#ahyeon

“Let’s get some skewers!” said Ahyeon. There was a festival in town, and she could smell the different food stalls all the way from the other side of town. She remembered reading about the evening on the posters outside the college building: a simple street food fair with some other shops.

“You girls hungry?” asked one of her friends, turning to the other girls.

“Yeah,” “sure,” they said, and so to the town center they went.

The festival was already alive by the time they arrived. With the streets full of people, they could already hear the chatter of the crowd from far away. The golden light coming from the stands softened the chilly night air, and everything felt warm and cozy: autumn had arrived. 

There were all kinds of stalls: teokkbokki, skewers, noodles, and even a corner dedicated to desserts. However, that part was a bit further away from the others because they needed to keep a lower temperature for their food.

You worked at one of those stalls. Your skewer stand wasn’t the biggest nor the brightest, but it stood proud amongst the others. The smoke and the scent of the charcoal did all the work. You were one of the only few guys with an actual grill, and everyone could smell it.

Each time the fat from the chicken and the pork dripped into the charcoal, the fire crackled, and that sweet-salty perfume of soy and garlic would rise in the crowd. It was cheap and quick, a perfect treat for the people who were just coming by and didn’t want to get anything too heavy. You could just get a couple and eat them as you were walking around.

You had handed out tray after tray all day—students, couples, elders, kids tugging at their parents for “just one more.” You were having a great time: those satisfied smiles, the little pauses before a second bite, you loved seeing people enjoy your food. 

You lifted your gaze from the grill and saw another small group of girls near your stand. They were examining the menu glued to the edge of the iron pillars. One of the girls stood out as the others were laughing and teasing her for eyeing the menu too long. 

“Don’t eat the whole stall this time!” one of them joked.

“Better watch out, she’ll order for three!” another added, nudging her shoulder.

She laughed nervously, slouching her shoulders. You noticed the way her gaze flicked towards the grill, lingering at the glossy skewers before darting away. She was hungry, you could tell. But she was trying to resist it.

Just moments later, the girls came to sit on the stools you’d arranged around your big wooden counter. 

“Welcome, girls, what can I get you?” you asked brightly, brushing a glaze over the skewers as the grill crackled.

“What would you recommend?” one of them asked, leaning forward.

“Probably the pork skewers,” you said, turning one over and clicking your tongs. The scent of the marinade rose into the air. “We’ve also got squid and chicken, if you’re into that.”

“That sounds good,” the quiet girl replied. 

You moved to the grease-covered cash register, and the girls followed you. They all placed their orders, asking for one of everything so they could try the different flavors. But the last one hesitated and mumbled something under her breath: “Just… one skewer, please. Pork is fine.”

You nodded, but you were feeling a bit doubtful about her. It didn’t match the hunger in her eyes.

“Okay, something to drink, girls? Beer? It goes well together with the grease.”

“Yeah, why not?”

You closed the order and went to the grill, flipping a couple around just for show and getting the boxes out. Some pork, some squid, and some chicken. You just picked up a bunch and shoved it in the boxes; you weren’t the type to hold back. Some of them were thinner and some were thicker, so you couldn’t really decide on a specific number. They needed to get their money's worth.

You brought out the boxes and put them on the table. They immediately started eating, but the other girl stared at you with surprise.

“Excuse me, I ordered just one…” she started, but you quickly interrupted her.

“Don’t worry, it’s on the house,” you said and gave her a wink.

She blinked, glancing at the skewers. “Oh… thank you, then.” Her fingers fumbled around the tray, a little embarrassed, but she eventually picked one up and started eating as well.

Her friends leaned in, nudging her. “Hey, don’t eat too much now.”

She laughed nervously, trying to hide her blush. “I—I won’t…”

You shrugged casually. “There’s nothing wrong with eating a lot. Enjoying food is the whole point, isn’t it?”

Her friends rolled their eyes. “Sure, that’s what you say—because she’s buying everything you make!”

You shook your head. “She is eating as much as you girls, so shut it.”

The girls laughed in amusement and went back to their food. She peeked up at you, her cheeks still pink, and mumbled a soft “Thanks…”

You went back to the grill, glancing sideways at her as she chewed. Some other customers were waiting in line, and you served them all. Luckily for you, the fair was pretty packed, and you were in a good position.

After a while, you went back to their side. 

“So, you girls in college?” you asked.

“Yeah,” one of them said, brushing hair from her face. “The one near the station.”

“Oh, same as me,” you said, leaning an elbow against the counter. “I go there too.”

That got a few surprised looks. “Wait, seriously? You’re a student and you work here?”

“Yeah,” you said with a small shrug. “After classes, I help out at the family shop. We’ve got a place across the city, near the mall.” You pointed in its direction. “You can drop by if you’re ever hungry.”

“Is it the same as the stand?”

“No, we make a lot of different stuff. Skewers, noodles, rice—whatever keeps people coming back,” you said, and it got a few small laughs.

Her friends paid and thanked you, all smiles and chatter as they left. But she turned back for a moment before following, a soft “Thanks, it was really good” slipping out almost too quietly to hear.

Ahyeon, that was her name. You caught it from her friends. You saw a lot of pretty girls that day, but somehow you remembered her quite well.

-

It had been a few days since the festival ended. It was a success, and you earned a lot. The work did not end, though. You were back in your family restaurant. The lanterns were gone now, replaced by the cool hum of streetlights. The crowd had thinned to the usual evening flow. Sometimes it was scarce, sometimes it was really busy.

You were preparing for the evening service. The grill was already on and running, skewers on the side, and sauces in containers. On the other side, you had all the ingredients for the wok. You knew your typical customers. The workers always came at the same time, and they needed their food quickly. You agreed to a special discount. They were loyal after all.

The restaurant filled up with the men, and after a couple of beers, it became lively and fun.

You spotted a girl at the front door. You had young people coming in, too, but they usually weren’t alone. She paused at the entrance, checking her phone to pretend like she had something to do. After the hesitation, she stepped inside.

“Hey,” you said, keeping your tone light. “From the festival, right?”

She tilted her head, a little startled, then she smiled. “Yeah… you remember me?”

You looked at her, wrapped in a light cardigan, hair slightly messy from the breeze. She was still as pretty as you remembered. 

“Yeah, I never had anyone order just one skewer.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s not a problem. You just looked hungrier than what you ordered,” you said, turning the meat on the grill. “Dinner for one?”

She exhaled through a laugh. “Yeah. I didn’t feel like cooking tonight.”

“Every once in a while, a princess has to treat herself.”

She laughed again. Ahyeon sat on one of the stools at the tables in front of you. Her backpack slipped off her shoulders as she made herself comfortable. 

“So, what will it be?” you asked.

She looked at the menu again, though you could tell she already knew what she wanted. “Hmm… two pork boxes, one chicken, and—” she glanced up, “is the squid still available?”

“Still got a few left,” you said. “You sure about three orders though?”

“Yeah,” she said quickly, then seemed to realize how that sounded. “I mean—uh—yeah, it’s been a long day.”

You chuckled and went back to prepare her food. The grill hissed as you set the skewers down. She sat quietly, scrolling through her phone, probably pretending not to notice you watching her. Eventually, the food was ready. You put everything on the table, bowed, and went to serve other customers.

When you came back, she seemed to have almost finished everything. The thing was that only 10 minutes had passed.

“You’re eating well tonight,” you said.

Ahyeon froze mid-reach for her drink, caught off guard. “Is that your polite way of saying I eat too much?”

“Not at all,” you said. “You seem happy.”

Her shoulders relaxed a little. “Yeah… you could say that.” She laughed awkwardly. “My friends always make fun of me for it. They say it’s not… very girly.”

“So starving is really girly, right?”

She looked down, poking at her food. “I mean… when you say it like that.”

You clicked your tongs. “It’d be worse if you were sick and couldn’t eat.”

“Well, you’re right.” 

For a moment, neither of you said anything. You could only hear the quiet hiss of the grill and the distant chatter of the street. You cleared your throat, calling her attention. She looked up.

“Uhm… you still hungry?” you asked.

“A little.”

“Good,” you said, sliding another skewer onto the grill. “Because I was about to give you something extra.”

She blinked. “Extra?”

“Yeah,” you said, reaching for a new tray. “Trying out a new seasoning. Want to see if it’s any good.”

She tilted her head. “You want me to taste-test it?”

You nodded. “Someone’s gotta make sure I’m not poisoning customers.”

She tilted her head, clearly suspicious. “You mean I’m your guinea pig?”

“Pretty much,” you said. “But don’t worry—it’s free.”

“I accept.”

When the skewer was done, you set it in front of her, the glaze still glistening under the light. She didn’t hesitate. She took a bite, then another. She seemed to think carefully.

“It’s good,” she said finally. “The sauce is sweet but not too heavy.”

You nodded. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You could maybe use a little more ginger, but…” she took another bite, “I like it.”

“Too salty?” you asked, feigning concern.

“No, it’s perfect. What’s in it?”

You shrugged lightly, pretending to think. “Guess.”

She narrowed her eyes playfully. “Soy sauce, obviously. Maybe sugar? Some sesame oil… garlic, definitely garlic.”

You stayed quiet, hiding a grin as you wiped the counter.

She squinted at the menu taped to the stall window, reading under her breath. “Wait a second—this one already has sesame oil and garlic listed…”

You turned the skewer once more, trying not to laugh.

Her eyes widened slightly, then she pointed at you with her chopsticks. “So you weren’t really testing the seasoning, were you?”

You looked up at her finally, caught. “Maybe not.”

She leaned back, a small smile creeping across her face. “You just wanted me to eat more.”

You gave a half-shrug. “Is that bad? Your expressions are really cute.”

That shut her up for a bit. Her cheeks turned faintly pink, and she ducked her head to take another bite — maybe to hide her face, maybe just because she was genuinely hungry.

“No,” she said. “Not really.”

When she finished eating, she wiped her hands and leaned on the counter. “You work here every day?”

“Yeah,” you said

“Must be nice,” she said. “Doing what you like every day.”

“It’s mostly just standing around smelling like smoke, but yeah, it’s not bad.”

She smiled, fiddling with the empty skewer sticks. “Well, your food’s good. Way better than anything I’ve had around campus.”

“Glad to hear that,” you said. You knew the evening was about to come to an end. And truth was, you wanted to see her again, so you took a deep breath and tried your luck: “I try new stuff sometimes, mess around with the recipes. If you ever feel like testing them, you’re welcome to drop by. I’ll pay you in food.”

She raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “Free food, huh?”

“Only if you give honest feedback.”

“Deal,” she said, grinning. She extended her arm and shook your hand. “I’m good at eating.”

“I noticed,” you said.

She rolled her eyes, but she didn’t seem annoyed by your comment.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Ahyeon,” she said as you gave yours in return. 

“I’ll remember it,” you replied.

“It’s gotten late, I should go,” Ahyeon said as she stood up.

You nodded. She collected her stuff and paid for the skewers she had ordered at the start. Before she could step out of the door, you stopped her for a moment.

