Under One Sky {한 하늘 아래}

Chapter 2: The Same Seat Twice

The faint scratching of chalk on the blackboard filled the room. Outside, sunlight filtered through half-closed blinds, casting lines of gold across worn desks and faded floor tiles. The classroom smelled faintly of dry-erase markers, old wood, and the lingering scent of someone's convenience store coffee.

But all Sejin could focus on was the boy sitting beside him.

He still couldn't believe it.

Out of everyone in the city—out of all the possible seats on all the subway cars, and all the universities in Seoul—he had walked in. The same boy. The one with the dimples. The one who had smiled at him like he wasn't just another forgettable face.

Joo.

Even his name lingered in Sejin's mind longer than it should have.

It was stupid, wasn't it? Letting a single shared subway ride throw off his whole sense of routine. But the way Joo had offered his seat—so casually kind, without expectation—had left a mark on Sejin. Most people didn't notice him. Even fewer went out of their way for him.

Joo had.

And now, he was seated beside him again like some ridiculous twist of fate had pressed rewind.

"Sorry again for being late," Joo whispered under his breath, glancing sideways.

Sejin blinked out of his thoughts. "It's okay. I was late too."

"Oh, so we're both bad at first impressions," Joo grinned.

Sejin couldn't help but smile back, though his eyes dropped shyly to the desk. He tapped the end of his pencil against the page. "You're... transferring here?"

"Yeah. I moved across town," Joo said, propping his cheek up with one hand. "Long commute now. Guess we'll be subway buddies."

Sejin's heart skipped.

Subway buddies?

He hoped Joo couldn't hear it pounding in his chest.

The professor turned back to face the class, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "Let's continue. We're picking up from Chapter 4 in the textbook. You should've read it already. If you didn't..." He shot a glance at the class. "Start praying."

Laughter rippled across the room. Joo laughed too, low and warm.

Sejin lowered his head and tried to focus, but his senses were attuned to every shift beside him. When Joo turned a page, his sleeve brushed Sejin's arm. When Joo reached down to grab a pen from his bag, his knee bumped Sejin's again. Each time, Sejin jolted slightly—only for Joo to chuckle under his breath and whisper a soft "Sorry."

But it wasn't a real sorry.

He wasn't pulling away.

Neither was Sejin.

After the lecture, most students packed up quickly, rushing to claim lunch or escape the building's ancient ventilation system. Sejin lingered, carefully tucking away his notes, unwilling to leave just yet.

"So," Joo said, stretching his arms overhead with a groan that made his hoodie lift slightly, revealing a sliver of toned stomach. "This class isn't as boring as I thought it'd be."

Sejin tried very hard not to look. "Really? I thought it was kind of... dull."

Joo shrugged. "Maybe it's just the company."

Sejin blinked.

"I meant you," Joo clarified with a smile.

"Oh."