Monday's Bold Claim
After the weekend, Monday rolled around once more.
“……Ahem, ahem.”
Baek Seolah stood before one of the academy mirrors, using the spare minutes before first period. She ran her fingers through her silver-white hair, checking for any stray strands, then gave her cheek a light poke. Satisfied that nothing looked out of place, she allowed herself a small, content smile before hurrying into the classroom.
‘Han Taeyang……’
The first thing she scanned for wasn’t her own seat, but the spot right beside it—the place where a certain blond student should have been. She’d arrived three minutes before class started, so he was probably already here. Clutching her textbook to her chest, she swept the room with sharp golden eyes.
‘Ah, found him—’
She spotted the striking artificial blond hair that stood out even among the academy crowd and smiled—only for the expression to freeze a heartbeat later. Her face hardened at the sight of Han Taeyang’s unusual situation. One eyebrow arched in disbelief as she let out a short, incredulous breath.
“……Huh?”
It was the kind of scene that would make anyone pause. Naturally, quite a few other students in the lecture hall were also staring in that direction. Baek Seolah stood rooted to the spot, an odd, unsettled feeling twisting in her chest, before she finally spoke.
“Hey, Han Taeyang……”
Her voice came out sharper than she intended, laced with an irritation she couldn’t quite explain. She took a step forward—only for the front door to burst open with a loud bang, exactly like a scene she’d lived through before.
A petite girl wearing a conical hat and sporting blond hair walked in with short, quick steps and greeted everyone cheerfully.
“Hello, hello! I’m not too late today, right? Alright, everyone take your seats.”
……
Jeong Soyul, the liberal arts teacher, climbed onto the podium with her usual bright smile. Under that cheerful gaze, Baek Seolah had no choice but to reluctantly find a nearby seat. Of course, her golden eyes continued to burn quietly as they fixed on one particular spot.
‘……Good grief. What’s he up to now?’
Han Taeyang, the target of that intense stare, could only shrink his shoulders under the inexplicable attention. A girl with curly black hair tied in a ponytail sat comfortably on his lap, just like always. He looked down at Seo Ahyeon, who was nestled snugly against him, and whispered.
“Hey. You should get down soon. If the teacher catches us, we’re both in trouble.”
“Mmm?”
Even though they were in a corner seat, he wanted to avoid any chance of Jeong Soyul noticing and causing a scene. The teacher didn’t usually single out students who weren’t participating, but she definitely wouldn’t tolerate anything that disrupted class—like someone sitting on another student’s lap.
Seo Ahyeon grabbed both of his hands and wrapped them around her own neck, murmuring softly.
“I want to stay like this a little longer……”
“……Seo Ahyeon.”
“Tch. Fine, I’ll get down.”
Her cute attempt at resistance didn’t work on him. When he narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice, she clicked her tongue in defeat. Quietly sliding off his lap, she settled into the seat beside him. Her textbooks were already there anyway, so it didn’t look strange at all.
As a result, Han Taeyang had to rub his stiff lower back from sitting so straight, but that was the least of his worries.
‘Today’s going to be another circus.’
He already knew how much gossip had spread last time just because Baek Seolah sat next to him. The anonymous academy forums, especially the bamboo forest, had been flooded with wild rumors. If word got out that Seo Ahyeon—publicly still Kim Minjun’s girlfriend—had been sitting on his lap, things would get much worse.
‘……Hopefully no one took a picture.’
Holding back a sigh, he glanced around at the other students. Even though class had started, several pairs of eyes were still directed their way. They looked away when caught, but it didn’t change anything. Han Taeyang felt his headache growing. He shot Seo Ahyeon a displeased look, blaming her for the unnecessary attention on a Monday morning.
“……Ah. Ahem.”
Seo Ahyeon flinched briefly under his gaze, then immediately launched into an obvious performance.
“Ow ow ow, my back……”
“……”
“Maybe it’s because someone kept going at it all weekend without rest…… My hips and pelvis are killing me. Even my stomach feels tingly, mm.”
“……”
“Well…… that’s just how it is.”
She even lifted the hem of her uniform shirt slightly, revealing faint bluish bruises on her lower abdomen. Han Taeyang had no comeback for that and could only shut his mouth. After all, during the past two days when he’d reluctantly let her stay in his dorm because she refused to be alone in the lounge, he hadn’t exactly been considerate of her physical limits.
‘……How was I supposed to know bruises would show up on the outside from what we were doing inside?’
He coughed awkwardly and looked away. Seo Ahyeon grinned triumphantly and poked his side with a playful finger.
“You’ll lend me your lap next period too, right? Huh? Huh?”
“……We don’t even have the same class next period.”
“I don’t care, I don’t care. Just do it.”
Her eyes and attitude overflowed with affection that went beyond flirting into outright whining. Han Taeyang let out a long sigh but couldn’t bring himself to refuse outright. In the end, it was Seo Ahyeon’s unilateral victory. He nodded silently, and she beamed with a bright, happy smile.
*****
“As you all know, two hundred years ago, after a meteorite of unknown origin fell to Earth, the world underwent a great upheaval.”
“That marked the beginning of a new era called the Awakened Society. In your case, you’ll soon become the proud fifth-generation Awakened who will form the backbone of that society.”
“Today, let’s take a look at some of the major events from the golden age of the fourth generation, right before the fifth. Now, if you’ll look at the screen……”
Fortunately, once class properly began, Seo Ahyeon stopped clinging to him. She opened her textbook, clicked her pen, and focused properly on the lesson.
