𝗔𝗜 𝗕𝗢𝗬. | ahof .ᐟ jian chih en

005 : After Class Hours

Finally, the last bell for the day rang.

It was loud and happy, telling everyone school was done. The classroom suddenly got noisy. Chairs scraped, zippers went zzzip-zzzip, and kids started talking loudly, all ready to leave and go home. It was a bit messy, but in a good way.

Jian Chihen was also putting his stuff away, but he didn't seem to care that the bell rang. He was calm, like always. He took his time, putting his books neatly into his backpack, zipping up his pencil case quietly. He didn't rush. He just moved slowly, perfectly, like the noise around him wasn't even there.

He was almost done putting his last notebook away when he heard a bright voice next to his desk.

"Bye, Chihen! See you tomorrow!"

He looked up a little.

It was Park Yeonwoo.

She had finished packing super fast, and her bag was already on her shoulder. She looked really excited. She had a big, bright smile on her face and gave him a quick, big wave. Her friends, Juwon and JL, were already near the door, calling for her.

"Yeonwoo! Let's go! Hurry up!" Juwon yelled, his voice sounding a bit loud in the almost empty room.

Yeonwoo giggled, gave Chihen one last quick, bright smile, then turned and ran out of the classroom, following Juwon and JL down the hall. Her laugh, even from the hallway, sounded clear and happy.

Chihen just watched her go. His face didn't change at all. He didn't wave back. He didn't say anything. He just watched her disappear, then slowly looked back down at his desk. He picked up his water bottle and put it carefully into the side pocket of his backpack.

He was just about to stand up when someone else came into the classroom. It was Han. Han looked around the empty classroom, then saw Chihen. His eyes then went to the hallway where Yeonwoo, Juwon, and JL had just run off.

"Whoa, what was that? Was that Yeonwoo just doing her usual sprint?" Han asked, walking over to Chihen's desk. He had a small, knowing smile on his face.

Chihen just gave a small nod. You could barely see it. He didn't say anything, just that tiny head movement. He put his bag on his shoulder, then slowly stood up.

Han watched him, then chuckled softly.

"Man, that girl. She's really something, isn't she? Always so loud, always so... full of energy." Han shook his head, still smiling a little.

"And she's been trying to get your attention since last year, right? It's pretty amazing how much she tries. Most people would have given up by now." Han leaned against the desk next to Chihen's.

"Seriously, Chihen, are you ever going to do anything about it? Or are you just going to keep being the 'AI Boy' forever and let her keep trying so hard?" Han laughed a bit more, finding it all pretty funny.

Chihen's face stayed the same. He just looked at Han, his eyes calm. He paused for a moment, then spoke. His voice was flat and quiet, showing no feelings, just a little bit confused. "What are you talking about?"

Han blinked, a little surprised Chihen actually said more than a nod.

"What do you mean 'what am I talking about'? Yeonwoo! Park Yeonwoo! The one who just said 'bye, Chihen!' like she was going on a big trip! The one who texts you all the time! The one who basically has a big sign over her head that says 'I like Chihen'!" Han stopped, shaking his head. "Never mind. You really don't see it, do you? Or you just pretend not to."

Chihen didn't say anything else. He just stood there, his face completely blank. He looked out the window, which showed the school grounds below. Kids were pouring out, going home, or heading to their after-school clubs.

And then he saw them.

Down below, on the path leading out of the school, were Yeonwoo, Juwon, JL, Shuaibo, and Woongki. They were all together, like always.

JL was teasing Yeonwoo about something. Chihen watched as JL grabbed Yeonwoo's headband right off her head. Yeonwoo immediately started chasing him, laughing loudly, her arms moving fast as she tried to get it back. Juwon and Woongki were laughing too, pointing at them. Shuaibo was walking a little behind them, his shoulders a bit low, looking like he was super tired of all their energy. He probably just wanted to go home and take a long nap, far away from all the noise.

Chihen just watched them. He saw Yeonwoo's bright smile as she chased JL. He saw how her friends laughed with her, how lively they all were. His face didn't change. He just watched until they walked out of sight, disappearing behind the school gates.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Han, who had been looking at his own phone, suddenly looked up, his eyes getting a little wider.

"Oh, hey! Steven just texted," Han said, looking at Chihen. "He and Jeongwoo are already at that cafe near school. The one with the good iced coffee. He said we should hurry up or they'll drink it all. You coming?"

Chihen just gave a small nod. You could barely see it. He didn't need to say yes. Han knew.

"Alright, cool," Han said, already turning to walk out of the classroom. "Let's go. Don't want Steven to get too hyper on coffee before we even get there."

Chihen followed Han out of the classroom, walking quietly down the now mostly empty hallway. They walked side-by-side. Han talked about something from his class, and Chihen just listened. Soon, they were out of the school and walking down the street towards the cafe.

As they got closer to the cafe, they could see Steven and Jeongwoo already sitting at a table near the window. Jeongwoo saw them first. He raised his hand high and waved, a big, excited wave. "Over here! We got a spot!"

Han waved back, smiling. "See? Told you they'd be here."

They walked over to the table. Steven looked up from his phone as Chihen came closer.

"Hey, Chihen. How was the first day of classes? Anything exciting happen?" Steven asked, his voice calm, as Chihen slid into an empty chair.

Chihen just looked at him, then put his backpack on the floor next to him.

"It was alright," he said, his voice flat, as he sat down.

He glanced at the table. Daisuke, Jeongwoo's younger brother, was sitting there too. He was already halfway through a slice of chocolate cake, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

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