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sunghoon glanced at the empty seat beside her and frowned.
"isn't aera coming to school today?" sunghoon asked, tapping his pen against his notebook, a smirk tugging at his lips.
jake scoffed, rolling his eyes. "that dumbass probably overslept."
sunghoon chuckled, looking down as he shook his head. "typical aera."
"what's the matter?" jake teased, a sly grin forming. "you miss her already?"
sunghoon's expression hardened, his jaw tightening. "i never said that."
still, the thought lingered.
the classroom gradually fell into silence as mrs. acton strode in, her presence sharp and demanding. she placed her bag on the desk, her eyes scanning the room as the students mumbled a half-hearted greeting, her tight-lipped smile barely hiding her disdain.
sunghoon's eyes drifted back to the empty seat. mrs. acton was notorious for her lack of patience, especially with tardiness, and though aera was her star student, it was no secret that the teacher harbored a grudging resentment toward her—perhaps the natural consequence of having her authority repeatedly challenged.
mrs. acton's voice sliced through the silence, her tone precise. "all right, as you probably know—"
a sudden knock on the door interrupted her, drawing the class's collective gaze toward it. sunghoon straightened in his seat, lips curving into a slight smile. there was only one person who could manage to be both late and daring enough to waltz in unapologetically.
mrs. acton's voice held a hint of exasperation as she called out, "come in!"
the door swung open, revealing none other than aera. she stood in the doorway, head slightly bowed, a small, courteous smile gracing her lips.
"good morning, miss. i apologize for being late; may i come in?" aera's voice was soft, sweetly tempered in a way that felt foreign, even strange, to those who knew her. sunghoon raised an eyebrow, biting back a laugh. this wasn't aera—at least, not the aera he knew.