‘……Come to think of it, her theory grades weren’t bad either.’
From what he recalled, Seo Ahyeon had actually been among the top students in theory subjects. Unlike him, who had neglected his studies the entire time he’d been possessing this body in order to maintain his delinquent image—and had ended up genuinely unable to take written exams—she had steadily kept up with her academics.
For some reason, a twinge of jealousy made his gaze toward her turn slightly sour. Did she feel the prickling stare? Seo Ahyeon flinched and glanced back at him.
“……W-what? Why are you looking at me like that? It’s scary.”
“Like what?”
“You were glaring at me just now. Weren’t you?”
“Must’ve been your imagination.”
At his indifferent reply, she parted her lips in disbelief. Of course, he had no intention of explaining his real thoughts. Regardless of the reason, neglecting his studies had been his own choice. He couldn’t exactly take it out on Seo Ahyeon.
‘This is more complicated than I thought.’
He simply clicked his tongue and flipped open his textbook, skimming the contents. His resolve to stay out of the main plot had already fallen apart long ago. In that case, he might as well start catching up on his theory grades. He wouldn’t be able to use the “delinquent act” excuse anymore, so he needed to actually study properly. Even if he wasn’t confident about it.
‘Maybe I should ask one of the top theory students for a quick tutoring session?’
Just as he was thinking that and recalling the names of high-ranking students in his mind, Seo Ahyeon spoke up in a lowered voice.
“……Hey, Han Taeyang.”
“……?”
She tugged lightly on his sleeve. When he turned to look, she gestured with her eyes toward a certain spot in the classroom.
……Silver-white hair that was just as, if not more, familiar than her own black hair. Han Taeyang fell silent. He quickly looked away, but the intense presence was impossible to ignore.
‘Why the hell is she doing that……’
He tried to ignore it, but the truth was that ever since class started, Baek Seolah had been glaring at him with particular venom. Her golden eyes were so fierce that he couldn’t bring himself to meet them.
“……You told me last time that nothing happened between you and Seolah. That you two still didn’t get along.”
“……”
“That was a lie, wasn’t it? If nothing happened, why would she be staring at you like that?”
At Seo Ahyeon’s sharp observation, he could only make a bitter face. It was an obvious point. There was no way nothing had happened between him and Baek Seolah. If sleeping together in the same bed could be dismissed so easily, then the same could be said about what he and Seo Ahyeon had done last night. But he still couldn’t tell her the truth. This was a matter of courtesy he owed Baek Seolah, separate from his deepening relationship with Seo Ahyeon.
Given how obvious the circumstantial evidence was, continuing to lie would be pointless anyway.
“……Oh? So you’re just going to stay quiet?”
Despite Seo Ahyeon’s piercing gaze, he offered no reply. He neither revealed the truth nor told a lie. He simply remained silent. He had chosen to keep his silence, and though Seo Ahyeon’s lips twisted in growing dissatisfaction, there was nothing she could do about it.
And so, squeezed between Seo Ahyeon’s cold stare from the side and Baek Seolah’s burning glare from the diagonal, the hour dragged on painfully.
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
The bell signaling the end of class finally rang.
“That’s all for today. Don’t forget the assignment I gave you, and you know midterms are coming up soon, right? Study hard, everyone! Alright then.”
Jeong Soyul waved her arms cutely at the students before leaving the classroom first. Just as the other students’ gazes, which had somewhat dispersed during class, began drifting back toward him—
“……Hey.”
He flinched. A girl had somehow appeared right behind him, radiating an icy chill as if she’d used some kind of freezing magic, and jerked her chin toward the hallway with a rough gesture.
“Let’s talk for a bit? Han Taeyang.”
“……”
Of course, the girl was Baek Seolah, who had been glaring daggers at him throughout the entire lesson. Just as he was thinking that the inevitable had finally arrived and was about to stand up with a sigh—
Grab!
“?”
Suddenly, he felt a strong pressure on his right arm. He blinked stupidly, and Baek Seolah also frowned in confusion. She spoke to the person who had grabbed his arm and stopped him from rising.
“……It’s been a while, Ahyeon.”
“……”
The moment those words left her mouth, the temperature in the classroom seemed to plummet below zero. In the suddenly frigid atmosphere, as students quickly and tactfully began to leave one by one, Baek Seolah forced a hollow smile onto her lips and added,
“I have something I need to discuss with Han Taeyang alone. Mind if I borrow him for a moment?”
Though her mouth wore a natural smile, her eyes were not smiling at all—making the expression downright chilling. With that unusually menacing look, Baek Seolah openly displayed her hostility.
“……No, I don’t think so?”
“What?”
Seo Ahyeon’s hands trembled as she clutched his arm like a frightened red panda, but her expression remained deliberately composed as she countered the hostility. She yanked his arm firmly against her chest and shot Baek Seolah a sharp glare.
“Why are you trying to take someone else’s man without permission? Especially when you already have your own boyfriend.”
“……”
“If you have something to say, say it here. Right here, while I’m listening too.”
Even while clearly intimidated by Baek Seolah’s unusually frosty demeanor, Seo Ahyeon refused to let him go. As if she had no intention of losing the man she liked—or had liked—to the same person twice. She mustered every ounce of courage she had and lifted her chin defiantly, staring Baek Seolah down.
Crackle—!
……Somehow, it felt like invisible sparks were flying between the two beautiful girls.
‘Ah.’
Han Taeyang simply stared blankly up at the classroom ceiling and muttered weakly in his heart.
‘I want to go home……’
Can’t you two just talk without me?