Mind Games - Night has come

04

So-mi's eyes flew open as she gasped for air, her body sitting up abruptly, hands instinctively reaching for her throat as if she had just experienced a shock.

"You're awake," Min-ji's voice resonated as she took a seat on a chair facing So-mi's bed in the nursery room.

Struggling with her breathing, So-mi adjusted herself, pressing her back against the wall as she sat on the bed. Although she acknowledged Min-ji's presence, she remained silent, seemingly unable to find words.

Min-ji sighed, sensing the tension, and stood up. A towel was draped over her shoulder as both of them started to dry off from the earlier incident.

The nursery door swung open, and Jun-hee hurried inside, with Na-hee closely following behind him.

"Is she awake?" Jun-hee inquired, directing his question first to Min-ji, who was about to leave. She nodded, confirming So-mi's awakening, and he received his answer as he looked over to see So-mi up.

"It seems like she's unable to speak," Min-ji added, glancing over at So-mi with an annoyed glare.

So-mi, now more composed, quickly asked, "What happened?"

"I would like to know that too," Jun-hee responded, slightly relaxing upon seeing that So-mi was okay. He rested his hands on his hips, observing the tense atmosphere between Min-ji and So-mi.

Min-ji shrugged, "We fell into the pool by accident," she explained, approaching So-mi again. "She couldn't swim and ended up passing out, so I had to pull her out." Bending down to be at eye level with So-mi, a hand reached for the towel on her shoulder to gently dry off So-mi's hair. "But you're back to your senses, aren't you?" Min-ji remarked, a hint of threat in her tone and expression.

So-mi's breath slightly caught in her throat, seeing through Min-ji's omission. She realized Min-ji left out the fact that she initially pushed her into the pool to save her, especially in front of Jun-hee, whom she knew Min-ji had feelings for.

She slowly nodded, accepting the towel from Min-ji and continued to dry her hair herself. "Yes, I'm okay," she replied, avoiding direct eye contact with Min-ji.

A subtle sense of satisfaction played on Min-ji's lips as she stepped away. Na-hee quickly joined So-mi, sitting on the bed. "Gosh, I was worried sick about you," she expressed with genuine concern.

So-mi's expression shifted as she slightly rolled her eyes, standing up. "As I said, I'm okay," she replied, downplaying Na-hee's concern.

"You thankfully are," Jun-hee acknowledged, looking at Min-ji. "Thanks to Min-ji," he added. As the class president, he bore the responsibility for his classmates' well-being and was relieved that no harm had come to anyone.

Min-ji offered a soft smile in response to the praise. "I'm just relieved I found her in time. Who knows what might've happened if she had stayed down there a bit longer?" she remarked.

"Thank you," So-mi expressed her gratitude, setting the towel down on the bed as they all prepared to leave the room.

Min-ji flashed her best smile, fully aware that if Jun-hee weren't present, So-mi wouldn't have spoken a word, let alone thank her. "Don't mention it."

As they walked out of the nursery and headed towards the dorms, Jun-hee led the way. Upon opening the door to the hallways, they found students gathered, waiting for his arrival.

Jang Hyun-ho, the lead basketball player in their class, stepped forward, addressing Jun-hee, "Class president, what do we do? We can't reach the teacher, and our phones aren't working, either."

The group stopped at their tracks and shifted their attention towards him. Baek Eun-ha echoed the concern of their classmates, "I know. What do we do?"

While Jun-hee shared their concerns about the missing teacher, he had to maintain a calm and brave demeanor to prevent further worry among his classmates. "Let's sleep in our rooms for now. I'll go out early in the morning or something," he calmly suggested, receiving understanding nods from his classmates.