" I'm gonna die." you darted down the alleyway as your left hand grabbed the strap of your bag tightly, securing it so it won't fly away considering your high speed. You had four minutes left until the class started. Swallowing the last bite of the bread and hoping to God that you won't choke on it, you swiftly swerved the corner. Your eyes brightened at the sight of the two-story building with white walls and a massive sign at the entrance saying; Itaewon Real Estate Academy. 

"Yes!" 

Arriving at the entrance, you abruptly stopped on your tracks and huffed and puffed. Your back is soaking wet from sweat, and your cheeks felt burning. Your heart was beating too fast that you felt like it was about to leap out of your chest. You then dusted off your blouse, making sure that there weren't any leftover breadcrumbs. "Okay _____ let's go." in a deep breath, you tried to control your breathing before you finally stepped in. 

You quickly walked, approaching the lady sitting at the front desk.

You cleared your throat before you said, "Hi,"

The lady glanced up. "Can I help you?" she asked, her face unamused. She had a crossword book on the table and a pen in her right hand.

"My name is ______, and I'm here for Mr. Yoon's class." you forced out a smile as you tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear.

She took a book out of the drawer and placed it in front of her. She started to flip the pages as her eyes browsed for your name. She then ran her index finger from the top of the page and stopped on the fifteenth line. "______." she tapped where your name was.

"Yes?" you smiled.

A sigh escaped her lips as she looked at you. "Honey, you're a minute late. Better run to the last room of this hallway now. He doesn't tolerate irresponsible people." 

"." You widened your eyes in panic. "O-okay. Thanks!"  

You quickly made your way towards the end of the hall as your eyes glimpsed at the classroom you passed by. You stopped on your track when you arrived in front of the classroom door. a deep breath, you nervously pushed the door open. 

"Excuse me," you plastered a smile on your lips, trying to hide the fact that you're scared and embarrassed for being late even though you lived right up the street.

The man in front of the class turned his gaze at you as he placed the marker down. 

"You must be ______," he said. His face wasn't showing any expression that you could read, but you were sure that he wasn't pleased by your arrival.

"Yes sir, you are right." you tensely grinned and bowed.

"Looks like you're the youngest one here. Make sense that you're late. Younger adults tend to have this issue of being not on time." he heaved a sigh. "Take your seat." he turned around, facing the whiteboard. "Now where was I?" 

You bit your bottom lip as you slowly walked towards the front row. You caught a glimpse of the whole classroom starring at you, and you felt your heart paused for a second. "Holy ."  

First of all, being late wasn't a great start to anything. Second of all, who knew that your classmates were going to be 60-year-olds adults, and you'd be the youngest, most inexperienced one. 

You settled your bag and sat down on your seat. You blinked a couple of times before you brought your hands to your face, wondering what you had gotten yourself into.

+

It was 6 pm. You dragged your feet up the hill as you ruffled your hair in frustration. The class wasn't too bad, but Mr. Yoon was a pain in the , and he kept on talking sarcastically about being punctual the whole class. On top of that, the judgemental stares from your classmates drained your energy to the last bit. It was like having your parents there, but it was ten times worst.

Arriving at your apartment building, you walked up the stairs. All you wanted to do is lay down for 30 minutes and maybe take a little nap before your online class. It was your last semester in college, and you're dying to graduate.

With your last remaining strength, you made your way to your front door. Your hand was reaching into your bag as you tried to grab your keys. But then the door next to yours abruptly swung open. 

"Oh hey, grumpy neighbor," 

You looked up, only to see the familiar figure from that morning with a smug on his face.

You in a deep breath and continued to search for your keys. "Hey."  You have no energy left to deal with anything else.

"Just want to thank you for carefully walking through my boxes." he said, and you sensed the sarcasm in his tone.

You held the urge to roll your eyes. "Sorry about that. Your stuff was blocking the way. I was running late." 

"Yeah, but ya know, two minutes won't hurt." he leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms.

"I literally had 10 minutes left. Two minutes would've hurt." You glared at him before pushed your door open and walked in.

"Damn. She's always on edge." the boy blinked.