Mi-Young POV

So this is what the school looks like. Enthralled by the enchanting layout of the school, I can’t help but to commend the outstanding meticulousness of the architect. Different types of aesthetic plants are lined systematically along the corridor which are suitable to serve as a medium to relieve stress. Murals exhibiting the school history are drawn by students with impressive artistic temperament whose names are engraved below as a token of appreciation. Well, as expected from the school of the rich and talented.

Breathing in the rejuvenating air, I close my eyes to feel the soothing aura emitted by this school. I’m here to face the new me. Expectations are to be coped and new aspirations are to be set. Living up to my expectations, enjoying wonderful high school experiences, getting infatuated and indulging in a fiery romance with a princely-looking guy…. Just thinking of them make me feel all fired up.

This school, Hope Academy, has a tendency to cultivate and make good use of its students’ individual talents. Since founded, its academic and extra-curricular performances have been the cream of the crop. Professionals in respective fields were brought in to ensure the finest quality of education. To repay the school’s hospitality, many former students who became adroit experts often drop by and give inspiring talks.

Due to that reason, Hope Academy seizes the opportunity of being well-funded and provides us a wide array of facilities such as, boutiques, beauty parlour, bookstore, gymnasium, various restaurants or cafes, a greenhouse and student houses instead of dormitories. Speaking of which, I’m currently heading to my assigned student house located at the East Wing.

Before knocking on the door, I massage my cheeks to display a more relaxed expression to hide the fact that my stomach is doing intense summersault. The door opens instantly with a soft crack and a girl steps out of it. The girl is quite swarthy and small in size, but there’s something amazing in her eyes- they are full of compassion. A pair of adorable dimples emerges as she smiles which is perfectly compatible to her heart-shaped face.

“Welcome.” Such sweet voice. “Are you perhaps one of the residents?”

I nodded nimbly. “My name’s Mi-Young. People often call me Tiffany. Nice to meet you.”

“Call me Mouse. Can’t really find any other choices of name while having this height.” She half-jokes.

“Uhm- if you don’t mind.” I make my way in (somehow with those burdening luggage and baggage) with the aid of Mouse. The living room is really cosy and the confinement is perfect for a house of four. There’s a coffee table with a delicately weaved table cloth and a vase of fresh flowers on top. The cabinets are already arranged with matching tableware and basic necessities. To conclude, I’ll be spending my whole three years in a vintage-style house.

“Just to let you know, I was the one who decorated the living room. So if you’re not satisfied with anything, just tell me and I will try to fix it.” She giggled while scratching the back of her neck.

“Pardon me for asking, but are we living in an English cottage?”

“You’re humorous.” She laughed again. “Well, this is obviously not a cottage but you’re partially right, I’m always trying to radiate some historical vibe.”

My Picasso-reincarnated roommate leads me to my room, which appears to be needing some crucial touches. She leaves me to pack my belongings, just to provide me some privacy.

“Oh yes, there’ll be two girls living here, me and you, as well as two boys. Ji Chang Wook and Kim TaeHyung. I don’t which is who, though.”  That’s what she says. I lay with my stomach flat on my bed, feeling the impact when the springs underneath revert. Before I’m able to grasp the concept, I’m already yearning to go home. Back to my home where there are always fluffy stuffed toys, abundant caramel-flavoured chocolates, stacks of romantic genre novels and different courses of meal whenever I fancy.

*

Finished. My back feel sore after all those cleaning and altering. I’m not a creative person nor have the tenacity to be one, so just a hygienic room with photo frames will do. It’s already 6pm so I have decided to go for a grocery shopping and have a simple dinner at one of the school’s cafes. The feeling after succeeding in sorting out my jumble is like a hiker succeeded in conquering the Mount Everest. Well, I have a habitual aptness to get too carried away so as I am going out of my room, I stumble over something bulky and fall onto something sturdy yet at the same time, is radiating faint intimacy.

Chang Wook POV

I knew it. It’s her.

From the first glance, I recognise her almost immediately.

