somewhere between almost and always [so junghwan treasure completed]

Chapter 17: The Unexpected Pairing

Ji-eun should've known something was up when she walked into the classroom and the seating chart had been rearranged.

"Group assignments," Mr. Kim announced, not bothering to look up from his stack of folders. "New pairs for the class project. Pick up your topic, find your new seat, and don't argue."

Ji-eun narrowed her eyes. Group work. The worst two words in the school language.

She glanced at Soo-ah, who gave her a hopeful look—only to be cruelly disappointed when she saw Ji-eun's new partner.

Yuna.

There had to be a mistake.

She walked up to Mr. Kim. "Sir, I think—"

"No changes," he said without missing a beat. "You and Yuna. Two weeks. Art history. Figure it out."

Ji-eun slowly turned to find Yuna already sitting at the shared desk, legs crossed, nails perfectly manicured, smirking like the universe was doing her a personal favor.

Great.

Junghwan raised an eyebrow when he saw Ji-eun sulking at lunch.

"Okay," he said, sitting across from her. "What happened?"

"Guess who my project partner is."

"Don't say Yuna."

"I have to say Yuna."

Junghwan winced. "Want me to fake an injury? Maybe you'll get reassigned out of pity."

She chuckled dryly. "Tempting. But no. I'm going to be civil."

"Impressive."

"And maybe throw her into a volcano after finals."

"There it is."

Ji-eun glanced at him, softening. "I'll survive. Just don't act weird about it."

"Me? Weird?" Junghwan leaned back. "Never."

She gave him a pointed look.

"Okay," he amended. "Only medium-weird."

The first study session was... tense.

They met in the library, a neutral zone, away from friends, drama, and sharp objects.

Yuna showed up looking like she'd walked out of a beauty vlog, complete with glossy lips and a phone glued to her hand.

Ji-eun wore her usual hoodie and was already regretting her life choices.

Yuna plopped down across from her. "Let's get one thing straight. I'm not here to be friends."

Ji-eun didn't flinch. "Good. We're on the same page."

They opened their textbooks in silence.

Thirty minutes in, they hadn't said more than ten words to each other. And somehow, they were both furiously highlighting the exact same paragraph.

It was petty.

It was childish.

It was war.

But strangely... the longer they worked, the less hostile it became.

Yuna—annoying as she was—actually knew her stuff. Her notes were color-coded, references cross-checked, and her research surprisingly solid.

Ji-eun begrudgingly admitted it. "You're... efficient."

Yuna looked up. "You sound shocked."

"I am shocked."

Yuna shrugged. "You think I spend all my time talking about boys and lip gloss?"