The nurse asked if she could come in.

Mrs. Um Soojin nodded. “Yes.”

She started to rise from her chair, but the nurse immediately raised a hand.

“Please don't get up,” she exclaimed. “Stay seated. Let me check your vitals first.”

As the nurse wrapped the blood pressure cuff around her arm, Soojin asked,

“Who sent you here? I didn't ask anyone to call you.”

“The little girl sent by Aeryun,” the nurse replied. “The one standing outside your classroom.”

Soojin raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? So you know her?”

The nurse laughed.

“Well, she's a different kind of famous. The troublemaker. The chaos starter. The one who somehow finds herself at the center of every incident.”

Then she lowered her voice slightly.

“But she's a good kid.”

The nurse smiled.

“Did you see her viral monkey video? Everyone's been talking about it. She handled it surprisingly well. If I were her, I wouldn't have even come to school today.”

She shook her head.

“And on top of that, I saw students handing her bananas in the corridor this morning.”

Soojin looked genuinely surprised.

“I see.”

A thoughtful expression crossed her face.

“She really is something.”

The blood pressure monitor beeped.

The nurse frowned slightly.

“Your blood pressure is elevated.”

She looked up.

“Are you experiencing any numbness, pain, or tingling in your back?”

“Yes,” Soojin replied.

The nurse's expression immediately turned serious.

“I'm calling for emergency medical assistance.”

A short while later, Mrs. Um Soojin was being wheeled out of the classroom on a stretcher.

“Wait a moment,” she said.

The medical staff paused.

She gestured toward Aeryun.

“Come here.”

Aeryun stepped forward nervously.

Soojin gently took her hand and pulled her closer.

“A part of me always knew you were that student.”

Aeryun's smile immediately turned awkward.

“The troublemaker. The one who creates chaos. The one who creates drama.”

Several students nearby nodded silently.

“The only person in a room who has the ability to completely change the atmosphere—for better or worse.”

Aeryun looked ready to disappear into another dimension.

Then Soojin continued.

“But another part of me believes that no matter what happens, you're not heartless.”

Aeryun blinked.

“I also know you would never intentionally hurt someone.”

The embarrassment instantly vanished from Aeryun's face.

Her smile returned.

“Thank you for believing in me.”

Soojin smiled back.

“Enjoy being the person who took me down.”

She paused dramatically.

“Quite literally.”

Aeryun burst out laughing.

“The victory is yours.”

Soojin giggled.

“Your class—and probably every class I teach—is going to thank you.”

“Why?” Aeryun asked cautiously.

“With me gone until I recover, I suppose there won't be any surprise tests for a while.”

Aeryun stared at her.

“Are you serious?”

She looked around wildly.

“What?”

Another pause.

“Where are the cameras?”

Then she pointed dramatically.

“Tell me you're pranking me.”

“No,” Soojin replied.

Aeryun immediately turned and ran back into the classroom.

She threw both arms into the air.

“Well, everyone!”

The class looked up.

“I guess I got rid of surprise tests for all of us for a while!”

The classroom exploded into celebration.

Students cheered.

Some nearly cried from happiness.

Others looked as though their prayers had finally been answered.

On the other side of town, Tae Minwoo and Choi Mansu spotted Park Pyeongho while heading toward the workshop of Mansu's friend, Jai, to repair the broken crates.

Mr. Park waved enthusiastically.

Mansu brought the truck to a halt.

“When are you coming to collect your cash reward?” Mr. Park asked. “And who are you bringing for the couple's meal next time?”

Tae visibly hesitated.

“I'll come by later to collect the reward,” he replied. “But we're running late. We should get going.”

He didn't want Mansu getting the wrong idea. The girls at his previous school hadn't exactly helped his reputation. They were always trying to spend time around him, and rumors had a habit of appearing out of nowhere.

Mansu smirked.

“Next time, huh?”

He wiggled his eyebrows.

“Looks like our boy is already popular with the girls before even settling into the new school.”

“It's not like that,” Tae muttered immediately.

