High school never changes. The people in the school do change, and the building may change. But what makes it a "high school" never does. You have the kingkas and their queens, ruling the hallways with their manicured fists. You have the top students that are admired for their brains and feared for their tenacity. You have the jocks who prize their brawn for their brain, the artistic types that amaze with their creativity, and the class clowns who raises the spirits of those around them, perhaps at another's expense. And then there are the loners who hide back in the shadows, just waiting for these three long years to end and for their chance to shine after graduation. There are also students that fall in between this spectrum of h.s. stereotypes, and so they don't have much of an identity. They are hard to recollect, at least not easily. And that is where Jinyoung had fallen in. She was smart, but not the smartest. She was clever but not the funniest. And even though she played sports, she wasn’t considered athletic. Jinyoung just existed in high school.

However, recently she started to gain a reputation among the students. She had tattled to the principal that she’d seen a second year smoking outside of the building. To her, it was a serious issue. This was an arts school and the student was a singer. Jinyoung didn’t want him to jeopardize his future career and throat for the sake of nicotine. And ever since then, she’d garnered the reputation of being strict. The students were wary of her and stayed away, afraid that she’d report them too for any misdemeanor. And in turn, she grew more nervous around them. After all, her survival at this school hinged on how they felt about her. If the students were to turn on her, she’d have to leave.

Even now, in her third year, Jinyoung hid behind the corner as soon as she caught sight of the kingka of the school. Jinyoung shut her eyes tightly as she hid, hoping that he hadn’t seen her. It was awkward with him. Hot and cold, that’s how he was with her, sometimes sending her dark glares and at other times, blindingly bright smiles. How was she supposed to take that? It was suspicious. What did he want from her? Flattery wouldn’t get what he wanted from her, nor would intimidation. Jinyoung decided it was better to take neither the smiles nor the glares from him, as much as she could. However, meeting him was unavoidable. They had class together.

Jinyoung didn’t particularly care for him. Kingkas were always the ones with the most confidence and ambition, not necessarily the most attractive. And with each passing year, Jinyoung found those types more and more intolerable.

“Did you see Snuggly today?”

Jinyoung’s eyes snapped wide opened, and she pressed her back flat against the wall, trying to blend in with it as a pair of girls were approaching her.

“Is it possible? Did he get even more handsome today?”

“I think it was how he did his hair. Snuggly got it cut, didn’t you notice?” one of the girl was boasting about her perceptiveness when it came to their mutual crush. “His side burns are shorter.”

But her friend did not back down, taking it as a challenge. Which one of them knew Snuggly best. “I think it’s his new pants. Didn’t you see them? They fit his very nicely.” The girl sighed dramatically. “He’s got model-like proportions.”

The other laughed derisively. “What ? He’s flat as a pancake!”

Jinyoung sputtered at that. Her hands flew to , trying to keep the laughter inside, but her giggles managed to slip through her fingers. But she couldn’t help it! These two girls were acting as if they were talking so cryptically, but their nickname for their crush was so obvious! Jinyoung knew exactly who they were talking about, and it was hilarious. His was really flat!

The girls finally took notice of Jinyoung and both immediately dropped their gazes and started blushing like mad. They probably thought Jinyoung would go tell Snuggly about their feelings (but she wouldn’t. Jingyoung wasn’t like that).

“Seonsaeng-nim!”

Jinyoung brought her hands down and bowed her head slightly at them. “Good morning,” she greeted them softly. “Are you two ready for class?”

“Yes!” the two girls yelped in unison and rushed off to their first class that day. Jinyoung smiled as she watched them scurry off. She liked them. Those girls might’ve been a bit boy crazy but they were good students, which she couldn’t say for…

“Yo saem!” Jinyoung cringed when she heard the kingka (Jaesuk) called out to her.

So he’s going to act friendly with me today, Jinyoung thought as she lifted herself off from the wall and gave him a small smile. Jaesuk knew how to get what he wanted through any means, just as long as it meant he didn’t have to put any effort into studying. Unfortunately Jinyoung didn’t give out good marks so easily. She demanded that her students to at least work for their grade, which was a problem for most. And it was another reason why Jinyoung wasn’t well liked at this school: she was the History teacher at an arts school. Most didn’t think that her subject would further them in life. For them, history was torture and Jinyoung was the dungeon master. But she tried to not let their opinions to get her down.

She was going to teach them history whether they liked it or not. And they were eventually going to love it because she did. Or that was the plan.

