Playing with Heart

I'm always here

It's night. Sleep eludes me, and I'm far from feeling drowsy. Lately, I've been struggling to fall asleep, grappling with nerves and thoughts about Miss Jiu. Tonight, I find myself once again staring intently at the ceiling. The room is shrouded in darkness, quiet, and seemingly conducive to rest, yet I remain wide awake. Closing my eyes, a recurring image emerges—a woman with brown eyes, fiery lips, silk-like skin, and a whisper escaping from her lips. Spare me, grant me tranquility, release me from these ceaseless torments. Tears begin to trace their slow path... Yesterday's events couldn't help but leave their mark. A meeting with her boyfriend, a mutual handshake, an assessing gaze. Jealousy knows no bounds. It felt as if she deliberately invited me, wanting to gauge my reaction, to understand, to decide something for herself. Or perhaps, it was just a game for her.

"Yoohyeon, it's time to get up..." Grandma's gentle whisper prompts me to open my eyes, still heavy with sleep.

"Yes, I'm getting up..."

"You don't seem like yourself. Is everything okay?" Grandma asks, her concern evident as she touches my forehead.

"Everything's fine; I just slept poorly," I assure her.

"Well, alright, breakfast is on the table."

The day doesn't start off well. On the way to school, I run into Sua and end up walking with her. For the sake of appearances, I continue to maintain a relationship with her, not every day, but often enough.

"My mom got me a voucher to the sanatorium! I'm going during winter break! Can you believe it?" She joyfully exclaims.

"I'm happy for you."

The school entrance is already in sight, offering a reprieve from this chatterbox.

"Hi! How are you?" Siyeon greets me.

"Yeah, more or less."

"Did you go to her yesterday? It doesn't seem all is well. Am I right?" Siyeon looks into my eyes.

"Well, let's say... everything is as it should be. Let's talk about it later, please."

"Sure."

As we hang our jackets in the locker room, we head to class.

"Excuse me, may I have a moment?" Mrs. Solji entered the classroom.

All eyes turned to the teacher, and a pleasant hush descended.

"I need a couple of people to help move the flowers from the biology classroom to the "Winter Garden." It's preferable to have girls; otherwise, the boys might end up scattering everything."

Apparently, the students were more inclined to chat than to assist with the flower pots, as there were no volunteers.

"Alright, understood.Dami, Gahyeon and Ryujin follow me."

"Can I join too?"

"Okay, come along."

I stood up, and we all followed them.

"Here we are, Miss Jiu. Receive your helpers!"

I cast a sharp look at the person with that name, and she returned my gaze. It seemed neither of us expected such an unexpected encounter. She smiled shyly, then shifted her focus to the other girls, explaining the task. Once she finished, we got to work.

"The way she looked at you..." Gahyeon whispered.

"Nothing special," I replied, handing her another pot with a plant.

"Oh, don't keep secrets from me. That look definitely meant something."

"Yoohyeon, take my place, help miss Kim. I need to step away," my classmate exited the lab and quickly headed back to the classroom.