In the Time between

Jo Hyera still remembered the first time she met Lee Jun. He wasn't her tutor, but her younger brother's. A high school senior at the time, Jun was bright, kind, and endlessly patient. Hyera was just a quiet middle schooler then, peeking shyly into her brother's room, pretending she wasn't interested.

But she was.

From that day on, Jun never left her heart.

Three years wasn't much, but it was enough to make him feel distant-already heading toward his own future while she was still stuck in her textbooks. By the time she entered fourth year high school, Jun was packing his bags for college. Hyera could only watch him leave, carrying her feelings in silence.

That was when she made her decision.

If she couldn't close the age gap, she would close the distance. She studied harder than ever, late nights blending into early mornings, all for one goal: to pass the entrance exam of the university Jun had chosen.

And when she finally received her acceptance letter, she clutched it to her chest with trembling hands.

She was going to see him again.