Monday morning.
Soo-ji spent the entire morning wondering how she was supposed to show her face at school after what had happened on Saturday. To make matters worse, his seat was right behind hers. There was no way she could avoid him. She had even considered skipping school permanently, but unfortunately, homelessness was a real thing.
After all her overthinking and silent suffering, she somehow found herself standing in the middle of the hallway leading to class. She rolled her eyes, mentally cursing her pathetic little life.
Then she saw him.
The moment her eyes caught a glimpse of Jae-hyuk, she instinctively turned away and covered her face.
"Gi-gi!" Joon-seok shouted from the end of the hallway.
"Joon-seok, please not right now," she muttered, still hiding her face.
"Why? Can't she hear me?" he wondered aloud. "Maybe I'm not loud enough."
Then he screamed even louder.
"Lee Soo-ji!"
Every single head in the hallway turned toward her.
Soo-ji wished the earth would swallow her whole.
Jae-hyuk walked past her at that exact moment, a faint mocking smirk tugging at his lips as their eyes briefly met.
"Soo-ji, I've been calling you," Joon-seok said once he reached her.
"Really?" Soo-ji asked awkwardly.
"Were you trying to hide from someone?" he questioned curiously.
"That's a very interesting question," she replied flatly.
"Why are you two still standing here? We're going to be late," Bo-ram said as she grabbed both of them and dragged them into class.
Joon-seok immediately rushed to his seat and turned to Jae-hyuk with excitement sparkling in his eyes.
"Hi, seatmate."
Jae-hyuk glanced at him, pure irritation written across his face, before returning to his studying.
"Settle down, class," Mr. Moon said as he walked in.
"Good morning, Mr. Moon," the class echoed.
He smiled. "You all seem unusually energetic today. It seems our reporter has struck again," he teased.
"No!" the class groaned in unison.
Mr. Moon chuckled softly before adjusting the papers in his hands.
"We have a class excursion coming up."
The room instantly fell silent.
"The art museum again?" Eun-ji asked, breaking the silence.
"Not the art museum," he replied.
The classroom exploded.
Some students screamed while others clapped excitedly.
"Then where?" Bo-ram asked eagerly.
"Bukhansan National Park."
The excitement disappeared immediately.
The class collectively deflated.
"A nature trip?" Joon-seok said in disappointment.
"I'm sure it'll be fun," Mr. Moon replied. "The principal believes you students have been spending too much time indoors."
"Is it compulsory?" Ha-eun asked.
"Very compulsory. Attendance will be taken."
"Then what exactly is in this for us?" Eun-woo complained dramatically.
Mr. Moon paused for effect.
"It's going to be on a Friday," he said casually. "Meaning there'll be no tests."
"YES!"
Soo-ji's scream was louder than everyone else's combined.
She shot up from her seat with a grin stretching across her face.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
The classroom slowly went quiet.
Everyone stared at her.
Only then did Soo-ji realize what she had done.
She slowly sat back down and buried her face in her desk.
"I suppose that's all for now," Mr. Moon said, clearly amused. "Make sure to dress appropriately."
"Yes, Mr. Moon," the class replied.
He nodded before glancing toward the back of the room.
"Jae-hyuk, come with me."
Jae-hyuk stood up silently and followed him out of the classroom.
Bo-ram immediately tapped Soo-ji's shoulder.
"What are you wearing for the excursion?" she asked curiously.
"I have no idea. What about you?"
"Same here."
"I'm wearing—"
"No one asked," Bo-ram interrupted, cutting Joon-seok off instantly.
"Mean rat," he muttered, sounding genuinely offended.
For some reason, Soo-ji suddenly felt like this was the perfect moment to reveal her plan.
"I'm getting a tutor," she blurted out.
"Really?" Bo-ram asked excitedly. "That's amazing. When?"
"Wait," Joon-seok said, leaning forward suspiciously. "Who's tutoring you?"
Soo-ji looked between the two of them before letting out a slow breath.
"Jae-hyuk."
"What?!" they both exclaimed.
"Like... Ryu Jae-hyuk?" Joon-seok asked carefully.
Bo-ram smacked his arm.
"What? It'd honestly be easier to get a celebrity to tutor her than Kang Jae-hyuk," he complained while rubbing his arm.
"He's never tutored anyone before?" Soo-ji asked curiously.
"Well..." Joon-seok dusted off his shoulder dramatically.
"It was only for five minutes," Bo-ram corrected with an eye roll.
"At least I got five minutes."
Soo-ji leaned forward immediately. "He actually tutored you before?"
"Yep." Joon-seok spun his keys proudly. "I annoyed him until he agreed. I'm very persistent."
Then he paused.
"It might be harder for you, though."
Soo-ji frowned. "Why?"
"He might think you're just another one of his fans trying to get close to him."
Soo-ji groaned and collapsed onto her desk.
"I'm sure it'll work out somehow," Bo-ram reassured her.
"Speak of the handsome devil," Joon-seok whispered as Jae-hyuk walked back into class.
"I wish I was born smart," Soo-ji muttered under her breath.
Right on cue, Ms. Ga-young walked into the classroom.
"Take out your math textbooks."
"And the witch has arrived," Bo-ram sighed dramatically.
"Can my day get any wor—"
"Lee Soo-ji," Ms. Ga-young interrupted sharply, "clean the board."
Soo-ji stared at the front of the class for a long moment before sighing deeply.
"It can always get worse."