In Hearts in the Hallway Kang Haerin Senior year at Hanlim Multi Arts High School begins like any other: filled with the usual stress of grades, friendships, and the ever-present tension with Marsh Danielle, her longtime rival. Danielle is the golde...
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The next few days felt like a strange kind of quiet after the storm. Haerin had won the first round, sure, but there was an unspoken tension lingering in the air between her and Danielle. It wasn't like the usual back-and-forth of insults and sharp comments. No, this was something different. Something..'uncertain'.
Haerin tried to push the feeling aside. She had been focused on proving herself, showing Danielle that she wasn't just another student to be brushed off. But now that she had won the first round, she couldn't shake the sense that something was changing.
In the days that followed, Haerin found herself constantly thinking about their interactions—how Danielle had looked at her when she handed her the test results, how Danielle grin had faltered for just a moment. Had she 'really' gotten under her skin, or was it just his usual cockiness hiding whatever 'else' was going on?
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"You've been awfully quiet today," Hyein said as they walked through the hallways after lunch. Hyein had noticed Haerin's distracted air and wasn't shy about pointing it out.
"I'm just... thinking," Haerin replied, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "About Danielle."
Hyein raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking about Danielle? Is this the same Marsh Danielle who you swore you could never stand?"
Haerin sighed, rolling her eyes."It's not like that. It's just... I don't know. Something feels different after the test."
"You mean because you won?" Hyein teased. "Please. I can't even imagine how that's affecting her ego."
"It's not just that," Haerin muttered "I don't know, it's like... she wasn't acting like herself. After I beat her, I mean. Danielle was... quiet. Not in the usual 'smug' way. Just... different."
hyein raised her eyebrows again, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "Hmm. Interesting. So you're saying you might've actually 'rattled' that buffoon?"
Haerin frowned, trying to ignore the flutter of something she couldn't quite name in her chest. "Maybe."
Hyein bumped her with her shoulder. "You're not going to admit it, are you?"
