The first-period bell rang, and homeroom was finally over. The classroom instantly turned into a mess as everyone scrambled to get ready for PE. And just Arzen’s luck—it had to be a joint class with 2-3. Of course, Hanjun’s class. Because why would things ever be easy?

The room buzzed with noise as the guys changed into their PE uniforms, curtains pulled tight over the windows. The girls were already off changing somewhere else. Arzen shoved his books aside, not caring where they landed, like they were the root of all his problems. His feet dragged him to the back of the room, where his locker was, and he pulled out his PE clothes.

It all felt annoyingly familiar, like he had done this a million times. Each automatic move, every small action blurred the lines between his past and this new, unreal world he was stuck in.

Back at his seat, Arzen watched Carsel quietly head out with his PE clothes. He started to change, unbuttoning his shirt and neatly folding it, trying to distract himself. His eyes wandered, catching a glimpse of Raizel already halfway into his jersey. The guy looked like he belonged on the cover of a fitness magazine, not sitting in a high school classroom.

‘Damn this nonsense novel. What kind of 17-year-old would have that kind of body?’

Despite his frustrations, Arzen actually had his own charm. He was a bit shorter than Hanjun, with a round face that made him look young and approachable. His fair skin went well with his fluffy, curly brown hair, and his blue eyes had a warmth that contrasted with how he felt inside. His well-shaped nose and full lips added to his natural, if understated, good looks.

Arzen pulled on his PE uniform, which hung off him like it was made for someone twice his size. The classroom was a mess of noise and movement as everyone rushed to the field. He slipped out, keeping his head down, trying not to attract any attention. His feet moved on autopilot, tracing a path that felt unnervingly familiar for someone who’d only been here a day.

Ahead of him,  a group of guys and girls walked together, talking loud enough to drown out the rest of the noise. They seemed to soak up all the attention, their voices getting more and more animated as they chatted away.

One of the girls leaned in toward the center of the group, her eyes bright with excitement.

“Did you hear? Carsel got another confession yesterday.” 

Her voice carried with the thrill of sharing fresh gossip.

“Oh, I saw it!”

Another girl chimed in, tucking a stray hair behind her ear with a knowing smile. 

“That girl from Class 2-1, right?”

“Why does he keep rejecting everyone?” 

One of the boys asked, tossing his soccer ball up in the air and catching it, his face a mix of curiosity and confusion.

A girl with a ponytail laughed lightly as she kept pace with the group.

“Well, he is prettier than most of us. Maybe his standards are sky-high.”

“If that's the case, good luck finding someone. Might as well be looking for a unicorn,”

Another boy quipped, rolling his eyes dramatically as he stopped to tighten his shoelaces.

The group laughed, but one girl’s face brightened with sudden realization. 

“Well, there is Raizel!”

A collective gasp filled the air as both the boy with the soccer ball and the girls practically yelped in unison. 

“No way! Raizel is everyone's dream!” 

Their hands flew up in mock horror, heads shaking with playful disbelief. 

“As if I'd let Carsel swoop in and snatch him away!” 

One of the girls declared, crossing her arms with a playful huff.

A burst of laughter followed, their voices bouncing off the hallway walls, filling the space with a cheerful echo.

Arzen trailed behind the crowd of students heading down the hallway, his mind somewhere else while the usual school noise buzzed around—lockers banging, gossip flying, and some teacher’s voice droning in the distance. His thoughts had drifted back to that extra chapter of the novel—Carsel, with his magnetic charm, seemed to attract admirers like moths to a flame. The other guy with Raizel at the airport was described the same way, but for some reason, Arzen couldn’t recall more details.

‘Why can’t I remember more about that guy?’

Caught up in his own head, Arzen didn’t notice Hanjun sneaking up until a light tap on his shoulder made him jump. He flinched, silently cursing how easily he was startled. Hanjun’s face appeared, already sporting that familiar, teasing grin.

“Zenzen, zoning out again?”

