I got to school early.
Again.
Which is already suspicious.
I sat down quietly, opened my book, and sighed.
"…Peace."
No ghosts.
No chaos.
No people.
Just me and my very normal life that is definitely not falling apart.
I flipped a page.
Relaxed.
Then—
The door opened.
And the whole class went silent.
I didn't even need to look.
"…She's back."
I looked anyway.
Lalita.
One week gone.
One second back—and suddenly everyone remembers how to breathe carefully.
Black uniform, slightly different like rules don't apply to her. Sleeves long, tie loose, hair falling over her eyes like she couldn't care less.
Cold.
Sharp.
Pretty in a "she might ruin your life" kind of way.
I gulped.
"…That's the girl."
The one Niran said—
Nope.
Not thinking about that.
She walked straight to my row.
My desk.
And sat beside me.
I froze.
Completely.
"…Okay," I whispered to myself, staring at my book. "Act normal. Be calm. Don't pass out."
I slowly turned my head.
She was already looking at me.
Blinking.
Once.
Twice.
Just staring.
I immediately looked back at my book.
"…Nope. I choose life."
Silence.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen.
My hands were starting to sweat.
Then—
Niran's voice in my head:
"Do it."
I closed my eyes briefly.
"…I hate ghosts."
I turned to her.
"…Hi."
She didn't respond.
Just stared.
I blinked.
She blinked back.
Why is she blinking like that—
"…You were gone for a week," I tried again, soft voice.
Nothing.
"…I, um—"
My voice got smaller.
"…I have notes… if you want…"
She tilted her head slightly.
Still staring.
Then—
"…Why are you bothering me?"
I froze.
"…I—"
Abort.
Abort mission.
She looked away.
Put on her headphones.
Took out a book.
Conversation dead.
I stared down at my desk.
"…Okay. That went well. I survived."
Then I glanced at her book.
And blinked.
"…Wait."
I leaned just a tiny bit closer.
"…You read that?"
She didn't look at me.
"…Yes."
I blinked again.
"…Do you like it?"
Pause.
"…Yes."
"…It's about a girl who killed her lover."
"…I know."
"…And he comes back to haunt her."
"…Yes."
I hesitated.
"…That's… scary."
She turned her head slowly.
Looked at me.
"…It's romantic."
I choked.
"…Romantic???"
She blinked at me again.
Slow.
Calm.
"…He came back for her."
A small pause.
"…That's cute."
I stared at her.
Then pointed at the book.
"…He's literally haunting her."
She shrugged.
"…Devotion."
I blinked rapidly.
"…You're terrifying."
She ignored that.
Then narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…Why are you suddenly talkative?"
I immediately wiped my forehead.
"…I'm not—"
"You're sweating."
"…It's warm."
"It's not."
"…I'm delicate."
She paused.
Blink.
"…What?"
"…I mean—sensitive."
She stared at me.
Then—
"…Cute."
I froze.
"…What?"
She looked away like it meant nothing.
"…You're trying."
I blinked.
Processing.
Did she just—
From behind—
"Oh he talks now?"
Jea-Hyun.
Of course.
I turned slightly.
He was smirking.
"He just doesn't talk to humans."
I frowned.
"…Excuse me?"
He shrugged.
"He talks to his imaginary friend."
I immediately smiled.
Tight.
"…Haha."
Please stop.
Lalita leaned back in her chair.
Watching me now.
Interested.
"…Imaginary friend?"
I shook my head quickly.
"No—no—it's not like that—"
She studied my face.
The sweat.
The awkward blinking.
Then—
A small smirk.
"…You're weird."
I sighed softly.
"…I know."
She blinked at me again.
Then, quieter—
"…It's cute."
I froze.
Again.
"…Stop saying that."
She smirked.
Put her headphones back on.
Went back to reading.
Like nothing happened.
I sat there.
Completely still.
"…I'm going to pass away."
Then under my breath—
"…Niran, this is your fault."
I was still trying to recover.
From being called cute.
Twice.
By her.
I had officially lost control of my life.
I sat there quietly, book open, pretending to read but actually replaying that moment in my head—
"…It's cute."
I pressed my face slightly into my hand.
"…I'm not built for this."
Then—
People started coming in.
Not to me.
Of course not.
To her.
Lalita didn't even look up as they gathered around her desk.
"Lalita… how are you feeling?"
"About Niran…"
"Are you okay?"
Ah.
Right.
That.
The air shifted again.
Heavy.
I slowly looked up.
She finally lifted her gaze.
Cold.
Unbothered.
"…Why are you asking me?"
Someone hesitated.
"Well… you knew him—"
She cut them off.
"…Ask Seo-Yeon."
Straight.
Sharp.
Heads turned.
I did too.
Seo-Yeon was a few rows away, sitting stiff, pretending not to hear.
Like she suddenly found her desk very interesting.
Lalita leaned back slightly.
"…I didn't like him."
The room went quieter.
"…But," she added lazily, "he was entertaining."
A small pause.
"…His mouth was annoying."
Another.
"…But not boring."
I blinked.
That sounded like—
a compliment?
From her?
Weird.
People started whispering again.
Then—
Someone said it.
"…I heard Seo-Yeon was happy."
My head snapped slightly toward her.
Seo-Yeon didn't react.
Not even a flinch.
Just… still.
Too still.
Like she practiced that.
My stomach twisted.
"…That's weird."
Then—
"…Hey."
I froze.
They were looking at me now.
"…Why do you go quiet whenever we talk about Niran?"
I blinked.
"…What?"
Another voice—
"Yeah, you always look away."
"And he's always quiet anyway."
"Does he even talk?"
A boy snorted.
"He just sits there like decoration."
Laughter.
Soft.
But sharp.
I kept my eyes down.
"…Don't react."
"…Don't react."
Jea-Hyun stood up slightly.
"Hey, leave him alone—"
Before he could finish—
A fist.
Quick.
Straight.
Hit his face.
Not dramatic.
But enough.
He stumbled back, hand going to his nose.
"…Ah—"
Blood.
Just a little.
But still—
My chest tightened.
"Jea-Hyun—"
I stood up.
"…Hey, we can just talk—"
I didn't even finish.
A shove.
Hard.
I lost balance.
And hit the floor.
My back—
Again.
"…Ah—"
I sucked in a breath.
That same spot.
Third time.
Great.
Perfect.
Amazing life.
And this time—
No ghost.
No excuse.
Just people.
Seo-Yeon immediately stood up.
"Min-Jun—!"
She rushed over, reaching for me.
But before she could—
A crack.
Not loud.
But clear.
Everyone froze.
I looked up.
Lalita.
Standing.
Headphones in her hand.
The boy who pushed me was holding his nose now.
Blood.
Not a lot.
But enough to shut him up.
She didn't look angry.
Didn't raise her voice.
Just—
"…Annoying."
Then she sat back down.
Put her headphones on.
Like nothing happened.
The room went silent.
Perfect timing—