Aeryun stood frozen at the classroom door for a moment before realizing there was nothing she could really do about the situation. She might as well accept it.

She pointed at herself in the video playing on the projector and sighed.

“Whoever did the editing, you've got some skills. Love that for you. Not so much for me.”

A few students burst into laughter.

Aeryun then walked toward her seat and locked eyes with Chaerin, who was sitting at the last bench in the adjacent row. Chaerin was practically waiting with her arms open, torn between laughing at the situation and feeling bad for her best friend.

She immediately gestured for Aeryun to come over for a hug.

Unfortunately, Aeryun never made it that far.

The students seated in the rows closest to her stopped her first.

“The bananas”

“Throw us some bananas!”

“Do the monkey noise!”

Without hesitation, Aeryun tossed a few bananas toward them.

“For the monkey noises, you've gotta pay,” she shot back. “I don't perform for free.”

Some students scoffed.

Who does she think she is?

Others looked genuinely impressed.

If that happened to me, I'd be mortified.

A few secretly admired how confidently she carried herself through what most people would have considered an embarrassing moment.

Eventually, Aeryun reached Chaerin's row.

She almost placed her bag on the cursed seat.

“Aeryun, watch out!” a boy sitting in front of the seat shouted.

Chaerin screamed in shock at the exact same moment, though she was too startled to get the warning out properly.

Mid-motion, Aeryun froze.

Her bag hovered inches above the seat.

Then realization hit.

She slowly pulled it back and let out a deep sigh.

“Thank you for saving my life,” she told the boy dramatically.

Then she turned toward Chaerin.

“And thank you for screaming. Now everyone probably thinks I did something horrible to you.”

The class burst into laughter.

Aeryun looked around the room.

“Relax, guys. I almost put my bag on the cursed seat.”

The entire classroom collectively gasped.

Aeryun quickly raised a finger.

“I said almost.”

A wave of relief immediately swept through the room.

Several students dramatically placed their hands over their hearts.

One of them muttered, “Don't scare us like that.”

“Sorry,” Aeryun replied with a grin. “Near-death experiences build character.”

Aeryun immediately turned toward Chaerin.

“So,” she asked, “how was your date? And more importantly, where are the chocolates?”

Chaerin froze.

“Well...” she muttered. “It's a long story.”

Aeryun shrugged.

“Well, I have time. I can listen.”

“Not now!” Chaerin snapped louder than intended. “I'll tell you later.”

Aeryun blinked.

“Alright. Don't get upset.”

A few seconds later, she suddenly pointed toward the window.

“Wait. Let me hang my socks out to dry. They're still a little wet. Maybe they'll dry before Mrs. Um comes for class.”

Without another word, Aeryun removed her socks and hung them near the open window before placing her shoes beside her desk.

The students sitting closest to the window immediately protested.

“Get those socks away from our seats!”

“Seriously, they're killing us!”

“I think I'm going to puke!”

“Please hang in there for a little while,” Aeryun pleaded. “They'll dry quickly.”

“They smell terrible!”

Aeryun placed a hand dramatically over her heart.

“Imagine not being able to tolerate the smell for a few minutes when I have to stay with them until school ends. Please have mercy on me.”

The students stared at her.

“You can go sit somewhere else for a little while,” she continued. “Thank you. I appreciate all of you.”

Grumbling under their breath, several students got up and moved toward their friends' desks instead, shooting irritated looks in her direction.

The moment they left, Chaerin shook her head.

“Even though you didn't sit in the cursed seat, I think the curse followed you.”

Aeryun frowned.

“What? I don't get what you're trying to say.”

“Well, look at everything that's happened today,” Chaerin replied. “And then there's the brand-new viral video featuring you as a monkey.”

Aeryun groaned.

“Thanks for reminding me.”

“I'm serious,” Chaerin continued. “You've survived plenty of embarrassing situations before, but this feels different. It feels planned. Like someone is coming after you for a reason.”

She leaned closer.

“Who did you piss off this time?”

“I honestly don't know,” Aeryun sighed.

She rested her chin on her hand and stared at the projector screen, which was still frozen on an unflattering frame from the video.

“I know plenty of people don't exactly love me.”

“That's an understatement,” Chaerin muttered.

