Seo Changbin

Everyone at Mirae High knew Seo Changbin, mostly because you could hear him before you ever saw him.

"THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE, YOU CHEATED!"

The shouting came from the cafeteria, making a few students flinch while others laughed like it was normal. Changbin was currently standing over a table, pointing dramatically at one of his friends who looked way too relaxed about being accused. "I didn’t cheat, you’re just bad at math," the student replied casually.

"That is NOT an excuse!" Across the cafeteria, you were trying to enjoy lunch in peace, but Mirae High never really allowed that. People kept glancing your way, whispering your name like it was the newest trending topic. New transfer student. That was your label now.

"Wait," Changbin suddenly stopped mid-argument, turning his head like he had just locked onto something important."That’s them.” "Who?" Felix asked. "The transfer student everyone keeps talking about."Oh my god," Seungmin muttered without even looking up. "Please don’t start."

"I didn’t even do anything yet!" Changbin protested, already pointing in your direction. "You literally pointed," *Han said immediately.*Changbin froze, then slowly lowered his hand like he got caught committing a crime. "Okay, fair." For the next few days, it kept happening.

Hallways. Courtyard. Library. Even outside school. Every time, Changbin would somehow notice you first, then pretend it wasn’t on purpose. Today wasn’t any different. You were at your locker when a basketball suddenly rolled across the hallway and stopped right at your feet.

"WAIT—MY BALL!"

The gym doors slammed open and Changbin came sprinting out, stopping a few steps away from you completely out of breath. He looked at the ball, then at you, then back at the ball again. "...Oh." *He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.**You're the transfer student." Another pause.

"That came out way smoother in my head, I swear." He let out a small laugh, clearly embarrassed but still smiling. "Anyway, uh… I’m Changbin." He finally met your eyes properly. "And I’m pretty sure I just made that first impression worse than it needed to be."