standing tall at the entrance giving students a lot of love that don't follow the school regulation.
Junhyun and Inseop shrunk their neck bend their head downward before going in the entrance hoping the disciplinary teacher won't notice them but before they can past him.
"Hey… hey, look over there!"
"Huh? Quit shoving me, what's the big deal anywa… whoa."
"Wait… is he an idol or something?"
The girls' voices rose in excitement, whispers turning into squeals as they slowed down to steal glances. A few clutched their flip phones, pretending to check messages while awkwardly angling the cameras, as if snapping a photo in secret.
Meanwhile, the guys exchanged glances, a mix of disbelief and annoyance written across their faces.
"Tch… great, another pretty boy."
"Seriously? Does he think this is a drama set?"
But even as they muttered, a few couldn't help but stare, grudgingly admitting to themselves that the guy looked unfairly good.
The attention it was all on us. No, more precisely, on me. I could feel it, the weight of dozens of eyes pressing in from every direction. Some were subtle, darting away when I met their gaze, while others were shamelessly curious, burning holes straight through me.
A group of girls near them slow down their pace, whispering behind their eyes while looking at my way.
The others with me move little a way for me getting embarrassed by attention they're getting
Junhyun glanced to both sides, shoulders sinking as he let out an envious sigh.
"Does being good-looking really matter that much? Tch…"
Beside him, Inseop's lips twitched into a crooked half-smile.
"I look good too. So why am I not getting the same reaction?"
Suwon said nothing at first, his eyes lingering on the stares and whispers surrounding them. A bitter thought slipped through before he could stop it:
'If I looked like that… would Harang like me more?'
I scratched the back of my neck. Pretending not to notice the stares, though some blush are forming on my cheeks being not used to this kind of attention now I understand the saying
'looks matter the most' In my old life, I had been nothing more than above average decent enough, but never the one who turned heads.
After stepping inside the building, we split up, each heading toward our own classrooms. To my surprise, Suwon and I were going the same way turns out, we'd been placed in the same class.
Walking down the hallway, I could still feel dozens of eyes following me, the attention sticking like glue. Yet beyond the stares, I noticed just how colorful the student imagination was some laughing in noisy groups, A few steps ahead, a teacher was whacking a kid who had mouthed off, the poor guy was wailing like a pig. Others showing off hairstyles so strange I wondered what they told their barbers. One kid even had his hair spiked so high he looked like a Saiyan straight out of Dragon Ball.
At last, I reached the classroom. The chatter inside dimmed for a moment as I stepped through the door, every head turning toward me as if I'd interrupted something important. I scratched my cheek awkwardly, Pretending not to notice the sudden hush, I walked further in as the classroom noise gradually picked up again. Suwon headed straight for his own seat, leaving me to look around for mine. Naturally, fate or maybe just luck placed me in the protagonist's spot: the very back row, right by the window.
I slid into the chair, the sunlight spilling across the desk in a warm glow. From here, I had a perfect view of the schoolyard outside, where students milled about like tiny figures on a stage. The breeze slipped faintly through the gap in the window, brushing against my skin, and for a moment, I almost forgot about all the eyes that had been on me earlier.
It was the kind of seat where people either got lost in daydreams… or became the center of a story.