Love in the Halls [Lee Donghyuck]

Chapter 1: The Unsettling New Seatmate

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"Class, we have a new seating arrangement," Mr. Kim announced, his voice slicing through the low murmur of the students in Room 304. "Check the chart on the board and take your new seats."

Narae watched as a ripple of movement spread through the room. Chairs scraped against the floor, and students reluctantly got up to look at the seating chart posted at the front. She stayed seated for a moment, dreading what she might see. Her spot by the window had been a small blessing—a quiet corner where she could exist without drawing attention, where the low hum of the class faded into background noise. With a sigh, she pushed herself up and joined the line of students gathering around the chart.

Her eyes scanned the names quickly, stopping when she found her own. The desk next to hers had a new name listed: Lee Donghyuck, or as everyone called him, Haechan. Narae felt her heart sink. Of all people, it had to be Haechan. He wasn't the most popular guy in school, but he was well-known enough—always surrounded by friends, the kind of person who walked into a room and instantly filled it with energy. Haechan had a reputation for being outgoing, the type to crack jokes with the teacher and never back down from a dare.

Narae knew him the way you knew most people in school—not well, but well enough. They'd been in the same class for a while, but their interactions were limited to polite nods in the hallway or the occasional passing of a handout during group work. Haechan didn't pay much attention to her, and she preferred it that way. He was a whirlwind, a constant buzz of activity, and Narae valued her peace too much to get caught up in his orbit.

The door swung open, and Haechan strolled in, flanked by Mark and Chenle, his closest friends. They were laughing about something, their voices rising above the general classroom noise. Haechan's dark hair flopped into his eyes, and he brushed it back with an easy flick of his hand. His gaze swept the room, casually taking in the new seating arrangement before he made his way over to Narae's corner. He barely glanced at her as he set his bag down on the floor and took his seat.

"Hey," he said in a casual, almost absent-minded tone, more of an acknowledgment than a greeting.

Narae nodded, mumbling a quiet "hey" in return, her eyes fixed on her notebook. She could feel the familiar sense of discomfort bubbling up—an awareness that her sanctuary was no longer hers alone. The desk felt smaller with Haechan sitting beside her, the space around her tinged with his presence. He was close enough that she could smell the faint scent of cologne mixed with the detergent from his clothes. It was not unpleasant, just another reminder of his existence in her world.

Mr. Kim started the lesson, and Narae tried to focus, scribbling down notes as if her life depended on it. Next to her, Haechan tapped his pen against his notebook in a steady rhythm, a quiet drumming that somehow managed to echo in Narae's ears. She glanced sideways, watching him from her peripheral vision. He was staring out the window, a faraway look in his eyes, as if his mind was somewhere far more interesting than this classroom.

Narae couldn't help but notice the way his friends would glance over occasionally, checking in on him, sharing inside jokes with a raise of their eyebrows or a suppressed smile. It was clear Haechan was the glue that held his group together, the kind of person who made everyone around him feel included, even if he wasn't trying to.

As the class went on, Haechan's presence became a subtle undercurrent, a distraction that Narae couldn't shake. She'd never really paid much attention to him before, but now, with him sitting right beside her, it was impossible not to notice the way he fidgeted when he was bored or the quiet sigh he let out when Mr. Kim droned on for too long.

When the bell finally rang, Narae gathered her things quickly, eager to retreat to the library for some solitude. Haechan was already up, grabbing his bag and flashing a smile at Mark, who had wandered over to discuss their plans for lunch. Narae slipped past them, keeping her head down, her mind buzzing with the knowledge that her quiet corner was no longer just hers. The thought filled her with a mix of irritation and unease.

It was only the first day of the new seating arrangement, but Narae could already tell that sharing a desk with Haechan was going to be anything but quiet. And for someone who craved peace as much as she did, that realization was unsettling.

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