Midterms arrived like a storm.
Sudden. Heavy. Unavoidable.
The entire school felt suffocated by it.
Stacks of review packets. Late-night study sessions. Teachers suddenly acting like military commanders.
Seat 3B became a battlefield again.
But something had shifted.
Seo-yeon and Ji-hoon still competed.
Still compared answers. Still challenged each other.
But now—
There was warmth beneath it.
Small things.
He'd slide a chocolate milk onto her desk without looking at her. She'd underline formulas she knew he tended to forget.
No one noticed.
Except Min-jung.
And she had stopped pretending not to care.
The first exam — Korean Literature — ended quietly.
Students groaned as they handed in papers.
Ji-hoon capped his pen and glanced sideways.
"How was it?"
"Fine," Seo-yeon replied confidently.
"You hesitated on question 17."
Her eyes widened. "You noticed?"
"You tap your pen when you're unsure."
Her stomach flipped.
"You observe too much."
He shrugged faintly. "Only what matters."
She smiled despite herself.
Across the room—
Min-jung watched.
And this time—
Her smile was gone.
The confrontation came after school.
Of course it did.
Seo-yeon was packing her bag when someone blocked the light above her desk.
Min-jung.
Perfect posture. Perfect hair. Perfectly sharpened expression.
"Can we talk?"
It wasn't a request.
Ji-hoon looked up slowly.
Seo-yeon felt it — the subtle shift in air.
"I'll meet you at the library," Ji-hoon said quietly.
Not possessive. Not defensive.
Just calm.
That calmness irritated Min-jung more than anything.
Seo-yeon followed her out.
They stopped near the empty stairwell.
The echoing kind. The kind where voices linger.
Min-jung turned.
"Are you enjoying this?"
Seo-yeon blinked. "Excuse me?"
"The attention."
Her voice was controlled. Too controlled.
"I'm not doing anything."
"That's exactly the problem."
Seo-yeon's brows drew together.
"Ji-hoon doesn't get distracted. He doesn't slip."
"And he's slipping?" Seo-yeon asked quietly.
Min-jung stepped closer.
"He scored second on the math mock exam last week."
Seo-yeon froze.
Second?
Her chest tightened slightly.
"You think that's my fault?"
"I think you showed up and suddenly his priorities shifted."
The words stung more than she expected.
"He made his own choices," Seo-yeon replied steadily.
Min-jung's gaze sharpened.
"You don't understand what's at stake."
"I understand rumors. I understand pressure. I understand being judged."
"That's not what I mean."
Silence.
Then—
"His father has expectations," Min-jung said. "And they don't include you."
The words were sharp.
Precise.
Designed to cut.
Seo-yeon inhaled slowly.
"I didn't ask to be included."
"But you are."
That was the truth neither of them could ignore.
Min-jung's voice softened slightly.
"You'll leave eventually."
Seo-yeon's chest tightened.
"People like you always do."
The old wound reopened.
Busan.
Rumors.
Escape.
Min-jung tilted her head slightly.
"So if you care about him, you'll step back."
There it was.
The line drawn clearly between them.
Seo-yeon didn't answer immediately.
Because part of her— The insecure part— Wondered if Min-jung was right.
What if she was a distraction?
What if she was temporary?
But then she remembered—
"You won't."
"I can promise I won't believe them."
Her chin lifted slightly.
"No."
Min-jung's eyes flickered.
"I'm not stepping back."
Silence filled the stairwell.
"You're confident," Min-jung said coolly.
"I'm tired of running."
That landed.
Harder than anger would have.
For a split second—
Min-jung looked almost… disappointed.
Not furious.
Not jealous.
Just—
Defeated.
"You think he'll choose you?" she asked softly.
Seo-yeon's voice didn't shake this time.
"I don't need him to choose."
Min-jung's brows furrowed.
"I just need him to decide for himself."
A long pause.
Then Min-jung stepped back.
"Midterm results come out Friday."
Her eyes lingered.
"Let's see how confident you feel then."
She walked away.
And for the first time since moving to Seoul—
Seo-yeon felt fear creep back in.
That night at the library—
Ji-hoon noticed immediately.
"You're quieter."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
He closed his textbook.
"What did she say?"
Seo-yeon stared at the table.
"She said you ranked second."
He didn't respond.
So it was true.
"And?" he asked calmly.
"And… that I'm distracting you."
He studied her face carefully.
"Do you think that?"
"I don't know."
That was the honest answer.
He leaned back in his chair slightly.
"Seo-yeon."
She looked up.
"I've been first place my entire life."
She blinked.
"That doesn't sound like a complaint."
"It isn't."
His gaze softened.
"But it was never mine."
Her breath caught.
"It was my father's."
The words hung between them.
Heavy.
Real.
"When I scored second," he continued quietly, "I waited for him to be angry."
"And?"
"He wasn't."
Her brows knitted slightly.
"He asked me if I was tired."
Seo-yeon's heart squeezed painfully.
Ji-hoon gave a small, almost amused exhale.
"I didn't know how to answer."
The pressure.
The expectations.
The image everyone had of him.
Perfect. Untouchable.
"But you're not tired," she said softly.
He looked at her.
"I don't know."
That vulnerability again.
Rare. Unpolished.
"I don't want you to lose things because of me," she whispered.
He stood slowly.
Walked around the table.
Stopped in front of her.
"You think I'm that weak?"
"No—"
"Then don't decide for me."
Her heart stilled.
He crouched slightly so their eyes were level.
"I like you."
Steady.
Certain.
"And if I fall to third place tomorrow, that's my responsibility."
Her throat tightened.
"Ji-hoon…"
"You're not a distraction."
His hand reached for hers again.
Familiar now.
Comforting.
"You're a choice."
The word settled deep.
Choice.
Not accident. Not mistake. Not weakness.
She squeezed his fingers lightly.
"Then choose well," she whispered.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"I always do."
Friday came too quickly.
The entire class buzzed as results were posted on the board.
Students crowded forward.
Whispers spreading like electricity.
Seo-yeon stood still.
Heart racing.
Ji-hoon beside her.
Close enough to feel his warmth.
Min-jung stood on the other side.
Tension crackling invisibly between them.
Someone read aloud—
"First place… Han Seo-yeon."
Silence.
Then gasps.
Her ears rang.
First?
She pushed through the crowd.
Eyes scanning.
There it was.
Han Seo-yeon
Lee Ji-hoon
Kang Min-jung
Her heart pounded violently.
She turned slowly.
Ji-hoon met her gaze.
No anger.
No resentment.
Just—
Pride.
Min-jung's expression didn't crack.
But something shifted in her eyes.
The balance had changed.
Seo-yeon swallowed.
"I didn't mean to—"
Ji-hoon stepped closer.
Lowered his voice.
"You earned it."
Min-jung turned away first.
Walking back to her desk without a word.
Seo-yeon stared at the board again.
First place.
Not because of rivalry.
Not because of survival.
But because she stopped running.
Ji-hoon leaned closer slightly.
"Looks like I'm the distraction now."
She laughed softly.
Relief flooding her chest.
"No," she whispered.
"You're my competition."
His eyes warmed.
"Good."
Outside the classroom windows—
The last traces of snow finally began to melt.
And for the first time—
Seo-yeon didn't feel like she was trying to survive winter.
She felt like she was winning in it.