Chapter 20

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Baekhyun groaned at the sound of his alarm clock and buried himself under his pillow. It was 6 AM and he needed to get ready for school but he had fallen asleep at 2 AM, trying to study for his calculus exam today. It was starting to get harder for him to balance running the company, his loud friends, school, and Hana, but he would never admit it out loud. He his side and slapped his hand over the clock, returning the room to its serene state. In the dark, he fumbled for his phone, cursing when he accidentally dropped it on his face. Great start to the day.

He pried his eyes open, checking the multitude of notifications flooding his screen. There were various messages from his friends asking for answers to homework (mostly Sehun), a couple from Mr. Kim, and a few from his parents. He sighed as he sat up in his bed, quickly replying to all of them. Afterwards, he hopped out of bed and went into his bathroom, brushing his teeth with his eyes closed to savor a few more minutes of shut eye. He mentally ran through his schedule, scratching his head. After school, I have to go straight to the company to help Mr. Kim with assigning offices. Then, we have a video meeting at 5 PM with someone from America, so I need to brush up on my English at 4. I have to call dad around 7 to make sure he got his medicine, and then I have to be at Chanyeol’s by 8 to do the project with the guys. Baekhyun spat into the sink, rinsing his mouth. He sighed and looked at his dark circles in the mirror while chuckling at his disheveled state. Before he could pity himself, he quickly shook his head and hopped in the shower to prepare for the day. 

Hana had her flashcards in her hands as she hurried down the stairs of her home. As she continued to recite the many theorems, she gratefully smiled at Miss Kim, who handed her a lunch box and thermos filled with warm tea. She headed towards the door to leave, but her father stepped out of the master bedroom at that moment. She paused and bowed to him with a bright smile on her face, “Good morning, dad!”

He greeted her in return and began to pour himself a cup of coffee. He glanced at her flashcards in her hands and raised an eyebrow, “Do you have an exam today?”

She nodded, “I do. It’s a calculus exam. I’ll be heading out first-”

“You have to do well on this one, Hana. I saw your grades yesterday and they weren’t too great.” Mr. Park chided. Hana turned around with a confused look on her face, “But, I have straight A’s right now.”

“And you’re still a few points behind from Do Kyungsoo from being first place. Don’t slack off just because you’re in a comfortable position. You need to work harder in your studies. I think Baekhyun is distracting you.” Mr. Park said, opening the daily newspaper at the living room table. 

Hana knew it was useless to argue against him. Plus, she was exhausted. She’s been having more responsibilities at the company, causing her to fall a bit behind in her studies. She had been staying up late for days in a row to catch up and she still isn’t where she wants to be. Hana sighed and bowed to her father before heading out, heart feeling heavier than before.

Instead of driving her car, she decided to walk to school. Her mood was ruined, and she wanted to waste some time before getting to school and having to pretend that everything was okay. She normally wouldn’t mind her father’s lectures about having to be the best. But ever since she started dating Baekhyun, he has been constantly reminding her that her best is not good enough and that Baekhyun is interfering with the path she’s supposed to be on. It didn’t help that she had no one to talk to about it. Baekhyun had become significantly busier and the boys were focused on their own lives. The only times she really saw them was at lunch, but even then, she didn’t feel close enough to them to talk to them about her problems. After all, she still felt as though they only accepted her into their group because of her status as Baekhyun’s girlfriend. 

Maybe I should try to get some friends of my own. Hana sighed, looking up at the dark sky that was beginning to become illuminated by the sun rising over the horizon. She shook the thought of her head immediately. No, mom and dad would just force me to drop them because they would find some flaw in their family. 

Twenty minutes later, Hana arrived at the front of the school. She was welcomed with floods of greetings immediately. She had a warm smile on her face the entire time, greeting everyone individually. A few people stopped her on the way to class and she was forced to pause and have conversations with them.

“You doing anything after school today, Hana? Do you wanna join us to get some waffles?” Some senior boys asked, trying to look cool and collected while leaning against the lockers. Hana hugged her textbooks against her chest. We’re not even close. You just ask me for homework answers weekly. She plastered a polite smile on her face, “Sorry, I’m a little busy today. Thank you for the invitation.” 

She walked away and sighed in relief when the hallway was empty in front of her. She