"Give me the answer key for next month" Karel suddenly said, his voice breaking the silence that bound the two of them.
With just those words, he felt the arms wrapped around him from behind loosen.
Arthur began to release the person in front of him, staring silently, but then he suddenly felt his head spinning.
He extended a hand to hold his head, trying to ease the sudden dizziness, but it didn't seem to help much.
"You can't, can you?" Karel continued, his tone colder. "In that case, I'm leaving"
Without waiting for a response, Karel stepped back. He grabbed his phone from the sofa near the bed and quickly headed for the door.
Before leaving the hospital, however, Karel paused in front of the door, his gaze fixed on a doctor passing by in the hallway. "Doctor, please check on the patient in room 309 again"
Karel watched the doctor's back for a few seconds before resuming his steps toward the parking lot.
There, he immediately approached his motorcycle, pulled his helmet from its holder, and put it on.
Just as he was about to start the engine, a voice suddenly called out his name.
"Karel!"
He turned around immediately and saw the male protagonist calling out to him.
"Perfect timing. I wanted to return this card. Thanks a lot for before" Daniel said, pulling a black card from his wallet, which he had carefully kept.
Karel raised an eyebrow slightly, showing his indifference, and made no effort to remove his helmet.
He simply extended his hand, took the card quickly, and shoved it carelessly into his jacket pocket.
"And here—I've managed to collect this. There's two thousand in it; I'll pay the rest in installments"
Karel narrowed his eyes, staring at the brown envelope without any intention of taking it.
"I don't take small change" he said coldly. He knew that money had been painstakingly saved by the male protagonist through his job as a fitness instructor.
And he also figured that after the surgery, there would still be plenty of expenses to cover.
Hearing that, Daniel clenched his jaw, trying to suppress the anger bubbling inside him.
What had he expected from someone who bullied him? That one act of help would change Karel's nature? How naïve of him.
Karel caught Daniel's silence out of the corner of his eye, prompting him to smirk with mocking amusement.
"Maybe you can pay me back with something else" Karel said in an ambiguous tone.
Daniel was startled but managed to restrain his emotions, trying to stay calm.
This time, he would let it go because this person had ensured his mother could have the surgery.
"What do you want?" Daniel had already expected something like this, knowing how sly that mind could be.
Karel removed his helmet, stepping closer to reduce the space between them.
A wicked smile curled on his lips before he leaned in and whispered near the male lead's ear, "Maybe... your body"
"Bastard!" Daniel shouted, his face reddening with anger. Without hesitation, his hand clenched tightly around Karel's collar.
"Hahaha, take it easy. Have you forgotten? You owe me your life" Karel taunted, his voice dripping with mockery as his lips twisted into a smug smirk.
Daniel's eyes burned with fury as he struggled to steady his breath. With a deep, ragged inhale, he reluctantly released his grip on Karel's collar.
Karel roughly adjusted his wrinkled shirt, brushing the fabric as if to remove invisible dirt.
"Daniel, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Karel turned his head toward the source of the voice, his eyes slightly widening at the sight of the woman. His gaze lingered on her, Daniel's mother.
Despite being in her forties, not a single wrinkle adorned her face. Though her clothes looked worn, her elegance and dignity were unmistakable in every movement she made.
Memories of the novel he'd read resurfaced—how this woman, born into a wealthy family, had chosen to abandon a life of luxury for love with a poor man, Daniel's father. And how her family had cast her out for it.
"Tsk, I don't know what she was thinking. And now she's being cheated on too" Karel thought, shaking his head in pity.
The woman, noticing Karel near her son, smiled kindly at him.
"Hello. You must be Mrs. Ashford" Karel greeted, his grin transforming into a more polite expression.
"Hello. And you are?"
"I'm Karel, Daniel's classmate" he said smoothly.
Karel understood how important it was to leave a good impression on her. From what he recalled in the novel, Daniel's mother would one day reconcile with her affluent family and inherit a massive fortune. If his relationship with Daniel was strained, it wouldn't hurt to gain favor with this woman.
Daniel's sharp gaze bored into Karel as he spoke with his mother. Whatever the sly boy was scheming, Daniel didn't trust it.
The woman smiled warmly. "Oh, you're Daniel's friend! I didn't know he had such a handsome friend," she said with a light laugh.
"Why don't you ever bring him over? I thought Daniel didn't have any friends" she teased, lightly nudging Daniel's arm.
Faced with the cheerful questions, Karel merely smiled. He started to reconsider his earlier judgment of her.
"Yes, I'll visit sometime" he replied, keeping his tone respectful.
The woman, despite having recently undergone surgery, seemed full of energy. "Why not come over now? I'll cook something for you. What do you like stir-fry, soup, or maybe some meat?"
"Well..." Karel hesitated, but before he could respond, Daniel cut in.
"It's three in the morning, Mom. Let's save it for another time. Come on, let's go home" Daniel said with a faint smile, gently guiding his mother back.
"Alright, I'll visit tomorrow. Have a good rest" Karel said sweetly, chuckling softly as he watched the woman being led away by her son.
"Daniel, why are you pulling me?" she muttered to her son. But when she noticed Karel waving, she quickly waved back with enthusiasm.
o0o
At the back of the class, Karel propped his head on his hand, trying to fight off the heavy drowsiness that overwhelmed him. His eyes nearly closed several times.
"No, no," he suddenly muttered, jolting awake and shaking his head quickly. He had to pass this month's exam, failure wasn't an option unless he wanted to be beaten.
He had gone two days without sleep before because of a quiz, and he'd managed to survive. Why was it so hard this time, even though he'd already gotten two hours of sleep after coming back from the hospital?
"If I can survive taught by crazy professors, there's no way I can't handle high school material" he motivated himself. But despite his determination, his eyelids grew heavier, and he eventually dozed off.
At the front of the class, the teacher, who was writing material on the board, accidentally noticed a male student slumped over his desk.
As though her eyes fired lasers, she slammed her ruler onto her desk. The entire class instantly turned their attention to the front, their hearts pounding at the sight of the teacher's piercing gaze.
"Who's sleeping in the back?!" her voice echoed through the room, causing every student to turn and look at the fool brave enough to sleep during her chemistry lesson.
"You, the one with glasses, wake him up"
Feeling called out, the bespectacled boy swallowed hard. If he woke up the "class tiger" he'd be reduced to ashes, but if he refused the "black bear's" orders, he'd be crushed into dust.
"I-it's Karel, ma'am."
Hearing Karel's name, the teacher's demeanor suddenly softened. "Oh, it's Karel. He must be tired from studying all night" she said gently.
Then, she turned her sharp gaze to the rest of the class. "You all should follow Karel's example. He studies at school and continues learning at home."
Her statement plunged the entire class into a gloomy silence. None of them dared to protest, even though the injustice was glaringly obvious.
o0o