When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

chapter 21

The school hall buzzed with voices, footsteps, the occasional slam of a locker. The kind of background noise I usually drowned out.

Not today.

Today, my head felt heavy, thoughts dragging like weights. I remember my cheek faintly stung from last night, but I ignored it. I always ignored it.

I just needed to get through the day.

I walked faster, adjusting the strap of my bag. Maybe if I moved quickly enough, if I kept my head down, I could disappear into the noise, into the crowd, because I'm not in the mood to focus here. I still remember my dad's harsh words.

Let's face just today.

Today's highlighted part is that-
I was bought into their study group, forcefully.

The study group room was smaller than I expected.

Dim lights, a whiteboard covered in equations that had long since been abandoned, and a small window barely letting in any light. It felt… cramped. Maybe because there were six of us shoved inside.

Ji-Woo was already sitting cross-legged on the floor, flipping through a notebook. Hui-Won leaned against the desk, arms crossed, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. Ga-Min sat upright, adjusting his glasses like we were about to take a government exam. Lee Jun was sprawled out on a chair, lazily tossing a pen in the air, and Se-Hyeon was reading, looking effortlessly focused as always.

And me?

I didn’t even know why I was here.

“You look like you want to escape,” Ji-Woo said, smirking.

I blinked. “...I do.”

Lee Jun laughed. “Then why’d you come?”

“Because someone”—I shot a glare at Hui-Won—“forced me.”

Hui-Won didn’t even pretend to look guilty. “You need to socialize.”

“I socialize.”

“No, you exist near people. That’s not the same thing.”

I frowned. “That’s the same thing.”

Se-Hyeon glanced up from his book. “Are we studying or debating
Cheonga’s social skills?”

Ga-Min nodded seriously. “I think it’s important if we discuss about it.”

I shot him a betrayed look. “Ga-Min—”

“It’s true.” He adjusted his glasses. “Though I do think we should start. We have another exam coming up.”

“Ugh.” Ji-Woo groaned, flopping onto her back. “Why’d you have to remind me?”

“Because that’s literally why we’re here,” Se-Hyeon said, flipping a page.

Ga-Min straightened. “Alright. First question—”

“No, no, no.” Lee Jun sat up. “Let’s warm up first. It’s a study group. We should talk before we fry our brains.”

Hui-Won sighed. “This is why you barely pass your exams.”

Lee Jun shrugged. “And yet, I pass.”

Ji-Woo sat up, eyes gleaming. “Ooo, let’s talk about something fun.”

“So,” Ji-Woo started, tapping her chin, “Daehwa High.”

My spine tensed.

“What about it?” I asked carefully.

She shrugged. “What’s it like? I mean, it’s a top school, right?”

I hesitated.

Top school.