𝕎𝔸𝕐 𝔹𝔸ℂ𝕂 ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔼 ||𝐃𝐔𝐓𝐘 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋||

Chapter - 06

It was the next morning, and the students had gathered in their classroom. They were discussing the strange sound they had heard the previous night, and the boys were insisting that it was one of the spheres from the sky. The girls were skeptical, but they couldn't deny that they had heard something unusual.

"So, those loud thuds were the spheres dropping?" So-yoon asked, walking to the group of students.

"The guys in Class 3 told that the gym was demolished," Yeon-ju interjected.

"It must have been it. If it had destroyed a building, I bet the impact was huge."

Yeon-hwa, however, was not engaged in the conversation. She sat at her desk, lost in thought. She couldn't stop thinking about Yeong-hoon. The boys had told them that he had left home due to an injury, but she found it hard to believe. Yeong-hoon was not the type of person to give up easily, especially when there were extra points for the CSAT promised to top-performing students. She felt uneasy, and it showed on her face.

The other students noticed her detached demeanor and started to gossip about her. "What's wrong with Yeon-hwa? She's always so distant," Ha-na whispered to her friend.

"I heard that Yeon-hwa and Yeong-hoon were in a relationship," Soon-yi whispered back.

"What? No way," Tae-man replied, shaking his head. "They're just friends."

"But they're always together," Jun-hee joined in on their conversation.

The group's whispers and speculations about Yeon-hwa and Yeong-hoon continued, with occasional glances in Yeon-hwa's direction. Someone, in particular, looked particularly downcast as he listened to the rumors.

It was hard for Yeon-hwa to ignore the whispers and murmurs that had filled the classroom. She could sense that the students were talking about her and Yeong-hoon, and it made her feel uneasy.

Yeon-hwa just wanted to escape from the rumors and the stares. She didn't know what was happening with Yeong-hoon, but she knew that she couldn't let the gossip get to her. She needed to clear her head somehow.

She tried to keep her head down as she made her way towards the door, hoping that she could avoid any further speculation. But as she opened the door, she came face-to-face with Il-ha.

They locked eyes for a moment, and Yeon-hwa could sense that there was something different about him. He seemed...changed somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Was he feeling guilty about something? But before she could say anything, he turned and walked away.

Yeon-hwa watched him go, her mind racing with questions. She wondered if Il-ha knew anything about Yeong-hoon's disappearance, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him. She just stood there, watching as he took his seat avoiding any sort of conversation.

Yeon-hwa exited the classroom, lost in thought. She walked down the hallway, trying to shake off the unease she was feeling. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, that there was more to Yeong-hoon's sudden disappearance than just an injury.

She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Wang Tae-man following her until he called out to her.

"Hey, Yeon-hwa! Wait up!" He jogged towards her, "Are you okay? You seem a bit down."

She turned around to see Tae-man standing behind her, his face a bit flushed. She pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders.

"Just thinking about Yeong-hoon," she replied softly.

Tae-man nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I heard he left. That's a bummer. But you know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Yeon-hwa raised an eyebrow at him skeptically. "I don't think that applies in this situation."