I'm so sorry if I'm just stupid guys
sooooo i was confused too when i read your comment, and thought "huh this wasnt as confusing" when i started to read it. so i kinda reread it a lil bit to answer your questions.
it was explained in chapter 2 that cheol was transferring in their second year and was assigned different classes to miae, the only time they met at their second year is when he was moving to the neighbourhood so miae never actually get to meet him, or get close to him in the second year. just as that chapter explained.
chapter 6 also showed that cheol is already transferred in the school and adapting, the whole semester in months where cheol was studying, we can see miae was doing anything and everything in chapter 1, parrareling what they did was very different lol.
also jinseop, "the attractive guy" is a third year who is actually the same grade as mi-ae and cheol, just different classes. we can also see him in chapter 2. he probably didnt know that mi-ae is a third year since she's smaller than anyone and they never met before (well from ch 11)
ok this is longer than expected, i hope you're more invested now and less confused !
also the story often times changing the time of the story from the past and present so it's no worries you can get confused..!
I'm currently on chapter 11, and I'm so lost cus I thought Cheol transferred in Miaes middle school in their last year of middle school, but then multiple times they make references to him being there last year, like that girl with the short hair and headband said that he was in her class last year and that's how she knows he's a good guy, and then in ch 11 miae mentions how she never saw him walk to school last year. So did he actually transfer in during their second year? Then I'm confused cus they still act like he just transferred in this year, and now I'm also wondering if they're even in their third year cus there's also that "hottest guy in the school" whos supposed to be a third year and they call Miae a first year, but idk if they said that cus shes short, or are they actually in their first year and just somehow never met that guy? BUT THEN ALSO CHEOL USED TO GO TO A DIF MIDDLE SCHOOL IM SO.CONFUSED WHAT IS THE TIMELINE