Jae Kyung did not ask why, but simply stood in place and quietly gazed at Na Eun.

Na Eun’s cheeks flushed slightly, having never been stared at so intently by a boy her age before.

An awkward silence crept between them in the quiet hallway during lunchtime.

Towards Jae Kyung, who patiently waited through that silence, Na Eun carefully asked.

“You… What math workbook do you use?”

Jae Kyung did not answer. In fact, it would be more accurate to say Na Eun asked the question before he had a chance to respond.

“Do you go to any academies besides here? Do you have any separate tutoring?”

“…”

“I’m really bad at math. But you’re so good at it. I was wondering if I could get any advice from you…”

As she spoke, Na Eun felt increasingly small and bowed her head low. She didn’t have much pride to speak of.

She was frustrated at losing, and upset that she couldn’t win despite her efforts.

As upset as she was, she felt she needed to try even harder, and was also curious if that unbeatable boy was doing anything extra.

She was simply being honest, but it was also a bit embarrassing.

She wasn’t unaware that other kids at the academy treated her as “the 2nd place who can’t get 1st no matter how hard she tries” and subtly mocked her.

If Jae Kyung went to his friends and said, “Yoon Na Eun asked me this,” it would quickly spread as gossip among the kids.

Of course, from what she’d observed from afar, Han Jae Kyung didn’t seem like that kind of person.

“You have a lot of questions.”

After asking while swallowing all her pride, the answer that broke the brief silence was simple.

Na Eun carefully raised her head, still gripping the canned drink in both hands.

Jae Kyung was staring at her intently with the same eyes as before.

“Ah, if you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”

It suddenly occurred to her that he might be annoyed at being asked such things when they weren’t even close.

As Na Eun hurriedly backtracked, saying he didn’t have to tell her if he didn’t want to, Jae Kyung silently walked in the opposite direction from where she had been standing.

Just as she was feeling even more dejected, thinking he was completely ignoring her and leaving, there was a clunk as an aluminum can hit the metal floor.

Jae Kyung was taking something out of the vending machine to the left of the study room entrance.

Na Eun blankly stared at Jae Kyung as he approached her holding an ionic drink he had just gotten from the vending machine.

Jae Kyung came right up to her without a word and quietly took the caffeinated drink from her hands.

Then he placed the ionic drink he was holding into her hands instead.

“…”

“If you drink this instead, I’ll tell you.”

Jae Kyung held the canned drink Na Eun had just been drinking in one hand and quietly looked at her.

Na Eun, who suddenly found herself holding an ionic drink instead of a caffeinated one, blinked in confusion.

For the first time, she saw Han Jae Kyung’s eyes up close, and discovered the kindness fully contained within them.

That was her first encounter with Han Jae Kyung.

[This is the timeline separator] [I’m really really sorry]

Walking home dejectedly after finishing her part-time job at the academy, Na Eun sent a sincere apology to the group messenger chat that usually had three people.

She wanted to write a long message, but kept it short, thinking the others might feel worse if she went on and on.

[What are you sorry for when you were sick? As long as you’re okay now, that’s what matters.]

Seung Joo’s quick reply came as if she had been waiting. Sun Jin also messaged at the same time.

[How are you feeling? Are you having trouble breathing again or anything?]

Her friends, who knew all about Na Eun’s symptoms from that incident 3 years ago, had a quick pattern of conversation.

After she had collapsed crying in front of the person Seung Joo had introduced her to that day, the blind date ultimately fell apart.

When Na Eun apologized for ruining the date that had been set up with effort, Seung Joo told her to only worry about whether she was feeling better or not.

She heard that the person she met that day said he’d like to contact her again when she was feeling better, but Na Eun declined on her end.

She didn’t want to repeat the same mistake and be rude again.

As she walked silently down the alley towards home, Na Eun diligently typed a reply on her phone.

[I’m fine. It was just for a moment then, and I’m back to normal now that I’m home.]

Her shoulders slumped even as she texted.

She couldn’t understand why she ended up in that state whenever her thoughts briefly drifted to the past.

Psychological factors were probably the biggest reason, but it was the worst when it manifested outwardly as physical symptoms.

What if this meant she would never be able to like anyone for the rest of her life? Would she have to live without even dreaming of dating?

