❝ 𝙼𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗. ❞
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Two days later...

"So... the other student will come tomorrow?"

"Yes," (name) nods her head at the principal's question. "He just recovered from an accident. He's taking his flight today."

The principal hums in acknowledgement. "Glad to hear he's getting well," he mutters. "Please send my regards to him. And tell him that it's okay if he wants to get some rest before enrolling in the school." She smiles and nods her head again.

"Mhm, okay!"

(Name) exits the office, just in time when a student and a woman exit the vice principal's room. She offers the woman a smile and nods her head as her greeting, which is returned. Then, her brown eyes meet with a pair of black ones behind a pair of glasses.

Yoon Gamin stares at her in shock, his steps come into a halt. (Name) raises an eyebrow when he shakes his head before immediately following his mother.

(Name) blinks twice in confusion when a few more students trail over the raven haired male. She watches as they disappear and shrugs, brushing off her curiosity as it isn't her business.

She makes her way back to her class, hands in her handmade pocket on her skirt. She hums a random tune, her mind travels at a certain junior of hers from Harapan Highschool.

She softens her eyes as she remembers what happened to him and her brother's friends. The tragedy at the festival still lingers in her memory, despite not being a part of it. Ishaq, her younger brother, had told her everything, and she kinda feels bad for not being there.

But she knows better than to let herself drown in the guilt. She reminds herself that she should get stronger so that she will be able to help them next time.

When she had a call with her brother one night, he said that their older sister is home. She sulked for an hour that night, not being able to meet her beloved sister, Gapetta or in short, Tetta.

Back to the present, she strolls down the hallway as her course class is slightly far from the office. She takes electrical engineering, since she's quite good in technology, unlike her sister.

When she arrives, she wonders why the class is noisy, as if there is no teacher inside. She opens the door and proves her theory--- there's no teacher.

(Name) hums in confusion as a male student approaches her.

"Hey," he greets, a mischievous smirk plaster across his face. "You're the new transfer student, aren't you?" He asks, and (name) flashes him a smile. "Mhm," she hums in confirmation. "Where's the teacher?"

Laughter fills the classroom at her question. "Girl, listen," the same male chuckles. "The teacher's too weak to handle us. All he cares about is himself, so he won't come to class." He moves his hand to touch her hair. "How about we have fun instead---"

"Hands off," a familiar voice, that intimidated everyone in the classroom is heard from behind (name). She turns around, only to see the familiar silver haired male that she finds pretty.

However, his eyes hold such gaze that makes the other students cower in fear. He glares at the male who tries to touch (name) and steps in between them.

"Touch her and I'll break your arm."

He doesn't need to say it twice. The male student backs off, his expression holds nothing but fear of the guy she secretly admires his beauty.

Hanwool slowly turns to her, his stern expression softens as he speaks. "Why don't we go upstairs?" He suggests. "The teacher won't come. If you want, we can study together at the rooftop."

(Name) blinks her eyes as she allows him to urge her out of the classroom, his hand on her back leads her. Behind her back, Hanwool glances at the students, his gaze sharp and warning:

From now on, who dares touch her won't be seeing tomorrow's light.

"You're taking the electrical engineering course too?" She asks, glancing back at him.

"Mhm," he nods his head. "What a coincidence, don't you think?" He flashes her a smirk, which she laughs at. "Must be fate, then."

Hanwool's expression falters ever so slightly at her words. His smirk softens into a smile, a soft chuckle escapes his lips.

"Yeah. Must be fate."

𖤍

"You said you just learned about this course," Hanwool stares at the papers in his hands. The marks of their exercise test display at the top right part of the paper, written in red pen.

"Then how come your marks are significantly higher than mine?" He furrows his eyebrows as (name) rubs her head sheepishly.

Hanwool is never the one to get low marks. He always gets at least more than 70%.

And yet, (name) gets about fifteen marks higher than his.

"And here I am supposed to teach you," he sighs, giving her back her paper. "I'm just lucky---"

"This is by no means by luck. You got fifteen marks higher than mine. You won't get that much even if luck is on your side." He puts his paper down, shaking his head. "You're a natural genius, I guess. How's your grade back in Indonesia?"

