The Whispers (Underworld 6) VK

9: A Class Test

The day of the class music test arrived, and the tension was palpable. Hansol, as usual, appeared calm and collected as he sat in his usual spot at the back of the classroom, his pencil tapping rhythmically against the desk. Seungkwan, on the other hand, was visibly flustered, flipping through his notes with a mix of frustration and anxiety.

Seungkwan glared across the room at Hansol, who was leaning back in his chair, completely relaxed as if the test was no big deal. The sight of Hansol's smug confidence sent Seungkwan's blood boiling. "Of course, Mr. Perfect is going to ace this without even trying,"Seungkwan muttered under his breath.

Moonbin, sitting next to him, chuckled. "You're really obsessed with him, aren't you?"

"Obsessed? Please," Seungkwan huffed,"I just don't like how he walks around like he owns the place. Somebody needs to knock him down a peg."

Moonbin gave him a teasing look. "Well, if you focused more on your test and less on hating Hansol, maybe you'd do better."

Seungkwan scoffed. "I'm doing fine, thank you very much. I don't need any advice from Mr. Basketball Prince over there."

The test began, and for the next hour, the classroom was filled with the sound of pencils scratching across paper. Seungkwan was determined to at least do well enough to avoid giving Hansol any more reasons to be insufferable. He worked furiously, his face scrunched up in concentration, occasionally sneaking glances over at Hansol, who seemed to breeze through the questions effortlessly.

When the test ended, the professor collected the papers and promised to announce the results the next day. Seungkwan exhaled in relief, already dreading what was to come.

The next day arrived, and the class was buzzing with anticipation. Seungkwan sat at his desk, nervously bouncing his leg as the professor entered the room with a stack of graded papers.

"Alright, class, I've graded your music theory tests. Some of you did exceptionally well, and others... let's just say there's room for improvement," the professor said, glancing pointedly at a few students.

Seungkwan felt his stomach twist in knots as the professor began calling out names and handing back the tests. When he finally reached Hansol, the professor's face lit up.

"As expected, Hansol topped the class once again. Congratulations, Hansol, an outstanding performance as usual."

The professor handed Hansol his paper, and the class erupted into light applause. Hansol, ever the cool and composed student, gave a polite nod and a small smile. But Seungkwan saw through that smile. Oh, it was smug. Infuriatingly smug.

Seungkwan's face darkened as he crossed his arms and slouched in his seat, muttering under his breath. "Of course he did. Mr. 'I-Can-Do-No-Wrong' strikes again."

Moonbin nudged Seungkwan, trying to lighten the mood. "Hey, it's not the end of the world. You probably did fine too."

But when the professor finally reached Seungkwan and handed him his paper, Seungkwan's heart sank. A less-than-stellar grade stared back at him, and he felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. Hansol glanced over at Seungkwan, and for a brief moment, Seungkwan could've sworn he saw the faintest flicker of amusement in Hansol's eyes.

"Nice try, Seungkwan," Hansol said casually as he walked past, his tone dripping with condescension. "Maybe next time."

That was the final straw.

Seungkwan shot up from his seat, glaring at Hansol as he marched over to him. "Oh, don't get all high and mighty just because you aced a stupid test. You think that makes you better than everyone else?"