Jinyoung walked into the classroom with a huge smile on her face. “Good morning, everyone! Who’s ready to learn about Onjo?” she asked cheerfully to her drowsy class.

“No one,” Youngtaek (the class clown) shouted from the back of the class. His remark only gained a few sniggers, but it was enough for the clown to look satisfied with himself.
“Then,” Jinyoung began and started to walk down the center aisle. “Everyone get up! Come on! Up! Up!” she urged her sluggish class. Eventually each and every one got up onto their feet. “Now let’s stretch!” she announced and was met with great groans from her students. “Come on, it’ll wake you up!” She then raised one arm and leaned to one side. She grinned as she watched her students follow. “One two! One two!” she counted as she led the stretches, moving from one side to the other. Her students did the same, muttering the counts under their breaths. “On-jo! On-jo!” she changed the count. “Say it with me now!”

“On-jo! On-jo!”

Jinyoung’s smile wavered. To be honest, she felt incredibly silly for doing this, but then again, most likely her students would be able to remember the name of the founder of the Baekji Kingdom after this. So it was worth the embarrassment. She forced her smile wider and shouted with more vigor as she moved on to stretching their legs, “On-jo! On-jo!”

During her free period, Jinyoung was at her desk in the teachers’ offices. She was eating a kimbap roll that she’d bought on her way to school. There wasn’t enough time in the morning to make actual food, especially after staying up late, planning lessons for the day. She played with a piece in her hands before popping it in and sighed while she chewed. She was getting sick of eating this everyday.

“Did you hear his new nickname that the students have for him?”

“No. What is it this time?”

“Snuggly!”

“What?!”

Jinyoung spun in her chair to face the two women walking into the room. It was Hwang Jinyi and Baek Sooryun, the Chinese and Arts teacher (respectively), who were Jinyoung’s seniors by many many years. She bowed to them as they walked in, and they nodded to her and continued their conversation.

“The nickname suits him,” Sooryun added. She slowly lowered herself into her chair at her desk, with a groan. Jinyoung could hear her joints groan along with her. The Art teacher was the one of the oldest amongst the staff. “If only I had a daughter, I would love to make him my son-in-law.”

“I have a daughter,” Jinyi quickly replied. “And I plan on doing just that.”

Sooryun laughed loudly (which Jinyoung was thankful for because it covered her own laughter and subsequent choking on her kimbap). “She’s still in college!” the old woman argued.

“He’s not that much older,” her friend spat back. “Besides it’s not like guys are against the idea of marrying beautiful, young women. It’s quite the opposite.”

“True,” Sooryun agreed, but it was undercut with a sigh. “But Snuggly would have a hard time with you as a mother-in-law.”

Jinyi gasped (which Jinyoung was thankful for once again because it masked her giggles, but it was true, Jinyi was overbearing at times as a coworker and would been even worse as a mother-in-law). “I would take good care of him,” the Chinese teacher fought back. She then looked over at the door and smirked. “Just watch.”

“Hm?” Jinyoung hummed as she craned her neck in order to see who was at the door. As soon as she caught sight of who it was, she rolled her eyes and sat back down. It was him, ‘Snuggly,’ otherwise known as Kim Sunggyu.

“Kim seonsaeng-nim!” Jinyi called to him more sweetly than Jinyoung had ever heard her speak to anyone. The woman walked towards him, pausing by her desk for a second to pick up a large bag. “I made you the dishes, as I promised I would. I even made you the egg rolls that you liked so much.”

Sunggyu grinned widely as he accepted the bag with both hands. “Oh thank you!”

Jinyi’s warm smile morphed into a pout. “It must be hard for you to live so far from home, without anyone to take care of you,” she lamented. The Chinese teacher then placed a hand over her heart. “Just think of me as your own mother for the time being,” she offered.

“O-oh thank you,” Sunggyu stammered as he walked over and placed the bag down on his own desk. Jinyoung noticed his smile falter. Jinyoung smirked. It seemed like he caught onto what the woman was implying (or her plans for him). “I’ll be sure to enjoy this. I missed homecooked food,” he tried to change the subject.

“I’ll be sure to cook more for you then,” Jinyi offered. And before the man could say anything, the Chinese teacher left. “I’ll see you later.”

“Take care, Hwang seongsaeng-nim,” he wished her as she passed him. Sooryun and Jinyoung were cackling at the interaction, exchanging knowing glances with each other. Hwang Jinyi was a bull, stubborn and fierce. She would not give up on her future son-in-law so easily. And since it would be improper for Sunggyu to glare at a senior, he settled for Jinyoung, his gaze burning straight through her.

