The bus sped forward beneath the honey-hued sunset, cutting through a sky painted with golden clouds. It passed beautiful farmlands and elegant bridges that arched over clean, glistening rivers—a truly heart-stirring scene.
Noon had taken a seat in one of the middle rows—those five-seater benches where passengers were usually assigned randomly, regardless of gender. Without realizing it, he had boarded through the middle door alongside Sin.
At first, they sat at opposite ends of the bench, a comfortable silence resting between them. A small space remained in the middle—just enough to keep things proper. But moments later, two of Sin's friends joined them, squeezing in beside her, which pushed her a little closer to Noon. At the same time, Nai appeared and sat down on Noon's other side.
Now the five of them were seated side by side, and between Sin and Noon… barely five centimeters of space remained.
As the bus filled with passengers, Sin kept her eyes glued to the floor, overwhelmed by embarrassment. It wasn't her first time sitting this close to someone, but it was the first time she'd been this close to Noon. That fact alone made her feel things she'd never felt before—thoughts she had never invited into her mind now came rushing in unbidden.
Noon wasn't doing much better. His face was completely red, and his eyes wandered aimlessly, struggling to focus. He wanted to look at her more, to memorize her face, to feel her presence—but he knew that would be inappropriate. Still, despite himself, he found his gaze drifting toward her.
Then, just before the bus pulled away, he reached for his backpack and placed it between them.
A wise move.
It wasn't something Sin could've done herself. She was too afraid it might be taken the wrong way—like she thought he was creepy or that she was being cold. But thanks to that bag, a small but vital barrier was in place. Still, the bus wasn't exactly smooth. It occasionally jolted or swerved, which could've easily led to unwanted contact between them… a situation they both definitely wanted to avoid.
The bus finally began to move.
Sin's friends eyed her with curiosity. This was the same girl they always saw as confident, firm, bold in presence and voice. But now? She was acting like someone entirely different. She wasn't joining the conversation, not interrupting, not initiating. Her gaze remained fixed on the ground, and her mind clearly wandered far away. No matter how they tried to catch her attention, she didn't respond.
The blonde leaned over and whispered to the brunette:
"Girl… what do you think is going on between those two? I've never seen Sin like this."
The brunette murmured back, "I don't know… but it looks like she's nervous. Maybe she does have a soft side, after all."
They exchanged surprised looks and continued their whispering. Sin, lost in her thoughts, didn't hear a thing.
But Noon? He heard everything.
It was normal for him—he was always anxious for the first twenty seconds, and then he'd snap back to reality. His emotional reactions never lasted long. He adapted quickly.
And as he listened to their whispers, he began to realize something: the Sin he'd come to know might not be the whole story.
Usually, she was composed, spoke clearly, didn't joke around much, shared her opinions confidently, avoided flattery, and approached everything with calm realism. She worked hard and often used her bus rides to study. He had recently learned she was in medical school—and her grades were excellent.
When he stacked all that knowledge against what he was seeing now… the contradiction was glaring.
Noon wasn't oblivious. He always picked up on small details. And now, as he looked at Sin—her hands nervously clasped, her eyes distant—an idea popped into his head that made his heart race:
"What if… Sin has feelings for me?"
He gave it serious thought.
It wasn't impossible. In fact, with everything he'd seen, it might actually be the most likely explanation. But… was that a good thing?
He let out a deep sigh, shifted in his seat, then raised a hand to the back of his head, ruffling his hair anxiously.
"But what exactly is our relationship?"
"Is this… what they call flirting? When two people have feelings for each other before they even start dating? I don't think so. Then what are we? We're not friends, not strangers. Not classmates, not childhood acquaintances. Not family, not lovers. So what is this?"
"Maybe… I should ask myself first: What kind of relationship do I want with Sin?"
"And honestly… I don't have the answer yet."
While Noon toyed absentmindedly with a lock of his hair, and Sin's two friends whispered quietly about her, and Nai was deep in an animated chat with the girls across from him… Sin was somewhere else entirely.
