The gates of Shinhwa High loomed like the entrance to another world.
Jin Seok stood outside, staring up at the modern architecture with a plastic convenience store sandwich dangling from his mouth and an overstuffed backpack slung lazily over one shoulder. He chewed slowly, unimpressed.
"Looks fancy. Probably has Wi-Fi in the toilets," he mumbled.
Today was his first official day as a transfer student. He hadn't expected much. A school's a school—desks, lectures, too many rules. But this one felt... different. Not that he could put his finger on it.
He yawned, wiped crumbs off his hoodie, and dragged himself through the gates.
The moment he stepped onto campus, whispers began to ripple through the students nearby.
"Hey, isn't that the transfer student?""The one with the weird name?""He looks like he just woke up in a trash can."
Seok offered a lazy wave to no one in particular and walked past like he didn't hear a thing. He was used to this kind of attention. The trick was to act so uninterested that people stopped caring.
He arrived at the classroom a few minutes late.
The teacher, a tall man with a neatly trimmed beard and a gaze sharp enough to cut steel, looked up from the attendance sheet. He didn't look pleased. "You must be Jin Seok."
Seok blinked. "You must be a genius."
A few students snorted. The teacher's eye twitched.
"Take a seat before I take your attitude."
"Already got one, thanks."
Another chuckle from the class. The teacher rubbed his temples as Seok sauntered to the empty desk in the back corner. He dropped into his seat with a satisfied sigh, already pulling out his cheap earbuds and pretending to sleep.
Across the room, Ahn Jiwoo rolled her eyes.
"He's seriously like this in school too?" she muttered under her breath.
She wasn't sure what she expected. Maybe a different version of the Jin Seok who drifted through part-time jobs with an annoying grin and stubborn charm. But this? He was practically begging to get expelled.
The first class was Physical Education. Or, as Seok had renamed it in his head, "How to sweat and regret your life choices."
They were outdoors on the training field. Yes—training field, not "playground" or "gym." This school didn't do things normally. It looked more like a martial arts ground than a PE area, and every student was stretching like they were preparing for a fight.
"Hey," a small voice said beside him. "You're the new guy, right?"
Seok turned and found himself face-to-face with a scrawny boy wearing glasses slightly too big for his face.
"I'm Kim Minho," the boy said with a friendly grin. "Don't worry, I suck at this too."
Seok raised an eyebrow. "That's comforting."
"Just... try not to stand out, okay? Some of these students take things way too seriously. I've seen someone dislocate a shoulder over a relay race."
Before Seok could respond, the teacher clapped loudly.
"Alright! Time for paired sparring!"
Sparring? In PE?What kind of school is this?!
Seok blinked as students around him cheered. He groaned. "Of course."
Minho looked like he wanted to vanish. "I'm gonna die."
"Me too," Seok muttered. "But inside."
When the teacher started calling out names, Seok's fate was sealed.
"Jin Seok! You're with Ahn Jiwoo!"
Jiwoo cracked her knuckles with a dangerous smile. "Try not to cry."
Seok gave a weak grin. "No promises."
They stepped into the center circle, surrounded by classmates who were already whispering excitedly.
"Is he really going against Jiwoo?""She's from that famous dojo family, right?""He's gonna get wrecked."
Jiwoo took a stance, fluid and confident. Seok stood casually, hands in his hoodie pockets.
"You're not even gonna warm up?" Jiwoo asked.
"Nah. I like to suffer raw."
"...That sounded way worse than it should have."
She dashed in suddenly—a blur of speed and precision.
Seok tilted his head, just enough to let her fist pass by harmlessly.
The crowd gasped. Even Jiwoo froze.
"Did you just dodge that?"
Seok smiled. "I tripped a little."
Her brow twitched. "You—!"
She attacked again, this time with a roundhouse kick. Seok casually ducked under it and leaned back like he was dodging a low ceiling. His expression remained bored.
Jiwoo backed off, panting lightly. She wasn't going all out, but she'd expected him to at least get hit once.
"What are you...?"
He gave her a sleepy grin. "Just lucky, I guess."
The teacher called the match before either of them could go further. Jiwoo stared at Seok with narrowed eyes. Minho, from the sidelines, looked like he'd just seen a ghost.
And Seok?
He stretched like he was waking up from a nap. "Man, I really gotta stop accidentally not dying."