“Good afternoon, Kim seonsaeng-nim,” Jinyoung greeted him cheerfully, not letting go of her mocking smile. “Are those new pants?”

Sunggyu released his glare and glanced down at his pants, brows furrowed in confusion. “Yea,” he muttered. He then raised his head back up, showing his cocky grin. “You noticed?”

“No,” Jinyoung denied without hesitating. Sunggyu’s smile fell away and he cocked his head. “I heard about it,” she clarified.

Sunggyu snapped his head back up straight and narrowed his eyes. “About my pants? Who’s talking about my pants?” he asked.

“Everybody,” Jinyoung answered simply and popped another piece of kimbap in . “Everyone’s talking about your pants,” she spoke through a full mouth.

His arms were tight to his side as he glanced down at his pants. He was stiff and uncomfortable, readying himself for embarrassment. “What? Are they weird?” he muttered as he tried to examine his pants as well as he could with them still on.

Jinyoung’s grin widened. She could have fun with this. “I don’t know. Turn around,” she told him. “Come on, turn around,” she urged him once more after he looked up at her hesitantly. At that, he gave in and lifted his arms slightly and spun around slowly for her.

“Like this?” he asked as he turned. “Are they weird?”

The pants weren’t weird, not in the slightest. They fit Sunggyu well, clinging onto his waist snuggly but did not fit tightly throughout. They were completely appropriate pants for some of his age, teaching at a school full of impressionable (and hormonal) youths. However, Jinyoung was weird and inappropriate. When Sunggyu turned, her eyes fell down to his , where the pants were a bit looser than in other places, which reminded her of the girls’ conversation this morning. Pancake . And she exploded into a fit of laughter, resting her head on her desk as she threw her whole body into the fit.

Sunggyu froze. “Wh-what?” he blubbered. “What? Why are you laughing?” Now his voice sounded angrier because Jinyoung wasn’t answering and was still laughing.

She lifted her head from the desk and waved her hand, trying to wipe the doubts from his mind. “It’s nothing. I swear,” she wheezed. Jinyoung wanted to stop laughing; she really did. But it was the confused look on his face that would send her off again.

“That,” he spoke as he gestured towards her. “That doesn’t sound like nothing.”

“You,” Jinyoung began but soon stopped to take in a deep breath, calming herself down. She tucked in her lips, waiting a second or two before starting again, “You look fine. Don’t worry about it.” She then got up and began to gather her things. Jinyoung couldn’t trust herself. There was a chance that she’d start laughing again. She had to escape this situation. “I should go,” Jinyoung announced. And as she walked past him, she tried assuring him again, “You’re fine. I promise.” However, his face showed that he wasn’t entirely convinced by her words. But what else could she say? It was better to leave the conversation at that and go.

When she was just outside the door, Jinyoung could hear him ask their senior teacher, “Do these pants look weird to you?”

“No! They fit you very well, Sunggyu!” the Art teacher praised. “You look dashing.”
“That’s what I thought,” Sunggyu murmured below his breath. “That girl is weird.”

“Eh,” Sooryun remarked. “Jinyoungie is just like that.”

“Weird?”

“Yes,” the woman replied with a hearty chuckle.

After hearing that, Jinyoung smiled to herself and continued down the halls to her classroom. She wasn’t about to deny it. She was weird. But she liked to think it was a charming kind of weird, like Ryan the maneless lion. Her steps slowed. But most people think that Ryan is a bear. What do they think about her? Does she seem like something she’s not too? Jinyoung shook that thought out of her head, held it up higher, and continued to walk down the halls at her usual pace. She couldn’t entirely help what people thought of her. But she was going to stay true to herself, be that maneless lion, the history teacher in a school for the Arts.

That afternoon, Jinyoung’s classes were as restless as packs of hyenas, paying attention to every little distraction rather than hear her lecture. However she was used to it. She could focus their attention for a few minutes, but then it would slip through her fingers again. Also by the end of the day, her own attention span was shot. She was almost as grateful as her students when classes were over.

She was prowling through the hallways, making her way slowly back to her office, when she noticed it. Jinyoung heard it first. A voice gently wafted through the air, sounding similar to someone lightly tapping a bell, quiet but clear. Jinyoung stopped at the music classroom and looked through the window that separated the hallway from the classroom. A young male student was still continuing his vocal lesson, even though class time was over.

