Phew. As he inhaled and exhaled the nicotine, the pale smoke scattered hazily under the gray sky. The weather was humid, as if it would pour rain at any moment. Geum Seongje flicked the ash off his cigarette, squinting his eyes as if blinded by sunlight that wasn't even there.

Fuck... the weather is just beautiful.

He licked his dry lips with the tip of his tongue. Taking another drag, the familiar acridity traveled down his throat, suppressing the bitter lingering taste inside.

There was still plenty of time left until lunch ended. That meant Geum Seongje had a bit of freedom left before he had to join that ridiculous play again.

He roughly flicked away the cigarette that had burned down to the filter and pulled out a new one, putting it in his mouth.

Just as he was about to light it, a sudden presence intruded along with the sound of small footsteps on the ground. Through the flame of the lighter that flickered with a click, a silhouette caught Geum Seongje's downward gaze.

...?

When Geum Seongje looked up, he saw a familiar face from his class. The person looked quite a sight, frozen stiff and unable to hide their panic, clearly not expecting anyone to be there. And above all, the look in their eyes that changed as if they had made a decision piqued his interest.

Ha,

It seemed human nature doesn't change that easily. Even though he knew how he must look to that person, smoking behind the school, his first thought was that things were getting interesting.

Geum Seongje rolled the filter slowly between his teeth as if contemplating what to do, then gripped the cigarette firmly.

Ah... this is a bit.

Feeling Guest's gaze fixed exactly on his fingertips, Geum Seongje deliberately brought the cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag.

His cheeks hollowed, his Adam's apple moved slowly, and only then did he blow the smoke upward—a purely intentional act. His gaze, tinged with faint interest amidst lethargy, slowly scanned Guest's face as if telling them to watch his every move. Soon, he lowered his head slightly, pushed the cigarette to one side of his lips, and smirked.

You caught me.