The school gates were swarming with students as I walked out, still feeling the phantom weight of Lee Sora's hug on my shoulders.
Ha-neul was trudging beside me, her backpack sagging with the extra weight of the Pepero boxes she had received.
Actually, she was quite popular.
As we approached the familiar sedan parked by the curb, I saw a tall figure leaning against the driver's side door.
It was Ji-hoon, his broad shoulders stretching the fabric of his jacket.
But he wasn't alone.
Ms. Choi was standing in front of him.
They were deep in conversation—she looked serious, nodding as he spoke, her usual stern teacher-mask softened just a fraction.
As we got closer, she caught sight of us, offered a final, cryptic nod to Ji-hoon, and walked away toward the faculty parking lot without a word.
"That was weird," Ha-neul muttered, squinting at Ms. Choi's retreating back. "Why is your homeroom teacher talking to my brother? Did you get in trouble already, San-ah?"
"I'm too tired to get into trouble," I grumbled, pulling the car door open.
We piled into the car. The scent of expensive car freshener and clean laundry hit me as Ji-hoon shifted the gear into drive.
"How was the holiday, you two?" Ji-hoon asked, glancing at us in the rearview mirror with a relaxed grin. "Survive the chocolate avalanche?"
Ha-neul let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
"Survive? Ji-hoon-oppa, you should have seen his desk. He's the King of Kirin now. Girls were basically queuing up to throw sugar at him." She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Do you remember Lee Sora?"
My stomach did a nervous somersault. I knew exactly where this was going.
"LALALALALALA!" I shouted, covering my ears and staring out the window. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! THE WIND IS SO LOUD IN HERE!"
"Aish! Shut up, you giant baby!" Ha-neul swatted my arm, but she didn't stop.
Ji-hoon just laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Sora? You mean Yi Eun-jun's cousin? Of course I remember her. Eun-jun wouldn't stop complaining about how protective he had to be of her during middle school. She's a third-year now, isn't she?"
"She is," Ha-neul said, ignoring my desperate humming. "And guess what? She gave San-ah a gold-leafed Pepero today. In front of the whole class."
Ji-hoon whistled.
"Gold leaf? Little Sora has expensive taste. So, what happened? Is my exchange student brother a heartbreaker?"
I turned to Ha-neul, clasping my hands together in a silent, pathetic prayer.
Don't do it. Please. I'll buy you a gallon of strawberry milk.
Ha-neul saw my expression.
She smiled.
It was a slow, evil smile that promised zero mercy.
"They're dating," she announced. "San-ah is officially the boyfriend of the most famous trainee in the school."
"Dating?" Ji-hoon raised an eyebrow, looking impressed. "Well, well. You don't move slowly, do you, San?"
"It's... complicated," I managed to choke out, sinking as low as possible into the leather seat.
"Anyway, Ji-hoon-oppa, don't skip my stop," Ha-neul interrupted, pointing at a building ahead. "I have my math tutor here. I need to go learn how to calculate the probability of San-ah surviving a week of dating a celebrity."
Ji-hoon pulled the car to the curb.
Ha-neul hopped out, waving her hand.
"Bye, Oppa! San-ah, try not to get kidnapped by a fan club while I'm gone!"
"I'll pick you up on the way back," Ji-hoon called out. "Call me when you're finished."
"Okay!" Ha-neul turned back one last time.
She blew an exaggerated, mocking air kiss toward the car window—a "blown kiss" that felt more like a poisoned dart hitting me right in the chest.
Then the door slammed, and silence filled the car.
It was that thick, awkward silence that usually precedes a lecture.
I braced myself for a talk about dating, responsibilities, or the "temporary" nature of my stay.
Instead, Ji-hoon tapped the steering wheel and looked at me.
"I'm going to the gym now," he said casually. "Father mentioned that you're a bit of a fitness fanatic back in Ukraine. I figured, why don't we train together for once?"
I blinked.
"The gym?"
"Yeah. I actually bought some sportswear for you earlier," he reached into the back seat and tossed a neatly folded bag onto my lap. "I wasn't 100% sure about the size, but you're built pretty much like me, just a bit more lean from all that bar work. It should fit alright."
He paused, glancing at me to gauge my reaction.
"If you don't mind, of course. I know you've had a long day."
I looked at the bag.
He hadn't mentioned Sora.
He hadn't teased me.
Back home, my "gym" was a rusted horizontal bar in a public park and a set of parrallel bars.
I had never actually stepped foot in a proper fitness center with weights and machines.
I looked at Ji-hoon.
I had never had an older brother growing up, but in this moment, looking at his calm, steady expression, I realized I really liked the idea.
"Yeah," I said, a genuine smile finally breaking through my stress. "I'd like that. Let's go."