Then... silence.
No knock. No door opening. Just a faint shuffle. A few seconds passed, then...
"False alarm," Ryan whispered from behind the curtain, peeking through. "He walked off."
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Thank God.
Without another word, Minho turned and strutted out the door like he hadn't just walked across my bed like Godzilla in sneakers.
I turned around and oh right. James and Ryan were still standing there.
stupid.
"So how was it?" I asked, folding my arms.
"Same as usual," Ryan said with a shrug.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"No big deal. Anyway, you should go sleep. Sorry for bothering you."
With that, Ryan patted my head before going out the door, leaving me and James.
"Wait, what—"
James opened his mouth, probably to flirt or joke, but Ryan popped back in and grabbed him by the collar. "Aight, I forgot about this douchebag."
"Thanks," I mumbled as Ryan yanked James away and closed the door.
"No problem," he said from the hallway. "And don't get me wrong—James is just all fun and games. He wouldn't actually try anything if that's what you're thinking."
I sat down on my bed, sighing. I had just flopped back against the mattress when the door creaked open again.
Ryan stood there holding something. "Clean sheets," he said, tossing them over. "In case your bed smells like cheap liquor and lost dignity."
I gave him a tired look. "Thanks."
"Want me to change them for you?"
"I can manage," I replied with a half-smile.
"Alright. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Once the door closed for good this time, I swapped the sheets, curled under the blanket, and drifted off to sleep...
...
The next morning, I woke up at 6 a.m. and took a hot shower. With my uniform on and my bag slung over my shoulder, I tiptoed downstairs.
The dorm was quiet. Twan was passed out on the couch, still clutching a controller, headset tilted like it had fallen mid-match. I guess he stayed up grinding games.
I was just reaching for the door when someone else came down the stairs already dressed and ready.
"Good morning," I greeted.
Travis didn't reply. Of course. He just walked past me and out the door. Whatever. I followed him out, shutting the door behind me. I remembered seeing a Starbucks nearby, and after everything that happened last night, coffee was a must.
It was a short walk. When I stepped inside, there was a guy ahead of me finishing his order. As I stepped up to the counter—
"Iced Caffé Americano please-"
"Hot Caffé Americano"
I turned. Travis. Again. Looking at me like I had copied him.
"Excuse me?" I raised a brow.
"I got here first," he replied, deadpan.
"Ma'am, would you mind waiting after him?" the lady cashier asked.
Before I could protest, Travis leaned in. "In that case, venti hot caffé americano, please."
The cashier giggled. Of course she did. "Name, sir?"
"Park." Travis replied.
"Park who?"
"The name's Park. That's all."
"Alright, I'll call you when it's ready."
I rolled my eyes and stepped up after he moved aside. "Large iced caffé americano" I muttered.
"You mean venti?" the cashier asked.
"No, I mean large."
"Ma'am, venti is large."
Here we go. "Tall means small, grande means medium, and venti means large—but venti literally means twenty in Italian."
The cashier blinked at me. Travis chuckled softly behind me.
"So let me get this straight," I continued, smiling sweetly. "Your small is tall, your medium is grande, which is Spanish for large, and your large is venti, which just means twenty. Congratulations—you're officially confused in three different languages."
She said nothing.
"The name's Jung. Just write Jung." Then... I reached into my pocket. Shit. Wallet. Gone. Still at the dorm. I faked looking for it like a clown until Travis casually strolled over.
"I'll pay for her drink."
"What?" I looked at him.
"Why's that, sir?" the cashier asked.
"I know her. It's fine. Also—just put my name on both drinks. Less hassle." Then he winked at her. Seriously. No wonder all the girls swoon.
As we waited for our drinks in silence, I glanced at him. He didn't say anything—just stood there, cool as ever.
Then he took both cups and handed me mine. He didn't wait for a thank-you. Just turned and walked out. I had to jog to catch up.
"Thanks. I'll pay you back later."
He glanced at me. "Kinda awkward, huh? Roasting her, then not having money."
"...Shut up."
He smirked, sipping his coffee as he walked ahead. Wait.
Was that a smile?
After Travis left me standing there with my coffee and a heart mildly confused by that tiny smile of his, I took a moment to breathe. It was still early. Too early to head straight to school. With that, I decided to take a little detour.
I walked past the school's usual route and into one of the nearby neighborhoods. The air was crisp and the streets were still sleepy. I turned a corner and found a narrow alley lined with food stalls.
Only a few were open, but the smell of grilled mochi and sweet red bean paste drifted in the air. My stomach was still full from the caffeine but my soul? She was hungry for peace.
I wandered down the alley, pausing by a small park tucked between two buildings. There was an old man feeding birds, and a couple of students with almost the same uniform as mine sneaking kisses behind a vending machine. Ah, young love. Gross.
I took a seat on the nearest bench and scrolled through my phone, liking a few posts, answering Laureen's message with a random sticker, and replying to my mom's good morning text with a selfie holding my coffee. #StillAlive. The peace didn't last long.
My eyes caught a glint in the corner of the park—a person. Standing there. Just watching. I squinted. They were wearing our school's uniform but the blazer was oversized and the hoodie underneath was up, shadowing most of their face. Something about it made my chest tighten.
And just like that, they turned and walked away—disappearing behind the trees like they were never there. Weird. Shaking it off, I checked the time and cursed under my breath. I still had to stop by my locker before class started.
I tossed the empty coffee cup in the bin and headed toward school.
Another day again...