“My offer is still up, if you want,” you said with hesitation. You rolled your lips, thinking that maybe you had been too pushy.

“I’ll be back,” she smiled, and relief washed over you.

When she finally left, so did everyone else, and the restaurant went silent. You cleaned the counter, turned down the grill, and caught yourself looking down the street where she’d gone — just for a second, before shaking your head and going back to work.

You didn’t know if she’d actually come back, but you kind of hoped she would.

After that first night, she started showing up every now and then. At first, it was once a week, usually when her classes ended late, or when she was up studying and the dorm cafeteria had already closed. She always came up with the same excuse.

“Just passing by.”

“Had to walk off a long lecture.”

“Too hungry to wait until dinner.”

She always sat at the same spot, where she would be close enough to the grill to feel its heat. That way, she could talk to you while you were working. You suggested another table, but then you’d have to walk back and forth, so she refused. She didn’t mind smelling like grease, apparently.

Sometimes she’d text first, but most of the time she’d show up unannounced, claiming she happened to be nearby.

By the third or fourth week, she knew your menu by heart. You stopped handing her the paper list. She’d just order from memory, adding, “and whatever you’re testing today.”

Ahyeon didn’t come just for the food. She came for you. You’d work the grill while she chatted about life: her professors, her roommates, the stress of the midterms, and so on. In between, you’d slide her something new to try: spicy sauce one night, honey glaze the next, and when you didn’t think of anything, just some food you had lying around, like a bowl of fried rice.

She took it pretty seriously. 

“Needs more crunch.”

“Too salty.”

“Perfect. Don’t change a thing.”

Maybe she was meant to be a food critic. You pretended to jot down what she said, but you never had any intention of serving that food.

Sometimes she had her own requests too. It was after a very big meal that she leaned back in her chair and raised a finger at you. “You got dessert?”

“Dessert?”

“Yeah,” she said. “You know, sweet stuff? Something that isn’t meat?”

“No,” you said lightly. “Don’t have it.”

Her eyes widened. She was shocked, and quite frankly, offended. “What do you mean no? You’re a restaurant.”

“We only serve salty foods.”

“Unbelievable. You feed me this amazing dinner and then just… stop?”

You smiled. “Yeah, that’s how meals work. Our customers usually wash the meal down with more booze. You want some?”

“No, no,” she said, crossing her arms. “I want something sweet.”

You leaned on the counter. “What do you want me to do, go buy you a chocolate bar?”

She thought about it. “Actually, yeah. That’d work.”

“I am not doing that.”

“I am waiting,” she said, holding out her hand.

You sighed, shaking your head as you turned to the fridge behind you. “Let me see if I have something sweet for our child here.” Of course, there wasn’t anything. So you walked to the back of the kitchen, seeing if there was anything that could resemble a dessert. A moment later, you returned with a small plastic cup of pudding that had been sitting there since lunch service.

She squinted at it. “Is that… cafeteria pudding?”

“Yeah, didn’t want it,” you said. “It’s dessert, right?”

Ahyeon shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Eat it or I’m putting it back in the fridge.”

“Fine,” she said, taking the spoon from your hand. You went to the other side of the room to tidy up after some customers left. When you were done and came back, Ahyeon was staring at you.

“You got another one?”

“I thought you didn’t like it,” you chuckled.

“So?”

“Yeah, I do, actually,” you said and walked to the back again.

-

Dinner rush.

The restaurant was loud: the clatter of chopsticks, the hiss of the grill, the music, the drunks, and the families. You were behind the counter, working through a steady line of orders. 

You were backed by your team, but it was still extremely hectic.

Then, through the noise, you caught a voice you recognized.

Ahyeon’s.

She was laughing somewhere near the door, but her voice was quickly joined by a couple more familiar ones. You glanced up briefly and saw them stop by the door. You didn’t call out. She didn’t see you yet.

“See?” one of the girls said. “I told you she can’t go a day without food.”

Both of them laughed. You smiled faintly at first, expecting Ahyeon to laugh it off like always, but then another voice joined in: “Of course she can’t. She’s got her own personal chef now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ahyeon asked. There was a strain on her voice; she seemed uncomfortable.

“Oh, come on,” her friend said playfully. “You’re always here. Don’t act like you’re not getting special treatment. They probably gives you extra food for free, right?”

Her words seemed to hit the bullseye on Ahyeon. She quickly lowered her head and started playing with the hem of her shirt. You were in the middle of handing a tray to a customer, so you couldn’t step out. Couldn’t correct them.

“You’re such a glutton, Ahyeon.”

“Stop it,” she said, her voice small. “It’s not like that.”

“Relax, we’re joking!” another friend said quickly, trying to reduce the damage. But it had gone too far. It wasn’t the first time, and it certainly wasn’t the last. You wonder how many times they repeated this to her. Ahyeon seemed used to it, but it still hurt her a little bit.

Orders kept coming in, customers calling your name. You caught her looking up once, eyes flicking briefly toward you — but you didn’t know whether to smile or pretend you hadn’t heard.

Your eyes met, and she quietly left.

It was just teasing.

Harmless.

The kind of thing friends say all the time.

That’s what you told yourself, but she stopped showing up.

You told yourself she was busy — exams, assignments, anything — but you knew it wasn’t that. You missed her, you really did. The gap she left was too obvious. You’d glance toward the door every time it opened, expecting her to walk in, pretending you weren’t.

By the fourth night, you stopped looking.

But you still found yourself setting aside a small dish near the counter before closing — out of habit more than hope.

It took a few days before you stopped expecting her to walk through the restaurant door. Then, another couple of days before you gave up pretending not to notice.

By the end of the week, it was starting to worry you.

So one afternoon, between deliveries, you packed a small take-out box yourself. Pork skewers, her favorite glaze, and a side of rice. You even added a little box of soup, which you usually handed her during the cold nights. Then you looked up her university’s website to guess where she might be.

No lessons today. Great. So she couldn’t be in a class.

What about the exams? She said they were coming up in like a month, but that was two weeks ago, so maybe she was studying?

There were some libraries near the main buildings. You thought you might as well try your luck. You didn’t have anything else to do anyway. The restaurant wasn’t far. Ten minutes on foot.

The campus was quieter than you expected. There weren’t many people around. You started walking around, looking inside the halls, around the garden. You even asked the girls walking by, but none of them knew who you were talking about.

Made sense. It was a large course after all.

After a couple of minutes, you did eventually find her. She was sitting on the low stone wall outside the library, earbuds in, a half-open notebook on her lap. Her hair was pulled back loosely, she looked very concentrated, her eyes wrinkled like she had forgotten her glasses.

You hesitated for a moment. Maybe this was stupid. Maybe she did not want to see you at all.

But you were already here.

“Hey.”

She looked up and her body jumped. She looked around her to see if it was some kind of joke, but it was just you. Ahyeon quickly brushed her hair behind her ears and straightened her back. “Oh. Hey. What are you doing here?” she said without looking into your eyes.

You held out the take-out box. “Food delivery.”

Ahyeon narrowed her eyes. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope.” You set it down beside her. “House special.”

Her eyes softened, and she sighed. She didn’t reach for it right away; instead, she looked at you, mortified. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, I did.” You crouched beside the wall so you were eye level. “You disappeared. I figured either you were avoiding me or you got sick of my cooking. And since the second one’s obviously impossible…”

Ahyeon chuckled and shoved your shoulder. It was the first time you heard her laugh in a week. She had no idea how much you missed it.

You nudged the box toward her. “Eat before it gets cold.”

She finally took it, opening the lid. Steam rose in a faint curl, carrying a smell that she knew very well. She looked at the food for a second, then at you, with a small pout. “You know people will start talking about you if you do deliver food to random girls.”

“Not random. Just you,” you said, smiling. “Besides, I wanted to tell you something.”

She paused, chopsticks hovering over the food. “What?”

You looked at the box, then at her. For a second, you almost chickened out. It wasn’t the right time, or the right place. But you were tired of waiting. 

You took a breath and said, “I don’t care what anyone says. About how much you eat, or how often you come by, or whether you ‘use me for food’ or whatever that was. None of that matters to me.”

Ahyeon froze and simply stared at you with her mouth slightly agape. 

“I love seeing you enjoy food,” you said simply. “It makes me happy that you like what I make. And I like talking with you. You’re… easy to be around.”

Her voice softened. “You mean that?”

“Yeah,” you said. “And it’s cute, honestly. The way you eat a lot. It’s like Kirby.”

Her eyes widened. “Kirby? You’re comparing me to a pink ball that swallows everything?”

You rubbed your neck, groaning. “Okay, that came out wrong.”

You sighed and rubbed the back of your neck, suddenly aware of how awkward you sounded. “If you don’t want to come by just to eat, that’s fine. I just wanted you to know I care. About you.”

She still didn’t say anything. She looked down at the food, then picked up a piece and took a slow bite.

Your heart was beating steadily while you waited for a response. She chewed carefully with her eyes closed. She inhaled carefully and looked at you.

“You really walked all the way here just to say that?” she asked.

“Yeah. Well, and to feed you,” you said.

Ahyeon laughed. “Well, if you keep feeding me like this, I might get addicted… to you.”

“That’s uhh—uhm,” you said, stammering. You didn’t expect her response at all. You swallowed and reminded yourself that you did know how to talk to girls. “I’ve heard addiction’s hard to cure.”

Ahyeon grinned. “You really need to work on your lines.”

“As long as you don’t mind them,” you said. “That’s all I need.”

You sat down beside her and talked about all the things you missed. When the food was gone, neither of you got up right away.

“So,” she said finally. “If I show up tomorrow… same spot as usual?”

You nodded. “I’ll make something new.”

She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Can’t wait.”

THE END

Written, 14 October - 23 October 2025

He slouched in a chair at the back of the club room, earphones dangling around his neck like a noose he hadn’t decided to tighten. His hoodie, perpetually wrinkled, bore the faint logo of his mother’s DVD rental shop—a relic of a time when people still believed in physical discs. Y/N’s eyes, dark and watchful, scanned the room, cataloging the chaos of his fellow club members: Min-soo, arguing with a tripod that refused to stand straight; Da-in, scribbling shot lists on a crumpled napkin; and Ahyeon, perched on a desk, her long hair catching the projector’s glow like a halo she didn’t mean to wear.

Ms. Kim, their adviser, clapped her hands, her bracelets jangling like a warning bell. “Enough bickering,” she said, her voice cutting through the chatter. “The national contest deadline is in six weeks. You need a film, and you need it to be good. No more experimental nonsense about existential dread.” She shot a pointed look at Y/N, who sank lower in his seat. “This year, I want something accessible. Something with heart. A romance.”

A groan rippled through the room, loudest from Y/N. Romance? The word tasted like cheap candy—sweet for a moment, then gone. He’d spent years behind a camera, framing other people’s stories, because it was safer than stepping into his own. Romance films, with their slow-motion gazes and predictable confessions, were the opposite of truth. They were lies, polished and framed for applause.

“Ms. Kim,” he said, raising a hand, “can we at least make it ironic? Like, a romance about two people who hate romance?”

