Hana opened her eyes as the alarm rang for the second time. She blinked and stared at the ceiling. She knew she had to get up, but she didn't want to leave her bed. Just as she was about to close her eyes again, she felt her phone vibrate slightly.
She slowly reached out and picked up her phone. Who would text her this early in the morning? Gaeun? Or Sera? But when she unlocked the screen, her eyes widened at the name she saw.
💬 Hyunwoo
"Good morning, Hana."
Her breath caught for a few seconds. Was this... normal? Why would a popular boy from another class send her a good morning message?
Hana's heart started to race. She pulled her hand away from the phone and looked back at the ceiling. How should she respond? If she wrote too formally, it would seem cold. But if she was too friendly, would it be misunderstood?
As she got lost in her thoughts, her phone vibrated again.
💬 Sera
"OMG! Did he really text you in the morning?!"
💬 Eunwoo
"If this isn't a K-drama, then what is? 😏"
Hana panicked even more when she saw her friends' messages. How did Sera and Eunwoo notice so quickly?! Now, she had no choice but to reply.
💬 Sera
"You still haven't replied?! Hana! Hurry up!"
💬 Eunwoo
"Don't overthink it. Just say 'Good morning' and keep it cool."
Hana took a deep breath. Her fingers quickly moved across the screen.
💬 Hana
"Good morning."
As soon as she sent the message, she put her phone on the desk and covered her face with her hands. Was it too short?! Was it too cold?!
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Hana! You're going to be late!" her mother called out.
Hana quickly got out of bed. She hurriedly brushed her hair, put on her school uniform, and grabbed her bag. When she went to the kitchen, her mother had already prepared breakfast.
"You can't leave without eating," her mother said, placing a warm bowl of soup in front of her.
But Hana's mind was still on her phone. Would Hyunwoo reply? She quickly took a bite, stuffed a sandwich into her bag, and put on her shoes.
"See you later, Mom!" she called out as she rushed out the door.
As usual, she met Gaeun on the way to school. When Gaeun saw Hana, she pulled something out of her bag.
"You have to try this!" she said, handing her a stylish chocolate package.
"What is this? Is it new?" Hana asked.
"Yeah! It was limited stock at the store yesterday, so I bought some. It tastes amazing!"
Hana opened the package and took a bite. Her eyes widened. It really was amazing!
"I wouldn't mind eating this every morning," she mumbled.
Gaeun giggled. "What's up with you this morning? Why are you so happy?"
Hana quickly composed herself. Am I being too obvious?!
"Nothing! The chocolate is just really good," she said, changing the topic. But deep inside, she was still thinking about the message on her phone.
They entered the school and parted ways to go to their classes.
In Class
Hana sat at her desk, still thinking about the morning message. Would Hyunwoo text again?
Just then, her phone buzzed with a new notification.
💬 Hyunwoo
"Are you coming to the cafeteria during lunch?"
Hana's heart nearly stopped. What should she say? She didn't want to seem too eager, but she also didn't want to ignore him.
Just as she was about to reply, she felt a slight movement behind her.
It was as if someone was... watching her.
She slowly turned her head and saw Aerin's eyes locked onto her phone screen.
Hana's fingers froze mid-air. How much had she seen? Just the message? Or had she noticed Hyunwoo's name too?!
But at that moment, Aerin looked away as if nothing had happened and continued twirling her pen.
Hana cleared her throat and slowly put her phone away, pretending to focus on her book. But inside, she had a thousand questions.
She didn't see it, right? I mean… if she did, she would've said something.
But…
What if she did see it?
Lunchtime
When the bell rang, Hana picked up her phone. She still hadn't replied to Hyunwoo's message.
💬 Hana
"Yes, I'll be there."
She sent the message. Her heart was racing.
At that moment, Aerin turned to Hana.
"You've been really quiet today," she said with a slight smile.
Hana let out a small laugh. "Really? I'm just a little tired."
Aerin narrowed her eyes at her but said nothing. Then, she turned away and flipped through her notebook.
But Hana couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.
Was it just her imagination?
Or did Aerin actually know something?
Hana walked toward the cafeteria, trying to calm her excitement. As she stepped out of the classroom, Gaeun and Sera suddenly appeared beside her.
"Sooo, tell us everything," Sera said, nudging Hana with her elbow.
Hana blinked. "Tell you what?"
Gaeun raised her eyebrows. "Come on, don't play dumb. Who got a morning text? Who just got invited to the cafeteria?"
Hana turned away, embarrassed. "We're just going to talk..."
Sera and Gaeun gasped at the same time.
"Ohhh really?" Sera teased, giggling. "Is this your first time meeting Hyunwoo in the cafeteria?"
Hana nodded. It really was… the first time she was meeting Hyunwoo like this.
"So, does this count as a first date?" Gaeun asked, eyes shining.
"No!" Hana whispered in panic. "It's just… a conversation!"
As they entered the cafeteria, Hana's eyes immediately searched for Hyunwoo. She spotted him sitting casually by the window. He seemed to be waiting for her.
Her heart raced. Am I really going to sit with him? What should I say?
"Alright, good luck!" Sera said, giving Hana a slight push.
"Wait?! You're not coming with me?"
"Us?" Gaeun giggled. "No way. This is a special moment for you!"
Realizing her friends were determined to leave her alone, Hana took a deep breath and walked toward the table.
"Hey," Hyunwoo greeted her as she approached.
Hana smiled slightly. "Hey."
Hyunwoo gestured to the chair. "Do you want to sit?"
Hana nodded and sat down, hiding her hands under the table because she felt a little nervous.
"How was your morning?" Hyunwoo asked, his voice as calm as ever.
Hana thought for a moment. "Um… I guess it was normal. Classes were really boring."
Hyunwoo chuckled. "Same here."
There was a brief silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
"So… why did you text me good morning?" Hana asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.
Hyunwoo looked at her in surprise before smiling slightly. "I just wanted to. Is that weird?"
Hana didn't know what to say for a moment. Was this… normal?
"I mean, no, I just… wasn't expecting it."
Hyunwoo nodded. "Then maybe you should start expecting it."
Hana's face turned red. What did that even mean?
Just then, whispers started spreading across the cafeteria.
"Are Hyunwoo and Hana together?"
"Are they dating?"
Hana tensed up when she realized people were talking about them. When she glanced sideways, she noticed that Aerin was watching them too. But there was neither surprise nor curiosity on her face.
She was just... looking with a blank expression.
Aerin's Thoughts
As Aerin watched Hana and Hyunwoo, she absentmindedly stirred her food with her chopsticks. The friends beside her had already started discussing the topic.
"What do you think, Aerin?" one of them asked.
Aerin lifted her head. "About what?"
"Hyunwoo and Hana! Do you think they look good together?"
Aerin thought for a few seconds. Then, she shrugged slightly. "I don't know. It's not that important."
Her friends looked at her in surprise. "Ugh, you're no fun!"
Aerin smiled faintly but turned her gaze back to Hana.
At that moment, Hana was looking at Aerin too.
When their eyes met, Aerin gave her a small nod in greeting. But her eyes… they were still the same.
There was no emotion in them.
And that unsettled Hana even more.
For the rest of the lunch break, Hana tried to eat something, but she had lost her appetite. Aerin's gaze... Why was she acting like that?
Hyunwoo was talking about something, but Hana couldn't fully focus. She nodded and smiled, but one question lingered in her mind:
What does Aerin know?
And more importantly...
Why isn't she saying anything?