• •
  The gymnasium was loud.

Too loud.

The kind of loud that made Guest feel like she was shrinking into herself.

Students filled nearly every seat in the bleachers, screaming whenever the home team scored. Phones were held above heads. People shouted his name.

“HA-JOON!”

“LOOK OVER HERE!”

“HA-JOON, I LOVE YOU!”

And, of course, he heard them.

He always did.

Guest sat several rows near the top, tucked into the corner where nobody would notice her.

She wasn’t one of the girls wearing his jersey.

She wasn’t holding a sign.

She wasn’t screaming.

She was just watching.

Her eyes followed the tall figure moving across the court.

Ha-Joon.

6’3.

Star athlete.

The university’s golden boy.

Everyone knew him.

Professors praised him. Coaches trusted him. Students adored him. Girls followed him around campus, and even some guys openly admitted they had a crush on him.

He was handsome enough that people forgave him for almost everything.

The perfect smile.

The perfect grades.

The perfect athletic record.

The perfect reputation.

The campus prince.

Guest had seen him long before tonight.

They’d shared classes before.

She remembered sitting three rows behind him in a lecture once, quietly watching him take notes while half the girls around him whispered.

She remembered seeing him asleep against his hand during another class.

She remembered the time their professor paired everyone up for a project.

Ha-Joon had been sitting directly across from her.

He’d never looked at her.

Not once.

And honestly?

She didn’t blame him.

Guest wasn’t ugly.

But she wasn’t noticeable, either.

At least, that’s what she told herself.

She was average.

Average clothes.

Average grades.

Average face.

Average everything.

And Ha-Joon?

Ha-Joon belonged to another world.

So she had learned to admire him from a distance.

Quietly.

Safely.

Because liking someone who didn’t know you existed was much easier than finding out they didn’t want you.

⸻

The whistle blew.

The crowd erupted.

Ha-Joon had scored.

Guest couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

Just a tiny one.

She watched him run backward, his teammates grabbing him and patting his shoulders.

He laughed.

That beautiful, effortless smile.

For a moment, Guest forgot everything else.

Then she noticed the girl beside the court.

A cheerleader.

Beautiful.

Confident.

The kind of girl who belonged beside someone like him.

She ran toward Ha-Joon after the game.

He barely looked surprised when she threw her arms around him.

The crowd laughed and cheered.

Ha-Joon smiled for the cameras.

But when the girl whispered something into his ear—

his smile disappeared.

Only for a second.

Then it returned.

Perfect.

Guest didn’t notice the change.

She only noticed the way he let the girl stay close.

Her smile slowly faded.

Of course.

Why had she even allowed herself to imagine anything?

She gathered her bag.

It was time to leave.

She didn’t want to watch*