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Ivy sat in her classroom, her eyes flicking toward the door every few minutes. By now, Taehyung should have arrived. He was never late. There was something about the way he always slipped in just before the bell that made her day.
"Is he absent today?" Ivy thought, a strange sense of unease settling in. The class buzzed with chatter around her, but she felt distant, her mind wandering off to reasons why he wasn't there yet. The absence felt too heavy.
Just then, the door creaked open. Ivy's heart skipped a beat, her head snapping toward it, fully expecting to see Taehyung's familiar face. But instead, it was Sofia.
A faint sigh escaped her lips. "I thought it was Taehyung," she mused, quickly averting her gaze, hiding her disappointment behind the pages of her notebook.
Sofia approached with her usual bright smile. "Hey Ivy! How's it going?" she chirped.
Ivy forced a smile. "I'm good," she replied, though her mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of Taehyung's absence.
Sofia's brow furrowed as she sat down beside Ivy. "You sure? You seem kinda... off."
Ivy hesitated for a moment but decided to shift the conversation away from herself. "Where have you been the last couple of days? I didn't see you around."
Sofia's smile faltered slightly. "My mom's been unwell. I had to stay home and take care of her."
Concern instantly replaced Ivy's earlier thoughts. "Oh no, what happened? Is she alright?" she asked, her voice rising slightly in worry.
Sofia nodded quickly. "She's better now, don't worry. You should come by sometime and visit. She'd love to see you."
Ivy considered the offer but sighed. "I can't today. But I'll definitely come another time. Promise."
Sofia's smile returned. "That's fine, just whenever you can. She always asks about you."
After a brief chat, Sofia returned to her seat, and Ivy was once again left alone with her thoughts. Her gaze drifted back to the clock, hoping Taehyung would stroll in at the last minute.
When the professor entered the room, Ivy's heart sank. "If he's not here by now... he's not coming at all." She sighed softly and turned her attention to the lesson, though her mind remained miles away, stuck on where Taehyung could be.
---
Time skip
The sun hung low over the university terrace, casting a golden glow across the stone floor. Two girls stood there, one pacing nervously while the other leaned against the railing, trying to offer some semblance of comfort.
"Listen, it's going to be fine. You're stressing over nothing," the first girl said, her voice soft but strained.
The other girl, clearly on edge, shook her head vehemently. "But what if he doesn't come? I mean, he never talks to anyone! Seeing a man like him-so rich, so handsome-always alone, it just... it makes me crazy! I can't take it anymore." Her words tumbled out in anxious bursts.
