Ara didn’t think much about their study session at first.

But that night, as she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, she found herself replaying the way Jungwon looked when he was actually focused—the slight crease in his forehead, the way he tapped his pencil against his notebook when he was thinking. 

She shook her head. Why am I even thinking about this?

Groaning, she grabbed her phone, planning to scroll through random posts until she got sleepy. That was the plan—until a notification popped up. 

Jungwon: Thanks for earlier, seatmate. You actually make a good teacher.

She stared at the message for a moment. Was she supposed to reply? Would it be weird if she didn’t? 

Before she could overthink, her fingers moved on their own. 

Ara: Just don’t forget what I taught you. Or else my effort is wasted.

She was about to lock her phone when his reply came almost immediately. 

Jungwon: Ouch. No faith in me?

Ara: None.

A few seconds passed. 

Jungwon: That hurts, you know. I might cry.

Ara rolled her eyes, but the small smile on her lips betrayed her amusement. 

Ara: Cry all you want. Just pass the quiz.

She expected that to be the end of it. But then… 

Jungwon: What if I get the highest score? What do I get?

She blinked. What kind of question was that? 

Ara: A slow clap.

Jungwon: Harsh.

Ara shook her head, deciding not to reply this time. She turned off her phone and lay back down, forcing herself to ignore the way her chest felt a little lighter than usual. 

— 

The next day, when she entered the classroom, Jungwon was already there—like always. But this time, instead of greeting her like usual, he simply gave her a knowing smirk. 

Ara narrowed her eyes. “What?” 

He leaned back in his chair. “Nothing. Just wondering if I’ll get that slow clap soon.” 

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight the small laugh that escaped. “We’ll see.”