Ms. Kim sighed, her glasses slipping down her nose. “Y/N, not everything needs to be a critique of the human condition. Sometimes people just want to feel something.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but Ahyeon beat him to it, her voice bright and sharp, like sunlight cutting through fog. “Oh, come on, Y/N. Don’t be such a grump. A love story could be fun.” She leaned forward, her sweater slipping off one shoulder, revealing a paint stain shaped like a comet. “Picture it: the perfect high school couple. Cherry blossoms, longing looks, maybe a dramatic rain scene. We could make it so over-the-top it’s basically a parody.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching despite himself. “What, like you fake-crying over a love letter while violins play?”

She grinned, undeterred. “Exactly. I’d be iconic. You’d just have to figure out how to film it without tripping over your own cynicism.”

The room laughed, and Y/N felt a flicker of something—annoyance, maybe, or amusement. Ahyeon had a way of turning everything into a performance, her words a spotlight she wielded effortlessly. She was the kind of person who could charm a room and then vanish before anyone noticed she was gone. He’d seen her do it before—join a project with a burst of ideas, only to quit when the work got real. Yet here she was, proposing a film she’d probably abandon by next week.

Still, the idea wasn’t terrible. A mockumentary about a fake couple could be sharp, a way to poke fun at the clichés while sneaking in something truer. He leaned back, tapping his pen against his knee. “Fine. But if we’re doing this, it’s a mockumentary. We play it like a documentary crew following the ‘perfect couple,’ but it’s all scripted. Every trope in the book, dialed up to eleven.” Min-soo, wrestling with the tripod, looked up. “Who’s playing the couple? You need chemistry, or it’ll fall flat.”

Da-in smirked, her pen pausing. “Y/N and Ahyeon, obviously. They’re already arguing like an old married couple.”

Y/N choked on air, his face warming despite his best efforts to stay cool. “Me? In front of the camera? No way. I direct. I don’t act.”

Ahyeon tilted her head, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Scared, Mr. Director? Come on, it’ll be hilarious. I’ll do all the heavy lifting—swooning, gazing, the works. You just have to stand there and look smitten.”

“I don’t do smitten,” he said, his voice drier than the chalkboard behind her. “And you’d probably ditch the project before we even get to the fake kiss.”

Her smile faltered, just for a second, but it was enough for Y/N to notice. She recovered quickly, tossing her hair. “Oh, please. I’m in this one for the long haul. Bet you ten thousand won I stick it out longer than you.” “Deal,” he said, before he could stop himself. The room whooped, and Ms. Kim clapped again, looking far too pleased.

“Then it’s settled,” she said. “Y/N and Ahyeon, you’re co-directors and stars. The rest of you, support them. Script, shoot, edit—get it done. And Y/N?” She fixed him with a stare. “Don’t overthink it. Sometimes a story just needs to breathe.”

As the meeting broke up, Y/N lingered, his fingers brushing the worn edge of his camera bag. Ahyeon was already at the door, laughing with Da-in, her voice carrying like a melody he didn’t want to hear. He told himself it was just a project, another chance to capture something true through his lens. But as he watched her silhouette against the fluorescent hallway light, he wondered if truth was the one thing he wasn’t ready to frame.

—

The courtyard of Haneul Arts High School was a riot of pink in late spring, cherry blossoms drifting like confetti caught in a lazy breeze. The air carried the faint salt of the nearby sea, mingling with the chalky scent of the school’s worn stone paths. Y/N adjusted the camera on its tripod, his fingers steady despite the chaos around him. Min-soo was untangling microphone cords with the focus of a man defusing a bomb, while Da-in waved a makeshift reflector—a piece of cardboard wrapped in foil—shouting directions no one followed. The club was in full production mode, and it was, as Y/N had predicted, a beautiful disaster.

At the center of it all stood Ahyeon, her sweater sleeves rolled up, her hair catching petals like a net. She was reading from their script—a spiral notebook filled with Y/N’s neat handwriting and her chaotic doodles—her lips moving silently as she memorized lines. The mockumentary had officially begun, and their first scene was a classic: the “perfect couple” holding hands under the cherry blossoms, gazing into each other’s eyes with exaggerated devotion. Y/N had written it to be ridiculous, every line dripping with irony, but watching Ahyeon practice, he felt an odd twist in his chest. She made even the absurd look effortless.

“Ready, director?” she called, glancing up with a grin that was half challenge, half tease. Her eyes sparkled in the afternoon light, and Y/N busied himself with the camera settings to avoid meeting them.

“Ready when you stop looking like you’re auditioning for a soap opera,” he said, his voice dry but softer than he meant. He stepped behind the camera, the lens a familiar shield between him and the world. “Min-soo, you got the sound?”

Min-soo gave a thumbs-up, then promptly dropped the microphone. Da-in groaned, shoving the reflector into his hands. “Focus, Min-soo. We’re not filming a silent movie.”

Ahyeon laughed, a sound like wind chimes, and Y/N felt it ripple through him, unbidden. He cleared his throat. “Alright, scene one, take one. Perfect couple, cherry blossom moment. Let’s make it painfully cliché.”

Ahyeon struck a pose, one hand on her hip, the other clutching an imaginary love letter. “Oh, my heart beats only for you, noble scholar of Haneul High,” she declared, her voice dripping with mock sincerity. The club members snickered, and even Y/N’s lips twitched.

“Less soap opera, more… human,” he said, adjusting the focus. “And I’m supposed to be in this, so someone grab the second camera.”

Da-in handed him a script page and pushed him toward Ahyeon. “Your turn, lover boy. Try not to trip over your own ego.”

Y/N rolled his eyes but stepped into the frame, feeling exposed without the camera’s weight in his hands. He stood opposite Ahyeon, their sneakers inches apart on the stone path. The script called for him to take her hand and say something nauseatingly romantic, but his tongue felt heavy, his usual sarcasm deserting him.

Ahyeon raised an eyebrow, sensing his hesitation. “What, no lines? I practiced my swooning for hours, you know.”

“It shows,” he said, recovering. “Maybe practice being less terrifying next time.”

She laughed again, and this time it wasn’t for the camera. It was quick, unguarded, her nose crinkling in a way that made Y/N’s stomach lurch. He grabbed her hand—too fast, too stiff—and muttered his line: “You’re… the only star in my sky or whatever.”

The club erupted in laughter, Min-soo nearly dropping the microphone again. “Y/N, that was awful,” Da-in called. “You sound like you’re reading a weather report.”

Ahyeon squeezed his hand, her fingers warm and steady. “Come on, give me something to work with. I can’t carry this whole romance myself.”

He met her eyes, and for a moment, the courtyard faded—the blossoms, the club, the camera’s soft whir. Her gaze was steady, not mocking now, and it made him feel like he was being seen, not just filmed. He swallowed, forcing a smirk. “Fine. You’re the only star, period. Happy?” “Better,” she said, her voice softer, almost real. Then she turned to the camera, slipping back into character. “And you, my love, are the moon that lights my path.”

Da-in clapped sarcastically. “Oscar-worthy. Now do it again, but with feeling.”

They ran the scene three more times, each take more absurd than the last—Ahyeon twirling dramatically, Y/N stumbling over his lines, petals sticking to their clothes. But between takes, when the camera stopped rolling, there were moments Y/N couldn’t script: Ahyeon brushing a blossom from his hair, her fingers grazing his temple; him catching her when she tripped over a cable, their laughter mingling in the air. The club noticed, their teasing growing sharper, but Y/N waved it off, retreating behind the camera as soon as he could.

That night, in the dim glow of his bedroom, Y/N uploaded the footage to his laptop. His mother’s DVD shop was quiet downstairs, the hum of the refrigerator a familiar lullaby. He clicked through the clips, pausing on a frame of Ahyeon laughing, her eyes half-closed, her hand still in his. It wasn’t scripted. It wasn’t supposed to be there. But he watched it again, and again, the cursor hovering over the delete button. He didn’t press it.

—

The classroom was a cocoon of shadows after hours, its windows streaked with rain that tapped a restless rhythm against the glass. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, casting a sterile glow over the club’s makeshift set: two desks pushed together, a prop coffee cup, and a script page scribbled with Y/N’s notes and Ahyeon’s doodles of stars and half-drawn faces. The air smelled of wet sneakers and the faint chemical tang of the school’s ancient projector, tucked in the corner like a forgotten relic.

Y/N’s fingers lingered on the camera’s focus ring as if it could steady the unease knotting his chest. Today’s scene was a “fake fight” for the mockumentary—a scripted spat between the “perfect couple” meant to poke fun at melodramatic teen romances. He’d written the lines to be sharp, petty, absurd: accusations about forgotten dates, stolen hoodies, glances given to someone else. But standing across from Ahyeon now, her sweater sleeves slipping over her knuckles, he felt the script was a flimsy shield against something he couldn’t name.

Ahyeon flipped through the notebook, her lips pursed as she read. “You really went all in on this one,” she said, her voice light but edged with something else. “ ‘You never listen to me’? What is this, a K-drama rerun?”

“It’s supposed to be over-the-top,” Y/N said, stepping behind the camera to avoid her gaze. “That’s the point. Make it so fake it’s funny.”

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes catching the light like sea glass. “Right. So I yell about you forgetting our anniversary, and you… what, sulk about my imaginary fan club?”

“Exactly,” he said, his mouth twitching despite himself. “Give me your best betrayed girlfriend glare.”

She obliged, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes with such exaggerated fury that Min-soo, manning the sound, snorted. Da-in, perched on a desk with the reflector, called, “Tone it down, Ahyeon. You look like you’re about to curse his entire bloodline.”

Ahyeon grinned, dropping the act. “Fine, fine. Let’s do this.” She took her place at one desk, Y/N at the other, the camera’s red light blinking like a heartbeat. “Scene two, take one,” Y/N said, his voice steadier behind the lens. “Action.”

Ahyeon leaned forward, her voice sharp but playful. “You forgot our date last week, didn’t you? I waited at the café for an hour, and you were probably off filming seagulls or something equally pointless.”

Y/N matched her tone, leaning in. “Pointless? At least I don’t spend all day texting my fan club instead of talking to me.”

The lines were ridiculous, and the club laughed, but as they traded barbs, something shifted. Ahyeon’s next line—about him not caring enough—came out quieter, less rehearsed. “You act like I’m just… background noise in your stupid movie.”

Y/N faltered, the script forgotten. Her words stung, not because they were true, but because they felt like they could be. He scrambled for a reply, his voice low. “Maybe if you didn’t keep rewriting the script to suit you, I’d actually know what you want.”

Her eyes flickered, a flash of something real—hurt, maybe, or recognition. The room went quiet, the club sensing the shift. Min-soo whispered, “Are they still acting?”

“Cut,” Y/N said quickly, stepping back from the desk. His pulse was loud in his ears, and he busied himself with the camera, checking settings that didn’t need checking. “That was… fine. Let’s take a break.”

Ahyeon stayed seated, her fingers tracing the edge of the desk. The others drifted out to grab snacks from the vending machine, leaving the classroom emptier, the rain louder. Y/N should have followed, but his feet stayed rooted, the camera still rolling out of habit.

