Crave You Forever
Chapter 110: Hana(1)

Chapter 110: Hana(1)

Suho kept his head down as the lesson went on, carefully writing in his notebook like the teacher instructed. He wasn’t the fastest at writing, but he made sure each letter looked nice and neat.

As he worked, he occasionally glanced around. Some kids were already whispering to each other, giggling quietly even though the teacher was talking. Suho pressed his lips together. Should he talk to someone? But what if he said something weird?

He sighed softly and focused on his writing again.

When the teacher finally announced it was time for lunch, Suho let out a breath of relief. He quickly packed up his things and followed the other kids outside to the cafeteria.

The school was really big, and Suho stuck close to the crowd so he wouldn’t get lost. He clutched his lunchbox tightly, remembering how carefully Yeongsoo had packed it this morning.

"Make sure to eat everything, okay?" Yeongsoo had told him. "You’ll need energy to become the smartest kid in class."

Haeun had ruffled his hair, smiling. "And if anyone tries to take your food, just give them the look."

Suho had laughed at that, but now, standing in the cafeteria, he suddenly felt small again. The tables were filled with kids chatting and eating together. He hesitated, scanning the room.

There was an empty seat at the corner of one table. Slowly, he made his way over and sat down, carefully placing his lunchbox in front of him.

No one paid him much attention, which was okay. He wasn’t sure what to say anyway.

He quietly opened his lunchbox, and his eyes widened. Inside were perfectly cut pieces of kimbap, rolled just the way he liked. There was also a little note tucked beside it.

Eat well today! Fighting! - Haeun & Yeongsoo

Suho smiled to himself and picked up a piece of kimbap. Even if he was nervous, even if he didn’t have any friends yet... he wasn’t alone.

Suho sat at the cafeteria table, his lunch tray in front of him. He wasn’t really paying attention to the food, though—his eyes were busy scanning the room, watching the other kids.

The cafeteria was loud.

The chatter, laughter, the clinking of trays—it all blended into a hum that felt just a little too much. Suho gripped his spoon tightly, grounding himself with the familiar weight of it in his hand.

He knew he should eat, but his stomach felt tight. First days were always like this, he guessed. He wanted to talk to someone, maybe make a friend, but his voice felt stuck in his throat.

The words just didn’t come as easily as they did when he was with Haeun or Yeongsoo.

A group of boys ran past his table, laughing loudly. One of them accidentally bumped into his chair, making it scrape against the floor.

Suho flinched. Breathe. It was just a chair.

Just noisy. Nothing bad was happening.

He lowered his gaze, poking at his rice with his spoon. It was fine. He was fine.

Suho took a small bite of his food, chewing slowly as he watched the kids around him. Some were already laughing with their friends, others were trading snacks, and a few sat alone, like him.

That made him feel a little better. He wasn’t the only one still figuring things out.

He glanced at the corner of the cafeteria where a teacher stood, watching over the students. If something happened, if he needed anything, there were adults around. That was another thing he told himself to stay calm.

The rice tasted okay, but his appetite still hadn’t fully returned. He took a sip of his drink instead, letting the coolness settle his nerves.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a boy sitting a few tables away. The boy wasn’t talking either, just quietly eating his food, looking just as lost in thought as Suho felt.

For a second, Suho thought about saying something. But the words didn’t come, and the moment passed.

That was okay. He didn’t have to make friends today.

Suho was quietly nibbling on his rice when a sudden thump beside him made him flinch. He turned his head, eyes wide, as a girl plopped down on the seat next to him, her tray clattering against the table. She had big, bright blue eyes and blonde hair tied into two messy pigtails. She beamed at him like they were already best of friends.

"Hi! I’m Hana!" she announced cheerfully, swinging her legs under the bench. "What’s your name?"

Suho hesitated, his fingers tightening around his spoon. "...Suho," he said quietly.

Hana gasped dramatically. "Whoa! Suho is such a cool name! Like a superhero name! Or—ooh! Like a prince from a fairytale!"

Suho just blinked. He wasn’t sure what to say to that. He just stared as Hana stuffed a big bite of food into her mouth, then continued talking before she even finished chewing.

"I was gonna sit with Sora and Minji, but they only wanna talk about stickers and princesses today, and I love princesses, but sometimes I wanna talk about other stuff, you know?" She took another bite. "You looked lonely, so I came to sit with you!"

Suho looked around the cafeteria. He hadn’t really thought about looking lonely. He was just eating quietly like always. But... it wasn’t bad having someone next to him.

"Do you like dinosaurs?" Hana asked suddenly.

Suho blinked again. "Uh... yeah?"

Hana gasped again. "Me too! What’s your favorite?"

Suho hesitated for a second, but then—maybe it was because she was so confident, or because she reminded him a little bit of someone—he found himself mumbling, "Triceratops."

Hana clapped her hands. "That’s a good one! Mine is the T-Rex because it’s super strong, but Triceratops are really cool too! Oh! Oh! Have you ever seen a fossil before?"

And just like that, Suho’s quiet lunch became something else entirely.

After lunch, Suho thought he’d finally get some quiet time. But the moment he stepped into the classroom, he heard rapid footsteps behind him.

"Suho! Wait for me!" Hana called, practically skipping to his side.

Suho glanced at her, then at the empty seat next to his. He had a feeling what was about to happen.

Sure enough, Hana plopped right down beside him, adjusting her chair like she was settling in for the long run. "This is perfect! I was hoping we’d be seatmates!"

Suho stared. "You... were?"

"Uh-huh!" Hana grinned, swinging her feet under her desk. "You’re fun to talk to! And you actually listen when I talk, which is super rare. My mom says I talk too much, but I don’t think that’s true. Do you think that’s true?"

Suho wasn’t sure how to answer that. She did talk a lot. But strangely, it wasn’t bad. He shook his head slightly.

Hana beamed. "See? I knew you were nice! Oh! Do you like drawing? I love drawing! I can show you my notebook later—I have tons of dinosaurs in it! And princesses. And one time, I drew a dinosaur wearing a princess crown, which was really cool—"

As she kept talking, Suho just sat there, quietly listening. He didn’t say much, but that didn’t seem to bother Hana one bit.

The teacher soon walked in, signaling the start of the lesson. Suho turned forward, ready to focus, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hana pull out a pink pencil with a little bunny topper. She wiggled it in front of him before whispering, "His name is Mr. Bun-Bun. He’s my lucky pencil."

Suho just nodded.

Hana nodded back, satisfied. Then, finally, she went quiet as class began.

Suho exhaled slowly.

He had a feeling Hana wasn’t going to stop following him anytime soon.