Chapter 2 A Chilly Introduction

The chatter of the classroom simmered down as the teacher began scribbling equations on the board, but Seongwoo could barely focus. Instead, he found himself glancing sideways at Jihoon, who sat a few seats away, his gaze fixed on the blackboard, unmoving, like a statue.

Jihoon had hardly spoken to anyone since his introduction. It wasn't unusual for a transfer student to keep to himself, but there was something different about Jihoon's silence. It wasn't shyness. It was a practiced, deliberate kind of distance that had already made him seem untouchable to most of the class.

During break, Minji slid into the seat beside Seongwoo, casually leaning over as if she'd been part of the conversation in his head. "You've noticed, right? The new kidㅡJihoon?"

Seongwoo nodded slowly, still staring at his desk. "Yeah. He's...different."

Minji grinned. "Different? Try ice-cold. He hasn't looked at a single person directly, except the teacher." She rested her chin in her hand, sneaking glances in Jihoon's direction. "I think everyone's a little scared of him already."

"Scared?" Seongwoo raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't look...scary."

"He doesn't need to look it," Minji replied with a shrug. "He's just got that 'keep away' aura. You know, the kind people instinctively stay clear of." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "But I think he's kind of intriguing, don't you?"

Seongwoo didn't answer, though he knew what she meant. There was something about Jihoon's closed-off nature that felt almost magnetic, like a puzzle he couldn't resist trying to solve.

After the break ended, the students were shuffled into groups for their first project of the term: a paired assignment that would run for the next few weeks.

Seongwoo's pulse quickened as the teacher called out names, and he caught Minji shooting him a hopeful look as her name was paired with someone else. Then, almost anticlimactically, he heard it.

"Kim Seongwoo and Park Jihoon."

A murmur rose from a few students, and Seongwoo could feel the curious glances darting between him and Jihoon. He glanced over, catching the faintest flicker of surprise on Jihoon's face before it settled back into impassivity. He was silent as he stood and gathered his things, moving towards the empty desks at the back of the classroom where they were to work together.

Seongwoo waited, unsure of how to start. Jihoon gave him a barely perceptible nod, an acknowledgment without actual greeting, and sat down across from him. They sat in silence for a long, uncomfortable moment.

Finally, Seongwoo broke the silence. "I'm Seongwoo." He offered a slight smile, hoping it would break the ice.

"I know," Jihoon replied coolly, his tone as neutral as his expression. His voice was quiet, almost too soft for the bustling classroom, and it carried the same chilly distance he projected with his gaze.

"Well," Seongwoo said, a little off-balance, "should we start planning how we're going to divide up the work? I mean, if there's a specific part you'd rather do, I'm okay with-"

Jihoon's gaze dropped to his notebook, and he began scribbling a list without responding. Seongwoo watched as Jihoon's handwriting filled the page-neat, deliberate strokes that seemed to echo his reserved demeanor. After a moment, Jihoon pushed the notebook towards Seongwoo.

"I don't mind handling the research." Jihoon said, his tone so matter-of-fact that it caught Seongwoo off guard. "If you want to take care of the visuals or the presentation, we'll cover both ends."

"Sure... that sounds fair." Seongwoo nodded, though he felt a bit thrown off by Jihoon's directness. He hadn't expected him to take control so quickly. He noticed Jihoon's gaze darting to the side, as if unwilling to meet his eyes, and felt an odd pang of curiosity. "You're good at organizing things, huh?"

Jihoon's eyes flickered up for just a second. "It's more efficient this way. Less talking." He said it so plainly that Seongwoo couldn't tell if it was meant to be blunt or if it was simply a fact to Jihoon.

Despite the coolness of his words, Seongwoo sensed that there was something else beneath Jihoon's controlled exterior. He was used to reading people, catching the little tells that gave away hidden emotions. But with Jihoon, it was different-like trying to see through frosted glass.

They spent the rest of the period discussing the project with minimal conversation. Jihoon spoke only when absolutely necessary, his answers short and to the point. He seemed to recoil at even the smallest attempts at friendliness, and Seongwoo found himself oddly frustrated. He wasn't trying to be nosy, but Jihoon's standoffishness felt like a silent challenge.

As the final bell rang, Seongwoo began packing his things, casting a glance at Jihoon, who was already slipping away like a shadow. He watched as Jihoon disappeared down the hallway without a single backward glance, his presence fading as quickly as it had arrived.

Later that evening, Seongwoo sat in his room, flipping through his notes, but his thoughts kept wandering back to his new project partner. Jihoon's face appeared in his mind-cool, expressionless, his dark eyes unreadable. And yet, Seongwoo couldn't shake the feeling that Jihoon was more than he appeared. It was as if a part of him had thawed, just for an instant, in the quiet space between their words.

Seongwoo set his pencil down, the faintest trace of a smile on his lips.

For the first time in a long while, he was looking forward to tomorrow.