“You’re good at this,” Ahyeon said suddenly, her voice soft, not looking at him. “Making it feel real, I mean. The fight.”

He glanced at her, surprised. “You’re not bad yourself, with that line earlier.”

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s easy to sound convincing when you’ve got practice.” She paused, her fingers stilling. “My mom’s always saying I’m too loud, too much. Like I’m a sketch she can’t finish.”

Y/N’s throat tightened. He knew he should say something light, keep the distance, but the camera’s hum was a quiet nudge, urging him to stay. “My dad used to say I was too quiet,” he said, almost to himself. “He was a filmmaker. Documentaries. I watch his old tapes sometimes, just to… I don’t know. Hear him again.”

Ahyeon looked up, her gaze steady now, searching. “Does it help?”

“Sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes it just reminds me he’s gone.”

The rain tapped harder, filling the silence. Ahyeon’s hand rested on the desk, close enough that he could have reached out, but he didn’t. Instead, he glanced at the camera, its red light still blinking. It had caught everything—their fight, her confession, his. A moment too raw for their satire.

“We should probably cut that last part,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah,” Y/N said, but his hand didn’t move to stop the recording. “Probably.”

She stood, brushing past him to grab her bag, her sleeve grazing his arm. “Don’t go soft on me, director,” she said, her teasing tone back, but it sounded fragile, like glass about to crack. She left before he could reply, her footsteps echoing in the hallway.

Y/N sat alone, the classroom dim and cold. He rewound the footage, watching their fight, their quiet truths. Her face filled the screen—open, unguarded, her eyes holding something he hadn’t scripted. He hovered over the delete button, his finger steady, then pulled back. Some moments, he thought, were too true to erase, even if they scared him.

—

The media room at Haneul Arts High School was a pocket of warmth against the evening chill, its air thick with the scent of dust and the faint hum of the projector. The walls, lined with peeling film posters, seemed to hold their breath as the crew gathered for their first screening of the mockumentary’s rough cuts. A single bulb flickered overhead, casting long shadows across the mismatched chairs where the club members sprawled, their chatter a low buzz like cicadas in summer. Outside, the ocean murmured, its rhythm steady but distant, as if unwilling to intrude.

Y/N sat at the back, his laptop balanced on his knees, the screen’s glow painting his face in soft blues. His earphones hung loosely around his neck, a habit he couldn’t shake, as if music might shield him from the vulnerability of this moment. The footage they’d shot—cherry blossom confessions, the staged fight—was meant to be a joke, a satire of love’s clichés. But as he’d edited the clips late into the night, frame by frame, he’d noticed things he hadn’t meant to capture: Ahyeon’s half-smile when she thought the camera was off, the way her fingers lingered on his sleeve, his own gaze softening when she laughed. The truth was creeping into their fiction, and it unnerved him.

“Ready for your big debut, lover boy?” Da-in called from the front, her grin sharp as she adjusted the projector. Min-soo, fiddling with a bag of popcorn, snorted, spilling kernels onto the floor.

“It’s not a debut,” Y/N said, his voice dry but tighter than usual. “It’s a rough cut. And I’m only in it because you all forced me.”

“Excuses,” Min-soo said, tossing a popcorn kernel at him. “You and Ahyeon look like you’re about to write sonnets out there.” Y/N rolled his eyes, but his fingers tightened on the laptop. He glanced at Ahyeon, who was perched on a desk near the screen, her legs swinging slightly. Her sweater was speckled with paint, her hair tucked behind one ear, revealing a single silver earring that caught the light. She was flipping through her sketchbook, pretending to read, but her eyes never lingered on the pages. She hadn’t looked at the screen once since they’d arrived.

“Alright, quiet down,” Y/N said, clicking play. The projector whirred, and the first scene filled the room: Ahyeon under the cherry blossoms, her mock-dramatic confession—“My heart beats only for you, noble scholar of Haneul High!”—drawing laughs from the club. Y/N’s stilted response, all awkward smirks and mumbled lines, earned more chuckles, but as the scenes rolled on, the laughter softened.

There was the fight scene, their voices sharp with scripted jabs, but the camera had caught the moment after—Ahyeon’s quiet admission about her mother, Y/N’s confession about his father’s tapes. The club went silent, the air heavy with something unspoken. Y/N’s chest tightened; he hadn’t meant to leave that part in, but cutting it had felt like betraying the truth.

“Wow,” Da-in said, breaking the silence as the clip ended. “Y/N, did you mean to make it look like you’re in love with her?”

His face warmed, and he busied himself with his laptop, avoiding her grin. “It’s called editing, genius. I can make anything look like anything.”

Ahyeon laughed, but it was quick, forced, like a door slamming shut. “Yeah, relax, Da-in. It’s just a movie. Nobody’s falling for anybody.” She flipped a page in her sketchbook, her fingers gripping the edges too tightly.

Y/N glanced at her, catching the way her shoulders tensed, the way her eyes stayed fixed on her drawings. She was performing again, hiding behind her casual tone, and it stung more than it should have. “Right,” he said, his voice quieter than he meant. “Just a movie.”

Min-soo leaned forward, oblivious to the undercurrent. “No, but seriously, you two have chemistry. Like, rom-com level. Are we sure this is a mockumentary?”

“Very sure,” Ahyeon said, her smile bright but brittle. She stood, tucking her sketchbook under her arm. “Good work, director. I’m grabbing a drink. Anyone want anything?”

The club called out requests, but Y/N stayed silent, watching her slip out the door. The projector flickered, looping the last frame—a close-up of Ahyeon laughing, her eyes soft, unguarded. He hadn’t meant to linger on that shot, but his hands had refused to cut it.

Later, in his bedroom, the glow of his laptop was the only light, the hum of his mother’s DVD shop downstairs a faint comfort. He opened the project files, scrubbing through the footage again. There she was, frame after frame: Ahyeon’s teasing grin, her fingers brushing petals from her hair, the way her voice softened when she spoke about feeling trapped. He paused on a moment from the fight scene, her eyes meeting his, raw and real, before she’d looked away. His cursor hovered over the delete button, but he couldn’t press it.

He leaned back, the ocean’s distant sigh filtering through his window. Editing was supposed to be control, a way to shape the story, to keep it safe. But Ahyeon’s face on the screen was a story he couldn’t rewrite, and for the first time, he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

—

The beach stretched before Haneul Arts High School like a canvas painted in dusk, its sand cool and damp underfoot, streaked with the sea’s restless fingerprints. The sky was a bruise of purple and gold, the sun sinking into the horizon as if reluctant to leave. Waves lapped at the shore, their rhythm soft but insistent, carrying the salt-heavy air that clung to Y/N’s skin. His lens trained on Ahyeon, who stood near the water’s edge, her silhouette sharp against the fading light. Her sweater hung loose, the sleeves swaying as she moved, and her hair danced in the ocean breeze, catching the last glimmers of gold.

The crew was filming their mockumentary’s centerpiece: a grand, cheesy confession scene, scripted to be the height of romantic cliché. Y/N had written it with a smirk—lines about eternal love, promises under the stars, all meant to mock the tropes they both despised. But now, as the club scrambled to set up lights and Min-soo fumbled with the microphone, Y/N felt a tremor of unease. The camera, his usual refuge, felt less like a shield and more like a witness, capturing things he wasn’t ready to see.

“Ready, Ahyeon?” he called, his voice steadier than he felt. He stepped behind the camera, checking the frame, though it was already perfect. She was perfect, he realized, then pushed the thought away.

She turned, her eyes catching his through the lens, a playful glint in them. “Born ready, director. Let’s make the audience swoon.” Her voice was light, but there was a tightness to it, like a string pulled too taut.

Da-in, holding the reflector, grinned from her spot on the sand. “Just don’t make us gag, okay? This is supposed to be satire, not a wedding vow.”

“Speak for yourself,” Min-soo said, finally securing the microphone. “I’m ready to cry at their undying love.”

Y/N ignored them, focusing on the camera’s hum. “Scene five, take one. Epic beach confession. Action.”

Ahyeon took a step forward, her sneakers sinking into the sand. The script called for her to gaze at Y/N with melodramatic adoration, to say, “You are my forever, my one true light.” But as she opened her mouth, her expression shifted—less performative, more searching. “I’ve been stuck here my whole life,” she said, her voice quiet, unscripted. “This town, these expectations—it’s like I’m trapped in someone else’s movie.”

Y/N froze, his hands still on the camera. The club exchanged glances, but no one called cut. Her words weren’t in the script, but they carried a weight that silenced the waves. He should have stopped the take, reset the scene, but instead, he stepped out from behind the camera, the lens still rolling. “I know what you mean,” he said, his voice low, almost lost in the wind. “My dad… he left me his films, but they’re all I have of him. Sometimes I think I’m just trying to finish his story instead of starting my own.”

Ahyeon’s eyes met his, wide and unguarded, the sunset painting her face in soft hues. “Do you ever wonder what yours would look like? Your story, I mean.”

He swallowed, his throat dry. The camera’s red light blinked, a silent witness, but for once, he didn’t care. “Every day,” he said. “But I’m scared it’s not worth telling.”

She stepped closer, her sneakers brushing against his, the space between them shrinking. “It’s worth it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Even if it’s messy. Even if it’s not perfect.” The air felt charged, the world narrowing to the sound of her breath, the crash of the waves, the faint hum of the camera. Y/N’s heart pounded, and he wondered if this was still acting, if the script had ever mattered at all. The club was silent, Min-soo clutching the microphone like a lifeline, Da-in’s reflector forgotten in the sand.

“Cut,” Y/N said finally, his voice rough. He stepped back, the moment breaking like glass. Ahyeon blinked, her expression shuttering, and she turned to the water, her arms crossed as if to hold herself together.

“Uh, that was… intense,” Da-in said, breaking the silence. “Are we keeping that? It’s not exactly mockumentary material.”

“Yeah,” Min-soo added, scratching his head. “That felt like… real talk.”

Y/N glanced at Ahyeon, but she was staring at the horizon, her profile sharp against the darkening sky. “We’ll figure it out in editing,” he said, though he already knew he wouldn’t cut it.

That moment—her words, his, the way her eyes had held his—was too true to erase. The club packed up as the light faded, their chatter filling the air, but Ahyeon lingered by the water, her figure small against the vastness of the sea. Y/N hesitated, then approached, the camera slung over his shoulder. “You okay?” he asked, his voice softer than he meant.

She turned, her smile quick but fragile. “Just getting into character, you know? Gotta sell the romance.” Her tone was light, but her eyes didn’t meet his, and she brushed past him to join the others.

That night, in the quiet of his bedroom, Y/N played the footage back. His mother’s DVD shop hummed below, the faint clatter of discs a familiar comfort. The screen showed Ahyeon on the beach, her words raw, her gaze piercing. He paused on a frame—her standing close, her lips parted as if to say more. His finger hovered over the delete button, but he couldn’t press it. Some truths, he thought, were too heavy to cut away, even if they burned.

