TOMI'S POV
My lips were still buzzing when I walked into the lecture hall. I swear, if anyone looked closely, they'd see the glow around me like I was some cartoon character that just got kissed for the first time in her life. Which, well… yeah. That had happened. And now, here I was, dragging myself to a late afternoon class, trying not to look like I had just committed the most cliché act ever: falling for a celebrity and actually kissing him back. I walked quickly, hugging my books to my chest, almost tripping on the last step because my brain was still stuck back in his apartment. His room. His lips. The way he said my name like it was the only word he'd ever learned. "Focus," I muttered under my breath, sliding into a seat near the back. "Focus, Tomi. Exams. Remember exams? The things that will determine whether you actually survive this semester?" The lecturer was already droning on about something—econometrics this time—and I forced myself to pull out my notes. Pen in hand. Notebook open. But nope. My brain had other plans. The notes I scribbled were nonsense. Literally nonsense. At one point I wrote: Regression analysis = Min-Jae's lips are soft. I almost slammed the book shut out of embarrassment—even though no one else could see it. The girl beside me, Eun-hee, glanced over. "You okay?" "Yeah, yeah. Totally." I nodded too fast. "Just… tired." She gave me that look. The look that screamed you're lying but I'm too polite to dig. Meanwhile, my phone buzzed again in my bag. My heart leapt because, of course, I thought it was him. Maybe he was texting me about what just happened. Maybe he was as shaken as I was. Maybe he wanted to see me again. But when I snuck a glance, it wasn't him. It was my head of class, dropping another group reminder about study groups. And then Yuri: You disappeared. Where are you? I shoved the phone back, cheeks warm. The next two hours felt like years. Every tick of the clock was a reminder that my reality was very boring compared to what I had just left behind. By the time class ended, I had zero idea what the lecture was about. Honestly, my exam fate was now in God's hands. Walking back to the dorm, I kept replaying the kiss like a lunatic. The softness of it. The fire of it. The way his hand gripped me, not too hard, not too gentle, like he wasn't asking for permission but wasn't forcing me either. Like he just… wanted me. Me. Tomi. Random Nigerian scholarship girl. It didn't make sense, but it happened. By the time I pushed open the dorm door, Yuri was on her bed scrolling TikTok. Nia was at her desk with headphones on. Sasha's side… still empty. Yuri looked up, eyes narrowing immediately. "Where have you been?" "Class," I said too quickly. She tilted her head. "Dressed like that? To class?" I glanced down at the pink dress. Crap. She had a point. I shrugged, trying to play it off. "Felt like dressing up today." Her eyes lingered on me, suspicious but amused. Then she smirked. "Your lip gloss is gone. And your hair is… messy. Wait. Did you…" "No," I cut her off immediately, throwing my bag on my bed. "Nope. Nothing. At all." Her smirk deepened. "Oh my God. You did." Nia pulled off her headphones, curious now. "Did what?" "Nothing!" I yelped, cheeks burning. Yuri practically bounced on her bed. "Tell me you kissed him. Tell me you kissed Min-Jae." I froze, which was basically the same as confessing. Both of them screamed. Nia covered her mouth, wide-eyed. Yuri grabbed her pillow and started hitting me with it. "You kissed him? TOMI!" "Shhh!" I hissed, grabbing the pillow back. "Do you want the whole building to hear?" "Oh my God," Yuri repeated, kicking her feet like a teenager in a drama. "I knew it! I knew it! I saw the way you were glowing this morning when you were getting dressed. My instincts never lie." Nia leaned forward, chin on her palm. "So… how was it?" My face heated up instantly. I dropped face-first onto my bed, groaning into the sheets. "Judging by that reaction, it was good," Nia teased. "It was—" I muffled into the pillow, then sat up, covering my face. "It was… unreal." They squealed again. But as quickly as the butterflies filled my stomach, the guilt crept in too. My smile faltered. Because what did this mean? He was famous. He was Min-Jae. I was… me. A kiss didn't magically erase all that. "What if it doesn't mean anything to him?" I blurted. "What if I'm just… a distraction while he's stuck at home healing? What if I'm just—" "Stop," Yuri said firmly. "Don't do that thing where you talk yourself out of happiness." "But—" "No buts," she cut in. "He kissed you. You kissed him. You like each other. Just… take it one step at a time." "Exactly," Nia added. "You're overthinking." I slumped back, staring at the ceiling. Maybe they were right. Maybe I should just let myself breathe for once. But deep down, I knew it wasn't that simple. Not with exams. Not with Sasha missing. Not with his world being so different from mine. And definitely not with the way my heart was already way too invested.