A low groan escaped Zack’s lips as he finally regained stability. His head pounded, and his vision swam as he pushed himself upright, blinking against the cssroom’s fluorescent lights. The moment his eyes focused, they nded on him.

  Daniel.

  Zack’s jaw clenched, his fingers curling into fists under his desk. His teeth ground together as he gred daggers at the other boy, cursing him in his mind.

  'Damn him! Why is it always him?! First, Mira starts looking at him differently, and now I’m the one sprawled on the floor like a fool!'

  Meanwhile, Daniel sat comfortably in his seat, oblivious to Zack’s internal fury. His mind was preoccupied with something far more important—his body.

  This... is incredible.

  He flexed his fingers slightly, still feeling the lingering sensation of movement. If this had been his old body, he would have seen Zack’s punch coming, but won't be able to dodged and countered it. Also before, he would’ve taken a dozen hits and still struggled to stand. But now? His body responded exactly how he wanted it to.

  'It’s like I’m finally in control'.

  The cssroom buzzed with conversation.

  "Did you see that? Zack went down instantly!"

  "Daniel barely even moved!"

  "That was kinda hot, not gonna lie."

  "I thought he was just some nerdy transfer student yesterday..."

  The girls, predictably, were swooning, whispering excitedly to each other about how "cool" Daniel had looked. Meanwhile, the boys were less thrilled. Some were pissed, others wary.

  "Tch, this is bullshit."

  "He better not think he can act all high and mighty just ’cause he got one lucky hit in."

  "Dude, lucky? Zack didn't even touch him!"

  "Tch..."

  The murmuring and gossiping were interrupted when the door slid open, and the teacher walked in, tapping a book against his palm. His tired eyes swept over the cssroom before he sighed.

  "Alright, quiet down. Enough of that," he said, rubbing his temple. "We have a new transfer student."

  A brief silence.

  Then—

  "Wait, another one?!"

  "We just got Daniel yesterday!"

  The css erupted into chaos again, students whispering excitedly amongst themselves.

  "Is it a girl or a guy?"

  "Are they good-looking?"

  The teacher let out an exasperated sigh. "Calm down." He shook his head before gncing toward the door. "Come in."

  All heads turned as the door slid open once more.

  A girl stepped inside.

  She had long, golden-blonde hair that cascaded down her back in soft waves, catching the light in a way that made it shimmer. Her sharp gray eyes, framed by long shes, coolly scanned the room as if assessing every student in a single gnce. Then, after a moment, she smiled—polite, poised, and confident.

  "Hello, everyone," she greeted in fluent Korean, her voice smooth and elegant. "My name is Evelina Solovyova. I apologize for deying the lesson."

  The cssroom fell silent.

  And then—

  "Whoa, she speaks Korean?"

  "Her voice is so refined..."

  "She’s so pretty."

  The teacher, clearly pleased with her manners, smiled. "Welcome, Miss Solovyova. I assume you weren’t present yesterday due to travel?"

  Evelina nodded. "Yes. I had an important meeting to attend, and I was still adjusting to the time difference."

  The teacher hummed in understanding. "Alright. You’ll be sitting next to Jay. He’s the one with the blonde hair by the window."

  Evelina nodded gracefully before moving through the rows of desks. The cssroom felt enchanted, every eye following her as she passed. Even Jay, her new seatmate, who usually ignored everyone nodded at her in acknowledgment.

  But the one most affected?

  Daniel.

  His breath hitched as recognition struck him like a freight train.

  'Wait. Her?!'

  The nice girl from yesterday—the one who had bought him betadine and cotton for his bruises. The girl who had smiled at him, talked to him kindly, even when he had been ugly, chubby, and completely unremarkable.

  "What are the chances...?"

  His fingers twitched.

  He had to say hello ter.

  ===============================

  As soon as the lunch bell rang, the cssroom burst into action.

  "Alright, we have to invite Evelina to eat with us."

  "Yeah, yeah! Before someone else does!"

  But before they could even reach her—

  She was already moving.

  With swift, fluid movements, Evelina rummaged through her bag, pulled out a neatly packed lunchbox, and walked (dashed) straight out of the cssroom.

  Silence.

  A beat passed.

  "...What just happened?"

  "Did she just leave?"

  "She’s fast."

  "Well, no big deal! We’ll just invite her to walk home with us instead."

  ==============================

  The final bell rang.

  As soon as csses ended, the male students readied themselves. This was their chance. The first one to reach Evelina was a tall, athletic-looking guy who confidently stepped up to her with a grin.

  "Hey, Evelina! Since it's dangerous for a woman to walk alone at this hour, how about I walk you home?"

  Immediately, the other male students groaned.

  "Bro, get out of here! You’re ugly!"

  "Yeah, let someone else ask her!"

  But the guy ignored them, keeping his eyes on Evelina. "So? What do you say?"

  Evelina blinked at him before offering a polite smile. "I appreciate your concern, but my older brother is picking me up. Thank you for the invitation, though."

  The guy, however, was persistent. "Oh, come on! Walking is good for the body. I can even convince your brother to let me accompany you."

  A small sigh escaped Evelina’s lips. "If you insist," she said, her tone unreadable. "But be warned—my brother is quite overprotective."

  The guy grinned, completely brushing off her words. "Pfft, don’t worry! Just leave it to me!"

  Daniel, standing nearby, winced internally.

  'Oh, buddy... you have no idea what you just signed up for'.