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TZUYU’s heart pounded as she stood in the classroom, her eyes locked on SANA. It was impossible not to stare at her—the same girl who once taught her how to read and speak, the one she had never thanked. Now, seeing SANA in front of her again after all these years, memories of their past flooded back, and TZUYU couldn't help but fixate on her. However, her attention didn't go unnoticed.

MOMO and MINA, sitting nearby, exchanged uncomfortable glances, thinking that TZUYU’s constant staring was strange and creepy.

"Why is she staring at SANA like that?" MOMO whispered, her voice laced with irritation. "It’s freaking me out."

SANA, feeling the intensity of TZUYU's gaze, finally snapped. Her patience, already stretched thin from the past, was wearing down. All the old feelings came rushing back—how she had helped TZUYU when no one else did, how she never got a single word of thanks, how TZUYU had shut her out. SANA wasn’t sure how to feel, but she couldn't let it go.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, MOMO stood up from her seat, frustration written all over her face. She stormed over to TZUYU's desk, her steps forceful.

"Stop staring at SANA, you creep," MOMO said sharply, her tone full of irritation.

TZUYU, undeterred, didn’t respond to MOMO’s harsh words. She was lost in her own thoughts, trying to work up the courage to speak with SANA, but she couldn’t break free from the silence she had built around herself.

"I’m not even staring at you," TZUYU shot back, her voice calm but edged with defensiveness. "Why are you so mad about it?"

MOMO’s anger flared. "You’ve been doing it this whole time, staring at her! What do you think that looks like?"

As the exchange grew louder, CHAEYOUNG, seeing the escalating tension, quickly grabbed her phone and dialed DAHYUN, hoping she could intervene before things got out of hand.

Just as DAHYUN rushed into the room, MOMO raised her hand, as if to slap TZUYU. The room fell silent in anticipation.

Before MOMO could make contact, DAHYUN stepped forward, blocking the slap with her arm. "Stop!" she shouted. "What’s going on here, MOMO?"

CHAEYOUNG also spoke up, her voice trying to keep the peace. "We’re sorry, MOMO. We didn't mean to make things awkward. Please, let’s just calm down."

But the tension was still thick in the air. SANA was standing there, her arms crossed, unsure of what to do. She looked at TZUYU, her eyes full of frustration, but she didn’t know how to express everything she had been holding in for years.

MOMO, still angry, couldn’t let go of the resentment she felt. "She’s been staring at SANA like a freak! You can’t tell me that’s normal!"

Without warning, MOMO grabbed a plate of food from a nearby table and threw it at TZUYU. The food hit TZUYU in the chest, splattering everywhere.

TZUYU stood there for a moment, stunned, before her own temper flared. Without thinking, she picked up another plate of food and hurled it right back at MOMO.

And just like that, a full-blown food fight erupted in the classroom.

Students scrambled to grab whatever they could find and began throwing food across the room. Sandwiches, fruit, and pasta were flying everywhere as laughter and chaos filled the air. DAHYUN and CHAEYOUNG, trying desperately to stop the madness, shouted at the students to calm down.

"Please, stop! This is not how we solve things!" DAHYUN pleaded, rushing to separate the students.

But it was too late. The food fight raged on, and the laughter of the students grew louder. The teacher had yet to arrive, and the situation only worsened.

Eventually, the teacher burst into the room, eyes wide with disbelief at the mess in front of them. "What is going on here?" the teacher demanded, surveying the chaos.

The teacher quickly assessed the situation and turned to MOMO and TZUYU. "Both of you—my office, NOW!" The teacher’s voice left no room for argument.

The students, still laughing and trying to clean up the mess, watched as MOMO and TZUYU followed the teacher out of the room, heads hung low.

Outside the classroom, DAHYUN, CHAEYOUNG,MINA and SANA waited for the two troublemakers. DAHYUN was visibly upset, her heart heavy with disappointment. She had been so excited about TZUYU’s first day at college, but now everything seemed to have gone wrong.

"I’m so sorry," DAHYUN said softly to SANA and MINA. "This isn’t how it was supposed to go."

CHAEYOUNG nodded, a small frown on her face. "We’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again."

SANA, standing a little apart from the group, kept her thoughts to herself. Seeing TZUYU get into trouble on the first day made her feel conflicted. The anger and hurt she had felt toward TZUYU were still there, but seeing her in trouble made her heart ache in ways she didn’t understand.

As the minutes passed, the door to the teacher’s office opened, and MOMO and TZUYU walked out, both looking a little sheepish.

The classmates who had watched the scene unfold seemed satisfied by the outcome, but for TZUYU, the consequences of the food fight weighed heavily on her. This was not how she had imagined her first day at college.

DAHYUN turned to TZUYU and sighed. "I wish things had gone differently for you today," she said softly. "But we’ll figure it out. Don’t worry."

TZUYU, still feeling the sting of the day’s events, nodded. She was exhausted, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was still unresolved. As much as she tried to move on from the past, the weight of it kept pulling her back.

And SANA, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t help but feel that there was still so much more to say between them, but for now, silence hung in the air.

To be continued...