Steam rose gently from the hot water in the bath, creating a faint mist in the bathroom of her dormitory. The delicate scent of the calming essences she had poured into the bath seemed useless in the face of the storm raging in her mind.
Yeonha sank a little deeper into the water, allowing the hot water to cover her shoulders. Her eyes were squinting, but not from sleep, but from sheer confusion.
"Tsk... what the hell..."
She muttered to herself, bringing her hands to her face, which still seemed to be burning. Not from the water. But from the memory.
It all started when she realized that Theo wasn't like the others, he didn't care who she was or how she acted.
"He... always talks as if he sees me. As if he knew more about me than I knew about myself."
And that made her very nervous, more than she realized.
Yeonha dipped down to her chin, her eyes now fixed on the reflection of the light on the ceiling, but her mind stuck on a specific memory.
The door suddenly opening. Her body being pushed hard, and she was about to fall forward.
And... Theo's face, there, so close. So close that she could see the red glow in his eyes before she realized she was practically on top of him.
She could still remember it so vividly.
And the shock of feeling his arms around her.
Her heart leapt just remembering it. Literally, as if reliving the moment.
"How could... he just let it happen! He didn't even try to pull away!"
Yeonha thought, indignant, but also strangely touched.
It wasn't just the closeness. It was the way he held her, as if it was natural.
And before that? His words still echoed inside her:
"The guy you like is just a fool, a fool who wasn't able to realize that there was someone just as incredible, beautiful, stunning, hard-working and capable as you."
Yeonha sank deeper into the water, hiding her entire face. Stunning?! Had Theo really said that? Out loud?
And what was worse: he had spoken so close to her. That firm, warm voice, so close, as if he knew every crack inside her.
"Why is this making me ?"
She couldn't understand. Everything she felt seemed to blend together, the embarrassment, the anger, the sudden heat, the wounded pride...
Yeonha straightened up and sat in the tub, resting her chin on her bent knees.
Her fingers absentmindedly traced circles in the water as her thoughts went even further back. To Nayun. To Jonghak. To herself, hiding behind the door.
'I'm not blind... I know something is brewing between them. But then... why is he looking at me like that?'
Yeonha had known all along that there was something between Nayun and Theo, and now, the way they acted together only confirmed their relationship. But why, even though he was with Nayun, did he treat her like that?
Yeonha closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, as if trying to find an answer in the steam around her.
But there was no answer.
Only the soft sound of the water and the echo of Theo's words that hinted at things she didn't understand came to mind.
"...You'll have to find out for yourself..."
She opened her eyes, wiped her hands across her cheeks, and stared at her pair of tresses floating lightly on the water.
"Aaah! Isn't he afraid I'll tell Nayun?"
FRIDAY - 4:40 P.M - AFTER THE END OF CLASS.
"Okay Theo, see you..."
"When I find a better place for you to train, I'll send you a message."
Hajin and Suho went on their way, their shoulders heavy, as if they had just lost something precious. And, honestly, they had. The ban on using the general training area as personal space was like a bucket of cold water on our plans.
The reason? Simple, and annoying: the use of Dom is strictly forbidden inside the General Training Area. Even for elite cadets.
"Arg! What the hell..."
Nayun huffed beside me, crossing his arms angrily.
"Calm down. I've already got some ideas in my head."
I knew this day would come sooner or later.
"Hey Yoo. I want to talk to you later."
The girl, who was about to get up and leave, stopped.
"You remember what I told you that time, don't you? That I have something that could benefit you a lot... I think it's time I put it into practice."
She blinked, remembering when we first exchanged words last week.
"Got it. Over here! If you want, you can come to the Guild to talk to me, I'll be there all weekend."
She pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to me.
"Okay! Sunday's a good day. Is that okay?"
Yeonha nodded slightly.
"I'll see you both tomorrow."
She said goodbye and left, leaving just me and Nayun behind.
Next to me, Nayun nudged me with her elbow.
"She's avoiding you a lot today. I don't know what you did yesterday, but it sure left a big mark on her."
That was true, she hardly spoke to me today, the words we exchanged were much shorter than usual, until lunch, which she spent with me and Nayun, today she skipped.
"Maybe she's only in that day..."
I said jokingly, leaving the room with Nayun.
Back in the dormitory, after a quick shower with Nayun, we were now in the kitchen, preparing dinner.
Steam rose from the two pots on the electric stove, drawing lazy swirls in the air as the room filled with a soft, welcoming mist, saturated by the warm scent of garlic browning in sesame oil. The freshly cut spring onions blended into the perfume with a fresh, almost citrusy touch.
Nayun, her hair still a little damp and tied up in an awkward bun, was chopping the ingredients with little difficulty.
This was her first time picking up a knife to cook.
"Nayun, do you want to go to Seoul with me early tomorrow? I'm thinking of buying some clothes and something to wear tomorrow night."
Even if I had the ability to create anything using magic, including clothes, it's still nice to be normal sometimes.
It's like a certain dubious saying I saw once said:
'Don't save for tomorrow what you can spend today.'
It made some sense, a little questionable... But still poetically convincing.
Nayun finished cutting the strips of meat and wiped his hands on a flowered tea towel before turning to me. He nodded with a lazy smile.
"Sure, but only after 8am. I want to enjoy it and get some extra sleep tomorrow."
"No problem, Miss Nayun."
I smiled, returning to the table to set the plates.