(Name) stiffens at his question. Her eyes nervously averted away from him. "Uh... it's just average..." Hanwool raises an eyebrow, obviously not buying her answer.

"You must have your result paper for midterms, right? Since you have to show it in your portfolio before enrolling here," he mutters, "Can you let me see it?"

(Name)'s smile cracks as she shakes her head. Hanwool frowns and urges her to show him, and after a few attempts of gentle forcing, she finally takes out the piece of paper.

Hanwool takes the paper and reads it silently before widening his eyes.

Indonesian language - 97
English - 100
Mathematics - 95
Physics - 96
Chemistry - 94
Biology - 98

He looks at her in disbelief, which she laughs nervously. "...are you sure you're not Albert Einstein's reincarnation?" She immediately shakes her head at that. "We already have two of Albert Einstein's reincarnations in our school. One of them will be coming here tomorrow."

The silver haired male raises an eyebrow. "There's more transfer students?" He asks, earning a nod from her as a response. "He'll be in the first year since he's 17." She shrugs.

"The Korean schooling system is different from Indonesian. Our first year is 16 years old. It feels kinda odd that I became the second year when I was the third year back in my country." She sighs, "When will you guys graduate high school? Nineteen?"

Hanwool hums, confirming her theory. "Yeah. We started high school at the age of seventeen. So plus three years, we'll graduate at nineteen," he pauses. "Then that means you're kind of a senior to me, right?"

(Name) laughs at his teasing. "No, we're the same age, silly!" She leans back, her hands supporting her as she looks up to the sky. "Two years in Korea... I guess I can survive." She smiles softly.

Hanwool glances at her, a hint of understanding flashes in his eyes. "Do you miss your family?" He asks softly. (Name) chuckles and nods her head. "Yeah, a bit. But later on, my sister and my younger brother will be coming here too."

"Your parents?"

She turns to him and shakes her head. "They're gone." She shrugs, and he is taken aback by how nonchalant she said that.

He turns back to the sky, his eyes soften. He understands how it feels to lose a parent. Even though he still has a father, that role is long dead with his mother.

He likes this. A normal conversation with someone. Someone who doesn't fear him for who he is. Someone who doesn't even know who he is.

It feels refreshing. He wants to keep this friendship.

"Anyways," he turns to her after hearing her voice. "What's your name?"

His face falls. After hearing his name, her treatment of him might be different. She must have heard about him somewhere, it's impossible not to. When he tells her his name, she might recognise him on the spot.

Hanwool lets out a sigh. This is meant to be, anyway. She shouldn't have approached him when he was surrounded by cops that day. She's just an odd being, the one in a million who talked to someone who was about to get arrested if the police weren't afraid of him.

Good things don't last, he thought. Mom didn't. Ms Oh didn't. She won't either.

Slowly, his usual smirk, the one that he always has with his role as the bad guy, creeps across his lips. "We already met three times, and you just ask me that?" His tone is harsher than intended. A scoff escapes his lips.

"It's Phi Hanwool." His own name feels so heavy when he says it. "The son of the White Lead's boss."

God, it feels so weird introducing himself like that. It doesn't matter, he sighs internally. He won't be seeing her again, after all. At least for a while.

Or so he thought.

He expects her to shriek, to run, or maybe even cower in fear. But instead, he receives a laugh.

A genuine laugh.

"What's with that smirk?" She raises an eyebrow. "Your pretty face doesn't suit that kind of smirk, you know." She reaches out her hand, her index finger taps his forehead, between his eyebrows. "Soften your eyebrows a bit. That kind of expression looks perfect on you."

His wide eyes stare at her as if she just grew two more heads. Nevertheless, he subconsciously does what she told him to do, his eyebrows rise in surprise.

"I'm (name)," she grins at him. "Nice to meet you, Hanwool."

The sun kisses down on them, making her hair look shining and striking. Her face is shadowed by the lighting, but he can see her smile clearly, clearer than any crystal existed.

He has never thought he would have the chance to feel this way. But this girl by his side makes his heart skip a beat so easily that it's almost impossible.

And for the first time in his life, Phi Hanwool figures out what it feels like to fall in love.

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chapter three : end