Her hair has fallen all over my face. I don’t really want to admit this, but I don’t mind staying in this position forever. Instant fragrance that smells like a combination of roses and peaches embeds my face and chokes the hell out of my nostrils. Don’t get me wrong, she certainly smells awfully fragrant, but I’ve been diagnosed with an illness since ten- I’m allergic of pollen.

Once she realizes how awkward our position is, she instinctively gets up and starts apologizing frantically. Relax, I’m still as good as gold. Upon receiving nothing but only silence from me, she stares at me with her astonished eyes. Her eyes, black as pearl, pierce straight into mine, demanding for a response; her skin, smooth and radiant as silk, as if she has spent most of her life bathing in the water of the alp.

Alright, it’s decided.

“Oh gosh. Are you having a brain concussion? I’m so sorry-“ Her dewdrop-like voice chimes through my perfectly fine head and this nostalgic feeling I had three years ago soon awakens in between my sense, sending inevitable impulses to my heart.

“I’m fine. Do I look that vulnerable? Treat me to dinner if you’re sincere about your apology.”

“Wait. Excuse me? Seems like I haven’t questioned your intellect for sleeping in front of others’ bedroom defencelessly.” Damn. She’s sharp.

“Hmm? Do you prefer me to go straight in and sleep on the same bed as you? Let’s go. You wouldn’t want to sneak in like a burglar if we get past curfew, right?” Her face flushes bright red and glances sideways while chewing on her lips.

Third person POV

The pair sat face-to-face in an almost rundown café. The atmosphere around them was quite heavy, for the incident that occurred back in their student house still seemed fresh to the girl’s memories. She’s embarrassed at herself to actually secretly wish to remain the distance between them just now. Somehow, she just couldn’t comprehend the reason why she wanted to draw closer to him.

“If you’re just going to continue pondering about that same thing on your own, you’ll resort to nothing but wrinkles.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “It’s not like anyone will help, either.” She pouted lightly at the ridiculousness of his overwhelming arrogance.

“Hmm? Then what am I? A potato?” He teased while inching in closer. Frankly speaking, he’s hot. She took advantage of the close intimacy between them and began to study his face. His jawline was sharp and his skin was pretty fair too. The feature that captivated the girl the most was his eyes. Such huge and clear eyes. Guys with alluring and lash-fringed eyes were always Tiffany’s cup of tea. And strangely, he released an ironic aura- a mixture of boldness and bashfulness, with some hint of mystique.

Unfortunately, the guy had caught her staring for a long time. The corners of his lips twitched conly as the girl continued to spark interest in him. Normally, he would fidget uncomfortably when encountering similar situations but in this case, as the person in question was special, he just let it slide.

“Staring isn’t a good habit, you know.” He smirked. “Well, it can’t be helped. Sorry for standing out too much.”

“Yeah, right.” She looked up at the ceiling board and sighed nonchalantly. “Come to think about it, what’s your name?”

He hesitated for a moment, but recovered soon enough that she didn’t even realise the slight pause. In a spilt second, his troubled mind split into half and both sides began to debate whether to tell her his true identity or not. He had always preferred to be the fading background but when it came to confronting the girl he had been watering for- he desired for the limelight to only deem on him; her attention only to be focused on him and before he could stop it- he already craved to be recognised.

Nevertheless, gambling to expose his identity was like handing him a big bowl of hot broth- accepting too soon would cause him to get scaled, pacing in between his decisions too long would cool the broth and end up forcing an insipid liquid down his throat. Just how on earth, could he resist the opportunity to seize the nebulous but scarce hope, even though it’s as tenuous as thread and made of white lies, considering that it might one day, lead him to eternal rapture?

“You can call me Jason.”

A/N: so here it is, the second update, haha. Thanks for the encouragement, though. Apparently the Tiffany here is a girl with loads and loads of romance-centred dreams so I hope you guys won’t mind it as it’s really a typical high school girls’ dreams. And the Ji Chang Wook here is quite a carefree guy [or rampant (or rash)], a bit different from the one in Healer. Lastly, sorry if it’s boring you.