It was less than fifteen minutes before the start of classes in the Veritas classroom.
The room wasn't completely full yet, some students were chatting in small groups, while others were leafing through books or fiddling with their smartwatches with the typical distraction of any morning at Cube.
In the first row of chairs, sitting with her back straight and her hands resting on her lap, there was a girl who caught the eye even in the midst of the organized chaos of the room. Her hair, long and perfectly aligned, was a soft shade of lavender purple, which shone subtly in the crystal-clear light of the orbs attached to the ceiling. Delicately cut bangs framed her face, accentuating her deep purple eyes, as vivid as freshly polished amethysts.
She looked impatient.
Although her posture was composed, even elegant, there was a certain nervous movement in her fingers, which from time to time drummed lightly on the fabric of her uniform skirt. Her eyes remained fixed on the door of the room, alert like those of a sentry, waiting for something, or someone, with an intensity that was at odds with the calm around her.
From time to time, she glanced quickly at the magic clock hanging in the corner of the room, as if she were counting the seconds. Her lips moved in silence, perhaps mentally repeating something she wanted to say, perhaps just trying to contain the anxiety that bubbled up behind her serene expression.
"Zrr!"
The sound of the door sliding open echoed softly through the room, like the fuse of a silent tension. The girl stood up almost immediately, her eyes bright with anticipation, her heart racing for an instant.
But her expression crumbled almost in the same second.
It wasn't who she expected.
Instead, crossing the threshold with heavy steps and a visibly grumpy aura, was Shim Jonghak. His uniform was as impeccable as ever, but there was something about his gait, perhaps the way he dragged his feet slightly or the way his brow remained permanently furrowed, that gave away the bad mood that accompanied him.
He walked past her, glanced in the direction of the seats on his side, as if he were looking for someone, but when he didn't find anyone, he looked away without even looking her in the eye, heading straight for the highest point in the room, where he always sat.
She watched him for a moment, then let out a small sigh, discreet but full of frustration, but without paying him much attention.
"Tsk..."
She muttered something inaudible to herself and sat down again, letting herself fall back into the chair with some force. Her soft hip sank into the padded seat, eliciting a muffled "pof!".
"When is Nayun going to arrive?!"
She complained in an almost childish tone, frowning like she was bored out of her mind. Her fingers drummed on the back of the chair, while her eyes remained stubbornly fixed on the door, as if, by sheer force of will, she could make Nayun appear there.
Then she heard it.
The familiar sound of the door opening again interrupted the conversation.
"Zrr...!"
Yeonha immediately turned around, her purple eyes widening with a spark of hope. And this time, she wasn't disappointed.
Theo and Nayun had arrived.
"Yeonha, good morning!"
The excited voice cut through the air like a sudden breath of fresh wind. Yeonha blinked, coming back to reality. Two figures were approaching with light steps and smiles on their faces.
They walked together, almost as if the world around them had turned down the volume to focus only on the two of them. Theo, with his calm steps and confident posture, walked alongside Nayun, who kept a slight smile on her lips, the kind of expression that only someone at ease next to someone they like can display.
Yeonha blinked a few times. Her body moved on its own, first she straightened up in her chair, then she tossed a lock of hair behind her ear, as if she wanted to pull herself together as quickly as possible.
"Good morning! I almost thought you two were going to skip class today."
The voice came from Yeonha, clear and slightly provocative, as Theo and Nayun passed her chair, but when Theo tried to sit down in his usual place, Nayun pulled him by the arm.
"Here... Sit here."
Nayun said, pointing with a slight gesture to the chair next to her.
Theo nodded without hesitation, calmly pulling out the chair and settling in. No big deal, a simple, normal gesture. But it was only when he sat down that Yeonha noticed.
She frowned slightly, disguising her astonishment with a longer wink.
Theo... was sitting between her and Nayun.
'Between us...?'
If before, every time Yeonha came to sit next to them, Nayun used to occupy the middle seat, or even sit next to Yeonha to exchange quick comments during lessons, now the arrangement had changed.
'Maybe I'm thinking too much, they're just chairs. The important thing now is to talk to Nayun...'
Yeonha took a deep breath and leaned slightly over the table, approaching naturally, or at least trying to look natural. The sleeves of her uniform rose a little with the movement, and her two "mountains" gently touched the surface of the table.
It was at that exact moment that Theo, who until then had been leaning back in his chair in a relaxed manner, glanced sideways. Discreet, almost imperceptible... but it happened. His eyes passed over Yeonha, took in the scene for a second, and then he quickly looked away, back to staring at nothing, as if he was thinking about something much deeper than it seemed.
"Hey! Nayun..."
Nayun turned around immediately.
"What is it?"
She replied, leaning a little too.
Yeonha lowered her voice, though enough so that Theo, between the two of them, could also hear if he wanted to.
"Is it true that your brother woke up from his coma?"
The sound around them seemed to have died down for a moment.
Nayun stared at Yeonha with a questioning look, trying to figure out how she could have known something that even her own family hadn't divulged yet.
"Yeonha... How did you know that?"
Nayun asked in amazement.
"I have... my sources."
Yeonha replied, calmly.
"Tsk!"
Nayun clucked her tongue as she stared at her, her expression frowning, but not at all angry.
Nayun looked around cautiously, then seeing that everything was safe, she said.
"Yes, you're right... But don't tell anyone, Dad said he's going to organize an event to make the announcement."
...