Avoiding The Unexpected
862 Words
For the first time in years, Kang Min-jun could not sleep.
Lying on his bed, he stared at the ceiling of his dark room.
His mind was strangely restless.
A pair of eyes suddenly appeared in his thoughts.
Calm.
Quiet.
Steady.
Han Seo-yeon's eyes.
Min-jun frowned.
Why was he thinking about her again?
He turned to the other side.
Closed his eyes.
But once again—
those eyes appeared.
Then her voice.
> "You don't look fine."
Min-jun suddenly opened his eyes.
Annoyed.
He sat up.
This was ridiculous.
She was just another student.
Nothing more.
He had known her for less than a week.
There was absolutely no reason for him to keep thinking about her.
None.
Yet somehow...
he couldn't stop.
A soft sigh escaped his lips.
He rubbed his forehead.
Maybe he was simply overthinking.
That had to be it.
The strange feeling of familiarity.
The blurry memories.
Everything.
He was probably just tired.
Yes.
That was all.
He lay back down.
But for some reason...
his chest still felt uneasy.
---
The next morning.
Haneul Academy was as lively as ever.
Students filled the hallways with laughter and conversations.
As soon as Min-jun entered the school grounds, several students greeted him.
He ignored all of them.
As usual.
But this time—
his eyes unconsciously searched the crowd.
Then he suddenly froze.
What was he doing?
Min-jun frowned.
No.
This was exactly the problem.
He was overthinking.
Han Seo-yeon had absolutely nothing to do with him.
He should stop paying attention to her.
Immediately.
As if making up his mind, he walked toward his classroom.
Unfortunately—
someone appeared right in front of him.
Han Seo-yeon.
She seemed surprised to see him.
"Oh."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then she offered a small bow.
"Good morning."
Silence.
Min-jun stared at her.
A few students nearby immediately slowed down.
Watching.
Waiting.
Seo-yeon blinked.
"...Good morning?"
Min-jun suddenly looked away.
"...Morning."
His reply was so quiet that she almost didn't hear it.
Then—
he walked past her.
Without another word.
Seo-yeon turned around, confused.
Did she do something wrong?
Meanwhile, Min-jun continued walking.
His expression remained calm.
But inside—
he was annoyed.
Very annoyed.
Why had his heart suddenly skipped a beat?
It was just a greeting.
People greeted him every day.
So why had this one felt different?
Ridiculous.
He needed to stop this immediately.
---
Later that afternoon—
Seo-yeon sat quietly in the library.
Books were scattered across the table.
She was trying to focus.
Trying.
Unfortunately, her mind kept wandering.
Why had Min-jun suddenly become distant?
Yesterday, he had spoken to her.
Today, he could barely look at her.
Had she said something wrong?
"...You're sighing a lot."
Seo-yeon looked up.
Lee Ji-ho sat across from her.
She blinked.
"When did you get here?"
"A few minutes ago."
He smiled.
"You seem troubled."
"...Do I?"
"A little."
Seo-yeon lowered her gaze.
Ji-ho looked at her for a moment.
Then—
"Is it because of Min-jun?"
She nearly dropped her pen.
"W-What?"
Ji-ho chuckled.
"I knew it."
"It's not like that."
"Really?"
"..."
"..."
A small smile appeared on his lips.
Seo-yeon looked away, embarrassed.
Why did everyone keep mentioning Min-jun?
Ji-ho leaned back in his chair.
"Don't worry too much."
"...About what?"
"Min-jun."
Seo-yeon looked at him.
"He's always been difficult to understand."
There was a brief pause.
"But..."
Ji-ho smiled softly.
"I've never seen him pay attention to someone this much before."
Seo-yeon's eyes widened slightly.
"...Pay attention?"
"Mm."
"...I think you're mistaken."
Ji-ho laughed.
"Maybe."
But his expression said otherwise.
---
At that very moment—
someone was standing outside the library.
Kang Min-jun.
He had come to borrow a book.
At least...
that had been his original intention.
Now, however—
his eyes were fixed on the scene before him.
Seo-yeon.
Smiling softly.
Talking comfortably with Ji-ho.
For some reason—
he didn't like it.
His brows slowly furrowed.
Again.
That strange feeling.
Why?
Why did it bother him?
It had nothing to do with him.
Absolutely nothing.
So why...
did he suddenly feel irritated?
A voice beside him suddenly spoke.
"...You're staring again."
Min-jun looked away immediately.
His friend raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
"I wasn't staring."
"Sure."
Min-jun frowned.
His friend laughed.
"Then why do you look upset?"
"I'm not upset."
"Really?"
"..."
"..."
The friend smiled knowingly.
This time—
Min-jun said nothing.
Because honestly—
even he didn't understand himself anymore.
---
As the sun slowly began to set, Seo-yeon finally left the library.
The hallways had become quiet.
She walked peacefully, enjoying the cool evening breeze.
Then suddenly—
she stopped.
A familiar figure stood near one of the cherry blossom trees.
Kang Min-jun.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment—
neither of them moved.
Then—
Min-jun looked away first.
And walked in the opposite direction.
Seo-yeon stood there.
Confused.
Very confused.
"...Did he just avoid me?"
The soft petals continued to fall around her.
Completely unaware—
that Min-jun himself was equally confused.
Because for the first time in his life—
he was running away from feelings he didn't understand.
- Writer