—

The art room was a chaos of color, its walls splashed with half-finished murals and pinned-up sketches that curled at the edges. The air held the sharp bite of acrylic paint and the faint must of old canvases, stacked like forgotten stories in the corner. Y/N stood in the doorway, his camera bag slung over his shoulder, his heart a knot of confusion and something sharper—betrayal, perhaps, though he hesitated to name it.

Ahyeon had been absent from Reel Society meetings for three days, her texts unanswered, her seat at the club’s table empty. At first, Y/N had chalked it up to her usual pattern—starting projects with a blaze of enthusiasm, only to vanish when the work grew heavy. But this felt different, heavier, as if she’d taken something with her when she left. Last night, unable to sleep, he’d opened the shared project files on his laptop, expecting to tweak the beach scene that still haunted him. Instead, he’d found entire clips missing—moments where Ahyeon’s laughter rang clear, where her eyes had met his with unguarded truth. The beach confession, their fight, her quiet words about feeling trapped—all gone, erased as if they’d never happened.

Now, he found her alone in the art room, perched on a stool, her sketchbook open before her. Her fingers moved restlessly, smudging charcoal into abstract shapes—stars, waves, faces that dissolved into shadow. Her sweater was streaked with black, her hair falling loose, shielding her face. The sight of her, so present yet so distant, made Y/N’s chest ache.

“You deleted the scenes,” he said, his voice low but steady, cutting through the room’s quiet. He stepped inside, letting the door creak shut behind him.

Ahyeon’s hand stilled, but she didn’t look up. “You checked the files,” she said, her tone light, as if discussing the weather. “Snooping, huh?”

“It’s my project too,” he said, sharper than he meant. He set his camera bag on a table, the thud louder in the stillness. “Those scenes—the beach, the fight—they were the best parts. Why’d you do it?”

She flipped a page in her sketchbook, her movements deliberate. “They were messy. Didn’t fit the vibe. You said it yourself, it’s supposed to be a mockumentary, not… whatever that was.” Y/N stared at her, the words stinging more than they should. “Messy? That’s the point, Ahyeon. It was real. You can’t just—” He stopped, running a hand through his hair, his earphones tangling around his fingers. “You can’t erase yourself from the movie.” Her eyes flicked up, sharp and guarded, like a door half-opened then slammed shut. “It’s not me in those scenes. It’s a character. The film’s better without the extra noise.”

He stepped closer, his sneakers scuffing the paint-splattered floor. “That’s not true, and you know it. Those moments—when you talked about your mom, the town—they weren’t scripted. They were you.”

She laughed, a short, brittle sound that didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re reading too much into it, director. It’s just a movie. We were playing parts.”

“Then why are you hiding?” The words slipped out before he could stop them, raw and unfiltered. Her flinch was subtle, a tightening of her jaw, but he saw it, and it fueled his resolve. “You’ve been dodging club, dodging me. And now you’re cutting yourself out of the footage like you’re trying to disappear.”

Ahyeon’s fingers gripped the charcoal, smudging a star into a blur. “Maybe I am,” she said, so softly he almost missed it. She looked down, her hair falling like a curtain. “You wouldn’t get it, Y/N. You’re always safe behind that camera, picking what stays and what goes. Some of us don’t get to choose how people see us.”

The words hit like a wave, cold and heavy. He thought of the beach, her voice breaking as she spoke of being trapped, his own confession about his father’s tapes. He’d felt exposed then, but safe, because it was her. Now, she was pulling away, and he didn’t know how to reach her. “Is that what this is?” he asked, his voice quieter now, searching. “You think I’d use you? Like… like what happened before?”

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide, and he knew he’d struck something true. She’d never told him the full story—about the senior who’d taken credit for her art, left her work erased—but he’d pieced it together from Da-in’s offhand comments, from the way Ahyeon flinched when her contributions were praised. “Don’t,” she said, her voice sharp. “Don’t act like you know me.” “I’m not,” he said, stepping closer, close enough to see the charcoal smudges on her knuckles, the tremor in her hands. “But I saw you in those scenes, Ahyeon. Not the character, not the perfect girl everyone thinks you are. You. And I didn’t want to cut that out.”

She stood abruptly, her stool scraping against the floor. Her sketchbook fell shut, hiding the smudged stars. “You don’t get to decide what’s real,” she said, her voice trembling now, not with anger but with something deeper—fear, maybe, or pain. “You don’t get to keep pieces of me just because you like how they look through your lens.” Y/N’s throat tightened, her words cutting deeper than he’d expected. He wanted to argue, to tell her she was wrong, but the hurt in her eyes stopped him. “I’m not trying to trap you,” he said finally. “I just… I thought we were telling this story together.”

She looked at him, her expression softening for a moment, then hardening again. “We were. But it’s not real, Y/N. Remember? It’s just a movie.” She grabbed her bag and brushed past him, her shoulder grazing his, leaving a faint smear of charcoal on his sleeve.

The door swung shut, and the art room felt emptier, the light dimmer. Y/N stood there, his fingers tracing the smudge on his sleeve, the camera bag heavy at his side. He thought of the deleted scenes, her laughter erased, her truths buried. He could restore them—he knew where the backups were—but it wouldn’t bring her back. Not yet.

— The glow of Y/N’s laptop cast a pale halo across his bedroom, its light mingling with the faint flicker of a streetlamp outside. The room was a quiet haven, cluttered with film books and old DVDs from his mother’s shop downstairs, their plastic cases glinting like relics of a forgotten era. The air carried the faint hum of the refrigerator below, punctuated by the occasional creak of the house settling. Beyond the window, the ocean’s murmur was a distant lullaby, steady but indifferent to the storm in Y/N’s chest.

He sat cross-legged on his bed, the laptop balanced on a pillow, its screen filled with the mockumentary’s project files. The deleted scenes—or what remained of them—stared back at him, fragments of Ahyeon’s laughter, her unguarded gaze, her quiet truths. She’d erased them with surgical precision, leaving gaps in the timeline that made the film feel hollow, like a story missing its heart. But Y/N had backups, hidden in a folder on his external drive, a habit born from years of fearing loss—his father’s tapes, his mother’s shop, the moments that slipped away too fast.

He scrubbed through the footage, pausing on the beach scene. There she was, her silhouette sharp against the dusk, her voice soft as she spoke of being trapped. His own words followed, raw and unscripted, about his father’s legacy. The memory of that moment—her eyes meeting his, the waves a quiet chorus—made his throat tighten. He’d thought they were building something together, a story they both believed in. But her absence, her deletions, said otherwise. The Reel Society had met that afternoon, their voices sharp with frustration. “We’re running out of time,” Da-in had said, tapping her pen against a shot list. “The festival’s in two weeks, and half our film is gone. Where’s Ahyeon?”

Min-soo, slouched in a chair, had shrugged. “She does this. Starts strong, then bails. You know how she is.” Y/N had stayed silent, his fingers tracing the edge of his camera bag. He knew how she was—charming, impulsive, quick to laugh—but he’d also seen her in the art room, her hands trembling, her voice breaking. She wasn’t just running from the project. She was running from herself.

Now, alone, he opened the backup files, restoring the deleted scenes one by one. The cherry blossom confession, her laughter bright and unforced; the fight scene, her words about being background noise cutting deeper than the script intended; the beach, where their truths had spilled like ink on a blank page. Each clip was a piece of her she’d tried to erase, and keeping them felt like defiance, a way to hold onto the Ahyeon he’d seen in those moments. But defiance wasn’t enough. He needed her back—not just in the film, but in the club, in the story they’d started. He pulled out his phone, hesitating, then opened their chat. Her last message, from days ago, was a casual “See you at club,” as if nothing had changed. His thumb hovered over the call button, the weight of her words in the art room echoing: You don’t get to keep pieces of me just because you like how they look.

He opted for a voice message, his voice low, unsteady. “Hey, Ahyeon. I don’t know why you’re running, but I’m not letting you disappear. Not from the film, not from… whatever this is. The scenes you cut—they’re the best parts. They’re you. Just… come back, okay? We’re not done.” He hit send before he could second-guess himself, the message vanishing into the digital void. The laptop screen glowed, Ahyeon’s face frozen in a frame from the beach, her eyes soft, searching. He wondered if she’d listen, if she’d hear the plea beneath his words, or if she’d delete this too.

The club’s pressure weighed heavier now. Da-in had texted earlier, her words blunt: Fix this, Y/N. We can’t submit a half-finished film. He knew she was right, but the film felt secondary. It was Ahyeon he wanted to save—not from him, but from the fear that made her erase herself. He closed the laptop, the room plunging into darkness, and leaned back against the wall, his earphones dangling unused around his neck.

Downstairs, his mother was closing the shop, the jingle of keys a faint echo. He thought of her, alone among the DVDs, preserving stories no one rented anymore. He thought of his father’s tapes, grainy images of places he’d never seen, people he’d never meet. And he thought of Ahyeon, her charcoal-smudged hands, her brittle smile, her voice saying she’d rather disappear than be seen wrong.

—

The pier jutted into the sea like a fragile thread, its weathered planks groaning under Y/N’s steps as he approached the water’s edge. The evening air was cold and sharp, laced with salt and the faint tang of rust from the railing. Seagulls wheeled overhead, their cries slicing through the wind, while waves crashed against the pilings below, a restless rhythm that echoed Y/N’s unease. The sky was a tumult of gray clouds, the ocean a churning expanse that seemed to swallow the last light of day. In his pocket, a USB drive weighed heavy, its contents—Ahyeon’s restored scenes—both a lifeline and a risk.

The club had met that morning in the media room, its dusty air thick with frustration. “The film’s a mess without her,” Da-in had said, her pen tapping a furious beat against her shot list. “We’ve got gaps where scenes used to be, and the festival’s in a week.” Min-soo, slouched over a tripod, had nodded grimly. “She’s gone AWOL, Y/N. You’re the director. Do something.” Y/N had stayed silent, his thoughts fixed on Ahyeon’s trembling hands in the art room, her voice sharp with fear: You don’t get to keep pieces of me.

He’d spent the night before in his bedroom, the glow of his laptop casting shadows across stacks of his mother’s DVDs. Against the club’s advice, he’d restored the deleted scenes—Ahyeon’s laughter under cherry blossoms, her raw confession on the beach, the fight where her words cut deeper than the script. The new cut wasn’t just a mockumentary anymore; it was a truth he couldn’t unsee, a story he couldn’t let her erase. He’d transferred it to the USB drive, a gesture he hoped would reach her where his words had failed.

Now, he spotted her at the pier’s end, leaning against the railing, her figure small against the vast sea. Her sweater hung loose, paint-stained and fluttering in the wind, her hair a dark cascade whipped by the breeze. A sketchbook rested beside her, its pages fluttering like trapped birds. Y/N’s steps slowed, his heart a steady drumbeat, the USB drive burning in his pocket. He’d come to give it to her, to show her he’d kept the scenes she’d tried to erase, but the words he’d rehearsed felt fragile now, like lines from a script he didn’t trust.

