Is him again
1428 Words
Early the next morning,
Elena woke up before her alarm clock even rang.
To be more accurate, she had barely slept at all.
After her father had passed out drunk in the living room the night before, she woke up every few minutes, terrified that he might suddenly get up and start another drunken rampage.
By the time dawn approached, she had managed less than an hour of sleep.
“Elena, you're going to be late...”
her mother's weak voice came from the bedroom.
“I know, Mom.”
Elena rubbed her sore eyes and climbed out of bed.
The girl staring back at her in the mirror looked pale and exhausted, with dark circles beneath her eyes.
She took out the ointment the scar-faced man had given her and gently applied it to the swollen bruise on her cheek.
The cool sensation made her pause.
For some reason, she found herself thinking about him again.
His cold expression.
The way he spoke so little.
The calm look on his face when he pushed the ointment toward her.
Realizing what she was doing, Elena quickly shook her head.
“What am I thinking about...?”
Grabbing her backpack, she hurried out of the house.
7:00 a.m.
School.
The familiar classroom was as noisy as ever.
Some students were chatting, while others were frantically finishing homework.
The moment Elena sat down, a girl with a ponytail leaned over toward her.
It was Sophie, her best friend.
“Girl, did you stay up all night again?”
Sophie laughed as she pointed at Elena's dark circles.
Elena dropped her head onto the desk dramatically.
“Yeah. Work.”
“Oh my God.”
Sophie looked genuinely shocked.
“How do you even manage to work and still get such good grades?”
“That's honestly insane.”
Elena smiled faintly.
“Maybe because I don't really have a choice.”
For a moment, Sophie fell silent.
She knew about Elena's family situation.
She knew how hard her life was.
So she quickly changed the subject.
“By the way.”
“Have you decided what you're going to study after graduation?”
Elena paused.
University.
The future.
Dreams.
Those things felt both close and impossibly far away.
“Not yet,” she replied softly.
“But I think probably Economics.”
“Economics?”
Sophie's eyes lit up.
“Why?”
Elena looked out the window.
“To make money.”
“Huh?”
“I want to earn a lot of money.”
Her voice was quiet.
“At least then, when Mom gets sick, I won't have to worry about medical bills anymore.”
The smile slowly faded from Sophie's face.
She gently patted Elena's shoulder.
“You'll make it.”
Just then, a sudden commotion erupted outside the classroom.
The usually calm hallway became unusually lively.
Many students rushed toward the windows.
“What's going on?”
Elena looked up in confusion.
Sophie immediately stuck her head out the window.
A few seconds later, she turned around excitedly.
“A member of the school board is visiting today!”
“No way.”
“Seriously!”
“I heard he's one of the school's biggest sponsors too.”
“Wow!”
Excited murmurs spread throughout the classroom.
For students busy preparing for exams, a visit like this was rare.
“Really?”
Elena shrugged.
“That's pretty cool.”
Soon, the bell rang.
The atmosphere around the school remained unusually energetic throughout the morning.
The teachers seemed stricter than usual.
Even the principal could be seen walking through the hallways repeatedly.
Finally, it was time for the school assembly.
Students from every grade gathered in the auditorium.
The large hall was packed.
Ceiling fans spun overhead as students whispered excitedly among themselves.
“I heard he's pretty young.”
“No way.”
“Probably some successful businessman.”
“I thought school board members were all old guys.”
Sophie whispered into Elena's ear.
Elena laughed.
“Well, we'll find out soon enough.”
A few minutes later, the principal stepped onto the stage.
The auditorium gradually fell silent.
“Today, we are honored to welcome a member of our Board of Directors, one of our most distinguished alumni, and a major sponsor of our school...”
Applause erupted throughout the hall.
The side doors slowly opened.
A tall figure walked in.
A black suit.
A straight posture.
Confident, steady footsteps.
The moment his face appeared beneath the stage lights, Elena froze.
The pen slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a loud clatter.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The unmistakable scar on the left side of his face.
The sharp, cold eyes.
The very face she had seen only the night before.
How was that possible?
The man standing on the stage...
was the same man who bought cigarettes from her convenience store.
The same man who had saved her from those thugs.
At that very moment, as the entire school welcomed him with applause, his gaze swept across the audience and landed on Elena.
For a brief second, their eyes met.
Then—
the corner of his eyebrow lifted slightly.
Applause echoed throughout the auditorium.
When the principal announced the list of outstanding students, murmurs immediately spread through the crowd.
“Elena Carter.”
“Elena!”
Sophie excitedly nudged her.
“Go on!”
Only then did Elena snap out of her shock.
She had never expected to be chosen as one of the school's outstanding student representatives.
What she had expected even less was that the person presenting the award would be that man.
Meanwhile, several wealthy girls in her class who loved competing with one another had already started whispering among themselves.
“Oh my God.”
“He's even more handsome in person than in the photos.”
“I wish I could be lucky enough to shake his hand.”
“I heard he joined the Board of Directors when he was only twenty-five.”
“And he built his own business from the ground up.”
“He's seriously so handsome...”
The girls' eyes practically sparkled with admiration.
But when Elena's name appeared on the screen, their expressions instantly changed.
“Why her?”
“She got first place again.”
“So what if she's smart?”
“Exactly.”
Their jealousy was written all over their faces.
Meanwhile, Elena had already made her way onto the stage.
The spotlight fell upon her.
Her palms were sweaty with nervousness.
Especially when she found herself standing directly in front of him.
From up close, he seemed even taller than usual.
The black suit made his broad shoulders and powerful frame stand out even more.
The scar on the left side of his face did not make him look less attractive; if anything, it gave him a more mature and imposing presence.
The man glanced down at the list in his hand.
Then he looked up.
Those sharp eyes settled on her.
For some reason, Elena felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
The man picked up the certificate.
His deep voice echoed through the microphone and filled the entire auditorium.
“Congratulations, Elena.”
The audience immediately burst into applause.
Elena's mind went completely blank.
Without thinking, she blurted out,
“Th-Thank you, Mister—”
The moment the words left her mouth, her face turned bright red.
She quickly corrected herself.
“I mean... Mr. Board Member.”
The man standing before her simply looked at her in silence.
A few seconds later, the corner of his lips seemed to lift ever so slightly.
Then he extended his hand toward her.
“Elena, keep up the good work.”
She stared blankly at his large hand.
Then, cautiously, she reached out and placed her hand in his.
The moment their hands touched,
it felt as though something exploded inside her head.
She could feel her heartbeat racing uncontrollably.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The heat rose rapidly to her face.
She was blushing so hard that it felt as if steam might start coming out of her ears.
Down in the audience, Sophie was staring with wide eyes.
“Oh my God...”
“Why is her face so red?”
The wealthy girls nearby were even more jealous.
“Why does she get to be up there?”
“Why couldn't it be me receiving the award?”
“She held Mr. Director's hand for so long!”
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