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...
The days following the dinner had a surreal quality to them, as if Haerin were living in a world that no longer felt quite so familiar. Everything seemed lighter, easier, when Danielle was around. Their interactions had become a new kind of normal. No longer the constant bickering or sarcastic jabs. No longer the competitive energy that always hung between them. Now, it was filled with quiet moments and shared glances. She caught herself smiling more. Even Hyein noticed, constantly teasing her about the "Danielle effect," as she'd dubbed it.
The new dynamic was undeniable. Haerin was 'starting' to see Danielle differently—not just the girl who had tormented her for months, but someone who could make her laugh, someone who actually listened, someone who was 'trying' to be a better version of herself.
But even with everything shifting, there was still a lingering part of her that wasn't fully ready to jump into something more. She hadn't forgotten the history between them, and she wasn't sure she could fully erase the doubts in the back of her mind. Was she really changing? Or was this just a phase? ---
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It was a Friday afternoon, and Haerin found herself walking to her locker after the final bell. She had planned on heading straight home to get a jump on homework, but her thoughts were elsewhere—mostly on Danielle, and the strange mix of emotions that had started to bubble up inside her.
She had just reached her locker when a familiar voice broke her out of her thoughts.
["Hey"]
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She turned, and there she was—Danielle, standing a few feet away, hands in her pockets and that usual easygoing grin on her face. But something was different about her today. She looked... unsure. Like she was working up the nerve for something.
"What's up," she replied, trying to read her expression.
Danielle shifted on her feet. "I was thinking... maybe we could do something tonight. Something a little more... 'real'?"
Haerin raised an eyebrow, confusion creeping in. "Real? What do you mean?"
Danielle scratched the back of her neck, clearly nervous. "I don't know. It's just... I feel like we've been tiptoeing around whatever this is between us. I want to take things a little further, you know? But I also don't want to freak you out."