“Relax,” Mansu laughed. “I'm just teasing you.”

Later, at Jai's workshop, Tae helped repair the broken crates.

Unfortunately, his mind was elsewhere.

He barely noticed what he was doing until—

“Ouch!”

The hammer slipped.

The nail caught his thumb.

Tae immediately grabbed his hand and hissed through his teeth before heading over to wash the wound.

After rinsing it, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief.

White fabric.

Two red hearts stitched into one corner.

Delicate scalloped edges sewn with red thread.

The exact same design as Hannah's.

He wrapped it around his thumb, but the wound continued bleeding, slowly staining the fabric red.

Mansu noticed immediately.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes,” Tae replied. “I just wasn't paying attention.”

But Mansu wasn't convinced.

The look on Tae's face wasn't the expression of someone distracted by a hammer and nail.

He looked like someone carrying a thought around in his head.

“Your handkerchief isn't going to fix that thumb,” Mansu sighed.

He pointed toward a nearby chair.

“Sit down.”

Tae obeyed.

“I'll take care of it.”

As Mansu carefully untied the handkerchief and cleaned the wound with disinfectant, Tae instinctively squirmed.

“Hold still,” Mansu muttered.

“That stings.”

“That's how you know it's working.”

Tae laughed softly.

Mansu began wrapping a proper bandage around the injury.

Then, after a moment, he spoke again.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Tae looked up.

Mansu shrugged.

“I've been on this earth long enough. The hair on my head isn't gray because it's fashionable.”

That earned a small smile from Tae.

“It turned gray because of experience.”

He secured the bandage.

“Whatever's bothering you, whenever you need help, or even if you just need someone to listen—you can come to me.”

For a brief moment, Tae looked genuinely touched.

“Thank you,” he replied quietly.

“I really appreciate that.”

“And I will.”

Mansu smiled warmly.

“Good.”

The two shared a comfortable silence.

A few minutes later, Mansu pointed toward the repaired crates.

“Don't touch these anymore.”

Tae looked up.

“Why?”

“Because you've already sacrificed enough blood for today's repairs.”

Tae laughed.

“Fair.”

“You can help by emptying the apple sacks into the crates I've already fixed.”

“Got it.”

Together, they loaded the truck and headed toward a local grocery store to complete a delivery.

The store owner was practically sweating by the time they arrived.

“What took you so long?” he exclaimed.

“Sorry,” Mansu replied apologetically.

The owner glanced at the clock.

“We don't have time anymore.”

He pointed toward several crates.

“Could you deliver these directly to the customer?”

“Sure,” Mansu replied.

Then he looked toward Tae.

Tae nodded.

“Just give us the address.”

“The Oceanic Rooftop Hotel.”

The owner scribbled a phone number onto a piece of paper.

“Ask for Ryu Minjae. He'll help you.”

He lowered his voice dramatically.

“These apples are extremely important. Their dessert depends on them.”

Tae immediately straightened.

“Then we'd better hurry.”

The owner nodded rapidly.

“Exactly.”

As they climbed back into the truck, Tae dialed the number.

The call connected after only two rings.

“Hello?”

“Hi,” Tae said. “We're delivering the apples. We're about ten minutes away.”

A relieved sigh came from the other end.

“Oh, thank goodness.”

It was Ryu Minjae.

“I honestly thought we weren't going to get the apples in time.”

He laughed nervously.

“The head chef is going to be so happy.”

“I'll let him know.”

“Please do.”

Minjae paused.

“And when you arrive, come to the hotel's back entrance. I'll bring some chefs and staff to help unload everything.”

“Sounds good.”

“Oh—and send me your live location.”

“Sure.”

“It'll help us track how close you are.”

“No problem.”

Just as Tae ended the call—

The truck rolled to a stop.

And didn't move.

The traffic light turned green.

Still nothing moved.

Not a single vehicle.

Mansu frowned.

“That's not normal.”

He rolled down his window and called out to a passerby walking in the opposite direction.

“Hey!”

The pedestrian stopped.

“How bad is the traffic ahead?”

