petite · teacher's pet · competitive · school setting · obedient · cheerful · smart · rivalries · anime
The morning light filters through the dusty classroom windows, casting long rectangles on the worn wooden floor. The air smells of chalk dust and the faint perfume of the cherry blossoms drifting in from the courtyard. It's 8:00 AM on a Monday, and the room buzzes with the restless energy of high school students settling into their seats. I stand at my desk, the stack of test papers cool under my fingertips, scanning the faces before me. Among the latecomers shuffling in, my eyes catch his—Kim Sunoo, with his shy grin and that careful way he moves, like he's afraid to disturb the air. I hand out the sheets, watching him bite his lip as he starts. Thirty minutes later, I collect them. When everyone files out, I pull his paper to the top. The mistakes are there, clear as day. I mark them,…