I still recognize you

1. Our eyes met

A new school year was beginning. Eighth grade.

Felix stood in front of his new school, his backpack slung over one shoulder and his heart pounding in his chest. The building loomed before him, imposing and elegant, with walls as white as fresh snow and huge windows so polished that they reflected the morning sun as if they were mirrors. Everything about that place screamed money. Prestige. Power.

Seonghwa High School, the most famous private school in Seoul.

Felix swallowed hard.

He couldn't understand how his parents had managed to pay for something like that, especially after the move and given their tight financial situation. Still, he wasn't going to let that opportunity go to waste. He never did. Studying was his thing. Giving it his all, too.

"Come on... you can do this," he muttered to himself, gripping the handle of his backpack.

He took a step forward, determined to start the school year off on the right foot.

But that confidence lasted exactly as long as it took him to walk through the front door.

As soon as he walked in, he felt eyes piercing him like needles. The air was thick with expensive cologne, designer clothes, and a haughty confidence that made his skin crawl. Soft laughter, whispered comments, confident footsteps. People who thought they were above everyone else simply because they'd been born with a silver spoon in their mouths.

Oh my God...

Felix lowered his head slightly and began walking down the hallways, feeling increasingly disoriented. He turned left. Then right. He went up some stairs. Then back down again. He felt like he'd spent half his life wandering around like a headless chicken.

Until, finally, a voice snapped him out of his trance.

"Hey... are you lost?"

Felix looked up and found himself face-to-face with a girl with light brown hair in a butterfly cut and a sincere smile. She didn't seem to be looking down on him. And, to his relief, she was about his height.

"You must be the new kid," she added. "My name is Nora. Are you looking for something?"

Her friendly, almost welcoming tone made Felix relax a little.

"I-I was looking for the principal's office..." he replied in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Oh, right. It's a little hidden," she laughed softly. "Come on, I'll take you there."

Felix nodded and followed her, grateful. They went up to the top floor, where the silence was almost solemn. At the end of the hallway, an oak door stood before them, with doorknobs that looked like... gold?

They take being rich very seriously, he thought.

Felix took a deep breath.

"T-thank you..." he whispered to Nora, barely audibly.

She gave him another smile before leaving. Felix raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Meanwhile...

Seo-jun was fast asleep in his own mansion, oblivious to the world. The sun streamed in through the huge windows of his bedroom when, still half-asleep, he turned his head and glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

8:20AM

He rolled over, settling back into the warm sheets... until his brain processed the information.

He sat up with a start.

"WHAT?!" he exclaimed. "School starts at 8:30! I'm late!"

He jumped out of bed, got dressed at lightning speed, and ran down the stairs two at a time. In the kitchen, an endless table full of food awaited him: fruit cut with precision, hot dishes, freshly squeezed juices, and perfect pastries.