Sujin feels her eyes roll to the back of her skull.
Of course she knows the type. It just so happens to be the one copy-and-pasted across every nightmare idea of prestigious schools she's ever had. The type who grew up with everything spoonfed to them on a silver platter. The type to think they've got the whole world in the palm of their hands. The type her mother loves; and the type she absolutely hates.
"Yeah." Sujin lets out a huff, "I don't think we're talking about the same guy, though - this one had blonde hair."
Not that it makes any difference, she thinks, one privileged asshole is just as bad as any other.
Sora cocks her head to the side, silently pondering this new piece of information. If not Darisan's esteemed golden boy, who could this mystery guy be?
"I mean, Jake did dye his hair over the summer."
The two girls whip their heads around in unison to see Riki prance back into the room with a bag of chips - one that he most definitely just swiped from the girls' kitchen - in hand. He snacks on a couple with a clueless look on his face, seeing as he just joined in to whatever part of the conversation he heard through the door without thinking twice.
Mystery solved.
"Blonde, huh?" Sora muses, "That's a change."
"Right?" Riki adds with a laugh, "Sunghoon's been calling him Malibu Ken all week!"
"Ha! Typical."
Losing interest in the new topic of conversation all too quickly, Sujin drowns out the siblings' casual chatter and resorts to wordlessly staring up at the ceiling.
Until the door opens yet again with another distinctive Whoosh!
Oh, come on. She instantly sours, shooting up to face the intruder with a scowl. Do these people know nothing about privacy?!
Said intruder happens to be another boy - so much for Mrs Kwak's number one rule - who looks to be around Riki's age as well. He looks awfully friendly, Sujin thinks immediately, and she wonders whether it's all a facade hidden under glittery eyes and dimpled cheeks.
"Sorry." He scratches the back of his neck bashfully upon seeing the girl's irritated expression. He also realizes he's never seen her before, so he offers his name as some sort of peace offering - "Yang Jungwon. Nice to meet you, uh... Sora's new roommate."
Charming, Sujin drawls to herself sarcastically.
"That's Sujin." Sora pipes in helpfully, jumping to her feet, "And what are you doing here?"
"Picking Riki up." Jungwon replies in a 'Duh' tone.
"Well, hurry up with it!" Sora urges, "Before Mrs Kwak catches you both and burns you at the stake."
There's a certain seriousness in her eyes that makes the two boys burst into fits of laughter.
"You're so dramatic, Sora." Jungwon rolls his eyes, "Mrs Kwak allowed me up here. Pays off being in her good books, you know."
"And every other staff member's too." Riki adds with a playful jab at his friend's ribs, "Did someone say teacher's pet?"
Sora side-eyes Sujin with a knowing look. Another one of that type.
Sujin purses her lips. Noted.
"We should get going now," Jungwon chuckles, shooting the girls an earnest smile, "See you guys around!"
"Wait! I'll come with you," Sora swiftly fixes a bucket hat atop her silky hair, "I have to drop by the main building anyway."
"Cool." Riki shrugs, holding the door open for his sister to fly through.
Her head pops back in for a split second, "Oh - you should come with me, Sujin! I can give you a little tour of the grounds while we're down there too!" And her eyes are glimmering with something comparable to hope. Another peace offering.
Unfortunately, Sujin doesn't quite seem to share the sentiment.
"I'm good, thanks."
"Ouch." Riki comments unhelpfully, earning a slap on the arm from both Sora and Jungwon.
"I'll see you later tonight then." Sora recovers, cheeriness unwavering, "Rest well!"
"Later, Sujin!"
"It was nice meeting you!"
And the door shuts behind the trio with a click.
Sujin lets out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding.
Finally, after almost a full day of nonstop traveling and getting settled into the school, she has a chance to rest. The girl curls herself deep beneath the covers, feeling the crisp coolness of the linen swallow her whole.
She faintly remembers telling Heeseung she'd call him again this afternoon. And the hundreds of pages of rules waiting to be read in the depths of her discarded bag. But everything around her grows fuzzy, and her eyelids are heavy, and she feels her head begin to sink deeper into the pillow.
Fine, she gives in silently, just a couple hours.
And she's out like a light in no time.
SAGE'S SPACE! 🗯️
another long chapter sorry 😔🤚 ... or not sorry, depending on how you feel about them <3 i started writing this chapter with such a specific vision in mind and i'm actually so pleased with how it turned out !!! i love sora so much honestly like that's best girl 💕💗💓💝💖💘 and the nishimuras are gonna carry this book on their backs, just saying. i can't wait for you to get to know and grow as attached to all these imaginary beings as i am 😭💔
til next time, sage ♡
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