As the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Leehan reluctantly stood up and grabbed his bag. He could feel his mind still lingering on the mysterious guy from yesterday, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now—class was starting.

Jaehyun stretched and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Well, I guess it’s back to the grind. You coming, Leehan?" he asked, giving him a playful nudge.
Leehan snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Just trying to figure out how to find that guy."

Jaehyun shook his head, clearly amused. "You’re seriously obsessed with this now, huh?"

Leehan gave him a wry smile. "I can’t help it.”

Woonhak groaned as he grabbed his things. "If this turns into another one of your wild daydreams, I swear, I’m not listening."

Leehan laughed and walked with them toward the classroom, but his mind kept drifting back to the guy. There was something about the encounter that wouldn’t let him go.

Just as they were heading out of the cafeteria, Sungho appeared, walking toward them with a warm smile. He was holding his bag and looking apologetic.

"Sorry, guys," Sungho called out, stopping in front of Riwoo.

"I didn’t get to eat with you today because of that project. You good to walk to class together?" He looked at Riwoo, his boyfriend, who had been quietly finishing his food.

Riwoo looked up, a little surprised but smiled. "It’s fine.. We can walk together."

"Alright, lovebirds, no need to get all mushy” Woonhak teased.

Sungho shot Woonhak a teasing but stern look. "Hey, watch it, Woonhak. Don’t forget the honorifics.”

Woonhak blinked in surprise, giving him an exaggerated shrug. "What? It was just a joke!"

"Yeah, well, just because you’re the youngest doesn’t mean you can skip the basics," Sungho said, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.

Riwoo chuckled, shaking his head. "It’s fine, hyung. Woonhak didn’t mean anything by it."

Woonhak raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, no need to be so serious. I’ll use honorifics next time HYUNG, jeez."

Leehan chuckled, his attention drifting away again as he thought about the guy from yesterday. He was still distracted, though the easy banter made him smile.

Jaehyun noticed Leehan’s faraway look and nudged him. "Anyway, we should head to class. Looks like it’s going to be one of those days."

Leehan smiled absentmindedly, barely hearing Jaehyun’s words. "Yeah, sure." He waved at Sungho and Riwoo as they walked off toward their next class. "See you guys later."

As they parted ways, Leehan’s thoughts once again turned to the mystery. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had to figure it out. There was no way he could just forget about it. He followed Jaehyun to their class, his mind still spinning with questions.

___

The bell rang, signaling the start of class. Leehan sighed, feeling the weight of his thoughts settling in as he walked into the classroom. He tossed his bag onto the desk and sat down just as Jaehyun plopped next to him, nudging him with a lazy grin.

"You still thinking about that guy?" Jaehyun asked, amusement mixing with mild exasperation.

Leehan didn’t answer immediately. He rested his chin on his hand, letting his eyes drift around the room as his mind wandered. What was it about that guy?
He wasn’t obsessed, not exactly. But there was something strange about that encounter yesterday. It stuck with him in a way he couldn’t explain.

Jaehyun raised an eyebrow, sensing the distraction. "Hey oddball, focus, we're in class, not at the park."

Leehan snapped out of his thoughts, offering Jaehyun a sheepish grin. "Yeah, sorry hyung. I’ll try. But... honestly, I can’t help it. Still can’t shake that guy."

Jaehyun chuckled, clearly amused. "Dude, you’re acting like you ran into a celebrity or something."

Leehan shook his head, laughing at himself a little. "No... it's just like there's a missing piece to the puzzle, hyung. I can't figure it out—"

The teacher walked in then, cutting the conversation short. The classroom fell silent, and Leehan felt that familiar tightness in his chest. The walls of the room, usually comforting, suddenly felt a little too close, especially with his mind still swirling with thoughts of the guy.

Focus, focus. He told himself, but it was easier said than done. The guy’s face kept popping up in his mind like an inconvenient thought he couldn’t ignore.

Jaehyun had already started scribbling notes, but Leehan? His pen hovered above the page, the words on the board a distant blur. Time dragged on, each minute stretching longer than the last. Leehan glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed, but it felt like hours.

His skin tingled, the sense that something important was slipping by making him restless.

Then, just as his thoughts began to crawl under his skin, the door creaked open. Leehan’s heart skipped a beat. No way. But when his eyes landed on the newcomer, there he was—the guy from yesterday.

Leehan’s stomach gave a small flip, and before he could stop it, adrenaline surged through him. The guy paused at the door, scanning the room, and their eyes met for the briefest moment.
Leehan blinked, almost startled by the sudden recognition. It wasn’t like they’d known each other forever, but something in the way their gazes connected felt oddly... familiar.

The guy quickly looked away and moved to an empty desk at the back.
Jaehyun, noticing Leehan’s wide-eyed stare, raised an eyebrow. "What’s going on now? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

Leehan didn’t even have time to respond. He muttered, almost to himself, "He’s here."

"The guy from yesterday," he added with a shrug, not sure why it sounded so significant to him now.

Jaehyun frowned, following Leehan’s gaze. "Oh. Weird. I didn’t know he was in our class."

Leehan’s pulse quickened just a bit, but it was more out of curiosity than obsession. He had to admit, it was strange. The guy wasn’t supposed to be here. Was this fate or just coincidence?

The teacher started the lesson, but Leehan couldn’t keep his attention. His gaze kept drifting toward the guy in the back of the room, who seemed deep in thought. There was this unspoken pull, a weird curiosity that made it hard to focus on anything else. But it wasn’t intense, more like an itch that couldn’t be scratched.

The rest of the class felt like it dragged on forever. Leehan’s hand hovered over his notebook, but he wasn’t really writing anything down. His thoughts kept wandering back to that guy—Was he in the same class by accident?

Finally, the bell rang, and Leehan didn’t waste a second. He grabbed his stuff in a blur, moving almost on instinct. Jaehyun and the others were still chatting by the front, completely oblivious to Leehan’s quiet mission.

He made his way to the back of the room, each step carrying him closer to whatever this strange connection was. His nerves hummed with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. It wasn’t about obsession. It was just... he had to know.

As he passed by the guy’s desk, he took a deep breath. This was his chance.

He had to say something.

___

1214 words ‼️😼 (proud)