second lead. | 정원

chapter 40.

xl.

"Time's up! Put your pen and pencils down. No more writing, no more reading, and no more calculating," The class supervisor, Mr. Hong, who was also their English teacher, announced as the school bell rang. "Please pass your papers to the front."

Luckily, Jeon Mira was sitting in the front row so she had more time to recheck her answers as she waited for her classmate's papers to be collected. Her eyes swiftly skimmed through her exam paper to ensure she had not incorrectly put down the wrong answer. A soft tap on the shoulder made her turn around only to be met with the sight of multiple sheets.

"Students in the front row, pass the papers to your right towards Kim Sunoo. I'll be collecting them from him," The teacher instructed, packing up his things from the teacher's desk and wearing his black bag over his shoulder.

Jeon Mira and Kim Sunoo were not from the same class, but it is a rule in Daehwi High to have students from all four classes be shuffled during midterm and final exams. They just happened to be assigned in the same room. Cheram was placed in room one along with Ni-ki, Jungwon and Yubin in room two, Mira and Sunoo in room three, and Aerin alone in room four.

"Tomorrow will be the last day. Make sure to keep up your spirits and don't give up. I heard it's Economics and English tomorrow?" Mr. Hong rhetorically asked, earning nods from the students. He tapped the stacked exam papers on Sunoo's table to align them. "Do your best everyone. Class dismissed," He spoke in English.

Mira left after that but was halted when one of her classmates called out for her. The girl looked over her shoulder and saw a brown-haired boy speed-walking his way towards her. He then pointed at one of the classrooms, "Someone wants to meet you in room two. He said he has something to say."

With a tilted head and an arched eyebrow, Mira nodded and excused herself from him, taking note of how the boy exclaimed a quick "good luck!" before leaving. She glanced at him walking away as she headed towards room two, her original classroom.

Upon her arrival, she spotted only a few students left inside. She saw Kang Yubin standing at the back of the room and waved at her, announcing her presence. Yubin made her way to the door and smiled, holding onto her bag strap. "What are you doing here, Ra? Aren't you going home?"

Jeon Mira chuckled awkwardly and scratched the spot behind her ear, "I was told to come here because someone wants to see me," Her eyes scanned around the classroom trying to find that someone. She accidentally locked eyes with a boy.

Hearing this, Yubin gasped, "Oh! I heard Haru and Jae talking about you before. I think it was Jae who wants to talk to you. He's right there." The person Yubin was pointing at was the same person Mira made eye contact with. She noticed how the boy was smiling nervously as he gave a small wave.

"I'll go see what he wants. You can go ahead," Mira informed, entering the classroom.

"You sure you don't want me to wait for you?" Yubin questioned, pausing her. "We can go together."

Mira only smiled in response as she shook her head, gesturing with her hands for her to leave as she made her way towards the male student, Jae. Once Yubin had left, she averted her gaze to the male. "Jae, right? The one Haru told me to meet?"

Jae hummed and nodded his head.

"What is it?" She questioned, curious about the reason why he wanted to see her.

Seeing Mira's smile sort of alleviated Jae's reluctance. He had been nervous to talk with the girl as she was too far for him to reach. Even though they attend the same school and had been classmates for two years, he couldn't find it in himself to talk. Maybe it was because she was so well-known at school, he was afraid of messing up. Jae always seeks help from his friends to get Mira's attention, but now that he was standing in a room with her alone there was nothing to worry about after all.

"Uh, I heard that you're in the top five of your class and that you're good in English. Can you maybe help me with it for tomorrow's exam?" Jae asked, flustered.

Pretty. That was what he thought of Mira when he first saw her. Up close, he realized that she was even prettier. He finally understood why a lot of people adored her. Her visuals, personality, and beauty inside and out — Jae quickly shook his thoughts off.

"Oh, sure. Do you want to study here or at the library?" Mira questioned. She noticed the now empty room, but couldn't ignore the chairs that were not properly placed in their right stations. Why was that chair upside down at the corner of the room?

"Here," He replied.

Mira nodded her head and set her school bag down beside a random chair. She took her phone out of her bag and excused herself to visit the bathroom quickly before they start.

To be honest, the girl was slightly nervous to teach someone she didn't know too well. They rarely interacted, and the only time they had a decent conversation was during a group project.

She thought of the different ways to talk to him to not make the atmosphere awkward. A long list of numerous scenarios inside her head from every choice she made, the potential reaction from the other party included. From Mira's previous experience of working with Jae, she observed that he wasn't much of a talker.

She would have to do all the talking later.