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 days had been getting warmer, the sun lingering longer in the sky, and the air was filled with the sounds of city life. Haerin and Danielle had fallen into an easy rhythm again, a rhythm that felt as natural as breathing. They saw each other almost every weekend, sometimes during the week, and their conversations had become more comfortable, more open. It was like they were learning each other all over again, and yet, some things—like the way Danielle made her laugh without trying, or how she always knew exactly what she was thinking with just a look—remained unchanged.
One Saturday afternoon, after a lazy brunch at their favorite café, Danielle suggested they take a walk down memory lane. Literally. "Why don't we go to our old high school?" She asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Haerin raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a smile. "Our old high school? Are you sure about that? We've had enough of that place. We should be moving on."
But Danielle's eyes sparkled with a kind of nostalgic energy. "No, seriously. I thought it might be fun to look around, remember the good stuff. It's been five years, Haerin. Don't you ever wonder what it would be like to go back?"
Haerin paused, the thought of returning to the place where they'd first met, where their friendship had blossomed into something more, had always held a certain weight. There were so many memories tied to that school, both good and bad. But as she looked at Danielle—at the way she was leaning forward, excitement radiating from her—she realized that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad to relive some of those moments.
"Alright," she said with a smile, "but only if we don't get arrested for trespassing."
— They catched a flight to their old high school was shorter than Haerin had expected. It was funny how time had stretched and shrunk over the years. The school seemed smaller now, as though the walls had somehow shrunk along with their memories. The exterior was just as she remembered: the same faded brick, the tall, imposing front doors, and the huge windows that allowed you to peer into the lobby. Everything looked both familiar and distant at the same time, like stepping into a photograph.
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