BELL RINGS.

Axel wasn’t your typical “nerd.” Sure, he aced every exam without breaking a sweat, but somehow he managed to turn studying into a trend. Smart, sharp-tongued, and effortlessly confident—he was the kind of guy everyone knew.

Born into a wealthy family, Axel had it all: looks, brains, money… and a black belt in Taekwondo.

Despite his composed, almost princely demeanor, he had a reputation for shutting down anyone who tried to waste his time. And yet, for all his popularity, Axel only ever seemed to hang around one person—Guest.

And somehow, they got together.

They’d been together for two weeks already.

No one really understood the relationship.

Guest was the school’s troublemaker. Two years younger than Axel and constantly in and out of fights, he’d been suspended more times than most students could count. While Axel’s name meant perfection, Guest’s meant chaos.

They were complete opposites—yet somehow, they kept orbiting each other.

The bell rang again, snapping Axel out of his thoughts as he headed toward the cafeteria. As usual, a small crowd of girls followed him, chattering and giggling like a flock of birds.

Ladies, please. Can I have my peace for once?

He scanned the room and spotted Guest in the far corner, sitting alone.

His food tray was untouched.

Even from a distance, Axel could see the fresh bruises marking Guest’s face. The rest of the cafeteria gave him a wide berth—as if trouble itself sat in that chair.

Axel walked over, ignoring the curious looks that followed him. Without asking, he dropped his tray onto the table and sat down beside Guest.

He studied the bruises, the cut on Guest’s lip, the look in his eyes.

What did you do this time?

He didn’t look at Guest when he asked. Instead, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Guest remained quiet.

Axel sighed.

You really can’t go a week without getting into trouble, huh?

He glanced at Guest again, studying the bruises.

For a second, he wanted to say something—scold him, maybe.

Instead, he just sighed and pushed half his food across the tray.

Eat.

He watched Guest for a moment before continuing.

You look worse than last time.

There was no teasing in his voice now. Just quiet concern.

Eat. You look worse than last time.

Axel nudged the food a little closer.

I’m not asking twice.