The man laughed.

“At this point? Just walk.”

“What happened?”

“There was an accident.”

Tae immediately looked concerned.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Oh, everyone's fine.”

The man waved dismissively.

Then he added,

“It was a raccoon.”

Silence.

“A what?” Mansu asked.

“A raccoon.”

The man nodded confidently.

“Driving a car.”

More silence.

“It hit a fire hydrant.”

Tae blinked.

“I'm sorry... the raccoon was driving?”

“Yes.”

The pedestrian shrugged.

“Nobody got hurt, but the hydrant burst. Water's everywhere and the road's closed.”

Then he walked away.

Mansu and Tae stared at each other.

Neither spoke for several seconds.

Finally—

“Did he just say a raccoon was driving?” Mansu asked.

Tae nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

“I think he said a raccoon was driving.”

Both of them looked equally confused.

Then Mansu groaned.

“Oh, we're never making this delivery on time.”

And that was when Tae suddenly noticed a group of schoolchildren walking along the pavement with their teacher.

A thought clicked into place.

His eyes widened.

“I have an idea.”

And before Mansu could ask what kind of idea required that expression—

Tae was already jogging toward the teacher.

Tae hurried over to the group and introduced himself.

“Hello,” he said politely. “My name is Tae Minwoo, and I think we might need your help.”

The teacher nearly melted on the spot.

A polite, handsome teenager asking for help so sweetly was not something she had prepared for this morning.

“Well, Tae,” she replied with a smile, “what is it?”

Tae quickly explained the situation.

The teacher listened carefully before crossing her arms.

“And how exactly are we supposed to help?”

Tae pointed toward the truck.

“If the students could carry some apples in their backpacks and hold a few in their hands, we might be able to get them through the blocked roads much faster.”

The teacher raised an eyebrow.

“So you want me to use my students as delivery workers?”

“No!” Tae exclaimed immediately.

Then he quickly corrected himself.

“I mean... helpers.”

He glanced toward the children.

“Tiny angels.”

A pause.

“Like Santa's elves?”

Several students immediately cheered.

The teacher laughed.

“That was a clever recovery.”

Then she folded her arms.

“Fine. But what's in it for my students?”

Tae blinked.

“Excuse me?”

“You want labor,” the teacher replied dramatically. “My tiny workforce requires compensation.”

The children nodded seriously.

Tae thought for a moment.

“Do you know Mrs. Kwon's chocolates?”

The teacher gasped.

“Of course!”

She clutched her chest dramatically.

“She is a legend.”

The children looked equally impressed.

“I've been trying to get my hands on her chocolates forever,” the teacher continued.

Tae smiled.

“Well, Mrs. Kwon has a grandson.”

The teacher nodded.

“Yes?”

“He specializes in fortune cookies.”

The teacher froze.

Then she pointed accusingly.

“The fortune cookies?”

“The same ones.”

The teacher nearly screamed.

“Those fortune cookies have a fandom of their own!”

Several children gasped.

“My friend got one that said 'You'll lose something special today,'” the teacher continued.

Tae looked intrigued.

“What happened?”

“She lost her cat that evening.”

The children collectively gasped.

“No way,” Tae laughed.

“I swear it's true.”

The teacher leaned closer.

“Those cookies are terrifyingly accurate.”

Then she suddenly narrowed her eyes.

“Wait.”

She pointed at him again.

“Why are we talking about chocolates and fortune cookies?”

Tae smiled.

“Because I'll get fortune cookies for all of your students.”

The teacher's jaw dropped.

“All of them?”

“All of them.”

The children erupted into excited cheers.

“And for you too,” Tae added.

The teacher placed a hand over her heart.

“You would really do that?”

“Only if you help me.”

The teacher immediately spun around toward her students.

“Children!”

Every head snapped toward her.

“I think the museum can wait.”

The students cheered.

The teacher dramatically pointed toward the distance.

“We have been chosen for a special mission!”

The children screamed with excitement.

“Today,” she declared, “we shall deliver apples to a princess's castle!”