Playing with Heart

She is in relat.......

Becoming friends with Sua proved to be quite easy. She readily accepted my friend request on Insta. "Oh, if it weren't for this situation, I would never have gone for this mind suicide!" I thought, clicking on the "follow" button. So, it began...

While sitting on Instagram and responding to her mundane messages, I decided to check her list of friends. Yes, the girl turned out to be popular! Apparently, she had already spoiled life for many. Not surprising, as most of her friends were students from our college. She had quite an influence. Scrolling through the friends... Wendy... Irine... Wheein... And... Stop! I quickly scrolled up. "What is she doing among them?" My eyes widened. I scrutinized the username – maybe I'm mistaken?! No, everything is vividly clear: this name is so ingrained in my brain that it would be silly not to recognize it. Kim Jiu. I clicked on her profile with a trembling hand. Now I found myself on her page... suddenly it felt uncomfortable, as if I entered a forbidden zone. I quickly glanced at the basic information. Date of Birth: May 17. Age: 31 years. Status: In relationship. The last line sparked a slight hint of jealousy. "Well, what did you expect! Do you think such a lady would live alone? Daydreaming," the voice inside me said sarcastically.

It was already 00:01 on the clock, and I, like a seasoned addict, stared at the photograph. I thought if I took my eyes off her face for even a moment, an unbearable withdrawal would begin. I traced her hair, lips, neck with the tip of my finger... The phone probably went crazy from my caress... how passionate. Taking a deep breath and saving the photo, I finally turned off this robot-friend and lay down in bed, immediately sinking into much-needed sleep.

"So, how's the progress in friendship?" Siyeon asked me as we changed for PE.

"A little more, and I'll feel nauseous. Can you imagine, she's in her friends!

"Stop! Who is she? Whose friend?" Siyeon seemed confused.

Taking a deep breath, I sat on the bench:

"Miss Jiu is in Sua's friends. How is that even possible?"

"What's wrong with that? I see it bothers you? Hmm, are you jealous?"

"She's in a relationship," I said quietly, taking my sneakers and heading to the gym.

"Stop torturing yourself, you're doing the third set of push-ups... already 30 times. Stop it already!" Gahyeon pushed me sharply onto the mat," What's going on?!"

Sitting on the mat and leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes and regulated my breathing:

"Everything's fine!"

"Yeah, I can see," Gahyeon sat next to me,"Maybe you want to talk about it?"

"I told you, everything's fine! Leave me alone!"

Getting up from the mat, I headed to the water cooler. I looked like a small but angry imp. After drinking two glasses of water, I, like a football player, lifted my T-shirt slightly to wipe myself... Suddenly, I jerked from someone's cold hands. Maybe they were warm, but my body was burning so much that their touch felt cold. Looking into the mirror in front of me, I saw Miss Jiu, standing behind me and, for some reason, hugging me. Feeling my discomfort, she slowly lowered her hands, simultaneously pulling my T-shirt down. Stumbling, she said:

"Haven't forgotten that you owe me some work?"

I hesitated, the discomfort still lingering, but managed to respond, "No, I haven't forgotten."

Without turning around, I kept looking in the mirror, as if turning would make her disappear.

The gym, usually a place for physical exertion and sweat, became an arena for unspoken emotions. It was as if the boundaries of our roles as teacher and student had blurred, and we found ourselves in a moment suspended in time.