In a bustling high school in Seoul, every student has a unique "temperature"-an unseen atmosphere that they carry, shaped by their personalities, friendships, and dreams. For some, it's a cold front of distance and mystery; for others, a warm glow of kindness. But in the fast-moving currents of high school life, these temperatures can shift without warning. Seongwoo Kim, a quiet, observant student who blends into the background, has always been good at reading others' "temperatures." He thinks he has everyone figured out-until he meets Jihoon Park, a transfer student with a frosty exterior but unexpected warmth beneath the surface..
Chapter 1 Prologue
The classroom was filled with laughter and murmurs as students gathered around in small clusters, animatedly sharing weekend plans and catching up on the latest gossip. Seongwoo Kim sat by the window, his gaze drifting past the noisy crowd to the clear autumn sky outside, where the leaves were just beginning to turn shades of amber and gold.
The start of the school year was always the same. New faces, new uniforms, but the same rhythms of high school life. For Seongwoo, it was all about finding his place on the sidelines, watching everything and everyone from a safe distance.
People often said he was good at reading others, as if emotions were written plainly on their faces. And maybe, in some way, he was. He could tell when someone was upset even if they smiled, or when a friend tried to hide excitement by playing it cool.
These subtle shifts-the "Temperature" of people-were something Seongwoo sensed naturally.
But sensing didn't mean understanding. And understanding didn't mean belonging.
It wasn't that he disliked people; he simply preferred observing them from afar. He knew the warmth and light of being close to others could be blinding. Relationships had a way of burning brightly, only to fade out into ashes. It was safer to be on the edges, watching from a distance, unseen but aware.
Seongwoo's quiet reverie was interrupted when a teacher entered, followed by a student with a posture so rigid he looked like he'd rather disappear. The classroom fell silent, curious eyes drawn to the unfamiliar face.
"This is Jihoon Park," the teacher announced. "He's joining us as a transfer student, so please help him feel welcome."
Jihoon stood by the teacher's side, expression unreadable, eyes cast down. Seongwoo noticed the subtle tension in Jihoon's shoulders, the cool distance in his gaze that kept the class at bay.
There was something about him that felt... chilly. Almost as if he'd built a wall no one could cross, an unspoken barrier between himself and everyone else.
The teacher assigned Jihoon the empty seat in the back, right next to Seongwoo. As Jihoon walked past, his eyes briefly met Seongwoo's-a fleeting, guarded look that carried a strange intensity. In that brief glance, Seongwoo felt a flicker of something he couldn't name, something hidden behind the coldness in Jihoon's gaze.
Just as quickly, Jihoon looked away, his face settling back into an indifferent mask. But the feeling lingered, a sense of intrigue warming within Seongwoo, like a single spark igniting in the chilly autumn air.
For the first time, he couldn't quite read someone's "temperature." And for the first time, he wanted to.
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