6:40 in the morning
The cold wind brushes Serin's face making her realize she fell asleep on the rooftop last night.
"Wah did mom not even come to check where I was all night? Anyway I have to get ready for school"
My mom… she's always been like this. Avoidant, wrapped up in her own world. Someone who thinks she's the most cursed person alive for ruining her youth by having me. Can I really blame her? She was stunning in college—a model even after marrying my dad. But after I was born, the stretch marks on her belly and the exhaustion stole her energy for modeling.
Yesterday, she screamed at me for quitting my part-time job. I tried to explain over and over that the place was too far, that coming home late was killing me. But maybe she has trouble hearing—or maybe she just needs a reason to argue. I snapped back. Bad decision. She kicked me out, and I ended up spending the night on the rooftop.
My dad didn't step in, either. Just there, beside Mom. A side character I once loved, now a stranger. Probably didn't want to get on her bad side, so he avoided me and followed her lead.
Life at home is boring. Just me, my room, and my art supplies.
As these thoughts raced through Serin's mind, a gentle tip-tap sound on her bag reminded her it was raining. But she was well prepared about the rain because she never misses the weather news. She won't probably miss it when there's a zombie apocalypse. She gets her umbrella out and starts running.
"I knew it would rain but to think it would rain THIS heavily"
Serin's eyes fall on a guy on the other side of the road. He was soaking wet from the rain but he didn't stop running.
the face of his was so familiar to serin it didn't take a second glance for her to realize it was her senior schoolmate, Carson. Or in other words her secret crush. He was as bright as the first sunlight after a dark night in her world. He was respectful and always looked out for the juniors. Who wouldn't have a crush on him? He was the living embodiment of the person she had always dreamed she could be.
"Gosh why do I always meet him when I am either drenched from rain or running for my life" serin mumbles to herself hoping he didn't notice her. But it was a little too late.
"heyy! Serin, 11th grade?"
"damn it why is he so good at recognising faces" of course, she didn't say it out loud.
"By the way, why are you running like that?" asks Carson
"The same reason as you are of course! I go to the same school and I will miss my first class if I don't. Why don't you have a umbrella? it's raining, you will get a cold."
"Ahaha I see. But I don't need a umbrella, my immunity system is strong"
liar...Last time, you got a cold for standing in the rain for 5 minutes. Who knows what would have happened if I didn't give you my umbrella.
"Oh sorry I didn't return your umbrella. I tried to contact you but you always leave school immediately after school ends"
"It's okay! But please make use of my umbrella if you still have it and take this one too!"
Serin says as she throws her umbrella to his side. Good, now he has two useless umbrellas at home.
"Hey—WHAT!? I can't take it! WHAT ABOUT YO—"
But before he could finish, she was already gone, swallowed by the horizon through the rain, leaving only the faint echo of her laugh behind.
"Take it! But make sure to return it, I don't have an umbrella shop."
Carson chuckles to himself after hearing that. Serin was unexpectedly athletic.
"Oh gosh I might be crazy to run in the rain like this. But good thing the teacher didn't scold me that much"
Serin mutters as she changes into her P.E. clothes, shaking a few raindrops from her hair.
"Serin!! You will go to the school festival right!?"
"I heard you are good friends with Demian right?!"
Her face twitches at the mention of his name. She's used to this type of attention by now, but it still makes her blood simmer. People only approached her at school when Demian was involved. Standing in front of her were a few of his fangirls—girls who never even looked her way unless they wanted something from her.
"Yes I am going. But I think I will go with another friend."
"Come on! we will just be with you until his performance is done!"
"Okay..well if my friend agrees though."
"Thank you so much!!"
The girls scurry back to their seats, already whispering excitedly.
Serin ties her hair up into a ponytail, sighing as she mumbles under her breath..
"We aren't even that close you know..."
Desmond Demian… well, he's the complete opposite of me. We grew up in the same neighborhood—back when both our families still lived in that quiet gated community—but after his father expanded their business overseas, they moved to a more private estate. He goes to a different school now. We were classmates until middle school, but these days his tuition alone could probably buy my entire house… five times.
