May 1 “He Smiled at Me Like I Was the Sky”

Dear Diary,

I don't know when it happened.

Maybe it was that first ride in the rain. Or the strawberry milk. Or the night he stood between me and Se-Jin like he belonged there, like he'd always been meant to.

But today…

Today, I saw it.

And I'm not sure how to write this without sounding ridiculous or cliché or like every girl who's ever fallen a little too fast for someone who finally looked at her right.

But he smiled at me today.

And it felt like the sun came up in the middle of a sentence.

Like the earth paused long enough for my heart to remember how to hope.

1:04 PM We didn't plan to see each other.

I was studying on the rooftop garden above the student union — that hidden gem no one goes to because the elevator takes forever and the wind messes with your notes.

But I needed space.

After everything that happened with Se-Jin, I've been floating in and out of myself. Still sleeping with the hallway light on. Still checking the door twice. Still jumping at loud knocks.

But I'm trying.

To reclaim things.

To feel mine again.

So I made tea, packed my notes, and climbed the six floors to the roof.

And that's when I saw him.

Jung-Kyo.

Leaning against the railing, hands in his pockets, dress shirt sleeves rolled up, hair slightly tousled like he'd been running his fingers through it while thinking.

He turned before I could hide.

And smiled.

1:08 PM "Wasn't expecting company," he said.

"I can leave."

"You just got here."

I laughed, nervous. "Are you always this intuitive?"

"Only with people who matter."

That sentence.

It hit me like a warm breeze.

Not dramatic.

Just… undeniable.

1:14 PM We ended up sitting side-by-side on the low stone ledge, overlooking the courtyard. The breeze tugged at my hoodie. He offered me his jacket again. I took it without arguing.

"You doing okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Better."

"Nightmares?"

"Less."

He didn't ask for details. Just accepted my answer like it was enough.

And that made it enough.

We sat there in quiet for a while.

Then I asked, "What are you doing up here?"

He didn't answer right away.

Then:

"Looking for the sky."

I turned to him. "You found it."

"Did I?"

He looked at me then.

Really looked.

And Diary, I swear — I felt something shift in the air.

Like he saw something I didn't even know I was showing.

Like I'd stopped being just Mi-Chan and had become… light.

1:28 PM "I used to come here when I was a freshman," I said. "When everything felt too loud."

"Same."

I tilted my head. "You? Loud doesn't suit you."

"I'm loud inside," he said softly. "But the kind no one hears unless they listen."

I paused.

Then said, "I think I'm learning to listen."

He smiled again — that slow, rare smile.

Like he was proud of me.

Like he was relieved I'd finally said it.

1:43 PM

We didn't kiss.

It wasn't that kind of moment.

But it was the kind of moment that stays.

Where skin doesn't touch but souls press closer.

He told me he used to think love was a firework.

But now?

Now he thinks it's a sunrise.

"You don't notice it at first," he said. "But one day you look around, and everything's lit up."

I didn't say anything.

I didn't need to.

Because the light was already finding its way through my ribs.

2:05 PM When he stood to leave, I thought he'd just say goodbye and disappear like he always does — quietly, respectfully, without drama.

But before he walked away, he turned.

And said:

"You look better in sunlight than you think."

I blinked.

He nodded toward the sky.

"Maybe that's why I keep coming up here."

And then he was gone.

Leaving only his jacket draped around my shoulders.

And the echo of a smile that said everything without needing a single word.

4:12 PM Back in my room now.

I haven't taken off his jacket yet.

I probably should.

But I like the way it smells — like pine and clean linen and something that makes me feel safe in a way nothing else ever has.

I keep replaying his words.

"Maybe that's why I keep coming up here."

Like I'm the sky.

Like I'm the light.

Like I'm the thing worth looking for when the world gets too dark.

I don't know what this is between us.

But it doesn't feel fragile.

It feels real.

Strong in the quiet way.

Safe.

And maybe, just maybe…

That smile was a beginning.

And I think I'm ready to see where it leads.

– Mi-Chan