Late autumn settled over the city like a quiet breath, and everywhere in South Korea, one sound seemed to echo the loudest, pages turning. Students across the nation were bent over textbooks, flashcards, and problem sets, chasing the one exam that could rearrange the trajectory of their entire lives, the CSAT.
But on Yeonhwa Street, things were different.
While the rest of the country cheered for their children and prayed for perfect scores, the elders of Yeonhwa Street gathered in the cramped back room of the community center. The ceiling was low, the air smelled faintly of dried herbs and old wood, and the elders argued with the kind of fire that only comes from people who have lived long enough to lose too much.
They weren't discussing exams.
They were discussing survival.
"Redevelopment?" Mr. Jo scoffed, slamming his cane against the floor. "To them it's development. To us it's erasing our memories."
"We built our lives here," Mrs. Han whispered, her eyes glossing with something deeper than nostalgia. "You cannot redevelop belonging."
But teenagers, even the ones who listened carefully at home, had their own battles to fight.
Jung Hae-Min was juggling sports practice, weekend scrimmages, and a family that never felt like home. His stepmother's voice was a constant blade, and his father's expectations were a chain he carried around like invisible weight.
Ha Yoon was splitting herself between textbooks and long shifts at Mr. Wang's convenience store. She studied between customers, dictionary-thin books spread open beside the cash register. She smiled through her exhaustion because that was the kind of girl she was, gentle on the outside, but carved from determination.
And Min Seon-woo…
While other kids crammed for the exam, he was busy keeping his life from collapsing. A drunk father whose gambling friends shouted until dawn. A mother whose health was fading like fabric left too long in the sun. A little sister who still believed he could fix everything.
No one ever taught Seon-woo how to hope.
But he knew how to endure.
On the morning of the CSAT, the city seemed to move in slow motion. Parents bowed in front of school gates. Volunteers handed out hot packs and chocolates for good luck.
Ha Yoon met Seon-woo at the bus stop.
They didn't talk much. They didn't need to.
And when they reached the exam hall, the world became strangely quiet, like the city was holding its breath.
Hours later, when it was all over, everyone stumbled out with dazed eyes, like survivors crawling out of the same wreckage, relieved to still be breathing.
As dusk fell, Ha Yoon walked toward her apartment building, her bag slipping from her tired shoulder. She was replaying exam questions in her head when she froze.
Jung Hae-Min was standing in front of her building, leaning against his bike like he'd been waiting for hours, pretending he hadn't.
She blinked.
"H-How… what are you doing here?"
He lifted one hand in a shy wave, his smile boyish and unsure.
"Oh— I asked some of your friends where you lived. I hope you don't mind."
Before she could answer, someone else stepped into the scene.
Seon-woo, carrying two grocery bags, stopped short when he saw them.
"Oh… you live here too?" Hae-Min asked, cheerful as always.
"Yeah," Seon-woo said flatly. "Why are you here?"
"I came to ask Ha Yoon if she can come to my birthday party tomorrow," Hae-Min replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um… you're also welcome to come."
"I'm not available," Seon-woo said, voice cool and unreadable.
Hae-Min blinked, laughed awkwardly, then looked at Ha Yoon again.
"I hope you'll come."
"We will," she said gently. "Thank you for asking."
When Hae-Min left, Seon-woo immediately turned to her.
"I'm not going."
"He came all the way here, Canon," she said, nudging him. "You can't be that cold."
He avoided her eyes. "I'm asking seriously. Are you comfortable going?"
The worry in his voice softened her.
"I'll be fine," she said. "Really."
He exhaled slowly. "If you say so."
She grinned.
"Great. Then I need to choose an outfit for you."
"What?"
"Come on." She grabbed his arm. "Let's go."
Her choosing the clothes, his eyes betraying him
She greeted his mother politely when they entered the small apartment, then dragged him into his room with the authority of someone twice her size.
Clothes flew off hangers. Sweatshirts landed on the bed. She held shirts against his chest, squinting like an artist trying to match colors.
"This one! It makes you look decent and not like someone who threatens people at bus stops."
He glared.
She laughed.
Then without meaning to, he looked at her.
Really looked.
Her hair falling over one shoulder.
Her face glowing in the soft yellow bulb.
Her hands busy, yet delicate.
"What?" she asked, catching him.
"I'm not staring at you," he said instantly.
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Their bickering escalated until she stepped back, tripped on a pile of clothes, and fell right into him.
They toppled onto the bed, tangled, breathless, their faces suddenly too close.
For one suspended heartbeat, the world disappeared.
No exams.
No parents.
No heavy futures.
Just the sound of her breath against his neck.
Just the feeling of his heartbeat beneath her palm.
Then
A sharp knock on the door.
They jolted apart, both of them flushed and pretending nothing happened.
--------------------
The next morning, before classes began, their homeroom teacher summoned the three of them to the staff office.
"Jung Hae-Min," he said, flipping through a file, eyes bright with pride.
"You have been selected for the Hanyang University sports-talent scholarship, one of the most competitive in the country."
A future in the K-League opened before Hae-Min like a doorway he was finally allowed to walk through.
"Ha Yoon," the teacher continued.
"You've earned the Hanyang academic excellence scholarship. Faculty of law."
Her breath caught. She covered her mouth, eyes shining.
"And Min Seon-woo," the teacher said softly.
"Your design portfolio was accepted into Hanyang's art and jewelry program. You've been granted a talent scholarship."
Seon-woo blinked, stunned. For a moment he wasn't the boy weighed down by responsibilities. He looked almost… young.
And just like that
three lives that had always run parallel finally met at the same future.
Different paths.
Different battles.
One university.
They didn't know it yet, but everything was about to change.