He's in a band at that fancy school of his, and he's so popular that students from other schools make up the smallest excuses just to catch a glimpse of him. The festival is just another perfect opportunity for them.
And honestly? The glow-up is insane. He used to be this soft, cute kid with messy dark hair—always crying whenever he fell.
Now he's tall, handsome, and built like working out is just a hobby. His hair is still that dark black, but now it somehow suits him even more. When he's annoyed, he makes this 'mug face'—his lips curve downward like an upside-down frown, his eyes narrow with irritation, and his nose wrinkles slightly—yet somehow everyone finds it oddly attractive.
To me, though? He's still kind of a weirdo. Sometimes he's unbelievably affectionate, like he can't survive without constant human contact. Other times he turns into a complete zombie, drifting around like emotions are something only normal people are supposed to have. Weird, right…? Too long intro.
6:30 in the afternoon. The festival finally begins.
With a sigh, Serin stepped onto the crowded street. The chatter, the smells, the lights; it all led straight to the festival.
"I swear, I didn't sign up for this… way too crowded. Where even is Evelyn?!"
Yes she didn't lie when she said she will go with a friend. Serin spun around, rising on her toes to search over the crowd.
"Where is she?? oh gosh!!"
"Right behind you, genius."
Evelyn stood there with two drinks in her hand while brushing her hair from her face. Serin let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally...FINALLY!! I thought I had to deal with them alone!"
Evelyn blinked, raising a brow.
"Them? Who exactly are we talking about?"
It didn't take much time for Evelyn to understand who serin was talking about.
"WHY?! Can't we enjoy ONE festival together?! Why are they so obsessed with that jerk?! At this point, just say he is dating some old fart for money and get them off you!"
"haha I should do that. But I said I won't accompany them if you disagree"
"OHH so make me the villain? bad Seriuu.! I will just say you told me to reject them"
"Yeah you know what? Let's do that lol."
Evelyn burst out laughing, nearly spilling one of the drinks.
Evelyn Lin—my one and only real friend. She's pretty in a effortless way, inside and out. Her long dark blonde hair catches the sunlight so perfectly it's honestly unfair, and she's tall with this soft, kind smile that could convince anyone she's secretly an angel sent down to test humanity. She has the prettiest blue eyes ever. They are the color of ocean. Her skin flawless, pale but olive skin tone makes her look sun-kissed even on cloudy days.
Unfortunately, we ended up in different schools after middle school. As for how she knows Demian—well, we are the same age and the three of us used to play together back when he still showed up at the neighborhood park. Before he realized he was popular and stopped coming.
Me and Evelyn still go there whenever we have time. Evelyn likes to joke that the universe cursed her with the window seat and now the sun personally bullies her everyday. She is so cute.
Her family's rich too—her dad spoils her in the kind of gentle way that makes you believe good parents still exist. Her mom… died giving birth to her. And even after all these years, Evelyn still carries this quiet guilt about it, one she never deserves.
Both Demian and Evelyn go to the same school now. But they are in different classrooms
A gust of warm festival air snapped Serin out of her thoughts.
"Earth to Serin? Don't tell me you're daydreaming already. We have to watch Demian perform ughh." Evelyn nudged Serin with one of the drinks.
"I just hope Demian doesn't do that dramatic entrance agai—"The beat dropped before Serin could finish her sentence. The spotlight hit center stage.
"Too late to wish sunshine!"
Evelyn screams as we see Demian's too not normal and too energetic entry.
A roar tore through the festival grounds. The stage lights dimmed, then exploded into a sharp white beam aimed directly at center stage.
"What kind of schools have those features for a mere festival..!"
Serin yelled, still wide-eyed, looking at the stage like she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Evelyn gasped."Oh my god—Why is he doing all this like he is some kinda idol from some big group."