Just like she accepted the fact that she was considered ‘weird,’ Jinyoung also understood why people found Sunggyu attractive. There he was in the classroom, sitting at the piano bench as he listened to the student attentively. Sunggyu’s attraction didn’t rest solely on his looks. There were men better looking. But it laid in his actions. When the boy stopped after his light voice cracked slightly, Sunggyu sprung into action.

“I can’t do it all of the sudden. It’s too hard,” the boy spoke as lowly as he was singing before. His head was bowed, staring at his feet.

Sunggyu scooted towards the end of the bench in order to get closer to the student. “You can do it,” he assured him. “Rather than pushing the notes out, just pull them out, like using your head voice,” he gestured as he directed the other, as if he were plucking the notes from the top of his head. “Let’s try it from the beginning,” Sunggyu told the student. The boy tilted his head to the side, reluctant to try again. Sunggyu noticed this. “You can do it. Don’t worry if your voice cracks. For now, just try.”

You’d have to be heartless not to be affected by that, not to soften at that warm look that he was giving his student, not to feel encouraged by those words. Even the student gave way to Snuggly’s charms.

“Okay,” the student gave in raising his head. However his eyes weren’t still on the Music teacher. His gaze was fixed on the window, not the one looking outside but the one looking out into the hallway. He noticed Jinyoung. She froze as their eyes met. “But…”

Sunggyu followed his student’s gaze, catching Jinyoung’s gaze briefly before she darted down the halls.

But she didn’t get very far. “ACK!” Jinyoung yelped while she knocked into a trashcan. The can crashed onto the ground, spilling its contents everywhere. “Aish,” she cursed under her breath as she crouched down, propped up the trashcan, and began to put the trash back in the bin.

“Are you okay?”

“Hm?” Jinyoung craned her neck to look behind her, shifting on the balls of her feet. It was just Sunggyu. She then returned to picking up the garbage. “Yea, I’m fine,” she muttered.

“Really?” he challenged with a slight chuckle. He crouched down besides her. “Because you screamed really loudly,” he teased and then pushed a crumpled wad of paper towards Jinyoung with his finger, ‘helping’ her clean up.

She sighed, plucked up the wad, and tossed it in the bin. “I was just shocked, that’s all,” she defended herself. Jinyoung then nodded back towards the classroom. “Go back. Finish the lesson. I can do this myself.”

“We were already done. But…” Sunggyu stopped talking and flicked another piece of trash towards her, and Jinyoung picked it up with the tips of her fingers, grimacing. It was after she threw it into the can when she finally looked over at him and he continued. “Were you watching my lesson?” he asked with a cheeky smile.

“Yes,” Jinyoung answered honestly and quickly. She then giggled out of embarrassment while she explained herself, “I was curious. I’m always curious. But don’t you ever wonder how everyone teaches?” she turned the question towards him. “Like Dongwoo. Don’t you wonder how he teaches Chemistry?”

“Without burning down the building? Yea I wonder that all of the time,” Sunggyu joked. “And how Hwang teaches without running her students over like a bull” Jinyoung nodded as she stood up and put the last piece of trash into the can with a sigh. It’s done. She then turned to Sunggyu, about to say ‘goodbye’ to him, but he had stood up along with her and now was looking at her expectantly. He wouldn’t let it go. “So what did you think?” he asked. “My teaching, how was it?”

“Good. You really know your stuff,” Jinyoung gave him the praise that he was searching for.

“Of course. I’m smart. I know things,” Sunggyu boasted. He then beckoned her with the wave of his hand, welcoming more praise from her. “What else? Were you impressed?”

Jinyoung rolled her eyes. “I only saw you for a few minutes. That’s hardly enough time to assess you completely,” she wasn’t going to give him any more gratification than she already had.

“True,” he admitted with a small nod and then asked, “So can I watch you teach sometime?”

Jinyoung sputtered when she heard that. “No, never!” she refused. “You’d be too much of a distraction.” After she saw his smile widen, she realized what she had implied so she was quick to correct it, “For my students! You’d distract them.”

Well, that didn’t make his cocky smile small. It had grown to its full size. “They all like me. They really like me. They’re fanatic,” Sunggyu bragged, putting his hands in his pockets. Jinyoung glanced over at him and gave him a half smile. Forget about Jaesuk. This guy is the real kingka at this school.

“Yea, they are,” she couldn’t deny that. “I’m gonna go. Thanks for helping.” Or just watching me pick up trash, she held in. Jinyoung began walking down the hall and turned back to wave to him, “Take care.”

He waved back before returning back to the classroom, “You too. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes.” There was no way for Jinyoung to avoid it.

