JIAH POV
"Jiah."
I stop.
"Yes?"
Then, casual. Too casual, like he's asking if I did the homework.
"Do you wanna go to an amusement park with me?"
Everything freezes. My feet. My lungs. My brain does that blue-screen thing where the cursor blinks and nothing loads.
Amusement park?
With you?
You as in Baek Jiho?
A date date or a fake-not-date date or—
I blink at him. "Amusement park?" I repeat, dumbly. "With… you?"
He nods, like this makes perfect sense. Like people just wake up and ask me this on a random school day. "Yeah."
I don't say anything. I just stare. I can literally feel my face heating up and I hate that my body betrays me like this. My mouth opens. Closes. Opens again. Nothing comes out.
He scratches the back of his neck, smiling a little. "I got two free ride tickets," he says. "So I should make them worth it, right?"
Oh.
Free tickets.
That makes sense.
Totally casual.
Not my heart doing parkour in my chest right now.
I nod slowly, like I'm considering an investment proposal. I want to say yes. I want to scream yes. I want to grab his sleeve and say when and where and what time and should I bring snacks. But saying yes too fast feels… wrong. Like I've been waiting for this my whole life. Which I have. But still.
"I'll… let you know," I say, forcing my voice to stay normal. Chill. Casual. Girl who has options.
"Okay," he says easily, like he's not wrecking my entire week.
We start walking again. My classroom is just down the hall. I suddenly become hyper aware of everything. The sound of shoes. The echo of our footsteps.The way he's walking slightly closer than before.
"You don't need to walk me to class," I say quickly. "It's okay. You can go."
He looks at me. "It's okay," he says. "I want to."
Oh.
My heart starts drumming like it's drunk. Like it forgot how to beat properly and just decided to freestyle.
We reach my classroom. The bell rang like two minutes ago, so everyone's already inside. The second we stop, I feel it. Eyes. Everywhere. Whispers. Someone coughs dramatically. I want to laugh. I want to smile like a witch who just succeeded in a spell. I don't. I keep it together. Barely.
Jiho steps back. "Then… I'm going," he says.
I nod, probably too stiff. "Yeah."
He turns and walks away and I stand there for half a second longer than necessary, watching his back like a loser, before snapping out of it and stepping inside.
The second I'm in, Haerin and Bora pounce.
"What happened?" Bora demands, gripping my shoulders. "Did he confess?"
I drop my phone on my desk and clutch my chest dramatically. "I might die."
Haerin's eyes are huge. "Why would you die."
"He asked if I could go to an amusement park with him."
There's a half-second of silence.
Then Haerin screams. "A DATE???"
Every head in the classroom turns.
I slap my hand over her mouth so fast it's a reflex. "Do you want me to get murdered," I hiss. "Lower your voice."
Bora snorts. "Too late."
Haerin pries my hand off. "A date?" she whispers loudly. "With Jiho?"
"Yes," I whisper back, failing miserably not to smile.
They both lose it. Jumping. Giggles. Bora literally grabs my arm and shakes it. Haerin is bouncing like she just won the lottery.
I watch them, heart still racing, chest warm and full and stupid, and for once, I don't tell myself to calm down.
I let it happen.
I deserve this.
_________________
ENHYEOK POV
"A DATE???"
Haerin's voice cuts through the classroom like feedback through a mic.
I'm already seated when it hits my ears. Chair tilted back, pen resting between my fingers. I don't look up immediately. I don't need to.
The noise tells me enough.
Laughter. Sharp. Bright. The kind that doesn't try to be quiet.
Then I glance over.
Seo Jiah is standing there shoulders loose, face lit up in that unguarded way people get when they forget they're being watched. She nods fast, cheeks flushed, eyes bouncing between Haerin and Bora like she's afraid the moment might evaporate if she doesn't confirm it out loud again.
Yeah.
That explains the screaming.
I scoff under my breath and look away.
Good for her.
After six public rejections, a date would feel like winning the lottery. Anyone would react like that. If she didn't, she'd be insane. All that buildup, all that humiliation, finally paying off in something normal. Something people her age are supposed to have.
I shake my head once, sharp, annoyed for reasons I don't bother unpacking.
Why the hell do I care?
I don't.
I focus back on my desk just as a shadow falls over it.
"Hey," Areum says, soft, familiar.
I look up. She's leaning against the edge of my desk, skirt neat, hair tucked behind one ear. Calm. Put together. Like she always is.
"Are you free tonight?" she asks.
"Why?" I say.
"Let's go to the arcade."
I consider it for half a second. "I'm not sure. I'll ask Taeyoung and the others too. We can go together." I tilt my head slightly. "Is that okay?"
Her face brightens. Immediate. Easy. "Yeah. Of course."
"Then dinner's on me," I say, already reaching back for my bag.
She nods, smiling, gives a small wave, and walks back to her seat. A few heads turn. Whispers start up again. I don't react.
Minseok appears at my side like a bad idea.
"Come with me," he says.
"Where."
He doesn't answer. Just grabs my sleeve and drags me up, out of my chair, toward the lobby. I let him. Barely.
He stops in front of the vending machines and pats his pockets. "Drinks."
"I don't have coins."
"It's on me, bro."
I raise an eyebrow. "What's this behavior? You need help with something? Is that what this is? Because if it is, I'm out."
He stares at me. "What the hell. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because you don't buy me drinks unless you want something."
He rolls his eyes dramatically and shoves a bill into the machine.
That's when I hear it.
Clear. Cheerful. Too close.
"Shin Ara, do you want to go to the amusement park with me?"
I turn my head.
Baek jiho
What the—
Isn't that what he just offered to Seo Jiah?
Then why is he asking Shin Ara now?
What is he playing?