Roses and Thorns (Jinlia)

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 | turn of events

Book 1, Chapter 8
𝖳𝗎𝗋𝗇 𝖮𝖿 𝖤𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌

Jisu let out yet another yawn, her boredom reaching new heights. She’d never been this disengaged in class before.

It was rare for her to find a lecture dullㅡmost of her professors were engagingㅡbut this one clearly didn’t fit the bill. Though, it was understandable, considering his impending retirement next month.

“Don’t forget to finish the assignments by the weekend, class,” he reminded them before swiftly exiting the room.

“Hey, Jisu, did any of that make sense to you?” came the inevitable question from a classmate.

Flipping the question back at him, she asked, “What about you?”

“Uh, wouldn’t be asking if I caught even a snippet,” he admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Jisu playfully scoffed. “Don’t worry, I’m in the same boat as you,” she said, tucking her notes into her bag, already ready to dash off to her next class. But before she could leave, another inquiry was hurled her way.

“How come you’re always at the top if you don’t understand what he’s teaching?” another classmate asked, her voice dripping with curiosity.

Take a breath, Choi. Just one more answer. With her brightest grin, she said, “Lots of self-study.”

“And how can you be sure you’re teaching yourself the right things?” a girl from the back challenged, her tone dripping with smugness and a hint of jealousy.

This sly little troublemaker.

Jisu turned sharply to face her, her hair whipping against her back. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. And yes, you’re excused,” the girl retorted, a smirk playing on her lips as she openly challenged Jisu.

Without missing a beat, Jisu fired back with a sweet smile, “Our classmate just asked me why I keep acing this class even with our less-than-stellar professor. If you’re struggling to follow conversations or grasp the content, maybe you should get it checked.” With a slight bow, she gracefully exited the room, leaving behind a chorus of jeers and laughter.

──⇌••⇋──

Already settled for her next lecture, Jisu was deep in conversation with her seatmate about the latter’s romantic escapades. Despite her lack of firsthand experience, Jisu doled out advice and empathy like a seasoned love guru, all thanks to her steady diet of romance novels.

“Silence, everyone!” The sudden command from their professor, his voice booming and bouncing off the walls, halted all chatter. The class quickly fell quiet.

Jisu, anticipating the start of the lecture, reached into her bag to retrieve her notebook and placed it on her desk, then refocused her attention to the front.

Shit! Jisu mentally cursed as her eyes landed on the figure standing beside their professor. She discreetly glanced around, ensuring no one caught her reaction.

There, next to the professor, stood a woman with a piercing gaze, her expression unreadable but her eyes sharp. An observant onlooker would notice the careful gap she maintained from the professor.