During every free period, even when the others scattered like pigeons at recess, Aera had a mission.
"In-su! Notebook. Now," she demanded, dragging him under the tree in the courtyard. She flipped to a page filled with messy formulas. "Let's revise integrat—"
But before she could finish, she noticed… silence. Suspicious silence.
She turned.
There he was.
Asleep. Head lolled, face peaceful, a thin line of drool threatening to drop on his notes.
She stared at him. Just… stared.
The usual scowl on his face had vanished. His lashes looked unfairly long for a guy. A few strands of hair had fallen into his eyes. Without thinking, she gently brushed them aside.
Snap. Her brain returned from its romantic vacation.
"What the heck am I doing?!" she muttered, face heating up. Immediately, she slapped his hand.
He jerked awake like a man electrocuted. "YAAH—what are you doing?!"
"Wipe your drool first, Sleeping Beauty," she said, tossing him a tissue.
Red-faced and grumbling, he wiped it off while she stifled a giggle.
Just then, Lia plopped down beside them. "I'm in too. Let's ace this together."
The trio dived back into their books, until a voice came from the doorway of the next section.
"In-su! Come on, man!"
It was In-su's best friend, leaning on the doorframe like a whole K-drama second lead.
Before In-su could respond, Aera cut in without even looking up. "He's not coming."
Before In-su's best friend could even speak, In-su smirked and leaned towards her.
"Did I say I'm not going?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "Do I need your permission now?"
Aera blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Don't tell me what to do, study captain."
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't you want to pass?"
He shrugged. "Not really."
Lia, mouth half-full of chips, looked between the two. "Wait, what?! Isn't this like… integration or something?"
In-su leaned back, effortlessly rattling off the exact solution like a math god had possessed him.
Aera and Lia gawked.
"If you knew all that," Lia said slowly, "why didn't you write it in the last exam?"
In-su flashed a grin. "Because I didn't want to."
Aera slammed her notebook down. "This guy…"
Then she crossed her arms. "Whatever. You can leave now. But show up at Lia's house this evening for group study. Or else."
He held up both hands like he was surrendering. "Yes, boss."
And walked off with that same smug grin, leaving her half-annoyed… and half-amused.
And just like that, the most chaotic yet weirdly functional study gang began to blossom.
School added extra evening classes, and Aera never missed a single one—even when headaches gnawed at her skull. Even when her body ached, or the world blurred slightly from pain or low BP, she kept going.
Because they were counting on her. And, for the first time, she liked being counted on.
Exam Day.
Mrs. Li, the teacher in charge, entered the room with the intensity of a military officer.
"Books away. Bags outside. No whispering. No eye contact. No blinking too much."
Okay, maybe not the last one, but the vibe was real.
Hearts raced. Palms sweated.
And In-su? He was whistling softly, flipping his pen.
Aera shot him a deadly glare. Her eyes practically screamed, If you mess this up, you're DONE.
He gulped and immediately sat up straight like a good boy. The paper dropped on his desk. He picked up the pen like a sword.
After the exam, the classroom exploded into post-exam chaos.
"Was it 'B'?" Lia asked. "Wait, I wrote 'C' ugh."
Mr. Dev walked in right then, calming the storm.
"You don't need to worry about the exam anymore," he said with a kind smile. "It's done. Don't stress."
He looked around the class.
"Mr. Kim won't be your chemistry teacher anymore..."
He glanced at the students, except Aera's.
"Looking at these… It's a long road to graduation for some of you. But I've seen how much you've changed. How much effort you've put in. I believe in you. Whether you reach the top 10 or not, I know you'll make it."
The class fell silent. Then came a wave of "Thank you, sir!" echoing through the room as he smiled and walked out.
That's when Aera's head began to spin.
She staggered slightly. Her fingers shook as she fumbled in her bag.
No meds.
Her vision darkened at the edges. The pain was sharp and sudden.
She reached for her water bottle but it slipped.
And before she could hit the floor, arms caught her.
It was In-su.
"Aera?! What happened?"
She shook her head weakly. "Nothing. Just low BP. I have medicine…"
She pulled a strip from her pocket and took it. He still didn't look convinced.
She hated it.
Hated being weak in front of them.
Because now… she didn't want to leave.
In just a few months, she'd found friends who cared, classmates who laughed with her, and maybe, just maybe, someone who made her heart stutter when he smirked.
But the doctor's words rang in her ears again.
If this continues… she might not live past graduation.
She had overheard her parents crying that day.
Sometimes, her hair started to fall in the shower. Chemo side effects. But she refused to cut it.
She wanted to keep looking like herself for as long as she could.
Because even if time was running out…
She wanted to live it fully.
Time was slipping through her fingers like sand. But she wasn't going to count the grains. She was going to dance in the hourglass.