Hearts Entwined || PpoToz

CHAPTER 13

NO ONE POV

The next day, Seoyeon walked into the classroom with a lingering sense of unease. She hadn’t been able to shake the strange conversation she had with Yooyeon the day before. As she took her seat, her thoughts were still tangled in the confusing emotions that had surfaced.

But all of that quickly evaporated the moment Yooyeon walked in. There was something different about her today—she was standing a little taller, her expression sharper, more focused. It was as if the girl who had been quietly suffering had vanished overnight, replaced by the familiar, competitive Yooyeon Seoyeon knew all too well.

Seoyeon barely had time to process the change before Yooyeon was at her side, leaning over her desk with that infuriating smirk that Seoyeon had almost forgotten.

“Hey, Seoyeon,” Yooyeon drawled, her voice dripping with mockery. “Ready to lose today? I hope you’ve been studying extra hard—you’ll need it.”

Seoyeon blinked, momentarily stunned by the return of Yooyeon’s sharp tongue. Then, almost instinctively, her annoyance flared. “I’m not the one who needs extra studying, Yooyeon. You might want to take some notes from me—if you can keep up, that is.”

Yooyeon laughed, a sound that was both familiar and grating. “Keep up? Please. I was born ahead of you, Seoyeon. But hey, I’ll give you credit for trying. It’s cute.”

“Cute?” Seoyeon’s voice rose, incredulous. “The only thing cute here is your attempt at being better than me. We both know how that usually ends.”

“Oh, really?” Yooyeon leaned in closer, her eyes glinting with challenge. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like I’m about to wipe the floor with you—again.”

Seoyeon’s blood was boiling, but in a strange way, it was a relief. The worry she’d been carrying around for weeks was suddenly replaced with a familiar annoyance. This was the Yooyeon she knew—the one who got under her skin and pushed all her buttons.

“You’re delusional,” Seoyeon shot back, narrowing her eyes. “I’m going to enjoy watching you fail.”

Before either of them could say more, their classmates started to take notice. Murmurs spread through the room as everyone realised what was happening. It was like the old days, when Seoyeon and Yooyeon would spar over every little thing, trying to outdo each other at every turn.

“Looks like the rivalry’s back on,” one student whispered to another, grinning as they watched the exchange.

“Finally! I was starting to miss this,” another classmate said, chuckling.

As the teacher entered the room, the class quieted down, but the energy between Seoyeon and Yooyeon was palpable. It was like a switch had been flipped, and they were both ready to go to war again—this time with words and grades instead of fists.

Throughout the lesson, they kept up their verbal sparring, each one trying to outshine the other with quick answers and witty comebacks. The rest of the class watched with barely concealed amusement, enjoying the show.

Seoyeon found herself strangely invigorated by the whole thing. For the first time in weeks, she wasn’t worrying about Yooyeon or what was happening in her life. She was too busy trying to win, too caught up in the familiar rhythm of their rivalry.

Yooyeon, for her part, seemed to thrive on the attention. She threw herself into the competition with a kind of ferocity that left no room for the shadows that had been haunting her. It was as if by returning to this old dynamic, she was able to push everything else aside, even if just for a little while.