chapter thirty four

exam season hit harder than she expected.

notes piled on her desk. highlighters scattered across her floor. sticky tabs in every color lined her textbooks like confetti from a party she wasn't invited to.

by wednesday, she was running on three hours of sleep and two iced coffees.

aeri slumped over her desk, face buried in a worksheet.

her phone buzzed.

wonwoo: how's studying?

she stared at the screen for a full minute before replying:

aeri: bad. i want to burn my math notebook.

wonwoo: don't. we worked hard on that.

aeri: then maybe just set fire to me instead

wonwoo: ...i'm coming over.

aeri: wait what

wonwoo: i'll be there in 20.

twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.

aeri stumbled to the front door in pajama shorts and a hoodie, pencil still stuck in her hair.

she opened it—and there he was.

hood up, backpack over one shoulder, and a cardboard box cradled in his arms.

"what is this?" she blinked.

"exam survival kit," he said simply.

he stepped inside, holding out the box like a delivery. "don't drop it. it's fragile."

she raised an eyebrow, accepting it carefully and peeking inside.

there were snacks—her favorite chocolate-covered almonds, instant noodles, a bottle of banana milk, a neatly folded lavender sleep mask, and a few sheet masks in pastel packaging.

"you brought me skincare?"

"your skin's been stressed too," he said, deadpan.

she stared at him. "did you go to the beauty store?"

"no," he said. "yejin gave me a list."

she burst out laughing, setting the box on the table. "this is the cutest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"don't cry," he said. "you'll mess up your focus."

"shut up," she grinned. "come in."

he stepped inside slowly, glancing around the living room like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to exist in it.

"do you want water or something—"

"aeri?" a voice called from the hallway.

she froze. "oh no."

her mom appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands with a kitchen towel. "who's this?"

wonwoo straightened immediately. "uh—hi. i'm wonwoo."

"wonwoo," her mom repeated, eyebrows rising slightly. "the wonwoo?"

aeri groaned, covering her face. "mom, please don't."

her mom smiled warmly. "i've heard a lot about you. i'm glad we finally meet."

"me too," he said, bowing a little. "thank you for having me."

aeri shot him a look. "he's not staying for dinner, mom."

her mom raised an eyebrow. "he brought you snacks and skincare. he can stay if he wants."

aeri looked horrified.

wonwoo tried not to laugh.

"i'll leave you two to study," her mom said, still smiling as she disappeared down the hall.

the moment the hallway was clear, aeri smacked his arm with a pillow.

"you met my mom. you met my mom."

"she seems nice," he said.

"she'll never let me live this down."

"she already knows everything."

"what?! what did she say?"

"she said, 'you're lucky my daughter likes you.'"

aeri gaped at him. "she did not."

wonwoo grinned. "she didn't. but she thought it."

aeri rolled her eyes, dragging him toward her room. "come on. help me with trig before i lose my mind."

he followed her inside, setting his bag down next to hers on the floor.

they spent the next hour reviewing formulas, passing snacks back and forth, and occasionally arguing over which highlighter color was superior.

when she finally leaned back with a sigh and whispered, "i think my brain is leaking out of my ears," he handed her a sheet mask.

"ten-minute break," he said.

she looked at it. "is this lavender?"

"to match your dress."

she looked at him then—really looked.

and her chest did that quiet, fluttery thing it only ever did around him.

"thank you," she whispered.

"you're welcome," he said, just as softly.