if it's meant to be | ni-ki

yejin sat quietly in class, trying her best to focus as the teacher lectured at the front of the room. her voice was sharp, filled with frustration as she addressed the class.

"all right, listen up, everyone," the teacher began, pacing in front of the blackboard. "too many of you are getting comfortable with these magazines and such. it's getting out of hand, and it's disrupting the learning environment." she shot a pointed look at the back of the classroom where a few students had been exchanging magazines, the ones filled with questionable content.

yejin shifted in her seat, glancing around the room. the teacher's gaze swept over the students, and her expression darkened. "as a result, the school is implementing a backpack check today. everyone, take everything out of your bags and place it on your desks. i'm not tolerating any more distractions."

a collective groan echoed around the room, and a few students muttered under their breath, but no one dared argue. yejin sighed, pulling her backpack closer to her desk.

as the class began unzipping bags, she quickly started pulling out her books and notebooks. just as she reached the bottom of her bag, her fingers brushed against something unfamiliar. her heart skipped a beat as she pulled out a video game case—the kind with bold, graphic covers that no student should be bringing to class.

her stomach churned. where did this come from? she thought frantically. her face flushed as she quickly shoved the game behind her back, hoping no one noticed.

but as luck would have it, the teacher was making her way down the rows, eyes sharp as she scanned the students' belongings. yejin's hand trembled as she hid the game, but the teacher noticed the movement immediately.

"yejin," the teacher's voice was firm, "what are you hiding?"

yejin froze, panic rising in her chest. she swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm. "nothing," she stammered, her voice shaky.

the teacher's eyes narrowed as she took a few steps closer. "nothing? let's see then. show me what you've got."

yejin hesitated for a moment, the weight of the game case pressing against her hand. reluctantly, she held it out, her face burning with embarrassment.

the teacher took the game, her expression unreadable as she looked down at it. the bold cover seemed to make the situation worse, and she raised an eyebrow. "yejin, where did you get this?"

yejin could feel the eyes of the entire class on her, and she lowered her head in shame. "i... i don't know," she whispered, her mind racing for an explanation that wouldn't make things worse.

the teacher's gaze remained stern as she stared down at the game in her hand. she glanced around at the other students, who were now whispering among themselves, their eyes flicking back to yejin. the tension in the room was thick.

"yejin," the teacher said sharply, her voice cold, "you'll stay outside, on your knees, holding this game up for the rest of the class period as punishment. and you're not the only one." she looked around at a few other students she had caught with inappropriate items in their bags. "everyone who's been caught with such materials will join her. go outside now."

yejin's heart sank as she realized what was happening. the embarrassment surged within her. her face burned with humiliation, and she could feel the eyes of every student as they watched her leave the room. slowly, she stood up, as she gripped the game tightly.

she walked out of the classroom, feeling the weight of the situation settle on her shoulders. she knelt down on the cold floor just outside the door, her knees digging into the hard tiles. holding the game up as high as she could.

the other students who had been caught were soon outside as well, and they all silently took their places beside her, their heads down, clearly as mortified as she was. the teacher, satisfied with her display of discipline, stood at the door, keeping a watchful eye on them.

yejin tried to keep her focus on the game she was holding, blocking out the whispers and giggles coming from the hallway. the shame weighed heavily on her chest, and her thoughts drifted back to niki. how did this even happen? she wanted to scream, to explain that this wasn't her doing, but it wouldn't make a difference now.

she just had to wait—wait for the class to end and for the inevitable conversation with the teacher.

niki walked down the hallway, his steps slow as he noticed a group of students kneeling outside the classroom. he immediately spotted yejin, her face flushed with embarrassment as she held the game up, just like the others.

his gaze lingered on her for a moment before he approached. without saying a word, he grabbed the game from her hand, making sure no one else was paying attention. yejin looked up, her eyes meeting his with an unmistakable glare. she didn't need to say anything—her expression said it all.

niki scoffed and, without acknowledging her further, turned on his heel and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the hall. he didn't know what she had gotten herself into, but he wasn't about to stay and make it worse.

★

niki was walking out of the school building, his mind still on the situation from earlier when he saw yejin and hana standing near the gate. yejin had a noticeably upset expression, and for once, she was quiet, which was unusual for her.

niki didn't say anything at first, his expression still neutral as he walked past them. but before he could get too far, yejin suddenly stormed up to him. without warning, she began hitting his back with her fists, her frustration boiling over.

"stupid," she muttered, each word punctuated by another hit. "you're the worst! do you even know how embarrassing that was?"

niki flinched slightly with each hit, but he didn't turn around or say anything at first. he knew she was angry, and honestly, he didn't blame her. the situation wasn't ideal, but he wasn't the one who put her in that position.

finally, he sighed and looked at her, his voice low. "i didn't ask for this either."

yejin, still fuming, gave niki a sharp kick to his foot. niki let out a groan, the unexpected pain making him stumble for a second, but he didn't stop walking. he was used to her frustration by now, but it didn't make it any easier.

hana gave him a shrug, her expression neutral. "deserved," she said simply, her tone teasing yet a little sympathetic.

niki watched them walk away, feeling a mix of irritation and confusion. he had expected a lot of things to happen today, but not this. still, he knew deep down that yejin was right to be mad. he just didn't know how to make things right this time.