Karel walked casually, following the math teacher from behind.
The math teacher, a tall man with broad shoulders and a serious expression, seemed to sense Karel's presence and quickened his pace.
"Wait!" Karel shouted, his voice slightly rushed as he sped up his steps.
The man stopped momentarily but didn't completely turn around until Karel was now standing by his side.
"Are you avoiding me?" Karel asked directly, tilting his head up to get a better look at the handsome face he'd seen in class yesterday.
Before Karel could say anything more, a large, muscular hand suddenly pressed against his lips.
He froze, staring at the sharp eyes behind black-framed glasses that now met his own.
The man quickly glanced to the right and left, as if ensuring they weren't being watched.
"Not here" the man said in a husky voice, cutting him off.
The man's large hand gripped Karel's wrist gently but firmly and began to lead him away.
They walked toward a room at the end of the corridor. Karel immediately recognized it as Arthur's private room.
As soon as the door closed, the noise from outside was muffled, leaving only the silence punctuated by their breaths.
Arthur turned his face away briefly, as if trying to gather his thoughts, before finally looking back at Karel's face, which he hadn't seen up close for quite some time.
There was a clear longing in Arthur's gaze, but he quickly masked it with a cold and firm demeanor.
Arthur took a deep breath, seemingly steeling himself. "If you're here to ask for the answer keys, I won't give them to you" he stated firmly.
Hearing that, Karel could only let out a sarcastic laugh. "Why not? You've given them before" he retorted with a frustrated tone, adding a subtle playful lilt, mimicking the way the original Karel used to charm people.
Acting as if nothing had happened, Karel looped his arm around Arthur's. He knew this tactic usually worked to make Arthur relent.
Inwardly, he glanced at the man's muscular arm, filled with solid muscle, and felt a twinge of envy.
"Maybe I should hit the gym tomorrow" he thought, briefly glancing at his own slender arms.
Quickly shifting his focus back to Arthur's face, a sly smile spread across Karel's lips when he noticed the man's ears turning red.
Arthur immediately pulled Karel's hand off his arm and stepped back.
Karel lowered his head, feigning a sad expression.
"Is it because of the rumors that I like Alison?" Karel asked in a hurt tone.
"I already told you those rumors aren't true. Whoever started them is lying" he added, his voice laced with a hint of childish petulance.
Arthur, standing before him, seemed increasingly conflicted. The stern expression he usually wore while teaching was now fading.
Seeing this, Karel felt a rush of satisfaction, watching a man who was normally so composed and dominant falter before him.
"My ranking dropped to ninety-nine" Karel blurted out, not leaving any pause in his words, his tone beginning to sound slightly desperate.
Should he continue this act?
He didn't actually need the answer keys or anything else. He simply wanted to make this man lose his composure. Besides that, he must not act out of character and must adhere to the personality of this body or people finding out he was a soul from another world.
His eyes darted sideways as he calculated how much pain he'd feel if he slammed the table nearby.
He nodded, steeling himself, and deliberately slammed his hand on the table.
Bang!
The loud sound startled Arthur. His stern face instantly shifted to one of panic, and without thinking, he reached out to grab Karel's hand to check if it was hurt.
But before Arthur could do anything, Karel quickly brushed his hand away.
"Hah, I can find the exam answers myself!" he shouted curtly.
With quick steps, he grabbed the door handle and slammed it shut, the metallic clanging echoing through the corridor.
Outside the door, Karel winced slightly. "Damn, that hurts" he muttered under his breath.
The angry expression he had earlier faded, replaced with his usual carefree demeanor. With a smirk playing on his lips, he strolled back to class.
o0o
As he reached the classroom door, his hand moved to push it open slowly, causing a creaking sound. The noise successfully drew the attention of everyone in the class, their eyes snapping toward the source of the sound.
However, their attention didn't linger for long. The moment they realized who had entered, they immediately looked away. After all, it was just the bad boy troublemaker of the school, someone they were already too familiar with.
Shortly after, the physics teacher entered the classroom, carrying a stack of books and a laptop in a pink bag.
Listening to the teacher's monotonous explanation made him feel bored out of his mind.
Every word coming out of the teacher's mouth sounded like a bedtime story, and his eyes started to close several times.
By the end of today's lesson, he felt completely drained of energy. His eyes glanced at his watch, which now showed 4:00 PM.
Dragging his feet, Karel left the classroom, heading toward the black car waiting for him outside the school.
As he approached the car, a student who seemed to be one of the original Karel's friends ran up to him. "Boss, there's a race tonight"
From the memories of the original Karel, this body's life was a complete mess. The original Karel and his friends often spent their nights street racing or, if not, partying at nightclubs until the early hours.
Another guy with a shirt left unbuttoned over a white T-shirt approached as well. "So, are you in or what?"
"I'm skipping tonight" he replied, mimicking the original owner's way of speaking.
After saying that, he immediately got into the car.
While Karel sat inside with the door tightly shut, the three friends he left behind exchanged dumbfounded looks.
"Boss must be in a bad mood" one of them said with a childish grin.
o0o
The loud honking of car horns filled his ears. It was rush hour, with students heading home from school and adults returning from work.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced to the right side of the car, noticing a line of people crammed into a city bus and he used to experience that, too.
Once the road cleared, the car moved smoothly, but not toward his residence. Instead, it headed to the hospital.
Feeling the pain in his back worsening, he hesitated momentarily, wondering if his back had been treated properly or not.
"This bandage needs to be changed at least once a week, and don't forget to apply antiseptic beforehand" the doctor instructed while continuing to write something on a white sheet of paper.
"Take this prescription to room LB.11" the doctor added, handing him the prescription slip.
"Thank you" Karel said.
After leaving the room, he began searching for LB.11. However, his steps halted when he spotted someone familiar.
There, in the corner of the corridor, sat the novel's male lead, his head bowed low.
The expression on his face was anything but good.
o0o