Jina still couldn't forget what the man had said the day before. He had told her not to talk to Jun Seo, that he was hard to approach and probably not trustworthy. But a part of her felt uneasy about how someone could judge someone so quickly.
"He can't be like that," Jina told herself. "I still want to talk to him."
She walked down the hallway, and then happened to see Jun Seo standing near the window, his eyes fixedly looking out. Every time she saw him like that, Jina felt something very strange, very lonely.
Jina looked at him for a bit and then approached, but this time, she didn't smile too brightly or try to joke around. She just stepped closer and said softly, "Jun Seo."
Jun Seo turned to look at her, his expression cold, but not showing any sign of discomfort. "What is it?" He asked, his tone unchanged.
"Ah, I just wanted to ask a little about yesterday." Jina hesitated a little, not wanting to make him feel awkward. "Someone told me not to bother you... But I think, I can still get to know you, right?"
Jun Seo looked at her for a moment, then fell silent. He didn't seem surprised, but he didn't answer right away. Jina felt a little confused, but still tried to stay calm.
"Don't listen to what others say." Jun Seo finally spoke, his tone no longer as cold as usual. "Everyone thinks I'm hard to approach."
Jina nodded, feeling much more relieved. "So that's how it is... then I'm not the only one who thinks so." She smiled slightly, then continued: "Do you want to explain to me why you seem so distant?"
Jun Seo looked at her for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "There's nothing to explain. It's just that I don't like making friends, I don't like talking to anyone."
Jina was a little surprised, but she didn't lose her composure. She just shrugged naturally. "Oh, really? But maybe sometimes people need someone to talk to, no matter how little or much."
Jun Seo didn't say anything, just looked at her with a somewhat curious gaze. The way Jina didn't force her but still persisted made him feel a little more comfortable. He didn't understand why he didn't feel uncomfortable when she stood so close.
"Then... what if I still want to get to know you?" Jina said in a gentle tone, without any pressure. "You probably don't want to have a bad friend, right?"
Jun Seo looked at her, raising his eyebrows slightly as if he didn't know how to respond. But then, surprisingly, he said softly: "I won't promise anything, it's just... if you really want to, you can try."
Jina smiled, feeling happy even though it was just such a short sentence. She didn't need him to open up immediately, but at least, Jun Seo didn't outright refuse.
"Alright," Jina said cheerfully, "So starting from today, we will no longer be strangers!"
Jun Seo looked at her, a faint smile appearing on his lips, although it was not clear, it was enough for Jina to feel the slight change in his attitude.
"Yeah." He replied, not quite agreeing but not refusing either.
Jina knew that things wouldn't happen immediately, but at least, she felt like she had taken a step forward. There was no need to rush, just be patient and let things develop naturally.