Serendipity (Ryeji)

A Crazy Day (Pt. 2)

The bell rang several minutes ago, indicating that lunch shifts will transition, which means Yeji has to go to her next class. It's math, specifically algebra, and although she's not the greatest at the subject, she manages. Thankfully, Chaeryeong is with her, and thus, she's not utterly dumbfounded by the course material on her own.

Their friend's classes are in the opposite direction, so each pair parts ways as soon as the bell sounds. After a few brief hugs, they make their way to the east side of the building, engage in some small talk on the way there.

"So you're friends with Ryujin?" Yeji's ears perk up at her own question, mind still trying to pinpoint the familiarities and piece them together like the most difficult puzzle she's ever tried to solve.

"Is your memory okay? How could you not have known?"

Chaeryeong laughs at the older girl, lightly shakes her head too. Yeji isn't sure what the latter means by that response, though. It seems awfully close to what Lia implied earlier, but before she can bother to ask about it, Chaeryeong's already changing the topic.

"Any idea what today's lesson is about?"

"Uhm, " Yeji dismisses any further thoughts about the 'Ryujin' topic for now, focuses more on the hell that is her math class. "I think he posted something about sketching graphs of exponential functions."

"Where's the mercy??? Just the sound of that is terrible." Chaeryeong whines, sulking before they've even set foot inside. Truth be told, the work isn't too hard when she applies herself. However, that doesn't stop the assignments from looking scary or overwhelming at the very start.

"Actually," Yeji purses her lips, hums for a few seconds as she recalls what she's seen. "It didn't seem that hard when I looked it over."

"Don't give me hope now, Yeji."

"I'm trying to give myself hope."

While mid-walk through the door to their class, the brunette shivers at the touch of a cold hand resting on her shoulder. How she could feel the temperature through her hoodie's sleeve was startling. "Yeji, sweetie, I need to have a few words with you. Please come to my office."

"Yes, ma'am." She immediately recognizes the voice, and her skin crawls at those words. It's an unmistakable assumption, and even Chaeryeong sort of mirrors her friend's anxiety. At times, Mama Hwang can appear scary, the strictness evident in her eyes.

"Ah-ah! Before you go. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure." Yeji offers it blindly, doesn't want the exchange to last long, afraid that her mother will get mad if it does.

"Thank youuuu~ I'll give it back to you later."

After handing it off, she ends up trekking back down the same hall she just came from, except this time with her mother— Scratch that, she isn't really walking with her mom. Instead, she lingers a few steps behind, no courage to spark up a conversation. All that ran through her mind was a neverending list of possibilities regarding what Mama Hwang wants to talk to her about.

Once they arrive at the office, she takes a seat in the chair across from the principal's desk. She isn't often in this position, one where she has her mother looking at her with such a serious expression. Thus, in a way, she felt inferior.

"You needed to see me?"

"Yes. I wanted to talk about your grades."

"My grades?" Yeji asks, makes sure not to slouch because she might get scolded for it... again, but her body grows tense, and she worries that one of her grades might have slipped, though nothing recently could have damaged them so harshly. "Is something wrong with them?"