Hanjun’s voice had that usual playful edge, like he was ready to turn Arzen into the punchline of another joke. Arzen blinked, heart still racing from the surprise, and forced a smile that felt more like a grimace. Just perfect—Hanjun and that annoying smirk of his.

"Oh, it's you..."

The words slipped out flatly before Arzen could catch himself.

Hanjun, who had already noticed something was off with Arzen earlier that morning, fell into step beside him with a grin that said he was up to something. Arzen kept his head down, but Hanjun’s sharp eyes caught the tense way he was walking—something was definitely different. Hanjun, always one to push buttons, reached over and poked Arzen’s cheek like he usually did, expecting the usual snarky comeback or an annoyed eye roll.

‘Why is he poking me?!’

Arzen flinched at Hanjun’s touch, his shoulders tensing. He fought to keep his face neutral, but his heart was hammering.

“You ready for the test?"

Hanjun asked, barely holding back a laugh.

"Huh? What test?" 

Arzen blinked, clearly caught off guard. He wasn’t pretending; he really had no clue. His brain scrambled to pull up anything from this world’s memories that could explain it.

“You know, the usual. Push-ups, sit-ups, running laps.” 

"Are you serious?" 

“Yep. You forgot what Ms. Lorta said last week?”

Hanjun’s eyes sparkled with mischief, waiting for Arzen to catch on. Normally, Arzen would’ve caught on by now and maybe grabbed Hanjun by the collar, ready to call out his nonsense. But today, Arzen just looked genuinely lost, which wasn’t like him. Hanjun was a bit surprised, but seeing Arzen fall for it that easily was also hilarious.

Arzen rubbed his neck, sighing in frustration.

"I... must have missed it." 

‘Or more like it’s only my second day here, and I’m still trying to sort through all these memories!’

Hanjun couldn’t hold back anymore and burst out laughing. 

"Pfffttt…Hahahahaha.. Zenzen, you’re way too easy to mess with! There’s no fitness test today!”

Arzen forced a smile as Hanjun’s laughter echoed in the hallway. His heart was still racing, and the frustration of having to play along was wearing him down.

"Hanjun, I swear—" 

Hanjun threw his hands up in mock surrender, still grinning.

“Alright, alright, my bad! But seriously, why’d you fall for it that easily? You’re usually not this gullible!”

Arzen’s smile wavered, his stomach twisting at Hanjun’s words. 

‘Different? He thinks I’m acting differently?’ 

Panic clawed at him, but he forced it down, trying to keep his voice steady

“Hey, it’s still nine in the morning, cut me some slack. Let’s just get to PE.”

Hanjun chuckled, clearly amused by Arzen’s irritated face, and gave him a playful nudge. Meanwhile, Arzen’s mind was racing. 

‘Sh*t.  I must have been acting really weird. Should I be more annoyed? Should I just ignore him?’

The panic simmered just beneath the surface, and he could feel his facade slipping. Just as his mind scrambled to come up with a solution, Hanjun’s banter kept coming, relentless as always.

"Maybe you should write a novel about how to survive my pranks." 

‘God! Give me a break will you?’ 

Arzen cursed inwardly, his frustration bubbling up. He wished Hanjun would just leave him alone, but of course, the childhood friend of this world’s Arzen wouldn’t go a single day without teasing him. Hanjun’s constant prodding felt like torture for him.

“Maybe I will. And you’ll be the villain.” 

Arzen snapped back, his voice sharper than he intended. His nerves were on edge, screaming at him to stay in character. Was he convincing enough?

Despite Arzen's worries, Hanjun actually laughed and poked Arzen's cheek again, clearly unfazed.

“I’d make a great villain. Always keeping the hero guessing. And making sure he knows who his best friend is.”

‘Definitely not you!!’

Arzen scowled, his annoyance barely covering up the panic bubbling inside. Hanjun felt so damn familiar, but to Arzen, he was just some stranger—like a constant pop quiz he was scared to fail. Every joke, every poke, felt like a trap waiting to blow up in his face.

