Annyeongz One-shots

32. Soft Impact

It was one of those mornings where the world felt too loud.

Students rushed through the hallway. Bags zipped. Lecturers called out reminders.
Yujin slipped through the crowd with his headphones on, sparing no attention to anything except the time on his phone.

10 minutes before training.

He turned the corner a bit too fast.

So did she.

A soft thud.
A stack of books fell to the floor.
A girl took a small step back, startled.

"I- I'm so sorry," she said immediately, bowing slightly.

Yujin blinked.
She had a gentle voice... soft enough to make him pull out his left earbud.

"No, it's my fault," he said quietly, kneeling down to pick up her books.

She moved at the same time, their hands brushing accidentally.

She froze.
He did too - surprised by how cold and small her hand felt.

"Here," he said quickly, placing the books into her arms and standing up again.

She looked up at him properly for the first time - big eyes, long lashes, a soft expression that didn't match the chaos around them.

"I... haven't seen you around before."
Her tone was polite, not flirting, just curious.

"I'm usually at the sports complex," Yujin answered.

Her eyes brightened slightly. "Ah... athlete?"

"Taekwondo," he said.

She smiled softly. "Must be exhausting."

For the first time that morning, Yujin felt his chest loosen.
A small, unfamiliar warmth.

He checked the time again. "I need to go. Sorry about earlier."

"It's okay," she said, clutching her books. "Thank you... for helping."

He nodded once and walked away.

She remained standing for a moment, watching him disappear into the crowd.

She didn't know his name.

He didn't know hers.

Wonyoung was turning the corner when it happened again.

A hard bump.
Her shoulder jerked backward, books slipping from her hands.
Yujin rushed past her so fast that the wind followed him.

He muttered a breathless, "Sorry!"
But he didn't even look back.

His bag swung violently behind him-and something black slid out without a sound.

Wonyoung noticed it the moment she bent down to pick up her books.

A folded belt.

Not just any belt.

A taekwondo black belt, embroidered in gold:

Ahn Yujin - 2nd Dan

She froze for half a second.

He was already gone, sprinting down the hallway.

Wonyoung pressed her lips together, carefully picked up the belt with both hands, and held it against her chest.
She didn't call out to him.
She wasn't the type to shout in a crowded corridor.

So she quietly walked toward the sports building.

He burst into the university taekwondo hall, dropping his bag and pulling out his dobok.