HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA

"OPPA, I'd like to apologize for trying to force my feelings on you last night."

Yeri's sudden apology surprised Graham.

The two of them were walking together in the vast garden of the mansion, and they were headed outside where the car was waiting for them. Eclaire went out ahead of them to talk to the driver that the sisters called 'ahjussi' earlier.

[I thought it would be awkward to be left alone with Yeri, but I'm glad I'm wrong.]

Moreover, he noticed that the girl's usual playful disposition was gone, and it was replaced by a calm and gentle aura that reminded him of Eclaire.

[Eclaire noona is a good influence on Yeri.]

"It's alright, Yeri," Graham said with a smile. "I would also like to apologize for simply going along with your suggestion. I should have been more careful in dealing with your delicate feelings since I'm older than you."

She giggled as if she found something funny. "Did unnie scold you, too?"

"Her scolding helped," he admitted while scratching his cheek. "Eclaire noona made me realize my mistake while being considerate of my feelings."

To be honest, he wasn't used to being treated kindly.

In his world, he was nothing but a piece of baggage to his family. He didn't have friends, too. After all, he was surrounded by strong individuals who didn't have any use for someone like him. That was why he craved any kind of attention.

Thankfully, Eclaire gave him 'the' talk.

[Thanks to noona, I can now avoid accidentally hurting Yeri's feelings because of my selfishness.]

"Unnie is like that," Yeri said with a bright smile on her face. "Unnie is good at taking care of other people."

He nodded eagerly in agreement. "Eclaire noona is a good person."

[And beautiful, too.]

That thought entered his mind when his field of vision caught Eclaire.

[Ah, her face is really… shining.]

Eclaire was busy talking to the middle-aged man that appeared to be the driver. When she saw them, she stopped talking to the 'ahjussi' and waved at them. After he and Yeri approached the two, Eclaire introduced him and the driver to each other.

"Graham, you can ask ahjussi to drive you around," Eclaire said to him after the introductions were over. "Ahjussi knows a lot of good restaurants, so you can ask him for recommendations later."

Ahjussi gave him a thumbs up. "Leave it to me, Graham-ssi."

Graham smiled and nodded. "Thank you, ahjussi."

***

"OUR school is actually near our neighborhood, but unnie can't commute."

Eclaire pretended not to hear Yeri talk about her to Graham openly by reading her notes for her class later. [Yeri-ya, I'm here, you know?]

She was sitting on the passenger seat.

Yeri and Graham were on the backseat together, and she was glad to see the two getting along just fine after 'the' talk she had with Graham earlier about being considerate of Yeri's feelings.

[I'm glad I didn't accidentally make things awkward.]

"Why can't Eclaire noona commute?" Graham asked curiously, the he felt him look at her in the rearview mirror. "Ah, noona. Is that something I'm allowed to know?"

"Why not? It's not like my weak constitution is a secret," Eclaire said, then she turned to the rearview mirror to see Graham's worried face. "Commuting is difficult for me because I get tired easily. I need to conserve energy since my classroom is on the third floor."

"Oh," Graham said, and he looked even more worried now. "Noona is like a fragile glass."

"I don't like the analogy, but you're not wrong," she said, then her gaze landed back on the notes in her hands. "I wish I have half of Yeri's energy."

"Unnie, I will protect you," Yeri said cheerfully. "I'm glad to be born with a strong body, and I will use my energy for you!"

She laughed softly at her sister's sweet words. "Thank you, Yeri-ya."

"Oppa, don't worry about unnie too much," Yeri said to Graham. "Unnie is well-loved in the school. She has great friends, and most people care about her."

She felt her cheeks heat up because of what Yeri said.

Her sister wasn't wrong. She was just a little embarrassed to hear that she was well-loved.

[I'm lucky to be surrounded by good people.]

"I can tell that Eclaire noona is well-loved," Graham said in a slightly more cheerful voice than usual. "It's not hard to love someone like noona after all."

She stiffened up after hearing that from Graham. [I'm sure he doesn't mean anything by saying that, but…]

Ah, this wasn't the right time to be self-conscious.

"I agree with you, Graham oppa," Yeri said brightly. Thankfully, her sister didn't think much of what Graham said, too. "Unnie is easy to love because she's kind! Plus, my unnie is really pretty. She's considered the school idol, you know?"

"Yeri-ya, please stop it," Eclaire said, her whole face now red with embarrassment. "I'm here, you know?"

"Yeri is telling the truth, though," Graham said casually. "Eclaire noona is pretty."

Okay, she was sure she resembled an apple now.

Thankfully, ahjussi cleared his throat and spoke. "We're here, children."

"Thank you, ahjussi," Eclaire said, then she stepped out of the car first. Like always, they arrived in front of the school's main gate. And as usual, the person Yeri liked the most (outside the family) was already waiting there. "Oh, you're early."

[He's still as handsome and as neat as ever.]

"Good morning, noona," Jaehyun greeted her politely. This boy looked grumpy, but he had good manners. "Did you already have breakfast?"

She smiled and nodded. "How about you?"

"Ah, I messaged Yeri last night and asked her to eat together…" Jaehyun trailed off, then his gaze went past her. "Yeri-ya, who's that?"

She turned and saw Graham holding the backset door and helping Yeri get out of the car safely.

Ah, so that was why Jaehyun knitted his eyebrows as if he was pissed.

[Are we shooting a drama or what?]

"Jaehyun-ah, good morning," Yeri greeted the boy cheerfully. Then she hugged Graham's arm. "This is Graham oppa, a family friend. He's staying with us in the meantime."

Graham smiled and extended his hand to Jaehyun. "I'm Graham Wolfenstein."

Jaehyun just looked at Graham's hand, then he turned to Yeri with a confused look on his face.

"Oppa is a foreigner, so he's not accustomed to our culture," Yeri explained, then she shook Graham's hand because it was clear Jaehyun didn't want to shake hands with him. "Oppa, we're going now. Bye-bye."

Graham smiled and nodded. "Take care, Yeri."

Yeri giggled, then she grabbed Jaehyun by the arm and dragged him inside the school premise. "Unnie, let's go!"

"Coming," Eclaire said, then she turned to Graham. "School ends late here. You may go home ahead of us, Graham. Ahjussi knows what time to pick us up, so don't worry about us."

"Can we eat dinner together?"

Ah, she couldn't say 'no' to that face.

[Why did Graham look like a puppy? Is it because his "wolf form" looks like a cute Siberian Husky puppy? Ah, good-looking people are indeed dangerous.]

"Okay," she said while nodding. "Have fun, Graham."

Graham smiled and waved at her. "Have fun at school, Eclaire noona."

She just nodded again, then she turned her back on him to go to school.

When she heard the car finally leave, only then did she turn back. She couldn't see Graham because the car had tinted windows. But she could tell he was also looking at her.

[Or it may just be my imagination.]

She turned away from the car and began walking inside the school premise again. That was when she heard it.

RIIIP.

She knitted her eyebrows when she heard something similar to a paper being torn apart, and the strange sound was coming from above her.

When she looked up, she was shocked to see a long slash in the sky.

It was as if the sky was a paper, and someone cut it with a sharp object.

Eclaire rubbed her hands against her eyes. [Am I still sleepy?]

***

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