Hana quickly finished her breakfast and got ready to leave the house, replaying last night's events in her mind over and over again. The way Hyunwoo had left his umbrella and waited still confused her thoughts about him. Today, she was heading to school with a strange feeling that everything would be different.
Gaeun's message, "Are you ready? We're going to be late!", distracted her from her uncertainty, even if just a little.
As she walked to school, chatting with Gaeun, Hana's eyes unconsciously searched for Hyunwoo. Seeing him at school still felt somewhat strange. Without even realizing it, Gaeun noticed Hyunwoo standing in front of the school.
"Look, he's here too," Gaeun said in surprise.
The moment Hyunwoo met Hana's gaze, he spun his cigarette between his fingers and smiled slightly. But he didn't move. When one of the girls beside him lightly touched his arm and said something, the uneasy feeling in Hana's chest grew stronger.
Just as she was about to turn away and head to school with Gaeun, Hyunwoo suddenly moved.
He left the girls behind and walked towards Hana with quick strides. While Gaeun blinked in confusion, Hana barely had time to react before he was already standing in front of her.
"Why are you so grumpy this early in the morning?" Hyunwoo asked in his usual nonchalant but slightly teasing tone.
Hana frowned slightly. "I'm not."
Hyunwoo tilted his head, studying her carefully. "Really?" he said, skeptical. "Or is it because you saw me with the girls this morning?"
Hana rolled her eyes. "I don't have to explain my feelings or actions to you."
Hyunwoo smirked. "But you are explaining."
Hana stayed silent. She really was trying to explain herself without realizing it.
Gaeun, sensing the energy between them, stepped in. "We're going to be late. Should we start walking now?"
Hana nodded and took a step forward, but Hyunwoo began walking beside her. She looked at him in surprise, and he just shrugged.
"What? I'm going to school too."
Hana didn't say anything, but deep inside, she felt relieved. Was it because she had assumed he would stay with the other girls? Annoyed at her own thoughts, she took a deep breath and continued walking.
But Hyunwoo didn't leave her side for even a second.
—
The more Hana realized Hyunwoo was still walking beside her, the harder she tried to keep her frustration in check. He had left the girls behind and come straight to her, yet even that wasn't enough to suppress the jealousy bubbling inside her.
His relaxed, carefree attitude, the way he smiled like he was unaware of everything, only fueled her unease.
When they reached the school gates, Gaeun glanced between them and smiled knowingly. "I'm heading to class. Don't take too long." She gave Hana a meaningful look before walking away.
Hana sighed as she stepped into the school hallway, but Hyunwoo still didn't leave.
"You've been sulking all morning," he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Is there something you want to say to me?"
Hana shot him a glare. "No."
Hyunwoo smirked. "Are you sure?"
Hana stopped and stared at him. "Do you want me to say something?"
Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you want to admit that you were jealous?"
Hana's eyes widened. "Why would I be jealous?"
Hyunwoo leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Because when you saw me with the girls this morning, your eyes practically burned holes through me."
Hana quickly turned away. "You're being ridiculous."
Hyunwoo chuckled and leaned back. "Alright, alright. But if you were jealous, it's not too late to admit it."
Hana shot him a sharp look before storming off to class. Her heart was racing, but she took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
Meanwhile, Hyunwoo watched her retreating figure, a small smile playing on his lips.
—
Hana tried to calm herself as she entered the classroom. Hyunwoo's smug smile, his usual overconfident attitude… The most annoying part was that he might actually be right. Was she really acting jealous?
Eunbi slid over to her seat with curiosity. "I saw you with Hyunwoo," she said. "But before that, he was with those girls, right?"
Hana froze for a moment. She understood why Eunbi was pointing it out, but she tried to act indifferent. "So what?"
Eunbi shrugged. "Nothing, just… He seemed pretty close with them. Especially Seoyun. She used to chase after Hyunwoo, remember? Maybe she caught his interest again?"
Hana felt a pang in her chest. Seoyun. She was one of the girls who had always hovered around Hyunwoo. The scene from this morning flashed in her mind—Seoyun standing beside him, lightly touching his arm…
Her phone buzzed, breaking her thoughts. Glad for the distraction, she quickly looked at the screen. A message from Hyunwoo.
Hyunwoo:Still ignoring me?
Hana rolled her eyes and decided not to reply. A few seconds later, another message came in.
Hyunwoo:If you were jealous, I can make it up to you.
Hana clenched her jaw. Seriously? Did he really think that highly of himself?
Eunbi glanced at her phone screen and smirked. "Oh? Hyunwoo's texting you?"
Hana quickly flipped her phone over and placed it on the desk. "It's nothing important."
Eunbi smiled knowingly. "Hmm, are you sure? Because your face says otherwise."
Hana said nothing. Her heart was still racing, but she wasn't sure if it was from frustration or something else entirely.
Throughout the lesson, Hana stole glances at her phone whenever she received a notification, but she didn't respond to any of Hyunwoo's messages. Who did he think he was? After what happened this morning, he was still acting like it was all just a joke.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on the lesson. But Eunbi's words and Hyunwoo's carefree attitude wouldn't leave her mind.
When the bell rang for recess, Hana quickly closed her notebook and got ready to leave. Sera and Eunwoo stood up alongside her. As they stepped into the hallway, they were caught in a wave of students heading towards the entrance.
At the school's front entrance, everything seemed normal. On the right side, Hyunwoo and his friends leaned casually against the wall, chatting. Aerin was there too, waving her hands dramatically as she told a story, making the boys around her laugh.
On the left side, Seoyun and a few other girls stood by the wall, whispering and giggling while occasionally glancing at Hyunwoo's group.
Hana suppressed the discomfort rising in her chest and looked away. She continued walking quietly alongside Sera and Eunwoo, but her eyes betrayed her and drifted back to Hyunwoo.
Just at that moment, Hyunwoo lifted his head and met her gaze. He smirked slightly, but since Hana was still annoyed with him, she quickly averted her eyes.
She had just turned around to leave when Hyunwoo suddenly stepped away from the wall and walked straight toward her.
"I've been trying to reach you, but you won't even check my messages," he said as he approached.
Hana crossed her arms. "Who said you needed to message me in the first place?"
Hyunwoo grinned, tilting his head slightly. "Maybe because you looked like you had something to say this morning?"