ENHYEOK POV
Ms. Park adjusts her glasses.
Calls her name.
"Seo Jiah."
The room goes weirdly quiet. Not silent—just attentive in that bored, half-curious way people get when it's not them on the line.
"PASS."
The smirk on my lips is gone instantly.
I don't even realize it until my jaw tightens.
That's it?
She… passed?
A few people clap. Someone behind her gasps like it's a plot twist. Bora actually lets out a tiny, very unprofessional cheer before shoving it back down her throat.
Seo Jiah freezes.
For half a second, she looks like the word didn't register. Like her brain short-circuited.
Then it hits.
Her eyes go wide. Mouth parts. She actually laughs—sharp and breathless, like she almost cried and decided to reroute last second. Hands come up to her face. She bows at Ms. Park like she just received an award.
Ridiculous.
She turns.
Looks at me.
And I see it. Clear as hell.
That look.
i told you, fucker. i don't need you.
Not spoken. Not mouthed. Just written all over her stupid, glowing face.
Something twists low in my chest.
Annoying.
I lift an eyebrow and give her a lazy, mocking smirk. The kind that says congratulations on surviving. Nothing more.
She huffs, clearly offended by my lack of enthusiasm, then practically skips back to her seat. Again with the skipping. She drops into the chair beside me, bag thumping the desk, knees bouncing like she's plugged into an outlet.
She leans in. Too close. Way too comfortable.
"You know," she whispers, smug as hell, "God is with me."
I glance down at her answer sheet when Ms. Park places it on the desk.
Barely passed.
Barely.
I tilt my head, eyes scanning the red marks. Then I speak, low and flat. "That's why she gave you a barely pass mark."
She snaps her head toward me, face scrunching up like I personally insulted her ancestors. "Wow. You're actually awful."
I shrug, still looking at the paper. "Math agrees with me."
She clicks her tongue and turns away dramatically, crossing her arms like a child. I catch the edge of her grin before she hides it. She's still riding the high. Still buzzing.
I should be relieved.
No tutoring. No extra hours. No forced conversations. No wasting my time explaining basic shit she should already know.
This is good.
So why does my chest feel… tight?
Heavy. Like something settled there without permission.
I shift in my seat and look away, out the window. The sky's too bright. The glass reflects part of my face, calm and blank, like always.
I don't look back at her.
I don't say anything else.
I open my math book, flip to a random page, force my focus onto numbers that suddenly feel less clean than usual.
My jaw tightens once more.
In my head, quiet and controlled, I say it anyway.
Congratulations, Seo Jiah.
_________________________
JIAH POV
Thank God.
Like—actual, hands-together, look-up-at-the-ceiling thank God.
I passed.
I actually passed.
Not fake-passed. Not mercy-passed. A real, legally binding, red-ink-on-paper PASS.
My chest still feels fizzy, like soda shaken too hard. My hands are warm. My face hurts from smiling. I don't even try to hide it. Why would I? I survived.
I studied.
Me. Seo Jiah. Studied.
All those nights staring at numbers like they personally offended me? Worth it. All those "just one more question" lies to myself? Worth it. I want to kiss my notebook. I want to frame this paper. I want to send it to my future self and be like, see? You're not dumb. Just dramatic.
And—best part—
I don't have to get tutored by Yu Enhyeok anymore.
Freedom.
No sitting beside him after school. No awkward silence. No him looking at me like I'm a broken equation. No breathing the same air and feeling weird about it for no reason.
I can finally focus.
On Jiho.
My smile stretches wider at the thought, all stupid and uncontrollable. Okay. Okay. This is it. New arc. Passed math. Clear mind. Full Jiho agenda.
I picture it without permission—him smiling at me, saying my name softer this time, like it means something different now. Like he chose me. My stomach flips. I press my lips together to keep from giggling out loud like an idiot.
I bounce my leg.
Hard.
Fast.
Unstoppable.
Then—
"Why are you shaking your legs like this?" a low voice mutters beside me. "It's irritating."
I freeze.
My leg stops mid-bounce like it hit an invisible wall.
My smile dies instantly.
I turn my head slowly. "Why are you mad at me?"
He doesn't even look at me. Eyes still on his book. Calm. Annoyingly calm. "Who said I'm mad at you?"
