School Started While I Slept, But Life Stayed the Same
School had started while I was out cold, but my daily routine hadn't changed a bit. I'd head to school, come back home, take a short break, watch Lulu's stream, and right around when it wrapped up, I'd clip and edit the highlights. Once that was done, I'd crash and repeat the cycle the next day.
The routine itself was the same, but there were some changes.
For one, I was sleeping a lot more. Using keyboard shortcuts for everything had slashed my editing time dramatically. And, sorry Lulu, but as soon as the end card popped up, I'd switch from watching to editing. It was all to squeeze in more sleep. Thanks to that, I could finish edits in about three hours after her stream ended and still get some shut-eye. Now I was pulling nearly five hours a night before school.
I'd still feel a little wiped out heading in, but it was way better than first semester. For that reason, I didn't nap in class.
The time I saved went toward something I never would have done before: studying.
That thing I'd have died before touching was now filling the slots where I'd have slept at school.
Some days were exhausting. But I couldn't doze off. Lua, sitting right next to me, made sure of that.
Well, truth be told, if Lua wasn't in the seat next to mine, I could probably sneak a nap. No one to keep tabs on me constantly.
But our time as desk mates wasn't over that easily.
The moment September rolled around after August ended, they shuffled seats again…
"We're next to each other again?"
"Yeah…"
Lua and I had drawn adjacent seats once more.
Thanks to that, I actually started enjoying studying a bit, and with Lua right there, my life got a tad more diligent and productive than before.
That was all well and good, but…
*nod… nod… nod…*
……Today was brutally tiring. Unreasonably so.
I know it'd sound like an excuse, but this was all Lulu's fault. She went on a trolling spree last night, dragging the stream two hours past the usual end time.
I had no choice but to edit late too. Wrapped up at 5 a.m., got exactly three hours of sleep.
"Yaaaaawn…."
I let out a massive yawn, and right away, Lua tapped my hand from the seat next to me.
The moment her small, soft fingers touched mine, the sleep fog clouding my brain cleared instantly.
I jolted and glanced over. Lua was scribbling a note and sliding it my way.
Sleepy?
Didn't sleep well.
The pointless class-time chit-chat was waking me up a little.
Then Lua hit me with a totally unexpected question.
…Wouldn't the normal reaction to "stayed up late" be "Were you gaming?" instead of jumping straight to illness?
I looked at Lua, and she stared back with eyes full of genuine worry.
No way I could tease her with a look like that. I scribbled back.
Work just ran late.
She read it and looked relieved.
That expression was oddly comforting, and before I knew it, my head was drooping forward again.
Lua noticed and wrote more.
I watched her hand move, feeling the warmth radiating from it.
Back row anyway—no one will notice.
We were in the back corner by the wall. Teachers hardly glanced our way.
…Can I really sleep? Is it okay?
Actually, while Lua managed my studying relentlessly, she surprisingly let me sleep when I really needed it. Not like she'd given up on me—more like she trusted me.
Like, 'There's probably a good reason if he's sleeping.'
Grateful for that trust, I replied.
With that, I set down my pen and, for the first time in forever, dozed off in class.
It felt strangely unfamiliar after so long, but the upside was I fell asleep fast. My body remembered the sweet bliss of school naps, even if my head didn't.
*
I was deep in sleep when suddenly someone started fixing my hair—specifically my bangs.
It felt so nice, rustling softly, but also ticklish enough that I nearly woke up.
Then a voice.
"…What on earth were you doing until dawn to be this wiped out?"
The owner? Obviously Lua.
Waking up now would make things awkward, so I stayed put, pretending to sleep while my mind raced.
The room was noisy—must be break time. Why was she still here? Wait, what period was it before this?
My brain spun, but her next words cut through.
"Seriously, no wonder you're getting dark circles."
…I had dark circles? For real?
It was embarrassing that Lua noticed something I hadn't, and I felt bad for worrying her.
"Gotta wake him for lunch, huh…?"
What? Lunchtime already? Right, last period was fourth. Yeah, lunch now.
But she didn't wake me right away. Instead, those small hands kept fussing with my hair.
"Your hair's a mess again… Need to trim these bangs a bit."
Lua fussing over my hairstyle was ridiculous, but I just lay there. Felt kinda like getting nagged by an older sister?
And, okay, this might sound pervy, but her touch felt amazing.
Her slender, delicate fingers—nothing like my own—were pure bliss. Softer and warmer too. No wonder I was melting. How could I not stay still with hands like that on my head?
I was secretly savoring it when tragedy struck—the moment ended abruptly.
"Lua, you not eating?"
A girl from our class called out. Lua answered casually.
"Waiting for Jinwoo to wake up."
"…You two dating?"
Hah, she gets that question too. How would Lua respond?
Lua wasn't just smart—she was gorgeous. I knew for a fact there was a guy in class crushing on her.
…He confessed and got shot down immediately, if memory served.
"……No, we're not dating."
"Oh? You two seem really close though."
"We are close. Childhood friends and all."
"Gotcha…."
Well, that was expected, I guess. She drew a clear line: not dating.
It stung a little. Felt disappointing. But it wasn't just letdown—it was a sharp prick in my chest, painful.
"I'll wake Jinwoo now, so go ahead."
"Okay, see ya~"
The girl left the classroom, and I was stuck in this ambiguous mood, racking my brain on what to do.
Luckily, Lua saved me the trouble by starting to wake me.
"Jinwoo-ya, lunch time. Lunch."
"Ughhh…."
I sat up with the most half-assed acting job ever.
As I stirred, Lua shot me a sharp glare.
"You… were awake?"
"Huh…? What're you talking about…?"
My eyes-open performance was trash, but whether she let it slide or bought it, she just sighed deeply.
"We gotta go eat now."
"Eat? Right… uh…"
I checked the time. Lunch had started thirty minutes ago.
"…We're super late."
"Yeah. Hurry."
"Okay…."
With that, Lua and I headed to the cafeteria for lunch.
The freshmen were already served, so we waited till they finished and slipped in quietly.
Meant we could break the unspoken boy-girl seating rule and sit together.
But we didn't talk at all while eating.
No clue why Lua was quiet, but my head was too messed up to speak.
Her gentle hands in my hair, that soft voice—then her words drawing the line at close childhood friends.
It all swirled in my mind, chaotic.
One thing was crystal clear, though…
At the very least, current Lua saw me as a friend.
A few months ago, that would've been unthinkable. Real progress.
I wanted to pat myself on the back, but at the same time, chew myself out.
This slight awkwardness in our relationship? Entirely my fault. So, could I even afford to feel something more—something deeper?