Echoes of Forever - psh

Chapter 3

The next day, the sun shone bright as I strolled into school, feeling more cheerful than usual. My mind kept drifting back to yesterday's chaos—from the spontaneous ice cream adventure to the way Sunghoon's laughter had made the day brighter. It was a feeling I wanted to hold on to.

As I made my way to class, I spotted Sunghoon leaning against a wall, chatting animatedly with a group of friends. He looked up and spotted me, flashing a grin that made my heart flutter.

"Hey, Nabi! Ready for another epic day of learning?" he called out, his voice dripping with mock enthusiasm.

"Are you always this dramatic?" I replied, rolling my eyes but unable to hide my smile. "You sound like a cheesy movie trailer."

"Only for you!" he shot back, striking a pose. "Coming soon to a classroom near you: The Chronicles of Boring Lectures and the Quest for Knowledge!"

We both laughed as we entered the classroom. I noticed our teacher setting up for a surprise quiz, prompting a collective groan from our classmates. Sunghoon leaned over to whisper, "I'm pretty sure I studied... half of the material."

"Half? That's generous," I teased, flipping open my notebook. "I'd say you studied the cover."

"Hey!" he protested, feigning offense. "I have a very good grasp of... well, the cover. It's an important aspect of any book!"

Just then, the teacher called for silence, and we both straightened up, trying to appear serious. As the quiz began, I could feel Sunghoon fidgeting beside me. Every few minutes, he would dramatically scratch his head or make a face that looked like he was in deep agony over a particularly tough question.

I couldn't help but stifle a laugh. At one point, he dropped his pencil, and as he bent to pick it up, he accidentally knocked his water bottle off the desk. It rolled across the floor, causing a chain reaction that made a few other items tumble down as well.

"Smooth move, Sunghoon," I whispered, trying to keep a straight face.

"Shh! I'm trying to focus!" he hissed back, but the corner of his mouth betrayed him, twitching upward as he fought a grin.

The quiz finally ended, and the teacher announced we could spend the rest of the period working on our group project. Sunghoon leaned over to me, his expression turning serious. "Okay, so for our project, we need to come up with something cool. Any ideas?"

"I was thinking we could do a presentation on how music affects mood. It could be fun, and we can include some cool examples," I suggested.

"Great idea! I can totally bring my guitar, and we can do a little live demonstration!" he said, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"You play guitar?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Of course! I'm a man of many talents. You'll be amazed by my skills," he said, puffing out his chest like a proud rooster.

"Right... and I'm sure you also juggle flaming torches and perform magic tricks?" I quipped, crossing my arms with a smirk.

"Well, I haven't tried the flaming torches yet, but I do know a few card tricks!" he said, leaning closer. "How about this: if you can name a single song that doesn't have any emotional weight, I'll reveal my best card trick."

"Okay, how about 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'?" I shot back.

Sunghoon gasped, clutching his heart dramatically. "You wound me! That's a classic! Fine, you win this round."

"Let's save the card tricks for our presentation, then," I suggested, trying to suppress a laugh. "I can't wait to see you work your magic."

"Prepare to be amazed," he replied with a wink.