The Choice of Life | Han Taesan

Synopsis:

Han Taesan and Jeong Lee-an-better known as Ian-have been inseparable since childhood. Ian, with her boundless energy and natural charm, makes friends effortlessly, lighting up every room she enters. Taesan, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Reserved and sharp-witted, he never tries to stand in the spotlight-except when it comes to Ian. He knows her better than anyone: her habits, her fears, the little things that make her happy.

But what Taesan refuses to admit, even to himself, is that he loves her.

Then, on the first day of high school, Ian meets Woonhak. He's everything she never realized she was looking for-lively, charismatic, and effortlessly fun. More than that, he mirrors her playful personality in a way that feels like fate. The moment their eyes meet, something clicks. Her heart races in a way it never has before, and suddenly, Taesan wasn't the only boy in her world.

Taesan watches it happen. Watches as Ian falls headfirst into a new kind of excitement, her attention no longer solely on him. He tells himself it doesn't bother him. That it doesn't matter. But as Ian gets closer to Woonhak, Taesan is forced to confront the truth he has been running from: What if Ian was never meant to look at him that way?

And what if he can't keep pretending that's okay?