“Ahyeon,” he said, his voice nearly lost in the wind. She turned, her eyes narrowing, then softening for a fleeting moment before her arms crossed, a familiar shield.

“Out here to film the tragic heroine?” she said, her tone light but edged, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “The wind’s perfect for a dramatic close-up.”

He stopped a few feet away, the planks creaking beneath him. “I’m not filming,” he said, his voice steady despite the knot in his chest. “I’m here because you’re gone. No club, no texts, and you deleted half the film. What’s going on?”

She turned back to the sea, her fingers gripping the railing, her knuckles pale against the rust. “I told you, those scenes didn’t fit. They were messy, off-tone. The film’s better without them.” Y/N shook his head, stepping closer. “That’s not true. Those scenes—the beach, the fight—they were the heart of it. You can’t just cut yourself out, Ahyeon. Not from the film, not from…” He faltered, the words catching. Not from me, he wanted to say, but didn’t.

Her laugh was sharp, brittle, like glass cracking. “You’re making it sound personal. It’s just a movie, Y/N. We were playing parts.”

“It stopped being just a movie on that beach,” he said, his voice low, raw. “You talked about being trapped. I talked about my dad. That wasn’t acting, and you know it.”

Her shoulders stiffened, her gaze fixed on the horizon. The seagulls cried again, their voices harsh against the waves. “You don’t get it,” she said, her voice quieter now, almost lost. “Last time I let someone tell my story, they erased me. I worked on this huge art project with a senior I trusted. He took my sketches, my ideas, and passed them off as his. Everyone clapped for him, and I was just… gone. I’d rather do it myself first, before someone else decides I don’t belong.”

The confession hung heavy, a truth she’d buried until now. Y/N’s chest ached, the weight of her words settling like damp sand. He thought of the art room, her charcoal-smudged hands, the way she’d flinched when he mentioned her past. “I’m not them,” he said, stepping closer, close enough to see the wind tangle her hair. “I kept every frame of you, Ahyeon. Even the ones you hate. The laughter, the way you looked at me when we weren’t pretending. I couldn’t cut them.”

Her eyes met his, wide and unguarded for a moment, before she looked down, her fingers tightening on the railing. “Why?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. “Why does it matter so much to you?”

He swallowed, his throat tight. Because you’re the story I want to tell, he thought, but the words felt too big, too exposed. Instead, he pulled the USB drive from his pocket and held it out. “Because you’re the only thing in this movie I can’t imagine cutting,” he said, his voice rough with honesty.

She stared at the drive, her expression unreadable, then took it, her fingers brushing his for a fleeting second. The touch was electric, a spark in the cold air, and Y/N felt it linger long after her hand pulled away. “What’s this?” she asked, though her voice betrayed she knew.

“The scenes you deleted,” he said. “I restored them. Watch them, keep them, delete them again—I don’t care. They’re yours. I’m not trying to trap you, Ahyeon. I just want you to see what I see.”

She turned the drive over in her hand, her thumb tracing its edges, her eyes distant. The wind tugged at her sketchbook, flipping a page to reveal a half-drawn wave, smudged and incomplete. “You’re an idiot, you know,” she said, her voice soft, almost fond, but her gaze stayed on the sea. “Maybe,” he said, a small smile breaking through. “But I’m not the one running from a good story.”

She didn’t reply, her silence louder than the waves. Y/N stepped back, giving her space, the USB drive a small weight lifted from him. “The festival’s soon,” he said. “We’re showing the film, with or without you. But it’s better with you.”

He turned to leave, the pier creaking under his steps, the seagulls’ cries fading into the wind. He didn’t look back, but he felt her presence behind him, a frame he couldn’t edit out. The ocean rolled on, its secrets locked in its depths, and Y/N hoped the drive in her hand might be enough to keep her from disappearing.

—

The auditorium thrummed with life, a tapestry of voices woven from students, teachers, and parents packed into rows of creaking chairs. Fairy lights draped along the walls cast a warm, golden glow, softening the room’s stark angles, while the scent of buttered popcorn and instant coffee drifted through the air, mingling with the faint salt of the ocean beyond. The stage held only a screen and a projector, its lens gleaming like a sentinel, ready to unveil the club’s work. Outside, the night was heavy with clouds, the sea’s restless murmur a quiet undercurrent to the crowd’s anticipation.

Y/N stood at the back, his camera bag slung over his shoulder, his fingers restless against the strap. His earphones hung loose around his neck, a familiar weight, but they offered no shield against the knot in his chest. The mockumentary was about to screen, a labor of weeks now distilled into fifteen minutes of flickering light. Against Da-in’s warnings and Min-soo’s nervous shrugs, Y/N had re-edited the film, weaving Ahyeon’s deleted scenes back into the narrative—the cherry blossom confession, the fight’s raw edge, the beach where their truths had spilled like waves. The final cut was no longer just satire; it was a story of something real, and showing it felt like stepping into a spotlight he’d spent years avoiding.

Da-in leaned close, her shot list crumpled in her fist. “You sure about this?” she whispered, her eyes scanning the crowd. “Those scenes… they’re not exactly mockumentary material. If Ahyeon freaks out—”

“She won’t,” Y/N said, though his voice lacked conviction. He’d left the USB drive with her on the pier two days ago, but she hadn’t responded—not a text, not a call. He’d seen her in the halls, her head down, her sketchbook clutched tight, but she’d slipped away before he could speak. Still, he’d made his choice: the film would tell their truth, even if she wasn’t ready to hear it.

The lights dimmed, and the crowd hushed, their faces lit by the projector’s glow. Y/N’s heart pounded as the title card flashed—The Perfect Couple: A Mockumentary—followed by the club’s name in his careful handwriting. The opening scene unfolded: Ahyeon under the cherry blossoms, her voice dripping with mock sincerity, “My heart beats only for you, noble scholar of Haneul High!” The audience laughed, the sound bright and easy, and Y/N’s lips twitched despite himself. His own stilted lines drew more chuckles, his awkwardness a perfect foil to her charm.

But as the film progressed, the tone shifted. The fight scene played, their scripted jabs giving way to Ahyeon’s quiet, “You act like I’m just background noise.” The crowd’s laughter faded, replaced by a murmur of recognition. Then came the beach, the dusk painting her face in gold, her unscripted words about being trapped ringing clear. Y/N’s response followed, his voice low, “I’m scared it’s not worth telling.” The auditorium fell silent, the air heavy with the weight of something too real for satire.

Y/N’s eyes found Ahyeon in the crowd, seated near the front, her silhouette stiff against the flickering light. She hadn’t been there when he’d arrived, and her presence now made his breath catch. Her hands were clasped tight in her lap, her face half-hidden by her hair, but he could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers twitched as if to tear the screen down.

The final scene played—a moment Y/N had added in secret, a clip from the beach after the “cut.” Ahyeon laughed, her nose crinkling, as she brushed a petal from his hair, and he smiled, unguarded, his eyes soft. The audience sighed, a collective breath of awe, and Da-in nudged Y/N, whispering, “You’re in trouble.”

The screen went dark, and applause erupted, loud and warm, but Y/N barely heard it. Ahyeon stood, her movements quick, and slipped out a side door, her sketchbook under her arm. His heart lurched, and he followed, ignoring Min-soo’s call of, “Y/N, take a bow!”

The media room was dark when he reached it, the only light a faint flicker from the projector, left on by mistake. The air smelled of dust and old film, a familiar comfort, but it did little to ease the ache in his chest. Ahyeon stood by the window, her back to him, her silhouette framed against the night. The ocean’s murmur seeped through the glass, a quiet echo of their beach scene. “You kept that scene,” she said, her voice low, trembling. She didn’t turn, but her hands gripped her sketchbook, knuckles pale. “The beach. You weren’t supposed to keep it.”

Y/N stepped closer, the floor creaking under his sneakers. “It’s the best part,” he said, his voice steady despite the storm inside. “It’s you.” She turned then, her eyes wide, glistening in the dim light. “You don’t get it, Y/N. That’s not me. That’s… some version you saw, some story you made up. I told you I didn’t want to be trapped again.”

“You’re not trapped,” he said, his voice softer now, urgent. “Those scenes—they’re not my story. They’re ours. You said it yourself, on the beach. It’s worth telling, even if it’s messy.”

Her laugh was sharp, almost a sob. “Messy gets you erased. You saw what happened out there. They loved it, but they don’t know me. They just see what you showed them.”

“And what I showed them was real,” he said, stepping closer, close enough to see the paint smudges on her sleeve, the tremor in her lips. “I didn’t keep those scenes to trap you, Ahyeon. I kept them because they’re the only thing that feels true.”

She looked at him, her eyes searching, raw, and for a moment, he thought she might stay. But then she shook her head, her hair falling like a curtain, and brushed past him, the door swinging shut behind her. The projector flickered, casting shadows across the empty room, and Y/N stood alone, the applause from the auditorium a distant echo.

—

The media room at Haneul Arts High School was a quiet refuge after the festival’s clamor, its air heavy with the scent of dust and old film reels. The projector’s faint flicker cast shadows across the cluttered space—tripods leaning like weary soldiers, posters curling at the edges, a forgotten coffee mug perched on a shelf. The only sound was the soft hum of the machine, left running by some oversight, its light painting the wall with a blank, trembling glow. Outside, the ocean whispered against the cliffs, a steady murmur that felt like permission to breathe.

Y/N stood near the door, his camera bag still slung over his shoulder, his earphones dangling loose around his neck. The auditorium’s applause still echoed in his ears, a distant triumph overshadowed by Ahyeon’s absence. He’d followed her here after she’d slipped out during the screening, her silhouette vanishing like a frame cut too soon. The restored scenes—her laughter, her truths, their shared moment on the beach—had played to a captivated audience, but her reaction, her flight, left him hollow. He’d laid their story bare, and now he waited, hoping she’d choose to stay in it.

The door creaked open, and Ahyeon stepped inside, her sketchbook tucked under her arm, her sweater streaked with paint. Her hair was loose, framing her face in soft waves, and her eyes, still raw from the screening, met his with a mix of defiance and uncertainty. The projector’s light caught the silver of her earring, a small glint in the dimness. “You’re still here,” she said, her voice low, almost accusing, but there was a tremor in it, a crack in her usual armor.

Y/N shifted, his fingers tightening on the camera strap. “Didn’t feel right leaving,” he said, his voice steady but soft. “Not after… everything.”

She glanced at the projector, its light flickering like a heartbeat, then back at him. “You showed them,” she said, her words clipped. “The beach, the fight. All of it. I told you I didn’t want that.” He took a step closer, the floor creaking under his sneakers. “You told me you didn’t want to be trapped. But those scenes—they weren’t trapping you, Ahyeon. They were you, the real you. I couldn’t cut that out.”

Her laugh was soft, almost a sigh, and she set her sketchbook on a desk, her fingers lingering on its worn cover. “The real me,” she echoed, her voice bitter but quiet. “You think you know what that is? I’ve spent years trying to figure it out, and all I know is that every time I let someone see it, they take it and make it theirs.”

