A Note Without A Name
740 Words
It was spring, warm in the sun but still carrying a cool edge that hadn’t quite faded yet, like it couldn’t fully commit.
The school foyer was warm and loud, smelling of citrus perfume and expensive shampoo.
Hundreds of students were crowded around the wooden shoe cubbies, the rhythmic clack of small doors and the chatter of voices creating the perfect first morning chaos.
I reached my assigned cubby, but Park Ha Yoon was already there.
She was hunched over, taking up most of the narrow aisle as she struggled to pull off her sneakers.
“Move,” I said, nudging her shoulder.
“Our cubbies are side by side, Seo Ah,” she reminded me, not shifting an inch.
“And yet, you are still in my way. I can’t even open my door.”
“That is your problem,” she teased with a smirk.
Jung Hae In was right there too, leaning casually against the pillar next to us. He had one foot propped up and his arms crossed, looking like he owned the foyer without even trying.
He didn't hover or intrude; he just existed, tall, composed, and annoyingly effortless. Being a senior clearly suited him.
“You two are exhausting,” he muttered, eyes never leaving his phone.
“You love us,” Ha Yoon chirped, not even joking.
“I tolerate you,” he replied deadpan.
“Same thing!” She did a little triumphant dance as she finally straightened up, moving just enough for me to reach my handle, and began to swap her sneakers for her white indoor slippers.
I pulled my cubby door open.
As the door swung wide, a neatly folded piece of paper that had been propped against the inside of the door slipped. I caught it just before it hit the floor.
Ha Yoon noticed immediately.
Of course she did.
“What is that?” She leaned in, her eyes narrowing like a hawk.
“Nothing.” I turned to hide it.
“Liar.”
Hae In stepped closer to us, curiosity finally flickering in his eyes as he looked at my hand. “That was definitely something.”
Ha Yoon grabbed my arm before I could shove the paper into my pocket.
“Wait. No. Hold on. In 2026, someone is giving you a handwritten letter? Are we in a period film? Should I be concerned?”
“It is probably nothing,” I said, trying to convince myself as I finally pulled my own slippers out and stepped into them.
“That is not nothing energy,” she argued. “That is full-blown scandal energy. Open it!”
“You are too invested.”
“I am exactly invested enough,” she countered.
Hae In offered a slow nod. “I agree with her. This is interesting.”
“Both of you need hobbies.”
“We have one,” Ha Yoon said. “It is you.”
Hae In shrugged. “I support this investigation.”
“You always do.”
I let out a long sigh and unfolded the paper before they could escalate the situation any further.
Meet me in the courtyard after school. I have something to tell you.
No name. No clue. Nothing.
Ha Yoon let out a gasp that could have been a sound effect in a high-budget drama. “That is a confession. Literally. It is textbook.”
“That is an assumption.” Even as I said it, my heart gave a strange, traitorous little thud against my ribs.
“It is common sense,” she argued.
Hae In tilted his head, his gaze sweeping the foyer. “Or it is something weird. Keep your guard up.”
“Stop ruining things, Hae In!” Ha Yoon pouted.
“I am being realistic,” he replied.
I folded the paper and tucked it into my blazer pocket. “This is strange,” I admitted.
“This is exciting! Who do you think it is?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my mind already betraying me by compiling a list of suspects
“Think harder.”
“I am not creating a suspect list like this is a crime scene."
“You definitely should,” she insisted.
I looked through the glass doors at the greenery of the courtyard. “I’ll go,” I admitted finally.
Ha Yoon’s face lit up with a grin. “Obviously.”
- Writer