I squint. "Your tone did."
He finally glances over. Just a flick. Enough to annoy me. "You're really annoying."
I blink. Once. Twice.
"Wow," I whisper. "You're actually the worst."
"Good."
I open my mouth to say something absolutely unhinged—
"WHO THE HELL IS TALKING DURING MY CLASS?"
Ms. Park's voice slams into the room like a warning shot.
I jump.
Immediately.
Spine straight. Hands folded. Eyes forward. Model citizen. I've never been more obedient in my life.
"Sorry," I mouth to the front, even though she's not looking at me anymore.
Math resumes. Numbers crawl across the board. My excitement slowly settles, but it doesn't disappear. It just hums under my skin, warm and steady.
I passed.
I don't need him.
I don't need tutoring.
I don't need his annoying comments or his stupid calm voice or his stupid presence messing with my focus.
I steal a glance anyway.
He's already back to his book. Blank face. Untouched. Like nothing happened. Like my win didn't register.
Whatever.
I face forward again, jaw set, leg not shaking this time because apparently that's illegal.
Math is boring as hell.
But today?
I don't even care.
I passed.
--------------------
Lunch feels illegal today.
Like I hacked the system and no one's caught on yet.
I'm sitting at the cafeteria table with Bora and Haerin, tray pushed aside because who even needs food when you're running on pure luck and serotonin. My legs are swinging under the table, heels tapping the metal bar, and I cannot shut up.
"I'm telling you," I say for the fifth time, waving my spoon around, "everything aligned today. The universe. God. My past lives. All of it."
Bora gasps dramatically and bows from her seat, hands pressed together. "We are not worthy."
Haerin follows immediately, bowing too, hair almost falling into her soup. "Math survivor Seo Jiah."
I throw my head back and laugh—full villain laugh. The kind that echoes and makes people look over. I don't even care. I clutch my chest like I've just won a throne. "Yes. Yes. Bow. Respect me."
They're giggling, shaking, knocking elbows, and I feel untouchable. Invincible. Lucky in a way that feels loud.
That's when my eyes drift.
Across the cafeteria.
Yu Enhyeok is sitting with his friends, posture perfect, tray barely touched like food is optional for him. Minseok's talking, Taeyoung's laughing too loud, Yijun's scrolling on his phone.
I scoff into my drink.
Please. Mr. Walking Spreadsheet.
And then—
Park Areum walks up.
She hands him a strawberry milk. Pink. Cold. Cute. Like it was curated.
He looks up.
Smiles.
Actually smiles.
Takes it from her without hesitation.
Something about it makes my face twist. "Ugh," I mutter. "Lovey-dovey couples are so cringe, actually."
Bora's already turned away, deep into a rant about some K-pop idol's new hair color. "No because why would he bleach it AGAIN—"
Haerin's nodding but I can tell she's not listening. She's staring past Bora, spoon frozen mid-air.
Then—
"Jiah."
I choke.
Actually choke.
I turn around so fast my chair screeches.
Baek Jiho is standing there.
Smiling.
Not polite-smiling. Not distant-smiling.
Real.
The cafeteria goes quiet in that very specific way where everyone pretends not to stare while absolutely staring.
My throat dries. "H-hi."
My voice cracks. Fantastic.
He steps closer and places something on the table. A candy. Wrapped. Simple. Like it's no big deal.
"I thought of you," he says lightly, then smiles again and walks to a nearby table like he didn't just drop a bomb and leave.
I stare at the candy.
Then at Bora.
Then at Haerin.
Their faces scream I TOLD YOU so loud it should be illegal.
My cheeks are on fire. My ears are burning. I can feel people looking. Whispering. Because everyone saw the rejecting version of Baek Jiho. Everyone remembers that.
And now this?
My heart is beating so hard it feels fake.
Maybe this is it.
Maybe this is the beginning of our era.
I glance around again—still dazed, still floating—and that's when my eyes catch him.
Yu Enhyeok.
Across the cafeteria.
Looking straight at me.
Cold.
Unreadable.
Like he's watching something he doesn't like and doesn't plan on explaining.
I frown.
What's his deal??
Why does it feel like I did something wrong?