Chapter Text
If you asked anyone at Hanseong High about Megan Skiendiel, you’d get the same three answers, just phrased differently.
“Trouble.”
“Bad news.”
“Lowkey hot, though.”
Okay—maybe that last one wasn’t always said out loud. But it was definitely implied.
Megan had that reputation. The kind teachers warned you about and parents used as a cautionary tale. Skipping class? Check. Smoking behind the gym? Obviously. Detention? She had a reserved seat at this point.
And she walked around like she owned it.
Black hoodie, rings on every finger, chipped nail polish that somehow looked intentional. Headphones always around her neck. A permanent “I dare you to say something” look in her eyes.
She didn’t care.
Or at least—that’s what everyone thought.
“Bro, you are so getting expelled one day,” Manon said, dropping her bag onto the cafeteria table like she’d just completed a marathon instead of walking ten steps.
Megan leaned back in her chair, balancing it on two legs. “Yeah? And you’re still gonna visit me, right?”
Manon snorted. “Please. I’m selling your story to Netflix.”
“Make sure they cast someone hot.”
“They’d have to tone it down. You’re unrealistic.”
Megan smirked, but her eyes flicked—just for a second—across the cafeteria.
To her.
Yoonchae Jeung.
Sitting at the far end, perfectly upright like posture was a personality trait. Neatly pressed uniform. Hair tied back in a way that looked effortless but definitely took effort. Highlighters lined up next to her lunch tray like she was about to annotate her sandwich.
Sophia sat across from her, talking animatedly with her hands.
Yoonchae smiled softly, nodding, occasionally laughing—but never too loud. Never messy. Never too much.
Perfect.
“Earth to Megan,” Manon waved a fry in her face. “Why are you staring like you just saw a ghost—or worse, your GPA?”
Megan didn’t look away. “I’m not staring.”
“You’ve been looking at the same girl for, like, a solid minute.”
“That’s not that long.”
“That’s so long in Megan-time.”
Finally, Megan dropped her chair back onto all fours. “She’s just…” She paused, searching for the right word, then scoffed. “Weird.”
Manon twisted around to follow her gaze. “Yoonchae? Weird? That girl is literally the human version of a gold star sticker.”
“Exactly.”
“That doesn’t make her weird.”
“It does to me.”
Manon turned back slowly, eyes narrowing. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“Oh my God.”
“What??”
“You like her.”
Megan choked on her drink. “What? No—what are you talking about?”
“You totally like her.”
“I don’t even know her.”
“You don’t need to know her. You’ve been doing that intense eye thing.”
“I do not have an ‘intense eye thing.’”
“You do. It’s like you’re mentally undressing her or planning her downfall. Honestly, could go either way.”
Megan rolled her eyes, grabbing her bag. “You’re delusional.”
But as she stood up, her eyes flicked back again.
Yoonchae was laughing now. Head tilted slightly back, hand covering her mouth like she was trying to keep it contained.
It was… cute.
Annoyingly cute.
“Yeah,” Megan muttered under her breath. “Weird.”
—
If Megan was chaos bottled into a person, Yoonchae was the exact opposite.
Structure. Discipline. Color-coded notes.
Her life was a checklist, and she loved it that way.
Wake up at 6:30. Review notes. School. Study group. Homework. Repeat.
Predictable.
Safe.
Successful.
“And then Mrs. Han literally said my essay was ‘exemplary,’” Sophia said, practically glowing. “Like, not just good. Exemplary.”
Yoonchae smiled. “That’s amazing, Soph. I told you it was good.”
“I know, but hearing it from her? That’s like—validation from God.”
Yoonchae laughed softly. “You’re so dramatic.”
Sophia leaned in, lowering her voice. “Okay, but speaking of dramatic…”
Yoonchae immediately knew that tone. “No.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“It’s going to be about someone I don’t care about.”
Sophia grinned. "Megan Skiendiel.”
Yoonchae’s smile dropped just slightly.
“I knew it,” Sophia said, pointing at her like she’d cracked a code. “You do care.”
“I don’t,” Yoonchae said quickly. Too quickly.
Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Then why do you look like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you just remembered something embarrassing from five years ago.”
Yoonchae sighed, looking down at her notebook. “She’s just… distracting.”
Sophia blinked. “Distracting?”
“She’s always getting in trouble. Teachers are constantly talking about her. It disrupts the class environment.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Yoonchae kept her eyes on the page. “That’s what I meant.”
Sophia leaned back, smirking. “Uh-huh.”
Silence stretched between them for a moment.
Then—
“Also,” Yoonchae added quietly, “she smokes behind the gym.”
Sophia gasped dramatically. “Oh no. Not smoking. How scandalous.”
“It’s not good for her.”
“You sound like a public health announcement.”
“I’m serious.”
Sophia tilted her head. “So… you’ve seen her back there?”
Yoonchae froze.
“…Once,” she admitted.
“Once,” Sophia repeated, smiling like she’d just been handed gold. “Right.”
Yoonchae closed her notebook with a soft snap. “Can we talk about something else?”
But her mind didn’t move on.
Because she had seen Megan.
Not just once.
A few times.
Always the same spot—behind the gym, leaning against the wall, cigarette between her fingers like it belonged there.
And the thing was—
Megan didn’t look like she was trying to be cool.
She just… was.
Effortlessly.
And that was—
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Extremely annoying.
“Yoonchae?”
“Hm?”
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Spacing out.”
Yoonchae blinked, snapping back. “Sorry. I was just thinking about—uh—math.”
Sophia stared at her.
“…You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m a great liar.”
“You just said ‘uh’ before ‘math.’ No one hesitates before math except people who hate math. And you love math.”
Yoonchae huffed. “Can we please change the subject?”
Sophia grinned. “Fine. But this isn’t over.”
Yoonchae nodded, relieved.
But as she gathered her things, she felt it.
That feeling.
Like someone was watching her.
She looked up.
Across the cafeteria.
And there—
Megan.
Leaning against the wall now, arms crossed, head tilted slightly.
Looking right at her.
Their eyes met.
For a second, everything felt… weirdly still.
Then Megan smirked.
Not a big one.
Just a small, knowing curve of her lips.
Yoonchae’s heart did something unnecessary.
She immediately looked away.
“Okay,” she muttered under her breath. “No.”
Nope.
Absolutely not.
She grabbed her bag, standing up a little too fast.
“Where are you going?” Sophia asked.
“Library.”
“You always go to the library.”
“Yes, because I like it there.”
“Or because you’re avoiding a certain someone?”
“I am not avoiding anyone.”
Sophia just smiled.
Yoonchae ignored her and walked out of the cafeteria, trying to calm the weird energy buzzing under her skin.
This was ridiculous.
She didn’t care about Megan Skiendiel.
Didn’t like her.
Didn’t find her interesting.
Didn’t notice the way her eyes lingered just a second too long.
Didn’t notice anything at all.
—
Behind her—
Megan watched her leave.
Then pushed off the wall.
Manon appeared beside her like she’d been summoned. “So?”
“So what?”
“You’re gonna talk to her, right?”
Megan shrugged, shoving her hands into her hoodie pocket. “Maybe.”
Manon grinned. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”
Megan’s eyes flicked toward the exit Yoonchae had just disappeared through.
Her smirk came back.
Slow.
Intentional.
“Yeah,” she said. “It is.”