Chapter Text
‘I hate going to school…’
Being woken up early in the morning, I groaned loudly, then muttered under my breath.
After getting changed, brushing my teeth and eating the leftover sandwiches from last night, I grabbed my school bag off the floor and stuffed all my textbooks inside.
This was my first month studying at Kwangya High School. Well, honestly, it hadn’t been that bad.
The start was boring —monotonous classes, unfamiliar names, a campus that felt like a maze. But things had changed after two new people appeared in my life.
One of them, Chanyoung Lee, is the classic popular boy straight out of classic teen romance books: tall, strong, handsome, athletic, nice to everyone, like an actual Prince Charming alive. The other was someone I only knew online — a friend I’d been chatting with for weeks, who went by the name ‘antinitony.’ Our first encounter was a total accident — I somehow stumbled into a group chat dedicated to teaching people how to flirt (which I swear I didn’t join on purpose).
The advice in that group was...unhelpful at best. But at least I walked away with one good thing: a surprisingly sweet (and weird) online friend.
Well, to be honest, I did have a massive crush on Chanyoung. But how could you blame me for that? Considering his messy yet cute hair, his effortlessly perfect face, his adorable soft voice…who wouldn’t fall for him?
I merely had any friends in my grade, so while other students gossiped in the toilet, argued in the cafeteria, or kissed in the locker room (seriously?), I was busy texting my one and only online friend.
y/n: I still don’t know what your name is…
Anton: Most of my friends call me Anton. Your name is y/n, right? I feel like I’ve seen you tripping near the swimming pool before.
y/n: Yeah, that’s my name…Please forget about that terrible failed flirting mission…
Anton: Lol. Is that why you were in the group chat?
y/n: I swear I accidentally clicked on the chat! And my phone automatically joined it for me!
Anton: I totally believe that… Who were you trying to impress, anyway?
I remember it was when all of us eleventh graders had swimming class.
y/n: SO YOU ARE GRADE 11, TOO?
My crush is probably in the SAME CLASS as you!!!!
So you know…I was about to wink to him (a hack I learnt online but I guess it didn’t work out), but he was so gorgeous when he stepped out of the swimming pool with that wet hair and water dripping on his face like a Greek sculpture or something like that (I swear people should frame his photos and exhibit it!!!) and he looked at me and I was over the moon and feeling dizzy so I slipped.’
Anton: That totally deserves a “tragedy of the year” award.
y/n: Stop mocking me TT…
Anton: Maybe I can help you with developing flirting skills, you know? All my friends say I’m the best when it comes to romance hacks.
y/n: ‘Really???’
(Then why were you in the group???)
Anton: Start by describing him. His eye colour? Hair style? Favourite food?
y/n: ‘Well…I don’t know that much about him…
He’s in the school band.
Anton: Okay…more details?’
y/n: He has really good music taste.
He’s in the school band, and it’s so cool!
He’s quiet, like really cool and mysterious and everything…
And he has longer hair than most of the boys…I guess’
Anton: I feel like I have a guess…’
y/n: You do?!!
Could you please help me TT
What should I do to let him know about me?
Anton: Hmm I think he doesn’t normally talk to girls…
What about you pretend to fall in front of him so he would hold you, like in those school k-dramas?’
y/n: You sure it would actually work?
(This really doesn’t sound like a doable plan…but maybe I should trust him?)
Honestly, I have very bad luck when it comes to flirting…My schemes never work as expected, only to make things worse.’
I wasn’t lying, not at all. In fact, all my previous trials had failed, embarrassingly.
Once, during science class, I tried the viral ‘drop the pen in front of your crush and he will notice you’ hack. Instead of catching his attention, I caught the teacher’s suspicion, then ended up getting accused of trying to copy others’ work. The result was a thirty-minute lecture after class and tons of extra work to be completed. I remember the most legendary episode of this ‘Humiliate Yourself 101’ show was when I sold cookies for a class project and caused him food poisoning by selling him overcooked cookies. (When his dark brown eyes sparkled while smiling at me, my mind got short-circuited like an outdated computer and ignored the desperately accelerating alarm of the microwave.)
Just when I was bumping my head against the wall while reliving all those stupid moments, the class bell rang and saved my head from being shattered into pieces. With a bit of strange reluctance, I texted Anton to talk to drop our conversation for later.
Darted to the right classroom, I sat in a corner, alone. The silly idea Anton had told me still occupied my mind, so instead of listening to the teacher explaining trigonometry, I was struggling to make a decision. Eventually, my courage and unshakeable crush had taken over my brain — I’ve decided to give it a try.
Finally, it was break time. The two periods in the morning, maths and physics, were so dull that I couldn’t think about anything other than the feeling that two centuries had passed.
I picked up my phone, hands trembling with excitement, or maybe also nervousness.
Y/n: ‘I’m going to do it.’
Anton: ‘Wait, actually?’
Y/n: ‘Yea. I’m going to be brave, just for once in my life…’
Anton: ‘Do you really like him that much?’
Y/n: ‘Of course I do!
Just believe in your own scheme, ok? I’ll tell you if it works.’