The common lounge on the third floor of Dormitory Building 1 was buzzing with the low, chaotic hum of an off-duty student body. Paper cups filled with carbonated cider and fruit soda lined the low coffee tables—not a drop of alcohol in sight, as Disciplinary Committee spot-checks were still technically active across the campus grounds.
I sat cross-legged on a carpet cushion, lazily taking a sip of fizzy lemon soda while side-eyeing Lee Myung-dae across the room.
Our resident bassist was sitting with a group of third-year rebels, nursing his own soft drink and glaring holes into the wall. The moment the photographer had clicked his shutter under the sakura trees earlier, Myung-dae had retaliated for his temporary kidnapping by landing a solid, dead-weight punch straight into my shoulder. I had been genuinely offended for about two seconds, but rather than throwing a fist back, I had simply grinned, he charged at me, and he began chasing me through the main courtyard until I retreated into the crowd.
Naturally, the campus rumor mill had taken that spectacle and run wild with it.
I pulled out my phone and glanced at the latest trending thread on Kirin's Secret:
Title: [Is the H-Wnot Frontman-Bassist Power Couple Having a Domestic Dispute?!]
Post: Representative Motuzenko was seen physically carrying Myung-dae through the plaza, followed by a chase near the fountain. Are the lovebirds arguing over band priority?!
I let out an irritated growl and angrily swiped the tab closed.
The administration had unlocked the vacant common halls and recreational suites in Dormitory Building 1 for the official end-of-year celebrations, while the faculty held their formal banquet over in the main building.
The architecture of Kirin's dormitories was a monument to its historical height.
Back when Kirin was the primary campus for the original Seoul Arts High, the grounds were designed to house over three thousand students. The two massive residential towers could host eight hundred boarders—four hundred in each building. But with Kirin's current student population hovering around a thousand, the second dormitory tower was completely mothballed, and the first building was mostly occupied by the sports department trainees.
I set my phone face down on the carpet and turned my focus back to the board game laid out in front of us.
Yoo Chae-rin was sitting directly opposite me, her teeth gritted as she stared at her rapidly shrinking hand of cards.
She was losing miserably.
When the player to her left dropped the winning combination onto the felt, Chae-rin let out a sharp, frustrated huff, angrily tossed her remaining hand onto the table, and stormed away toward the snack bar without a word.
I chuckled softly, shuffling the deck.
'Man, she really hates losing at anything, doesn't she?'
Two rounds later, my own luck ran out, and I bowed out of the game after a terrible card draw. I stood up, stretched my long legs, and navigated through the crowded lounge toward the open double doors of the fourth-floor balcony to catch some fresh air.
The evening air on the balcony was crisp and biting, a welcome contrast to the overheated lounge inside. A few second-year students were huddled in the far shadowy corner, ducking behind the concrete pillar to stealthily pass around a single lit cigarette.
A quiet chuckle escaped my chest as I leaned against the railing. Kids in Seoul really aren't any different from the kids back in Smila. Rebellious bad habits are universal.
As I looked out over the skyline, a familiar, clear, and melodious whistling cut through the cold breeze.
Standing alone at the far end of the balcony, his coat collar pulled up against his neck, was Leo. He was gazing quietly into the distance, watching the deep orange rays of the evening sun melt over Kirin's sprawling estate.
I shuffled over, my sneakers squeaking against the frost-dusted tiles.
"I hope Jun-seo didn't give you too much grief after our ambush under the sakuras," I offered smoothly.
Leo turned his head, a faint, wry smile catching his lips.
"Oh, Jun-seo is the least of my worries."
"Ah," I grinned. "By the way... where is Jun-seo anyway?"
"The Student Council is holding their own private formal banquet up in their dedicated auditorium back at the main building," Leo answered, resting his forearms against the cold metal railing.
I nodded in realization.
'So that's why I haven't seen Ha-neul around all evening.'
We stood in comfortable silence for a moment, taking in the view from the fourth floor.
Kirin Arts High was vast.
From up here, you could truly appreciate the scale of the campus—the sprawling pine groves, the historic brick halls and the endless athletic fields glowing under the fading twilight.
I turned my head slightly, looking at the soft-spoken violinist beside me, and voiced an unexpected question that had been lingering in the back of my head for weeks.
"Leo... why did you actually agree to join me in H-Wnot?"
Leo blinked, letting out a soft, airy chuckle.
He didn't turn his gaze away from the sunset.
"So suddenly?"
He quieted down for a beat, watching a flock of winter birds fly across the orange sky.
"Maybe you don't know this," Leo began softly, "but before my family moved to the United States... back when we were young children in elementary school, Jun-seo, Chae-rin, Ha-neul, Myung-dae, and I were all in the exact same class. We bonded over music at a private academy for young prodigies."
He shifted his weight, pulling his hands deeper into his coat pockets.
"My father is a world-renowned classical guitarist back in the States, and my mother is a top-tier guitar tutor. So... you can probably guess what their reaction was when, instead of picking up a guitar like the rest of the bloodline, their only son fell in love with a violin."
I raised an eyebrow, listening intently.
"I wasn't allowed to play it," Leo said, his tone devoid of bitterness, replaced only by a quiet, reflective nostalgia. "They took the violin away and forced me back onto six strings. Of course... over the years, I got used to playing the guitar. I got good at it. But... it always felt like living inside a cage made of glass."
Leo looked up at the evening clouds, his eyes sparkling softly.
"I think... it's the sound of the violin. There's something so deeply moving, so soul-stirring about it. When I hear someone play soaring, unrestricted music on a violin, I feel like a part of my own spirit is flying free. I know, it sounds ridiculously cheesy."
He offered a light, self-deprecating laugh before turning his head to look me dead in the eye.
"That's why I agreed to join H-Wnot, San-ah," Leo said warmly. "Because with your stubbornness and your band, I could finally hold a bow and practice the violin again without fear. Besides... Grandpa decided to step in and fabricate a little white lie for my parents back in America."
A mischievous, bright grin broke across Leo's face.
"They literally think I am the main lead guitarist in our band! You should have heard how proud my dad sounded on the phone yesterday after I told him about our rehersals, ha-ha!"
I stared at him for a second, a deep, genuine warmth spreading through my chest. The complex, tangled web of Kirin's trainees was heavy, but beneath it all, every single one of them was just trying to find a way to make music.
I reached out my large hand and landed a firm, affectionate pat right between Leo's shoulders.
"Thank you, Leo," I said quietly, looking out over the glowing grounds of Kirin.