𝕎𝔸𝕐 𝔹𝔸ℂ𝕂 ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔼 ||𝐃𝐔𝐓𝐘 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋||

Chapter - 02

Four Weeks Later

The classroom was buzzing with the usual sounds of teenagers - bickering, giggling, and gossiping. Kim Yu-jeong, the diligent and responsible classroom president, stood in front of the board, chalk in hand, meticulously writing out the upcoming annual assessment schedule. The students, having returned to school after four weeks, filled the room with their presence.

As Kim Yu-jeong etched the dates on the board, some boys entered the class with playful banter, their voices echoing off the walls. They engaged in light-hearted arguments about something trivial.

On the other side of the classroom, a group of girls formed a tight circle, their heads bent together, engrossed in their phones. Serious whispers and occasional bursts of laughter escaped their little huddle, signifying an intense conversation.

Do Soo-cheol, a boy with a sketchbook on his lap, was drawing a portrait of his best friend, Im Woo-taek.

At the back of the classroom, Kim Deok-joong, a self-proclaimed anime aficionado, scrolled through the colorful world of manga on his phone, occasionally chuckling at a particularly funny panel. His eyes danced across the screen, immersing himself in the stories and characters that sparked his imagination. He was soon joined by his best friend, Kim Chi-yeol.

At the central row of desks, Jang Yeong-hoon, the class topper, diligently pored over his textbooks, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. Every word and equation held significance to him as he absorbed knowledge with an insatiable hunger for academic success.

Meanwhile, Kook Young-soo, a student brimming with ambition, couldn't help but steal glances at the textbooks that Yeong-hoon possessed. His eyes darted across the titles and topics, silently noting them down in a quest for personal improvement.

Amidst the backdrop of students engrossed in their own worlds, Shin Yeon-hwa sat at her desk with unwavering determination. Noise-canceling earbuds hugged her ears, shielding her from the distractions of the classroom. She turned the pages of her textbooks, carefully taking notes of the essential points, determined to surpass Yeong-hoon and claim the coveted position of the class topper.

Kook Young-soo was still trying to catch a glimpse of Yeong-hoon's books when he suddenly noticed Shin Yeon-hwa. He watched as she took diligent notes, her pen moving quickly across the page. He felt a twinge of jealousy and wondered if he should start studying harder too.

As Shin Yeon-hwa was engrossed in her studies, she felt someone's gaze on her. She looked up to see Young-soo staring at her with a hint of jealousy in his eyes. She quickly turned her attention back to her books, trying to ignore him.

Suddenly, Yeon-hwa felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned to see Do Soo-cheol, one of her classmates, standing next to her. She took out her earbuds and looked up at him, surprised.

"Hi, Yeon-hwa," Soo-cheol said, smiling. "How was your break?"

Yeon-hwa hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond. She wasn't used to people talking to her, especially not Soo-cheol, who was one of the more popular students in the class.

"It was fine," she finally managed to say.

There was an awkward silence that followed and Soo-cheol decided to break it, "What are you so focused on? I'm surprised you haven't burned a hole in your textbook yet," he said.

"I'm studying," Shin Yeon-hwa replied, trying to sound as polite as possible, just like her parents trained her to be.

"Do you ever take a break?" Do Soo-cheol asked, looking at her with a concerned expression.

Shin Yeon-hwa shrugged. "I want to do well in the assessments."

"I know, but you can't keep studying all the time," Do Soo-cheol said. "You need to take a break once in a while."