“It's okay,” Aeryun shot back. “I don't love them either.”

That earned a laugh from Chaerin.

“But who would go to these lengths?” Aeryun continued. “Look at the editing. It's actually really professional.”

She pointed toward the screen.

“And, unfortunately, kind of funny.”

Chaerin stared at her.

“You're complimenting the person bullying you?”

Aeryun shrugged.

“You've got to give credit where it's due.”

“You are unbelievable.”

“I've been told that before.”

Chaerin and Aeryun both muttered the same name under their breath.

“Myeora.”

Aeryun shook her head and groaned. Also, the snowdrop filter, her all time favorite filter she’s known to use everywhere!

“I knew she wouldn’t let that whole accidentally bumping into her group thing go.”

Chaerin sighed.

“And we both know how popular she is. I mean, remember how we got more than two thousand views on our livestream? Well, that was because Myeora joined it.”

Aeryun blinked.

“What? Who told you that? Was she actually in the livestream?”

“Yes,” Chaerin replied. “It’s only because of her that we got those views.”

“Seriously?”

Chaerin nodded.

“I found out this morning while walking to class. A bunch of people stopped me—more like swarmed me—and said they watched the livestream. I thanked them, obviously, but I was curious about how they even found it.”

She placed a hand dramatically over her chest.

“As the marketing genius that I am, I assumed everyone joined because of the cold messages I blasted into every group chat imaginable.”

Aeryun laughed.

“Reasonable assumption.”

“Turns out,” Chaerin continued, “they joined because Myeora did. The moment she entered the livestream, her followers started pouring in too.”

Aeryun stared at her.

“Are we talking about the same Myeora here, or am I missing something?”

“I’m pretty sure there’s only one Myeora we're talking about,” Chaerin shot back. “The Myeora.”

Aeryun leaned back in her chair.

“Well, I knew she was popular on social media, but I didn’t realize she was that popular. Or that influential.”

“She is,” Chaerin replied. “Just her joining our livestream yesterday was enough to bring in thousands of viewers.”

Aeryun hummed thoughtfully.

“Well, she doesn’t exactly seem like the type to support small businesses.”

Chaerin raised an eyebrow.

“How would you know?”

Aeryun immediately replied,

“Do you remember that lavish party she threw for her friends at the Oceanic Rooftop Hotel?”

Chaerin nodded slowly.

“For starters, they served classic blinis and toast points with caviar,” Aeryun continued. “Most of it ended up going untouched. Her friends didn't like the caviar. Some of them tried pretending they enjoyed it just to fit in, but you could tell they were suffering. Caviar is definitely an acquired taste.”

Chaerin stared at her.

“Wow. Sounds like you're secretly a fan of Myeora considering how much you know about her.”

Aeryun immediately shook her head.

“No. I just pay attention to my surroundings and the people in them.”

Chaerin frowned.

“And how exactly is that helping you?”

Aeryun pointed toward her temple.

“Information is information. You never know when some random detail might become useful.”

Then she paused.

“Besides, people are interesting.”

Chaerin laughed.

“That's the most Aeryun answer you've ever given.”

“A day I'll never forget,” Aeryun replied.

Chaerin rolled her eyes.

“Why do I suddenly feel like this is going to be another one of your bizarre stories?”

“Because it is,” Aeryun shot back. “It was the day I saw a homeless man eating caviar while I was too broke to buy a packet of chips.”

Chaerin stared at her.

“What?”

“Exactly,” Aeryun exclaimed. “I was short on money and had gone to that new convenience store across from the Oceanic Rooftop Hotel—which, sadly, is a parking lot now. Anyway, I didn't realize a convenience store could sell chips expensive enough to cost more than three regular packets combined.”

She groaned dramatically.

“There I was, counting coins and questioning my life choices, while a homeless man sat nearby casually eating caviar.”

Chaerin burst out laughing.

“You're joking.”

“I wish I was.”

Aeryun pointed at her.

“I was actually admiring him. The man was living better than me.”

Chaerin laughed even harder.

Aeryun replied, “while I was giggling at my own misfortune, I noticed Minjae helping a group of chefs distribute food to local residents and homeless people.”

She leaned back in her chair.

“Turns out caviar wasn't the only thing people at Myeora's party couldn't eat.”