Y/N’s chest ached, her words pulling at the memory of her confession on the pier—the senior who’d stolen her work, erased her from her own story. “I’m not him,” he said, his voice firm but gentle. “I didn’t show those scenes to claim you. I showed them because… because they’re the only thing that made sense. You made sense.”

She looked at him then, her eyes wide, searching, the projector’s glow catching the shimmer of unshed tears. “You’re an idiot,” she said, but there was no venom in it, only a softness that made his heart lurch. “You’re supposed to be the director, not the guy who risks everything for a stupid moment.”

He smiled, small and unguarded, stepping closer until the space between them was just a breath. “Maybe I’m tired of directing,” he said. “Maybe I want to be in the frame for once.”

The air stilled, the projector’s hum a quiet pulse. Ahyeon’s lips parted, as if to argue, but instead she laughed—a real laugh, light and unguarded, the kind that crinkled her nose and made the room feel warmer. “You’re terrible at it,” she said, her voice teasing but warm. “You’re all awkward lines and bad timing.”

“Yeah, well,” he said, his smile widening, “you’re not exactly Oscar-worthy yourself. That beach confession? Total improv disaster.”

She swatted his arm, her touch light but lingering, and the tension between them cracked like thin ice. “Disaster?” she said, mock-offended. “I carried that scene. You were the one mumbling about your dad like a sad documentary narrator.”

He laughed, the sound surprising him, and for a moment, the media room felt like the beach—open, unguarded, theirs. “Okay, fine,” he said. “But we’re keeping it. All of it. No more edits.”

Her smile faded, but not into fear this time—into something softer, more certain. “No more edits,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “But if we’re doing this—this story, whatever it is—you don’t get to hide behind the camera anymore.”

He nodded, his throat tight. “Deal. And you don’t get to disappear.”

She held his gaze, her eyes steady, and for the first time, he saw no trace of her usual defenses. “Deal,” she said, and the word felt like a beginning.

The projector flickered, its light catching a forgotten camera on a tripod, its red light blinking—a silent witness to their laughter, their promises. Neither noticed, too caught in the moment, and Y/N thought that some scenes didn’t need a lens to be real.

—

The rooftop shimmered under a canopy of fairy lights, their soft glow weaving a net of stars against the night sky. The ocean’s breath carried a faint salt tang, mingling with the scent of grilled skewers and soda cans clinking in the cool evening air. The club had claimed the rooftop for a celebratory party, their laughter rising like music over the distant murmur of the waves. Tables were strewn with snacks—crinkled chip bags, half-eaten tteokbokki, a thermos of instant coffee gone cold—while a portable projector hummed, casting a flickering light across a makeshift screen of strung-up bedsheets.

Y/N leaned against the railing, his camera bag resting at his feet, his earphones looped loosely around his neck. The mockumentary had won a small award at the national contest—a certificate and a modest cash prize, enough to keep the club’s equipment from falling apart—but the victory felt secondary. His eyes kept drifting to Ahyeon, who stood near the projector, laughing with Da-in over a shared joke. Her sweater was paint-splattered, her hair catching the fairy lights in glints of gold, and her smile—unguarded, real—made his chest ache in a way that was no longer unfamiliar. A month had passed since the festival screening, since their quiet agreement in the media room to stop hiding, to let their story unfold without edits. Their relationship was new, tentative, a series of small moments—shared glances in the hallway, texts sent late at night, her hand brushing his during club meetings. It wasn’t the grand romance of their mockumentary, but it was theirs, and that was enough.

“Oi, director!” Min-soo called, waving a USB drive like a flag. “Time for the outtakes. You can’t hog all the glory forever.”

Y/N rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. “It’s not glory, it’s torture. Those clips are embarrassing.”

“Exactly why we’re showing them,” Da-in said, plugging the drive into the projector. “The audience deserves to see you trip over your own lines.”

Ahyeon joined them, her sketchbook tucked under her arm, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Oh, come on, Y/N. You’re not scared of a few bloopers, are you? I mean, you survived my acting.” “Barely,” he said, his voice dry but warm. “Your dramatic hair flip almost took out a tripod.” She laughed, the sound light and unguarded, and nudged his shoulder. “And your attempt at a love confession? I’m pretty sure the seagulls did it better.”

The club gathered around the screen, their chatter fading as the outtakes began. The projector flickered, showing Y/N stumbling over a cherry blossom petal, his muttered curse drawing giggles from the crowd. Then Ahyeon, mid-scene, sneezing so hard she knocked over a prop coffee cup, her laughter infectious as she tried to recover. The beach scene followed, a moment they hadn’t used—her teasing him about his “sad documentary voice,” him retaliating by splashing her with seawater, both of them collapsing into laughter as the camera tilted, forgotten.

The rooftop crowd cheered, their voices mingling with the ocean’s hum, but Y/N’s attention was on Ahyeon, who stood close now, her arm brushing his. “You kept that one too?” she asked, her voice soft, meant only for him.

“Couldn’t help it,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. “It’s you. Messy, annoying, perfect.” She raised an eyebrow, her smile teasing but warm. “Careful, director. You’re starting to sound like you mean it.”

“Maybe I do,” he said, and the words felt easier now, no camera needed to make them real. Da-in’s voice cut through, sharp with mock exasperation. “Okay, lovebirds, save it for the sequel. Some of us are trying to enjoy the snacks.”

Min-soo tossed a chip at them, grinning. “Yeah, get a room. Or at least a better script.” Ahyeon laughed, tossing a chip back, and Y/N felt the moment settle, light and sure, like a frame that needed no editing. Later, as the crowd thinned and the fairy lights swayed, they slipped to the edge of the rooftop, the ocean stretching dark and endless below. She leaned against the railing, her sketchbook open to a new page—a rough sketch of the pier, waves curling like promises.

“You know,” she said, her voice quiet, “you’re not half bad when you’re not hiding behind that lens.”

He smiled, leaning closer, the fairy lights casting soft shadows across her face. “And you’re not awful when you stop trying to vanish.”

“High praise,” she said, her eyes glinting. “Should I put that in the sequel?”

“Only if I get to direct this time,” he said, and her laughter was a sound he wanted to keep forever, no delete button required.

— The beach at sunrise was a quiet hymn, its sand cool and damp under Y/N’s sneakers, streaked with the ocean’s gentle etchings. The sky bloomed in soft pinks and golds, the first light kissing the waves with a shimmer that felt like a promise. The air was crisp, laced with salt and the faint tang of seaweed, and the horizon stretched wide, an invitation to begin again. Y/N adjusted the camera on its tripod, the lens trained on the sea, but his hands hesitated, less certain now of the barrier it once provided. His earphones hung loose around his neck, unused, as if silence were the truer soundtrack.

Ahyeon stood nearby, her sketchbook tucked under her arm, her sweater flecked with paint and sand. Her hair danced in the breeze, catching the dawn’s glow, and her eyes held a quiet resolve, brighter than the morning itself. The Reel Society was on hiatus after the festival, their award—a modest certificate—pinned proudly in the media room. But Y/N and Ahyeon had started something new: a short film about their town, not a satire but a portrait, capturing its imperfections—the crooked streets, the weathered pier, the people who stayed despite the pull of elsewhere.

“Ready, director?” Ahyeon called, her voice light but warm, a tease that carried no edge.

She stepped into the frame, her sneakers sinking into the sand, and pointed at a distant fishing boat bobbing on the waves. “That’s your opening shot, right? Old man, old boat, timeless struggle?”

Y/N smiled, adjusting the focus, though his eyes were on her. “Maybe,” he said. “But I’m thinking more… you, standing there, looking like you belong.”

She laughed, the sound clear and unforced, crinkling her nose in the way that still made his heart skip. “Smooth, Y/N. You’re getting better at this whole ‘in front of the camera’ thing.”

“Don’t get used to it,” he said, his voice dry but soft. “I’m still better behind the lens.”

She raised an eyebrow, stepping closer, her sketchbook brushing against his arm. “Not true. You’re not half bad when you let people see you.”

He met her gaze, the camera’s hum a quiet pulse between them. The past months had woven them together—late-night texts, shared coffee in the media room, her sketches pinned beside his shot lists. Their relationship wasn’t the grand romance of their mockumentary, but it was real: messy, imperfect, theirs. They’d talked about the future—college applications looming, the town’s pull versus the world beyond—but here, now, the beach felt like enough.

“Speaking of seeing,” she said, flipping open her sketchbook to reveal a drawing of the pier, its lines soft but sure, waves curling at its base. “I thought this could be our poster. Something simple, honest.”

He leaned closer, his shoulder brushing hers, and studied the sketch. “It’s perfect,” he said. “No filters, no edits. Just… us.”

She smiled, her eyes softening. “You’re learning, director. But you’re not allowed to hide back there forever, you know.”

He laughed, a sound lighter than he’d thought possible. “Fine. But only if you stop trying to delete yourself.”

“Deal,” she said, her voice steady, certain. She reached out, her fingers grazing his, and tugged him gently toward the camera. “Come on. Get in the shot with me.”

Y/N hesitated, the old instinct to stay behind the lens flaring briefly, but her touch was an anchor, pulling him forward. He stepped into the frame, the sand shifting under his feet, and she stood beside him, her shoulder warm against his. The camera’s red light blinked, capturing them together—him with his awkward smile, her with her sketchbook, the ocean stretching endless behind them.

“You’re terrible at this,” she teased, nudging him. “Smile like you mean it.”

“Only if you do it first,” he said, and her laughter rang out, a sound he wanted to keep forever, no delete button needed. The camera panned slowly to the sea, the sunrise painting the waves in gold, no edits required.

The town lay quiet behind them, its imperfections a story worth telling, and Y/N felt, for the first time, that he was part of it—not just the director, but the one in the frame.

“C’mon,” he teased. “Prove me wrong. Or admit I’m right—idol or not, you’re just a girl who can’t handle a real man.”

Her pride snapped. She shot him a glare so hot it could’ve burned the desk. “Five minutes, huh? Fine. Don’t choke when you lose.”

He leaned back, unzipping his pants, his cock springing free half-hard. “Clock starts when you start.”

Ahyeon knelt, muttering under her breath. “I cannot believe I’m doing this for my group’s name…” She wrapped her hand around him, stroking slow, her pout deepening. “You’re gross.”

“Yet here you are,” he mocked, groaning as her tongue slid along the underside. “Idol Ahyeon, on her knees.”

She narrowed her eyes, sucking his tip with a sharp pop. “Shut up. I’m only doing this so you’ll stop running your mouth.”

Her lips slid down his shaft, cheeks hollowing, spit glistening as she pulled back with a wet slurp. His groan slipped out, and she smirked against him. “Mmm. Thought I wasn’t hot?”

“Fuck…” He chuckled between moans. “Still not hot. Just—goddamn—good at this.”

She bobbed faster, hand stroking his base, spit dripping onto his balls. Then, with a mischievous glance up at him, she pulled off, spitting into her cleavage and pressing his cock between her tits.

