DOWNFALL -HIERARCHY

Chapter 15: The Lazy Day

Narrator's POV:

On a Monday morning, Nabi awakens to the sound of her alarm clock. However, instead of getting ready for school with her usual enthusiasm, she feels laziness and fatigue taking over today. She hits snooze on the alarm, burying her face back into the pillow. The thought of going to school and facing a full day of classes feels too exhausting. Nabi groans, contemplating skipping school for the day.

Nabi closes her eyes, surrendering to the call of her warm, comfortable bed. She turns off her alarm, snuggles deeper into her blankets, and lets her body slip back into a peaceful slumber. She drifts back to sleep, her tiredness overpowering any sense of responsibility towards school for the day. A few hours later, the incessant ringing of her phone jolts Nabi out of her sleep. She groans in annoyance, turning over to locate the source of the disturbance.

Nabi reaches out blindly to her phone on the bedside table. Without even checking the caller ID, she answers the call with a groggy voice, "Hello?"

"Nabi?? Are you still sleeping in??" Nabi's half-asleep mind takes a moment to register the familiar voice on the other end of the line. "Kang Ha?" she mumbles, her voice still heavy with sleep. "Is that you?" The sound of Kang Ha's voice immediately snaps Nabi out of her daze, fully waking her up. She sits up in bed, rubbing her eyes with one hand.

"Yeah, it's me," Kang Ha's voice comes through the phone clearly. "I've been trying to reach you. Were you asleep?"  Nabi quickly checks her recent calls and texts, realizing that she had ignored several missed calls and messages from Kang Ha and her other friends. Seeing Ri-an's text amongst them, she briefly glances at it before deciding to ignore it for the moment.

"Yeah, I was asleep," she admits, a hint of guilt in her voice. "I overslept and missed school. Sorry for not responding earlier." Kang Ha's concern is evident through the phone.

"I was worried about you," he says, his voice filled with genuine worry. "I thought something might have happened when you didn't show up at school and weren't answering your phone."

"I'm sorry," Nabi apologizes, her voice sheepish. "I guess I overslept a bit this morning. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm fine, just feeling a bit lazy and didn't want to go to school today."

Kang Ha sighs in relief, glad to know that Nabi is alright. "Next time, could you at least let me know that you're not coming to school?" he scolds gently. "You should've at least let me know you decided to skip school. I was worried that something might have happened to you."

Nabi's mind begins to wander, a thought stirring within her. She can't help but reflect on Kang Ha's level of concern. It seems a bit unusual for him to be this worried about her, especially when she's just skipped school due to laziness.

Nabi shakes off her thoughts, attributing Kang Ha's concern to just being a good friend. She didn't want to read too much into it.

"Yeah, sorry," she apologizes again. "I should've let you guys know I wasn't coming. I just... needed a break day, I guess. But I'll let you know next time."

Kang Ha's voice softens, a hint of understanding in his tone. "I get it. Everyone needs a break day sometimes. Just... take care of yourself, alright? And don't forget to reach out if you need anything."

Nabi nods, even though Kang Ha can't see her. "I will," she promises. "And thanks, Kang Ha. For checking up on me."

There's a moment of comfortable silence before Nabi adds, "Oh, how were the classes this morning? Did I miss anything important?"