"You know our school shirts are made of cotton, right?" he asks, sounding oddly flustered.

     I blink, still processing what's happening. "Uh, actually, no, I didn't know that... Thanks for the intel, I guess?"

     He groans, his voice thick with irritation, "You know how when cotton gets wet... water, it, uh, fills the gaps between the fibres and enhances—enhances light transmission?"

     I stare at him, still not sure where this is going. "Sunghoon, if I wanted a chemistry recap, I would've asked."

     "Your shirt is see-through, Haeun."

     And that's when my world completely shifts. I freeze, heat rushing to my face like wildfire. I turn so fast, I almost trip over my own feet. My arms fly up to cover my chest, as if that will somehow fix everything. I scan the room desperately for my bag, only to remember that I'd left it by the water fountains when I put the hose down earlier.

     "Shit. Shit. Shit." The words spill out of my mouth before I can stop them.

     Sunghoon, his face still tinged with that embarrassing redness, seems to realize I'm panicking. "My bag's... uh, it's outside. My blazer's in there," he stammers.

     Without a second thought, I rush out of the room, barely thinking straight. And there it is, his bag sitting right outside the door, as if it had been waiting for me. I unzip it in a hurry, my hands shaking slightly as I pull out the blazer that's neatly folded at the top. I wrap it around my shoulders, the fabric hanging off me like I'm drowning in it.

     I try to ignore the way it smells—like fresh dandelions and vanilla—and just focus on the fact that it's covering me, making me feel at least a little less exposed.

     When I walk back into the storage closet, Sunghoon is already scrubbing the wall, his back turned to me. His face is still a little flushed, but it's faded now, almost as if he's trying to will it away. There's a silence between us, thick and heavy, and it feels different. Tense, almost

     And I notice it. Sunghoon's shirt is also clinging to him too. I can only see his back, but... were his shoulders always that broad? Where the muscles on his arms always that... defined? 

     Wait—what?

     I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, telling myself it's just the awkwardness of the situation messing with my head. Yeah. That's it.

     When all the cleaning is done, we return the supplies, the mop and buckets now empty, and the room looking a little less chaotic. I give him back his blazer, my fingers brushing lightly against the fabric as I pass it to him. The gesture is simple, but for some reason, I can't help but feel uncomfortable.

     He takes it without a word, his fingers grazing mine, and it sends a pang through my head. I hate this, this silence; it's excruciating.

     We stand there for a moment, both staring at the door as if we're waiting for some kind of sign on how to end this weird little moment. But instead, he turns first and walks out, his steps slow, almost hesitant.

     I replay everything in my mind—the way he blushed, the way he acted so... different. It's unsettling, in a way. Sunghoon's always been so confident, so effortlessly cocky, so incredibly annoying. But in that moment, I saw something I wasn't ready for. I wasn't prepared for him to look at me like that, or to say something that made me feel... uncertain. Like maybe I should second-guess myself.

     I hate him. I do. I always have.

     And I won't let myself forget that. I won't.

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looking back on this now im realising this is extremely long 😭😭

anyways, please let me know your thoughts !!

word count; 3919
edited; ✘

thank you for reading, 
nana<3