Love, Dahyun

01

The lunch bell's shrill shriek echoed through the hallway and students were rushing out of the classroom as soon as the teacher had gone out.

"Hey, Dahyun. Thanks for the essay. It got me an A." Sinbi gave her a tap as she passed by the girl's seat.

Dahyun pulled a proud smile. "Sure. No problem." Sinbi waved goodbye and Dahyun continued gathering her stuff, ready to slip out of the classroom when a thick book landed on her desk.

"Hey, Dahyun." Soonyoung sprawled into the seat opposite her, a sheepish grin plastered on his face. "Little essay crisis here."

Dahyun curled an eyebrow, reaching out to skim through the reference material. "Crisis, huh? Sounds serious."

"Super serious," Soonyoung whined. "On, uh, the socio-economic impact of the Industrial Revolution. A thousand words minimum. And it's due tomorrow."

"Alright," Dahyun said. Soonyoung was relieved she gave in. But his grin evaporated with what she said next, "It'll be two and a half dollars per page, plus a fifty-cent rush charge."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't you go all corporate on me? We're friends!"

"Hey. Research, writing, tight deadline," she raised an innocent hand, listing them with her fingers, "That all adds to the service fee. We're doing business here."

Soonyoung sputtered, "But you're overcharging! Besides, isn't there a friend discount or something? I even bought you chocolate milk." He slid a box of her favorite chocolate milk across her desk; a bribe, thinking it would compensate for having her help him in an inevitable "essay crisis". But Dahyun only shook her head firmly.

"Business is business," she declared, holding out her palm expectantly to collect his payment.

Soonyoung glared at her before digging into his pocket with a resigned sigh. "Fine," he grumbled, pulling out some bills.

Dahyun snatched the money with a laugh. "Pleasure doing business with you!"

She took his textbook and the chocolate milk he brought, rushing out of the classroom with a big smile on her face. Today was a good day - three essays ordered, a research paper in the works, and a hefty stack of bills tucked away in her pocket. Business was booming after all.

"Who was that?" Chaeyoung, Dahyun's seatmate, was waiting for her by the door.

"Just Soonyoung," Dahyun said casually, tucking the money into her pocket.

"Kwon Soonyoung? The senior who waits for you at lunch every Monday?" Chaeyoung wiggled her brows teasingly.

"Waits for me?" Dahyun sputtered. "That's a bit dramatic, Chae. You make it sound like we're dating or something." It was an exaggeration. It wasn't like Soonyoung actually waited for her every Monday with a bouquet of roses. It was just... well, Mondays were assignment due days, and Soonyoung was just a little lazy. So, he'd pay Dahyun to do his homework for him. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. "He's just a regular customer."

Chaeyoung scoffed. "You literally drop by his class with this knowing look on your face, and then he hands you a wad of cash. Is he some sugar daddy or what—"

"Shut it!" Dahyun hissed, swatting at Chaeyoung's arm, more to quiet her than anything.

"I mean, seriously, Dahyun," Chaeyoung continued, her voice dropping to a whisper, "just how many people are you doing this for? You practically have your own underground homework ring going on here."

"Shush." Dahyun hissed once again, glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

A self-proclaimed "academic whiz," Dahyun turned her talent for schoolwork into a thriving side hustle. Let's face it, some students were lazy when it came to homework. So, she offered a solution – for a price, of course. She liked her little business. This way, she didn't have to work part time to earn an extra allowance. Plus, she was basically a school savior, slaying essays and projects for classmates. It was a win-win.