More than the anxiety of not being able to date right now, she was more afraid of being tied to the past forever and unable to move forward.

Meanwhile, as if trying to comfort her, Seung Joo sent another message.

[That’s good if you’re back to normal. Na Eun, tell me all the types you like. I’ll introduce you to anyone decent from our church or school.]

Perhaps because she had openly talked about wanting to overcome this, Seung Joo was particularly enthusiastic about helping with her love life.

Grateful for her friend’s sincere desire to help, Na Eun smiled even as she texted.

[Thanks. But you really don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’ll try to handle it on my own.] [What do you mean handle it? I’ll introduce you first if I find someone good around me too.]

Following Seung Joo, Sun Jin said something similar. It seemed the two friends were so worried about Na Eun that they didn’t know what to do.

After refusing a few times, it really seemed like her friends were about to introduce her to every man around them, so Na Eun tried to calm them down by setting some conditions of her own.

[Well, I’d like it if he was a little shorter.]

For about a minute, there was no reply from either of them. Both of them knew why Na Eun had set this condition.

Eventually, Sun Jin broke the silence in the group chat.

[Na Eun] [I don’t think it’s just about height for you.]

Is that so? Na Eun tilted her head as she looked at her phone while walking.

She had said it because meeting the blind date this time, his particularly tall height and looking down at her from beside her had been the start of the commotion, but hearing Sun Jin say that made her wonder if that wasn’t it.

While she hesitated, not knowing how to reply, Sun Jin sent another message.

[It’s not just about whether someone looks tall or short on the outside that’s important to you.] [You just need someone you can trust completely.] [Whether they’re tall or short, it should be someone who won’t make you look up at them, right?]

Someone who won’t make me look up at them? Na Eun blinked as she read the messages Sun Jin sent one after another.

[Na Eun.] [I really hope you meet a genuinely good person and become happy.] [I hope someone appears who will always look up at you from below.] [Someone who will never make you feel trampled on.]

Na Eun stopped typing with both hands on her phone.

She was really at a loss for what to say in response, and after pondering, she realized all she could say was thank you and was about to reply with that when-

“Ah!”

Because she had been walking while staring only at the phone in her hand without looking ahead, her body pitched forward as she lost her footing.

It happened to be while climbing stairs with a considerable slope, so if she fell like this it would be a major accident.

Before she could even scream in surprise, a hand appeared, strongly grabbing one of her flailing arms.

“I told you not to walk while looking at your phone.”

Hee Won, who had been watching Na Eun’s way home from an unseen place, only let go of her arm after safely lowering her to a step below.

Na Eun, who had nearly had a big accident from suddenly tumbling down the stairs, smoothed her chest with the hand holding her phone.

After catching her breath for a moment while gripping the railing, she looked at Hee Won.

“You said you couldn’t come today.”

“Work finished early so I came. And when you’re walking, look ahead.”

“You should have said something. Why watch secretly? We could have walked together.”

“I told you not to mind whether I’m here or not. So, are you going to keep walking while looking at your phone?”

Somehow the conversation felt like it was going in circles.

Na Eun stared blankly at Hee Won, who seemed a bit angry for some reason, when she suddenly realized something.

Why are our eye levels similar?

She hadn’t been aware of it because it was always like this, but was it because of the conversation just now? She noticed it unconsciously.

Na Eun’s gaze automatically went downward. And she confirmed that the other person was standing about two steps below her. She blinked slowly.

It wasn’t just today. She knew that better than anyone.

Only then did she realize why she had never experienced anything like the recent blind date when Seo Hee Won was by her side.

When going up and down stairs, he would stand one or two steps below her like now.

When walking side by side on flat ground, he would keep a certain distance from her.

Not once had he approached Na Eun at a close distance where the height difference would be noticeable.

So even though Hee Won was much taller than her, she had never felt like he was looking down on her.

‘But you really are a shorty up close like this.’

In that emergency room where he had teased her asking how the air was down there, Hee Won had smiled as if he had just realized how small Na Eun was.

It made sense. He had never approached Na Eun close enough to feel that.

Even that day, he had simply not avoided it when she approached.

Seo Hee Won,

Had always stood below her.