Chaerin blinked.

“Wait. Minjae?”

“The same Minjae.”

“You mean Ryu Minjae?” Chaerin asked. “The guy who won us a gold medal last year with the track team at the National High School Athletics Championships?”

“Yes,” Aeryun replied. “That Minjae.”

Chaerin immediately leaned forward.

“Okay, what happened next? I'm invested now.”

Aeryun laughed.

“Well, the homeless man was the first thing I noticed. But when I walked closer, I realized there was an entire truckload of food.”

“A truckload?”

“A literal truckload,” Aeryun confirmed. “Apparently, management had ordered the leftovers to be thrown away, but the staff refused.”

She paused.

“There was a huge queue stretching down the street. Hotel staff and chefs were handing out leftover food to anyone who wanted it.”

Chaerin's expression softened.

“That's actually really nice.”

“It was.”

Aeryun smiled.

“Then Minjae recognized me.”

“Of course he did,” Chaerin muttered.

“He walked over and asked if I'd like a free tiramisu.”

Aeryun placed a hand over her heart dramatically.

“And naturally, I said yes. Who in their right mind says no to tiramisu?”

“Not you, that's for sure.”

“Absolutely not.”

Aeryun laughed.

“He packed enough for my entire family. And somehow there was still so much left.”

She shook her head.

“I remember staring at the food in complete shock.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me about Myeora's birthday party,” Aeryun replied. “Apparently, some of the chefs were heartbroken. They'd spent hours preparing everything, but most of the guests barely touched the food.”

Her voice softened slightly.

“Then he pointed toward the chefs handing food out to people.”

A small smile appeared on her face.

“They looked happier than anyone at that party ever did.”

Chaerin nodded thoughtfully.

“That's actually kind of beautiful.”

“Right?”

Aeryun smiled.

“Then I asked him if he was a chef too.”

“And?”

“He laughed and told me his father is one of the co-owners of the hotel.”

Chaerin's eyes widened.

“Seriously?”

“Yep. But he also said he spends most of his free time in the kitchen volunteering and learning because he wants to become a chef someday.”

Aeryun shrugged.

“I thought that was cool.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him it was amazing that he already knew what he wanted to do.”

She grinned.

“I may have also told him his passion was so contagious that it gave me chills.”

Chaerin groaned.

“You're such a dork.”

“Thank you.”

“He didn't think that was weird?”

“No,” Aeryun replied. “He actually laughed.”

She mimicked his polite smile.

“Then he said, 'Thank you. I appreciate it.'”

“What happened after that?”

“One of the chefs called him over to help with something.”

Aeryun leaned back in her chair.

“He immediately dropped everything and went.”

She smiled faintly at the memory.

“Before leaving, he said, 'Okay, I'll see you around.'”

“And?”

“And I said, 'Yeah, sure. B-bye.'”

Chaerin narrowed her eyes.

“You stuttered?”

Aeryun groaned and buried her face in her hands.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Chaerin immediately burst into laughter.

“You never stutter.”

“I know,” Aeryun muttered miserably. “That's why I remember the entire interaction so vividly.”

Chaerin nodded.

“I knew Minjae was a cool person.”

Aeryun immediately pointed at herself.

“Well, obviously. One cool person naturally talks to another cool person.”

Chaerin rolled her eyes.

“Your confidence should be studied.”

Before Aeryun could reply, something suddenly smacked against the side of her head.

Splat.

A piece of banana slid down her hair.

The entire row burst into laughter.

Aeryun slowly turned around and looked at the culprit.

“Interesting,” she replied in a deeply sarcastic tone.

Chaerin sighed, reached over, and peeled the banana off Aeryun's head before tossing it into the dustbin beside her desk.

“At least throw it in the trash bin!” she shouted.

A few students laughed.

Unfortunately, that only encouraged the others.

Within seconds, more banana peels were being tossed across the classroom. Some landed near the teacher's desk, while others missed entirely and ended up scattered across the floor.

Nobody seemed particularly concerned.

The class had already convinced itself that Mrs. Um Soojin was about to give a surprise test.

And that was exactly the problem.

Mrs. Um was late.

Very late.

Normally, whenever she arrived late, it meant only one thing:

A surprise test.