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 following week seemed to stretch on forever for Haerin. Every morning, she woke up with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty swirling in her chest. After their walk in the woods, things between her and Danielle had shifted, but not in the way she expected. There were no grand confessions, no dramatic moments. Instead, there was a quiet understanding between them, an unspoken agreement that they were both taking things slow, but that they were, at the very least, moving forward.
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And yet, there was this constant feeling of anticipation hanging in the air—like a pause before the next chapter of their story. Haerin wasn't sure if that chapter would be written with certainty or uncertainty, but she knew one thing for sure: she didn't want to face it without Danielle by her side.
—
It was a Friday afternoon, and Haerin was standing in the school gym with her friends, enjoying the last rays of ambience before the weekend. As usual, Hyein was talking about her girlfriend Minji, Winter was pretending to listen but clearly more interested in her phone, and Haerin was mostly just watching the world go by, trying to ignore the buzzing in her mind about Danielle.
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She glanced up from her phone and caught Hyein watching her closely. "What?" Haerin asked, trying to sound casual, though she could already feel her cheeks warming. She had no idea what Hyein had been reading from her expression, but she had a feeling it wasn't good.
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