(Valerie's POV)
Two and half weeks since I joined Section E, and Adrian still hadn't gotten over the "phone call incident."since morning
Sure, maybe dancing on the teacher's table wasn't my brightest moment… but calling my 엄마 (eomma / mom) in front of the class? Unforgivable.
So, it was payback time.
Ciel and Ci-N were totally in. Ciel loved chaos, and Ci-N loved anything that involved snacks and laughing till he cried.
Our plan? Simple. Classic prank.
We switched Adrian's book with Ci-N's — meaning instead of finding words, Adrian would open it to see:
A rubber snake,
A note saying "Miss me?",
And a small donut box that says "For My Favorite Sleepyhead" written in pink marker
Ciel and I were already dying laughing as Ci-N placed the donut box neatly in the table .
"이거 완전 대박이야 (igeo wanjeon daebakiya) — this is going to be epic," Ciel giggled.
"진짜 (jinjja) — he'll freak out," I whispered back.
The bell rang. Everyone took their seats. Adrian walked in with his usual calm face, phone in hand, and that look that made him seem like nothing in the world could surprise him.
He sat, sighed, and opened his book.
There was a beat of silence.
Then:
"뭐야 이게?! (Mwoya ige?!) — What the heck is this?!"
Ci-N burst out laughing so hard he fell off his chair.
I bit my lip, trying so hard not to laugh, but I failed instantly. "서프라이즈! (Seopeuraijeu! Surprise!)" I shouted, waving.
Adrian looked at me, then at the snake, then back at me. Slowly, he smiled — that rare smile that made his eyes squint and his dimple appear.
"강아름… 너 진짜 미쳤어 (Kang Areum… neo jinjja michyeosseo) — Valerie Kang… you're seriously crazy."
"칭찬으로 들을게! (Chingchan-euro deureulge!) — I'll take that as a compliment!" I winked.
Ciel started clapping dramatically. "Revenge served! Section E style!"
That's when Adrian stood up — the calm smile still on his face.
"Oh no…" Ci-N whispered. "He's in chase mode."
Before anyone could blink, Adrian darted forward, shouting,
"이리 와! (Iri wa!) — Come here!"
"도망가! (Domangga!) — Run!" I screamed, grabbing Ciel's hand as Ci-N snatched the donut box and bolted.
The classroom exploded in laughter.
Desks shifted, chairs scraped, and the rest of Section E cheered like they were watching a drama scene live.
"Valerie, stop running!" Adrian shouted between laughs, dodging a chair.
"그럴 순 없지! (Geureol sun eopji!) — Can't do that!" I yelled back, darting out the door with Ciel and Ci-N right behind me.
We ran through the hallway — laughter echoing — and finally stopped near the classroom, breathless and hysterical.
Adrian caught up a few seconds later, grabbing my sleeve just enough to make me squeal.
"Gotcha," he said, slightly panting.
"Fine, fine!" I laughed, hands up in surrender. "You win, sleepyhead."
He stared at me for a moment, then broke into that real laugh — the kind that made everyone else watching start laughing too.
And for a second, I forgot it was supposed to be revenge.
"너 웃을 때 멋있다 (Neo useul ttae meositta) — You look cool when you laugh," I blurted out without thinking.
Adrian blinked, surprised.
"뭐라고? (Mwora-go?) — What did you say?"
"아무것도 아냐! (Amugeotdo anya!) — Nothing!" I said quickly, grinning as I ran off again before he could ask.
Behind me, Ciel's voice echoed through the hall:
"She totally said you're cool when you laugh!"
"CIEL!" I shouted, but it was too late — the whole of Section E had already heard it.
And that's how my revenge plan turned into the funniest afternoon ever…
and maybe — just maybe — the start of something else entirely.