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|| Aeri's Pov ||

Jennie and I were in my backyard, where she was busy texting and giggling. I tried not to get frustrated with her, shooting her angry looks.

Eventually, she glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"I wouldn’t have invited you over if I wanted you to just sit there without offering any solutions," I replied, and she quickly put her phone down.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any answers, Aeri," she said.

"Well, I have no motivation either. Should I just—"

"Shut up! It's not like you aren't totally into Mr. Jeon," she shot me a teasing grin.

"It's not that simple. Besides, he knows my secrets and could tell my mom," I stated, looking serious.

"Trust me, he won’t," she assured me.

"But what if he does?"

"Then," she sighed, "your mom will punish you, but that's all."

"Jennie, you don't understand. Imagine if my mom found out I made out with a guy at a club and it turns out to be my professor," I said dramatically.

"You can't escape this situation, so you need to confront it," she said casually, leaning back in her chair.

"What do you mean confront it?"

"First of all, he’s way too handsome to ignore. If it were some old grumpy man, I’d tell you to kill him—"

"Why on earth would I make out with an old man?"

"People do strange things when they’re drunk," she argued.

"I know exactly who I'd want to kiss when I'm drunk," I shot back.

"Just face Mr. Jeon," she urged.

Before I could respond, a car pulled into Mr. Jeon's driveway, and I turned to see a black Mercedes arriving.

"Here comes our hot professor," Jennie said.

"Good evening, Mr. Jeon!" Jennie yelled, waving at him while my eyes widened in surprise.

"Good evening," he replied, and Jennie leapt up to pull me toward him.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"Mr. Jeon, you didn't come to university today?" she asked, standing close to the half wall separating us.

"I had some work," he said, glancing between the car and us before focusing on me.

"Ms. Song, since tomorrow is Sunday, I’ll tutor you in the morning," he stated as he walked into the house.

"He seems a bit off," Jennie remarked, and I smacked her on the head.

"Why would you do that?" I exclaimed, walking back to my chair in frustration.

"Hey, just think about seeing a hot guy first thing in the morning!" she said, rubbing my back, which I pushed away.

"I can't stand you, Jennie! I wish I could just kill you," I complained.

"You can’t kill me; my dad’s a lawyer. He’d make sure I got justice," she laughed, and I just rolled my eyes at her.

"Anyway, it's going well; I should head out," Jennie said as she walked away.

"Well, you should leave; there was no point in having you here," I shouted, and she turned back to blow me a kiss.

I got up from my chair, glanced back at Mr. Jeon's house, and headed into my own.

Once inside, I walked to the kitchen where Anna was busy cooking and took a seat at the table.

"Hey, are you hungry?" she asked.

"No, I’m just stressed."

"Why? Is everything okay?"

"Anna, our neighbor—"

"Yes, I haven't seen him yet. We should take him some treats, right?" she smiled.

"No, Anna, listen to me first," I said as she nodded.

"He’s my professor," I explained.

"Well, that's great, isn't it?" she replied, her smile lighting up her eyes.

I stood up and approached her.

"It’s the guy who drove me home after the club," I said, and Anna's eyes went wide.

"What? And he’s your professor too?!?" I confirmed with a nod.

Anna slapped her forehead in disbelief.

"What now?" she asked.

"Nothing; just go with the flow," I replied, taking a deep breath as I headed upstairs.