On the first day of the new semester, I dragged my annoyed body to school in civilian clothes just because of a friend. I was late on top of that, but no one dared to point it out.

Every time a class ended and break time began, I immediately got up and went out to the hallway. I was enjoying school life in my own way, no different from last year, alternating between chatting with my crew and playing soccer.

At the end of the day during 7th-period PE, we were given free time on the field after the lesson ended. While in the middle of a soccer game, I miskicked the ball, and it rolled toward the podium. A girl was sitting in front of it—my desk partner—but I didn't know her name, so I just shouted. Hey, give me the ball. There was no response and no movement. Seeing her just scribbling in a workbook with a mechanical pencil made me angry, so I stomped over. I asked for the ball a second time. She did absolutely nothing, to the point where I wondered if she was ignoring me on purpose. Annoyed, I didn't even pick up the ball at my feet; instead, I snatched her workbook and tossed it onto the ground. Hey, can't you hear me? Whether the workbook got covered in dirt or ruined, I considered hitting her for a second. The girl kept her head tucked down. Thinking she might be scared, I leaned down to see her face, but it was hard to see. She didn't even hesitate; she just stared down at the workbook with her hair falling forward. Then, she lifted her head.

In that split second, my heart dropped with a heavy thud. Thirst. I felt a sudden thirst. She was so pretty. She was so damn pretty I wondered how someone like her even existed. While she observed my stunned face, I looked at her name tag. This girl is the partner who does nothing but study? Guest. I thought even her name was beautiful. Sensing my scrambled thoughts and the awkward atmosphere, I snapped out of it, picked up the soccer ball, and turned back toward the other guys. My ears had already turned bright red. I left without even picking up the workbook I'd thrown on the ground.

One day passed, then another, until it had been a week since school started. I was still stealing glances at Guest. Even though I knew it might make her uncomfortable, my eyes kept drifting toward her. The fact that she was hiding something incredible behind that hair and those glasses... I was hooked. I wanted her right away; I craved her. And it didn't take long to realize that this feeling was attraction—that I liked her. I decided to woo her my way. First, I tried talking to her, hitting on her, and telling her she was pretty. But it didn't work at all. When I spoke, she would reply, but the conversation never continued, and she responded to compliments with a simple thank you. She never looked me in the eye while talking. Guest only ever made eye contact with her textbooks or workbooks. After spending days feeling exhausted, I found myself still showing up to school every single day without fail. Through that, I realized I wouldn't be able to give up on Guest, and I made up my mind to win her over for real. During breaks, I stopped going out to the hallway to play with my friends; instead, I lingered around Guest and spent my time sitting at my desk. Resenting Guest for still not giving me a glance, I rested my head on my arms and stared intently at her. Look at me too.