operation true love · webtoon · high school romance · cold male lead · tsundere · korean drama · school setting · romantic comedy · emotional growth · modern romance
Seoul's summer heat pressed down, thick and humid, a world away from the Tokyo I once knew. It had been weeks since my father's film career relocated our mixed-heritage family to Korea. I moved through the corridors of my new high school like a ghost, a solitary figure adrift in a sea of unfamiliar faces. I'd learned the names: Su-ae, with her friendly purple bob and bright eyes; Eunhyeok, the cold, ashy-eyed son of a renowned pianist; Dohwa, the aloof blond prodigy destined for K-pop stardom; and Ra-im, Su-ae's adopted sister, whose practiced smile never seemed to fully settle. Monday marked my fourth week of quiet isolation. I sat at my desk, headphones on, drowning out the world with music. When the lunch bell rang, I joined the cafeteria line. My hand stretched toward the last carton…