She was lost in her thoughts—replaying the events of the day, and the past two weeks... ever since she met Noon. Her mind felt crowded with memories, like her brain had suddenly refused to stay silent. Sin had never been the emotional type. People didn't describe her as sweet or soft. She'd always been "the quiet one" or "the diligent girl"—titles that never really bothered her. Boys? Romance? She never gave those things much thought.
Which is why the fact that she was thinking about Noon… terrified her.
Sin was sharp. She had a mirror-like clarity when it came to her emotions. She knew something was starting to bloom in her heart for Noon. But knowing that didn't mean she had the slightest idea how to deal with it.
She was the middle child in a large family—three brothers, three sisters. Never the special one, never the one anyone doted on. Maybe she never really needed it. Or maybe that's what she used to tell herself.
But now…
She found herself stealing glances at Noon, wishing she could talk to him more, walk beside him, hear his voice again…
And more than anything, she wanted him to hear hers.
To see her.
Noon wasn't a stranger. She'd known him for a while—crossed paths with him more times than she could count—but he'd never been anything more than a side character in her life.
And now, out of nowhere, her thoughts had wrapped themselves entirely around him.
Even with the looming pressure of final exams in med school, Noon had carved out a space in her head that refused to be ignored.
Yes… she had feelings for him.
But she didn't know what kind.
She didn't know how deep they went.
She didn't even know if he felt anything back.
Wrapping her arms around herself, as if hugging her own confusion, she thought:
I wonder… how does Noon see me? What am I to him? Does he feel any of this, too? I hope he does…
She raised her eyes—and found his gaze already on her.
Noon's face flushed instantly. But he didn't look away.
Neither did she.
Something warm bloomed in her chest. A comfort she hadn't known before. It felt as if her heart—so used to rejecting emotions—was finally softening. And as she looked deeper into his face, into his eyes, into the tiny details she had overlooked before… she felt something gentle take root inside her.
Like a flower, blooming quietly.
A soft smile curled onto her lips.
And just like that, something shifted. The fog in her head cleared. She sat up straighter, turned to her friends, and spoke in a half-teasing tone:
"Are you two done talking about me?"
They looked at her with a flicker of surprise, then exchanged light-hearted smiles.
Sin leaned into the conversation again, chatting about exams and everyday things, like a weight had lifted off her shoulders.
Her friends felt it too—that return to her usual self. It reassured them somehow, as if her grounding gave them permission to breathe again.
As for Noon… he was still stunned by that shared glance.
But it was the sweetest kind of shock. Like a gentle, beautiful confusion.
His cheeks still burned.
But all the doubt, all the anxious overthinking… vanished.
Just her smile—that was all it took to quiet his ever-noisy mind.
There was no more noise.
Just peace.
Just her.
He smiled sincerely, took out his earphones, and hummed a soft piano melody. He didn't put on his usual melancholic playlist.
Not today.
Today, he chose something soft. Something that matched the way he felt.
And let himself sink into it…
For once, completely in the moment.
---
The bus finally arrived at their stop.
Sin said her goodbyes to her friends and got off.
Noon simply gave Nai a light pat on the shoulder and followed.
Under the soft glow of the streetlamps, beneath a moon shimmering between the stars, the two began to walk together.
They didn't talk much.
They didn't need to.
There was a quiet, unspoken agreement between them—to forget the past, to leave the previous days behind… and start fresh.
When they reached the same street where Noon had once left Sin with their sisters, he turned to her. His voice was steady, warm, and his gaze confident:
"Sin… how about staying with me tonight?"
He quickly added, smiling sheepishly before she could misunderstand:
"Not like that! I just mean… we walk around, talk, maybe grab some food. Just for a little while. If you don't mind?"
Sin looked at him, her lips curling into a soft, serene smile.
The streetlights shimmered against her sky-blue dress and her long black hair tied into a simple ponytail.
Her voice was warm when she replied:
"I'd really like that."
And so they crossed the street together, walking slowly—like they were stepping out of their old selves, into something new.
Into a feeling they hadn't known before.
This was…
The first step toward discovering what their hearts had been trying to say all along.