"Eve… you've heard about those overnight celebrities, right? Like when some big agency sees them and suddenly they blow up out of nowhere?" Serin says as her voice cracks from the shock.
"Ohoo~ Don't give me that crap! I am transferring schools if he's more popular than this!"
Casual confident steps. Demian lifted the mic to his lips, flashing that half-smirk he was famous for.
"Alright," he said, voice low and smooth. "Let's warm this place up."
Evelyn squealed. "No way—he's starting with that one! Serin, SERIN—he's doing 'You Think You're Cooler Than Me'!"
"YEAH! Eve I can freaking hear!! Stop acting like his fangirls!!"
"Seriuu! you should have seen your reaction when he walk in!!"
A perfect pale face emerged from the haze of lights, framed by messy black hair that fell just enough over his forehead to catch the glare. Icy blue restless eyes, scanned the crowd with a smug smile. There was a sullen weight in his gaze, the kind that whispered trouble, reckless decisions, and secrets he didn't care if anyone discovered—seductive and magnetic all at once.
He owned the stage from the first note—shoulders loose, voice sharp and teasing, lyric thrown out perfectly.
Sweat traced faint lines down his neck, highlighting a small mole just below his jaw and another tiny one on his left eyelid—details most would miss, yet somehow they made him look even better.
Lights flashed, fog curling around his boots, and his tall frame seemed to fill the stage effortlessly. He was popular for a reason.
And then, for a single heartbeat, Serin and his eyes met. Demian smiled with his lips closed, eyes narrowing just a little
His lips curved so slightly, forming a quiet,
"hey there~"
Serin blinked. Then blinked again. What the hell? she thought, furrowing her brows. Or was it my imagination? Gosh what's with his smug smile??
She glanced around nervously, realizing with horror that she was in the first row—directly in front of the stage. There was no way he could see her...Right?
"Yeah! Let's just say it's my imagination AHAHAHA" Serin screams.
"HUH!? I can't hear you seriu! It's too loud here."
"Nothing! Just imagining how good life would have been if I passed the math exam!"
"Off topic but that punk actually sings so good, right?!'
"Yeahh! He might actually be a trainee!"
Demian leaned forward, right to the edge of the stage. The next line of the song shot out of his mouth, sharp and playful, hitting the crowd.
"If I could write you a song to make you fall in love..."
"I would already have you right under my arm..."
"I used up all of my tricks, I hope you like this..."
"But you probably won't..."
"You think you're cooler than me!"
Then beat dropped.
Bass erupted through the floor, vibrating up Serin's legs. The stage lights burst back to life in a chaotic mix of neon blues and violent whites.
"He is singing the rock version of this song. To be honest, I like the rock one better!!" Evelyn shouted, matching the crowd's energy.
"Well guess who's enjoying the 'punk' guy's show more lol." Serin says as she looks at Evelyn enjoying the show to the core.
"But why is he so close to the edge?! Does he want to jump on someone!?" Evelyn says she points to Demian with her eyes.
Her gaze drifted back to the stage. She let out a quiet sigh. Always so extra, huh…
The final chord rang out, the students erupted into cheers, whistles. Even a few teachers clapped, caught up in the excitement.
Serin exhaled, leaning against the railing. "Finally… it's over."
Just as Serin was about to relax, she spotted movement from the corner of her eye. A group of the same fangirls who had cornered her earlier were pushing through the crowd, clearly headed straight for her.
"Uh-oh," Evelyn muttered, noticing them too. "Looks like your 'fans' finally found you. Yeah I can feel they are the ones.. I just know it!!"
Serin groaned, her annoyance spiking. "Seriously? Right now?"
Without another word, she grabbed Evelyn's hand. "Come on. We're out of here."
Evelyn laughed, letting herself be pulled along. "Running from fangirls of demian at a school festival? Classic Serin-core."
The two darted through the crowd, slipping past food stalls and colorful booths, laughter and shouting fading behind them as someone's eyes followed their movement with quiet amusement, a smile playing on his lips....