Damilola tightened his tie for the third time.
It still looked wrong.
He studied his reflection in the mirror beside the apartment door, turning slightly left, then right.
Behind him, something sizzled in the kitchen.
"Dami!" his mother called. "You'll be late!"
"I'm coming!"
He grabbed his bag and stepped into the kitchen.
His father sat at the table scrolling through his phone while his mother placed eggs and toast in front of him.
"You barely eat in the morning," she said. "That's why you look tired."
"I'm not tired."
"You look tired."
He smiled faintly and started eating.
The small TV mounted in the corner of the kitchen suddenly switched channels.
A news jingle played.
"Breaking news this morning!"
All three of them glanced up.
On the screen, a reporter stood inside a bright new subway station.
"Today marks the grand opening of Seoul's newest metro line!"
Footage showed a sleek silver train sliding into the platform while people gathered nearby taking pictures.
"This new system promises faster transportation across the city."
Damilola barely paid attention.
His mother did.
"Ooo, that looks nice," she said.
His father nodded.
"Everyone will want to try it."
Damilola finished eating, grabbed his bag, and headed for the door.
"I'm leaving!"
"Have a good day!" his mother called after him.
The door shut behind him.
Tae-hyun sat quietly on the edge of his bed, tying his shoelaces.
His parents' voices drifted through the apartment from the living room.
"I'm worried about him," his mother said.
"You worry too much," his father replied.
"He barely talks anymore."
"He's a teenager."
"That's not what I mean."
Tae-hyun opened his door and stepped into the hallway.
His parents looked up immediately.
"Oh! Tae-hyun," his mother said, walking toward him. "Are you okay?"
He nodded.
"I made breakfast," she said gently. "Your favorite."
He shook his head.
"I'll go early today."
Her smile faltered.
"…Early?"
He grabbed his bag.
As he turned toward the door, the television suddenly grew louder.
"Breaking news this morning!"
The same train appeared on screen.
"Seoul's newest metro line opens today!"
The camera showed crowds gathering around the station.
Tae-hyun paused for a moment.
Then he left.
Min-jun sprinted across the school field.
Cold air burned in his lungs as he pushed through another lap.
He slowed to a stop and wiped sweat from his forehead.
Practice before school had become routine.
Inside the locker room, steam filled the air as he turned on the shower.
A TV mounted in the corner played the morning news.
"—the first rides will begin later today!"
Min-jun glanced up briefly as the camera showed the sleek train arriving at the station.
"Seoul's newest metro line is expected to cut travel times by nearly thirty percent."
Min-jun shrugged.
He grabbed a towel and checked his phone.
A new message appeared.
Your mother is back. She wants to see you.
His expression darkened instantly.
"…Of course she does."
He shoved the phone into his pocket.
A black car rolled slowly out of the gates of a large mansion.
Inside the backseat, Yuna Run sat silently while a man in a suit read from a tablet.
"School until three thirty," he said. "Volleyball training until five. Mathematics tutoring at six."
Yuna stared out the window as the city passed by.
The car display suddenly switched to a live news broadcast.
"Today marks the opening of Seoul's newest metro line!"
The same train appeared again.
Crowds filled the platform.
Students.
Office workers.
Families.
Her father's assistant glanced at the screen.
"That will probably be very crowded today."
Yuna didn't respond.
Kang Soo-min poured coffee into a mug while reading through a stack of printed worksheets.
His apartment was perfectly organized.
Not a single object out of place.
The television in the living room played the same news broadcast.
"The city expects thousands of passengers to try the new metro line today!"
Soo-min barely looked up.
He was focused on the papers.
One sheet caught his attention.
Adebayo, Damilola
Every answer correct.
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"…Interesting."
He placed the paper back into the stack and picked up his briefcase.
By the time Damilola reached the school gate, the campus was already buzzing with noise.
Students gathered in groups near the entrance.
Someone kicked a soccer ball across the field.
Laughter echoed across the courtyard.
Damilola walked past them quietly.
The hallway smelled faintly of chalk and cleaning spray.
He adjusted the sleeve of his uniform as he walked down the hallway, trying not to look at the students who were already staring.
He was used to it now.
Mostly.
Two girls standing near the window whispered as he passed.
He didn't hear what they said.
He didn't want to.
He pushed open the classroom door and stepped inside.
A few heads turned.
Min-jun Lee was already there, leaning back in his chair with one leg stretched out into the aisle. His sports jacket was tied around his waist, and he looked like he had already been awake for hours.
When he noticed Damilola enter, he gave him a quick glance before returning to his phone.
Nothing hostile.
Nothing friendly either.
Just… normal.
Damilola took his seat near the back.
Across the room, Tae-hyun sat hunched over his desk, staring at something on the surface like it held the answer to a difficult question. His hair hung low over his eyes.
He hadn't spoken a single word in class yesterday.
Or the day before that.
Or most days, actually.
A group of boys laughed loudly near the front of the room.
"Did you see Min-jun's match yesterday?"
"Of course I did. He destroyed them."
Min-jun smirked without looking up.
The classroom door suddenly slammed open.
"Seats."
The voice was sharp enough to cut the room in half.
Kang Soo-min walked in carrying a stack of papers under one arm.
Tall.
Perfectly pressed shirt.
Eyes that looked like they could measure the temperature of a room without a thermometer.
The class quieted instantly.
"Chemistry," he said, placing the papers on the desk.
"Not a subject for people who enjoy guessing."
He wrote something quickly on the board.
Covalent Bonding
"Who can explain it?"
No one raised their hand.
Soo-min turned slowly.
His eyes scanned the class.
They stopped.
"Damilola."
The room shifted slightly.
Damilola straightened in his chair.
"Yes, sir."
"Explain."
He stood up.
"A covalent bond is when two atoms share electrons so both can reach a stable electron configuration."
The teacher nodded once.
"Correct."
A few students glanced back at him now.
Some surprised.
Some annoyed.
Soo-min turned back to the board.
"Then perhaps the rest of you should start studying as well."
Outside the classroom window, somewhere far across the city—
A train horn echoed faintly.