It took a long while for Jinyoung to get back home; it always did. Her apartment was in a different part of the city than the school. But she’d lived in that apartment for years, even before she’d gotten the position at the Arts School. It was the first and only place that she lived in the city after moving up from her hometown of Pohang. It would make her life easier if she’d move closer to the school. She could probably afford a better place too. But she didn’t want to. She liked her landlady, who looked after Jinyoung like an aunt (a bit overbearing at times but it was sweet to know that someone was looking out for her). Then there was him, the man who lived the floor above her. He was cute and a bit younger than she was and tall. And it was that tall, long backside that Jinyoung saw going up the stairs, several steps ahead of her. He seemed busy. He always seemed busy. There was an air of mystery around the man upstairs, and Jinyoung had a fun time trying to ‘solve’ that mystery the best she could. What she learned so far was that he wasn’t originally from the city like she was, and that he always comes home as late as she does. He must either have a demanding job or a long commute…or both, Jinyoung thought as she watched his feet walk up the stairs. She then stepped onto her floor. Good night, man upstairs.

But the real reason why wouldn’t dare to move lived on the same floor as she did. When Jinyoung reached her apartment, she opened the door only to throw her bag inside of the apartment. Afterwards, she shut the door and ran over to the apartment across the hall. She pressed in the number that she knew by heart into the keypad and ripped the door wide open. “I’m home!” Jinyoung announced loudly as she slipped her heels off. She then raced over to the couch and threw herself onto it, making herself comfortable. Jinyoung closed her eye tightly and sighed contentedly. This was a place where her heart felt completely at ease. It was especially comforting on a day like today when her heart was anything but at ease at times.

When Jinyoung opened her eyes again, a man was standing in front of her, with his hands in his pockets. “Oh,” Jinyoung gasped and sat up, opening her arms wide. “My husband! I’m home!”

The man winced. “Aish, would you stop calling me that? I’m not yours,” he reminded her. “Put your arms down.”

Jinyoung did as she was told, pinning her arms to her side, and pouted. “Sorry,” she apologized, but she was fighting a smile on her face the whole time. She really liked to .

“Oh? Jinyoung-ah! You’re home!” a voice yelled from behind the couch.

Jinyoung turned around and flung her arms wide open again. “Hyunae-yah!” she exclaimed.

Hyunae was a friend that Jinyoung had made in college and now was her closest friend in the whole world. When they graduated, they both moved to the city together. Jinyoung had moved because of a job. Hyunae moved for her then boyfriend, now husband Woohyun, who had gotten a job at a major company. By a of fate, they were able rent apartments on the same floor, which made it feel to Jinyoung that the entire floor was their ‘home.’ Her home was their home, and their home was her home. And they became a makeshift family over the years, growing closer and closer together. Hyunae was more like a sister to Jinyoung now, which would make Woohyun her ‘brother-in-law’ (but that didn’t get a rise of out him like calling him her ‘husband’ did). The three of them would eat together almost every night and talk about their days, their problems, and their joys. However, Jinyoung feared that those days would soon come to an end. The three of them was about to become the four of them. Hyunae was pregnant.

Hyunae made her way carefully over to her best friend and the two of them hugged. She wasn’t far along in her pregnancy, just a few weeks, but Hyunae was nervous as it was her first. Jinyoung was too. Their embrace was lighter than it usually was.

When the both of them had let go, Woohyun frowned at his wife. “Don’t I get a hug too?” he grumbled.

Hyunae gave him a hug too (which satisfied him), but her eyes were still on her friend. “How was your day?” she asked.

Jinyoung gave a slender smile as she took a moment, watching the couple hold each other and glancing down to the slight bump growing on Hyunae. “It was alright. Same as always.” At least that was one part of her life that Jinyoung could count on to stay the same.

“When are you going to meet somebody?” Woohyun asked while they were sitting in the living room after dinner. The question wasn’t so random. Woohyun had been sharing the latest office gossip with them and how he suspected that two interns were dating. And based on what he had told her about the interns, Jinyoung had predicted it happening weeks ago and reminded him of it. So Jinyoung knew what his question was truly getting at: when would she stop focusing on other people’s love lives and focus on her own.

“It’s not that easy,” Jinyoung replied. “I don’t have much time, and all of the ‘new’ people I’ve been meeting lately are minors. I don’t want to go to jail.”

“Honey,” Hyunae called to her husband. “Don’t you have anyone to set Jinyoung up with at work?”