Sure, their personalities were close enough, but the real bond? That was with this world’s Arzen, not him—the outsider thrown into this mess. And each minute with Hanjun around was just more pressure, more chances to screw up.

Hanjun, meanwhile, felt a flicker of relief. Arzen’s snarky comeback and annoyed face were back, just like usual. He’d been worried—Arzen had seemed so off yesterday, and there was still a trace of something off, a hint of nervousness that hadn’t been there before. But it wasn’t as bad as before. Hanjun couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he was glad to see a glimpse of the Arzen he knew. 

While Arzen and Hanjun wrestled with their own thoughts, they eventually reached the soccer field, where the PE class was set to take place. The field buzzed with the excited chatter of students from both Classes 2-3 and 2-4. 

The grass was freshly cut, its scent blending with the crisp morning air. Bright orange cones were set up to mark the boundaries and goals, while the PE teacher stood nearby with a clipboard, ready to start the session.

The PE teacher clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. 

"Today, we're having a friendly match between classes 2-3 and 2-4. We'll start with warm-ups, then move on to the games."

The students began to stretch, jog, and do various warm-up exercises. Arzen joined in, feeling his muscles loosen with each movement. He heard snippets of conversation around him—students discussing strategies, expressing excitement, and lightheartedly trash-talking the opposing team.

The teacher called out after the warm-up. 

"Alright, now for the group divisions. Each class has 25 students, so we'll split it into two sessions. The first session will be Team 2-3 A versus Team 2-4 A, and the second session will be Team 2-3 B versus Team 2-4 B. Each team will have ten players on the field, and the remaining five students will act as substitutes."

The teacher called out names, assigning students to their respective teams. Arzen listened attentively, feeling a pang of anxiety as the names were read out. 

"For Team 2-3 A: Hanjun Lan, Jason, Peter, Lyle..." 

"For Team 2-4 A: Raizel August, Michael Lang, Steven Doctors..."

Arzen noticed that Raizel and Hanjun would face off in the first session. He glanced over at Raizel, who seemed as composed and indifferent as ever.

"For Team 2-3 B: Mark, Tommy, Brian..." 

"For Team 2-4 B: Arzen Loen, Kevin, Danny, Philip... and lastly Carsel Lancel. That's it. The rest of you guys not called are subs."

The substitutes cheered more energetically than those called to play. Clearly, not everyone wanted to play soccer. Arzen's stomach tightened upon realizing he would be playing in the same group as Carsel.

As the warm-ups concluded, Carsel began his usual one-man performance, hovering around Raizel like a moth to a flame. He fetched a water bottle from the bench, holding it out with an eager smile. 

"Raizel, you need to stay hydrated." 

Raizel accepted the bottle without comment, his expression remaining impassive, as if this kind of attention was nothing new.

Undeterred, Carsel grabbed a towel and draped it over Raizel's shoulder with an exaggerated gentleness. 

"Here, use this towel." 

Raizel let it hang there without reacting, his eyes focused elsewhere. Carsel, never one to be put off, leaned in closer, his wide-eyed expression feigning innocence.

"Do you think we'll win today?" 

Carsel looked up at Raizel expectantly, waiting for a response. Raizel’s indifferent shrug and refusal to meet Carsel’s gaze only highlighted his disinterest.

Arzen, watching from the sidelines, observed the dynamic between the two with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

Arzen took a deep breath and tried to focus on the upcoming game. He clenched his fists, determined to keep a low profile and avoid unnecessary attention. The last thing he wanted was to get caught up in the drama that seemed to follow Carsel everywhere.

As the first session began, Arzen took his place on the sidelines. The grass was cool beneath his feet as he watched the A teams from both classes take the field. The sharp whistle of the referee pierced the air, and the players' cleats thudded rhythmically against the ground. He studied their movements, gauging their strengths and weaknesses. Hanjun and Raizel both stood out; their skill and coordination were evident from the start. It was clear this match would be intense.

Arzen’s mind suddenly brought back to the extra chapter he had read. His eyes widened as a thought struck him. He turned his head towards Carsel, his brows furrowing in sudden realization.