Winning the Heart of Mr. Idol

How could I get along with the man I had secretly admired for three years without being noticed?

Honestly, I was pretty helpless.

All the students at the school knew the name of Korbin from the first day of freshman year.

He entered East Bridge High School with the top score in the city.

He was chosen as the freshman representative, and his eloquent speech and graceful demeanor won him a lot of fans.

It seemed Prometheus had truly favored him.

From the first day, Korbin was regarded as the school hunk. People all admitted it.

During our freshman year, there was elective classes. My class was on the second floor, while his was on the first. We had no interaction.

Every time I passed by his classroom, there was always a group of girls peeking inside.

He was just a man who could only see from a distance. Three years later, he would have disappeared from my life.

But sometimes, life would make some differences.

During the second semester of the freshman year, the school sports meet began. I wasn't good at it, so I didn't sign up for any events. So I was assigned to the referee team.

As student referees, we didn't have much authority. We just followed the teachers, helping athletes with any issues.

I was in charge of the high jumping group. I was surprised to find that Korbin had signed up for it.

So, we would spend quite a bit of time together during this week-long event?

After meeting the athletes, I introduced myself and told them that they could come to me with any questions about the sports meeting.

Someone suggested to add my Whatsapp for convenience, and everyone took out their QR codes for me to scan. To my surprise, Korbin also showed me his code.

I was excited but I still tried to remain calm when I added his Whatsapp number.

I greeted each new person, "Hi, I'm Averie Stevens, the referee."

He replied, "Hello, Korbin, Stephens."

I was surprised yet puzzled. Why had he signed up for high jumping? Didn't he like to play basketball?

Whenever there was a crowd of girls around the basketball court, it was because he was playing there.

On the first day of the sports meeting, I took the athletes to the cafeteria for lunch. He sat beside me, and we casually chatted about the sports meeting.

Without thinking, I asked, "Why didn't you sign up for basketball?"

He was confused about my question.

I continued, "You're pretty good at basketball, aren't you?

I thought you would sign up for that."

He looked at me with a teasing smile and said, "You've seen me play basketball?"

I suddenly felt that my cheeks turned red. I quickly looked down at my food, pretending to be calm. "No. I just heard it from friends."

He asked, "You have friends who pay attention to me?"

I wondered whether it was strange that people noticed him.

Even though I hadn't seen him play basketball, it was common knowledge that Korbin played it. I didn't need to seek it out.

Should I tell him that some people even sell his photos?

A middle school friend of mine, who often played basketball with him, once told me that if anyone wanted to buy Korbin's photos, they could contact him. He could take pictures from any angle. It just need ten dollars each.

I was surprised that he could actually make money in such a way.

Later, I found some girls in my class had indeed bought them.

Did they all have too much pocket money?

It seemed even in secret admiration, I wasn't very dedicated.

I was probably just following the crowd, having a slight crush on an outstanding man at school.

Since I had thought so, I felt more at ease when I was with him.

I smiled and said, "A lot of people like you. It's easy to hear something about you."

He thought for a moment and said, "Not that many, right? You haven't watched me play basketball."

Hmm...

It seemed that I wasn't a very qualified secret admirer.

To shift the awkward topic, I asked, "So, why do you sign up for high jumping?"

He replied, "There are a lot of students in my class signing up for basketball. But no one wants to take part in some events. So I chose one I could have a try and help Kenzie."

His sense of class pride was strong.

Since I had stayed with the athletes for one week and we always ate together, we became quite familiar.

Korbin and I became acquaintances who would greet each other when we met.

Then it was time for the class division exams.

Not only did we have to have elective classes, but there was also a distinction between regular and advanced classes.

My scores in all the subjects were similar. I must be ranked last in the advanced class and be the top of the regular class.

So, I was particularly hesitant when making a choice.

I liked Psychology a bit more.

In terms of future university options, it might be better to learn Economics.

To my surprise, Korbin messaged me, asking if I was choosing Psychology or Economics. I was flattered. Did he also have trouble in making the decisions and he wanted my opinion?

I hesitated and casually said, "Psychology."

I took the opportunity to ask what he wanted to choose. He said that he hadn't decided yet.

His words gave me an idea. He would definitely go to the advanced class and he might choose Economics since the school prioritized it. A talented student like him would surely choose Economics.

If I worked hard and got into the advanced Economics class, wouldn't I be in the same class as him?

With that thought, my motivation to study surged.

After a week of intense studying, I dealt with the exam with confidence.