Woohyun casted a nervous glance over at the teacher before responding lowly, “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“Eh, I won’t blame you if the date turned out poorly,” Jinyoung assured him. “That wouldn’t be your fault.”

Woohyun shook his head. “No, I don’t want to get in trouble with people at work,” he clarified. “You know too much about me and you’re a blabbermouth,” he quickly added before either woman could object. And neither could now. He had a point. “I have a reputation to uphold there.”

“Yea, I guess it wouldn’t be good if your coworkers knew that you used to have tea time as a ‘bonding’ experience with your college roommates,” Jinyoung admitted (while ruffling his feathers at the same time).

Woohyun closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “Why do I tell you these things?”

“Because we’re friends,” Jinyoung answered his rhetorical question.

“You do have a strange way of pulling this sort of information out of people,” Hyunae remarked. “If you could actually keep a secret, you’d make a good spy. Except, you’re also too loud. You wouldn’t be able to sneak up on people. Also you lose things often…”

“It’s a good thing that I’m a teacher then, huh?” Jinyoung cut her off with a smile. “It’s my job to tell people everything. And with history, there’s a lot to tell.”

“Eung, it’s the perfect job for you,” Hyunae responded through a yawn and began to lean on the man next to her. Woohyun caught her yawn too and put his arm around her.

Jinyoung picked up on the hint. It was late, and she was running close to overstaying her welcome. The couple wanted some time alone. So Jinyoung popped up from her seat. “I need to go. I need to finish my lesson plans for tomorrow,” she declared as she headed towards the door, slipping on her shoes. And the couple didn’t even try to hold her back.

“Okay, Jinyoung. Good night!” Hyunae wished her with a loud but tired voice.

“Night!” Woohyun’s voice overlapped with his wife’s.

“Night!” Jinyoung said back while waving and then left.

The walk across the hall felt especially long that night and grim. Maybe it was because she was dragging her feet with her head hanging low the entire walk, but Jinyoung couldn’t help it. She felt lonelier this time after leaving ‘home.’ She started missing it and their company much more quickly, the second after she left. With a heavy heart, Jinyoung knew that times like those were limited now.

She leaned against her front door after closing it behind her. Maybe I should start dating again, she thought. I’m pretty much settled at school now. I’m a bit freer now. I could. I should! It’s decided! I will start dating again! She lifted herself from the door with a slight smile, which fell slowly as she started getting ready for bed, changing her clothes and washing her face. She could hear nothing but the water splashing in the sink and her footsteps pattering across the floor. Her resolution to date did nothing to assuage her loneliness. Instead, she felt it even more now. It was hard to just start dating when there was no one around. Who is even there to date? Jinyoung mused to herself as she flopped onto the bed.

“Kakao!”

It was her phone. Jinyoung groaned as she reached for it. The teachers had a group chat and messages this late at night normally meant that someone wanted Jinyoung to cover their study hall for them, or something like that. And she would because “Jinyoung is weird and actually enjoys doing it.” No, Jinyoung was a pushover and would cover out of the kindness (and guilt) of her heart.

In any case, the message wasn’t from the group chat, but it was from a fellow teacher. It was from Sunggyu. He’d sent her a gif of a child not watching where it was going and running into a trashcan, falling backwards on its behind and crying. “This reminded me of you,” he wrote, teasing her about what happened earlier that day.

While Jinyoung could be a pushover for some, she refused to have Sunggyu ‘knock’ her around. She bit her lip in concentration as she searched for an image online. “Yes,” she cheered under her breath as she found it and began laughing when she typed in the message and sent it: “This reminded me of you.” The image was of a stack of pancakes.

Jinyoung kept giggling to herself as she placed the phone on her nightstand. Sunggyu probably wouldn’t understand the joke, but it made her laugh. “Hehehe, pancake ,” she cackled as she tucked herself into bed.

“Kakao!’

Jinyoung shivered from shock. She didn’t really expect a message back, and he’d written, “Why? Because I’m sweet.” After reading that, she dropped the phone onto the bed as if it were hot. She picked it up a second later in order to type a quick ‘no’ in response and put the phone on the stand.

“I’m crazy. Really crazy,” she mumbled to herself as she pulled the covers over her head. “Why did I say that? Ugh, I really don’t want to see him tomorrow.”

But it was unavoidable. Even if she didn’t run into Sunggyu that day, she’d still hear about him on everyone’s lips. ‘Snuggly’ truly was everywhere, cradling the whole school in his embrace. There was nothing that Jinyoung could do to escape, especially since tomorrow would bring news that would change her life at the school forever