The sun rose into the bluest sky, its warm embrace surrounding Lukas as he ran through the hallway.
I'm gonna be late!! No—I'm already late, but—
Lukas rushed down the corridor, trying to reach his classroom.
When he finally got inside, he noticed a few others were late too. A quiet sense of relief washed over him.
I don't know why I feel relieved… I'm still late. But at least I'm not the only one.
Josh waved at him, saving him a seat.
Lukas noticed and quickly made his way over.
"Thanks, Josh," he said, catching his breath.
"You're lucky, Luke. Our prof's in a good mood," Josh said.
Lukas let out a small sigh of relief.
A few minutes later, all of Lukas' classmates had arrived.
"I changed our schedule because I'll be attending a meeting. For the time being, make your own poetry," Professor Paul announced.
"The theme is love. Write it on paper, design it, and present it to me—explain the meaning behind it. You may use your phone for reference, but no copying."
As the professor explained everything, Lukas stared blankly, still half-asleep. Suddenly, Josh tapped his shoulder.
"After that, you can treat your original time as free time. Do whatever you want—but don't cause trouble," Professor Paul added.
"Okay," the class replied in unison—except Lukas.
"Hey, did you stay up all night?" Josh asked.
Lukas flinched, startled.
"K-kind of," he admitted.
Josh sighed. "I told you to sleep early."
"Something came up, so…" Lukas trailed off.
"So, did you understand what Professor Paul said?" Josh asked.
"Uhh…" Lukas hesitated.
"He said we need to create our own poem. The theme is love," Josh explained.
"Oh… okay…" Lukas said, still groggy.
"And put it on paper. Design it too," Josh added, sounding like a parent reminding a child.
"OKAY!" Lukas suddenly burst with energy.
"After this, I'll skip break and just sleep in the club room," Lukas said.
He immediately started writing intensely.
Josh tried to calm him down, but Lukas wouldn't stop.
After an hour and a half, Lukas finally finished.
"I'm done, Josh," he said, his face tired but smiling.
Josh looked at him, surprised by his expression.
"Where… should… I put the meaning behind it?" Lukas asked, already dozing off.
"I forgot to tell you—you have to present it in front of Professor Paul," Josh said.
"What?!" Lukas exclaimed, shocked. But he quickly composed himself, forcing his face to look normal despite the lack of sleep.
He walked to the front of the room.
"Good morning. I'm here to present my own poetry," Lukas said with a polite smile.
Professor Paul nodded.
"The title of this piece is "The Price of Heaven."
Lukas began:
"Love does not exist without sacrifices.
It asks for your heart,
your time,
and pieces of yourself
you never knew you could give.
After all,
even heaven
demands a soul in return."
"The meaning behind this is simple," Lukas continued. "Love is not free—you have to sacrifice something in return. It's about taking the risk of letting someone hold your heart and trusting them not to break it."
"The last part means that in order to gain something you desire, you must be willing to give up something precious."
He bowed slightly.
"Impressive, Lukas," Professor Paul said.
"Thank you, Professor," Lukas replied.
"You may go and take a break."
Lukas returned to his seat, grabbed his bag, and turned to Josh.
"I'll go now. See you," he said.
"Okay, bye," Josh replied.
Lukas left the room and headed toward the club room, ready for a long nap.
Should I buy food first?
But I'm too tired…
Ugh, fine. I'll buy something.
After stopping by the cafeteria, Lukas bought some food to eat later. Then he made his way to the club room.
As he opened the door, he found it empty.
Yes… the room is mine. Finally, a peaceful and quiet nap.
He placed his bag under the table and set the food down.
Lukas lay on the couch and set an alarm for two hours.
"Goodnight…"
An hour had passed, yet Lukas remained asleep like a log.
Gentle sunlight filtered through the window, casting a warm glow across the room and settling softly upon him.
The golden light traced the strands of his golden hair, giving it a subtle shimmer, as if it carried its own quiet radiance.
His lashes rested delicately against his cheeks, and his breathing remained slow and steady, undisturbed by the world around him.
Suddenly, a knock echoed through the door.
"Hello?" a familiar voice called out.
Inside, Lukas lay sprawled across the couch, completely unaware of the presence outside.
"I'll be opening the door then," the voice added after a brief pause.
The door creaked open slowly and smoothly.
The person stepped inside and immediately noticed Lukas asleep on the couch.
Without a sound, they moved closer, their presence gently blocking the sunlight that had been resting on him, as though instinctively avoiding any disturbance to his quiet moment of rest.
The person stood there for a moment, quietly observing him.
Lukas remained undisturbed, his expression softened in sleep as the calm of the room lingered around them.
After a brief pause, the person turned away and placed their bag carefully upon the table.
The soft thud it made briefly broke the silence before the room settled once more into stillness.
Then, they returned to Lukas.
Standing over him, the silhouette of a tall figure stretched across his resting form, dimming the warm light that once touched his face.
For a moment, the figure remained motionless, as if caught between thought and hesitation, their attention fixed entirely on him.
Slowly, the silhouette's hand began to rise…