A week before the sophomore year, the results came out. I ranked last in the advanced Economics class. Well, I was still among the top thirty students at school. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or heartbroken.

Everyone only knew their own scores. I headed to the new class since I would go to the class with the top students.

To everyone's surprise, Korbin chose Psychology. The teacher spent the entire holiday trying to change his mind, but he remained firm.

However, on the first day of school, Korbin went to find the teacher to switch to the Economics class.

Top students seemed to have all the freedom...

I was called to Esme's office.

Since the advanced class only admitted thirty students each year, he would be the top student in Economics class now, pushing me to thirty-first place. I should have been moved to the regular class.

Knowing the whole story, I was so helpless.

I pretended to be generous and told Esme, "It's fine. Please reassign me to a different class, and I'll pack my things."

I had already cursed Korbin for many times in my mind. His unexpected change had made so much trouble for me.

Just then, Korbin walked in. He glanced at me, and turned to Esme, saying, "I think Averie should stay in the advanced class. Because of my special situation, she is in trouble.

She deserves to stay there."

Esme thought for a moment and said, "Alright. Both of you can stay in the this class.

One more person won't matter."

We thanked the teacher and left the office.

I glared at him, "You're the top student, so you can do whatever you want, but do you think about how it affects others?"

He turned to look at me, "It's because of you."

I was completely confused, "Me?

What do you mean?"

He didn't answer directly. He just said, "You should thank me. If I had chosen Economics, you wouldn't have been in this class."

He was just talking nonsenses.

Not being in this class wouldn't have been so bad. I wouldn't feel that I was the surplus person. No one would think Korbin was the odd one out.

Then we began the intense study.

My seatmate, Millie, was a stunning girl with big eyes and a high ponytail. She was friendly and didn't have the arrogance I had thought. We became friends.

Though Korbin and I were in the same class as I had hoped, we rarely spoke to each other. We were both buried in our studies.

But I noticed that he would occasionally glance at my place during class. I didn't think that he was looking at me. Maybe he was looking at Millie?

I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

One day during PE, we were strolling around the campus. Millie went to the restroom, and I sat idly on a nearby bench.

Suddenly, the sun was blocked, and I looked up to see Korbin approaching, sitting right next to me.

He started, "Don't you say that you won't watch me play basketball?"

I was stunned. I hadn't even noticed that he was playing basketball.

"I'm waiting for Millie," I replied helplessly.

He then seriously asked, "I've noticed you sometimes don't pay attention to the class."

I was confused, "What?"

He continued, "I see you not focusing on the board. You seemed to be absent-minded."

I was both amused and annoyed, "That means you weren't listening to the teacher either. How do you know I was looking at you, and maybe you were looking at Millie?"

He looked puzzled, "Why would I look at her?"

I was confused by his words. "How should I know? Maybe you like her. She's pretty and smart."

He seemed annoyed, "You know she's smart, so you can learn from her. I was the one who asked the teacher to keep you in the class.

Don't embarrass me."

What was wrong with him? Did I make him angry?

A while later, Millie returned back. I couldn't help asking her, "What do you think of Korbin?"

She thought for a moment and said, "He's quite handsome."

I quietly nodded my head.

She added, "But I don't really like him. He is always cold and he seems to be arrogant."

Since he was always so indifferent, the person he liked probably didn't like him. He deserved it!

But why did I care about it?

I didn't have time to think about it. The scores of the midterm exams were released. I still ranked last.

I felt more disappointed to rank the last than being the top in the regular class.

The teacher formed study groups, with the top ten students as leaders, each choosing two members.

This was the annual study method of the advanced class. After exams, the group with the highest combined rank received rewards.

I was anxious about this method. As the last one, if no one chose me, I'd be left alone.

Millie ranked eleventh and she couldn't help me.

I constantly complained about her, wishing that she could have tried a bit harder to get more grades so that she could help me.

She promised that if someone chose her, she'd bring me with her.

The first one to choose others was Korbin, the top student.

He picked Millie, my front seatmate, and me.

He chose the three people since he said that his stable grades allowed him to mentor three students.

I hadn't expected the group selection to be resolved so easily.

He moved his desk in front of mine.

His kind behavior made me like him more. When he walked towards me, my heart beat faster.

I couldn't hide my smile as I said, "Thank you."

He replied expressionlessly, "You're welcome. Just don't hold the group back."

Then I calmed down.

I was curious why he chose me. Was it just because I was Millie's friend?