once friends, now more

Chapter 4

Third person pov (school) :

As the chatter of the classroom gradually quieted down, Mr Ahn, the science teacher, stood at the front, adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat. "Today," he began, glancing around the room, "we'll be starting a paired assignment. I've gone ahead and randomly assigned the pairs for this project."

A murmur of excitement and curiosity rippled through the students. Jiyoon tapped her pen absentmindedly, mentally counting on a streak of luck to land her with anyone but Jungeun.

"Alright, first up..." Mr Ahn read out the names from his list, and pairs were formed around the room. When he finally reached the middle of his sheet, he looked up and announced, "Jiyoon and Jungeun."

Jiyoon's heart sank, her fingers tightening around her pen. Of all the people. Glancing sideways, she noticed Jungeun's expression, just as crestfallen, eyes fixed down on her notebook.

Neither girl reacted visibly, but beneath the calm exterior, they both felt the quiet devastation of having their plans for a peaceful term once again derailed.

Jiyoon's pov: 

"There is. Actually. No way. I got paired with Jungeun!" I groaned, practically collapsing against the wall outside the school as I ranted to my friends. I felt like the universe was messing with me at this point.

Jeemin stifled a laugh. "You're kidding. Mr Ahn put you two together? That's... ironic."

"It's beyond ironic." I muttered, crossing my arms. "How am I supposed to survive this assignment without losing my mind?"

Mai gave a sympathetic nod, staying her usual calm self. "Maybe it's just a one-time thing. You'll get through it."

"Think of it as character-building." Koko teased, trying to lighten the mood. "Who knows? Maybe working together won't be as bad as you think."

I shook my head, unable to shake the frustration gnawing at me. "I guess we'll see. But it's going to take a miracle to make this work."

Jungeun's pov:

Paired. With Jiyoon.

It was like a cosmic joke. Out of all the people in the class, SHE was the one I'd have to work with on this project. I sighed, sinking back into my chair in the nearly empty classroom after everyone else had filtered out. This was supposed to be a fresh start, a chance to move forward, not backward.

I tried to remind myself that it was just an assignment. Two weeks, a few meetings, and then we'd be done. But deep down, I knew it wasn't that simple. All the unspoken tension between us, the lingering misunderstandings...could we even get through this without everything boiling over?

Still, I didn't have much of a choice. If I let the past get in the way, it'd just drag me down. I couldn't let that happen.

With a sigh, I pulled out my notebook, scribbling a few ideas for the project. I told myself it'd be fine, that I'd stay focused on the work and keep things civil. But somehow, the thought of facing Jiyoon every other day for this project made my stomach twist.

Third person pov (school) : 

The next day, as the lunch bell echoed through the hallways, Jungeun sat at her desk, phone in hand, hesitating. She'd thought about sending Jiyoon a quick message to set up their first meeting for the project. But, after scrolling through her contacts, she realized she had deleted Jiyoon's number months ago.

For a moment, she considered asking someone else for it, but she couldn't bring herself to explain why. With a resigned sigh, Jungeun slipped her phone back into her bag, standing up slowly as she prepared herself to approach Jiyoon in person.

Spotting her in the cafeteria, she took a steadying breath. "It's just a quick conversation about a project." she reminded herself, though the thought of approaching her still made her pulse quicken. She straightened her posture and walked over, determined to keep things straightforward.