“Not hot, huh?” she teased, bouncing her chest, his shaft sliding between her perky tits slick with spit. “Say it again.”

He groaned louder, gripping the desk for balance. “Shit—you’re still average. Just… filthy for an idol.”

Ahyeon giggled around him as she leaned in, sucking the head while squeezing her tits tighter. “Filthy’s better than boring.”

He was shaking now, his cock twitching as she switched moves—one moment titfucking, the next swirling her tongue around his tip, the next licking slowly from his balls to his head, moaning exaggeratedly just to mock him.

“Tick-tock,” she teased between licks. “Five minutes, right? Already sweating, oppa.”

His head fell back, groaning, “Fuckkk, Ahyeon—you’re insane—”

“Mm, say it louder,” she purred, sucking hard on his tip before shoving him deep down her throat until she gagged. She pulled off, strings of spit connecting her lips to his cock. “Say my group’s worthless again, I dare you.”

He lasted seconds more before his cock jerked in her hands. With a final moan, he spilled across her face and uniform, white streaks staining her cheeks, lips, and collar.

Ahyeon sat back, wiping cum from her lashes, glaring up at him with a playful pout. “You’re disgusting.”

He grinned down at her, panting. “Yeah? You still swallowed half.”

She flicked cum off her shirt, scrunching her nose. “Gross. Bet I still looked hot doing it though.”

He smirked, cock still twitching. “Hot enough to win the bet.”

Ahyeon stood, tugging down her ruined uniform top, cum still streaked across her cheek. She should’ve stormed out and left him panting in the detention room. She should’ve pretended none of it happened.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she smirked, lifted her skirt, and hooked her thumbs under her panties, dragging them down slow until the damp strip of cotton clung to her thighs. She stepped out of them, tossed them on his desk, and spread her legs just enough to make him swallow hard.

Her pussy glistened, wet from the blowjob she swore she hated giving.

“Your turn,” she said, voice low but smug. “Fair’s fair.”

He blinked, stunned. “Wait—you’re serious?”

She tilted her head, hands on her hips, eyes sharp but playful. “I just let you cum all over my face, oppa. You think I’m leaving here without getting mine?”

He laughed nervously, cock twitching even though he’d just emptied himself. “You’re crazy.”

“Crazy hot,” she corrected, stepping between his legs. She planted a knee on the desk and leaned in, grabbing a fistful of his hair to pull his head back. “Eat. Or I tell everyone an idol sucked you off in detention.”

His smirk faltered. “That’s blackmail.”

“That’s femdom,” she shot back, pressing her soaked pussy against his lips.

At first he resisted, lips tight, but she ground against him with a sharp roll of her hips, smearing wetness across his mouth. “Don’t make me say it again. I want your tongue.”

Finally, his lips parted. His tongue flicked tentatively against her slit.

Ahyeon moaned softly, eyes fluttering shut, thighs squeezing his head. “Mmm, that’s better. Good boy. Keep going.”

She rolled her hips, riding his face, one hand tangled in his hair, the other squeezing her own tit through her bra. Every lick made her wetter, dripping down his chin onto his collar.

He groaned against her, muffled, and she laughed breathlessly. “Oh, don’t act like you don’t love it. You called me average, remember? Not so average now, huh?”

Her moans grew louder, shameless, bouncing against the empty classroom walls. “Ahhh—fuck, right there—yes, oppa, eat it like you mean it—”

She pressed down harder, grinding against his mouth, using him like a toy. Her clit rubbed his tongue with every motion, her pussy trembling.

Then she yanked his hair back, panting, sweat shining on her chest. “Lick my ass too. Or are you too scared?”

His eyes widened, but she only smirked, pushing back until his tongue traced lower. She moaned wickedly, rocking against his face. “That’s it. Bet you didn’t think detention would end like this.”

At first he resisted, lips tight, but she ground against him with a sharp roll of her hips, smearing wetness across his mouth. “Don’t make me say it again. I want your tongue.”

Finally, his lips parted. His tongue flicked tentatively against her slit.

Ahyeon moaned softly, eyes fluttering shut, thighs squeezing his head. “Mmm, that’s better. Good boy. Keep going.”

She rolled her hips, riding his face, one hand tangled in his hair, the other squeezing her own tit through her bra. Every lick made her wetter, dripping down his chin onto his collar.

He groaned against her, muffled, and she laughed breathlessly. “Oh, don’t act like you don’t love it. You called me average, remember? Not so average now, huh?”

Her moans grew louder, shameless, bouncing against the empty classroom walls. “Ahhh—fuck, right there—yes, oppa, eat it like you mean it—”

She pressed down harder, grinding against his mouth, using him like a toy. Her clit rubbed his tongue with every motion, her pussy trembling.

Then she yanked his hair back, panting, sweat shining on her chest. “Lick my ass too. Or are you too scared?”

His eyes widened, but she only smirked, pushing back until his tongue traced lower. She moaned wickedly, rocking against his face. “That’s it. Bet you didn’t think detention would end like this.”

Her thighs shook, pussy clenching. She leaned back, riding his tongue shamelessly, words tumbling out between moans. “Ahhh—fuck, I’m gonna cum—keep going, don’t stop—ahhh oppa, eat it alllll~”

Her orgasm hit hard, squirting against his lips, soaking his chin and shirt. She collapsed forward, hands braced on his shoulders, panting, sweat-damp hair sticking to her cheeks.

She looked down at him, his face dripping with her slick. “Guess I’m hotter than average after all.”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, dazed. “You’re insane.”

Ahyeon was still catching her breath, still smirking through the aftershocks of her orgasm, when he stood. His shadow loomed over her, his cock heavy, flushed, still slick from her spit.

She looked up at him with that bratty grin, cheeks flushed, hair sticking to her face. “What, detention boy? You gonna just stand there with that thing wagging at me?”

He grinned, sliding his cock against her pussy through her skirt, teasing the wet fabric until she gasped. Her smirk faltered, eyes locking with his.

Neither spoke.

And then he shoved her skirt up, pushed her panties aside, and slid in.

Her back slammed against the desk, papers scattering. She yelped, legs flying up as he drove into her with a single thrust.

“Ahhh—fuckkkk!” she cried, clutching the edge of the desk as his cock split her fresh pussy, walls squeezing tight around him.

He groaned, bending over her, face inches from hers. “Knew you were dripping for this.”

Her nails scratched his shoulders, her bratty smirk cracking into shameless moans. “N-nooo—you’re just—ahhh—fucking roughhh~”

Every thrust made the desk squeal across the floor. Her tits bounced under her uniform blouse, buttons straining until one popped, flashing the swell of her bra. He bent, biting her nipple through the fabric, making her squeal.

“Louder,” he growled, pounding harder.

She arched her back, her voice breaking, shameless now. “Ahhh—fuckkk oppaaa—yes yes yes—”

He dragged her up, spinning her to the chalkboard, pressing her tits against the cold surface. Chalk dust smeared her cheek as his cock slid back inside from behind.

She moaned into the wall, palms flat against it, ass slapping against his hips. “Godddd—it’s so dirty—detention’s not for thisss~”

“Sure it is,” he mocked, pounding her harder, pulling her hair back to make her arch. “Detention’s for teaching brats their place.”

Her eyes rolled, spit dripping down her chin as her cries echoed. “I-I’m nottt—a brattt—ahhh—”

Her pussy clenched around him, wetter with every thrust, juices dripping down her thighs. He slapped her ass, watching it ripple against the board.

“You’re dripping like you love it,” he hissed, fucking harder.

“Shut uppp—fuckkkk—you’re making me—ahhhhhh~” She squirted weakly against the wall, her body betraying her, sliding down the chalk-dusted surface.

He caught her before she collapsed, dropping into a chair and pulling her onto his lap. She straddled him, his cock sliding in deep, filling her to the hilt.

Her eyes went wide, lips trembling. “Ohhh—fuckkk—it’s so deep sitting like thisss~”

Her tits spilled as he ripped her blouse open, her bra askew. She covered her chest instinctively, but he yanked her arms away.

“Don’t hide. Ride me.”

She whimpered, rocking her hips slowly at first, grinding her clit against his pelvis. Then faster, bouncing in his lap, tits slapping against his chest.

Her moans were shameless now, her bratty voice turning sing-song between gasps. “Mmm yes yes—just like thatttt~ feels too fucking gooddd~”

He groaned, sucking her nipple into his mouth, teeth grazing. “Fuck, Ahyeon—you’re gonna make me cum like this.”

She smirked through her moans, grinding harder, her pussy milking him. “Good. Do it. Bet you can’t last if I fuck you back.”

Her orgasm ripped through her, squirting across his thighs as she moaned into his mouth, kissing him filthy. Her thighs were still trembling, her pussy swollen and dripping, when he slid back inside her slow. This time there was no pounding, no desk rattling, no sharp smack of skin.

Just deep, slow thrusts. His cock dragging along her soaked walls, pressing every spot, filling her until her toes curled.

She clung to him, sweaty palms sliding down his back, nails grazing. Their foreheads touched, lips brushing, moans slipping out between breaths.

“Fucking brat,” he muttered, grinding deeper, making her gasp.

She smirked through her moans, chest rising and falling. “Jerk… you’re just mad I made you cum so fast earlier.”

He kissed her hard, biting her lip, muffling her laugh. “Still came inside this tight little pussy. Bet you’ll be dripping me all week.”

Her giggle cracked into a moan, her hips rolling up to meet him. “Mmm—maybe I’ll let you. Better than peanut butter.”

His thrusts grew slower, deeper, each one deliberate, each one pulling a louder cry from her. Their eyes locked, both of them trying to hold the upper hand, both of them losing it with every moan.

“Say it,” he whispered, hips grinding. “Say you love this.”

Ahyeon tilted her head back, biting her lip, her bratty smile breaking into a cry. “F-fuck—you’re such a jerk—ahhh—”

Her pussy clenched hard around him, soaking his cock as her orgasm ripped through her, squirting weakly against his thighs. He groaned, pumping harder, until his cock pulsed deep inside her, spilling hot, thick cum into her womb.

They both shook, cumming together, her nails digging crescent moons into his skin as he groaned into her mouth.

He pulled out slow, his cum spilling from her pussy onto the floor. Ahyeon collapsed on her back, hair wild around her face, tits rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath.

But he wasn’t done.

He straddled her chest, cock slick with their mess, hovering over her lips. She pouted up at him, bratty even now. “Seriously? After all that? You’re disgusting.”

He smirked, tapping his cock against her cheek. “And you’re still gonna clean me.”

Her eyes rolled, but she opened her mouth anyway, taking him in slow, licking his length like candy.

Her hands slid to her tits, squeezing them together, teasing him with the sight of her body as she sucked. Her nipples were stiff, her chest glistening with sweat, her bratty little moans humming around his cock.

He groaned, looking down at her naked body, spread out on the dirty classroom floor, tits squeezed and bouncing as she serviced him.

“Fuck, Ahyeon. You’re such a dirty brat.”

She pulled off just long enough to smirk up at him, lips shiny with spit. “Maybe. But you’re still the jerk who fell for it.”