A few days passed, and school life slowly returned to its usual rhythm. The hallways were still chaotic—students laughing, voices echoing from every classroom—but it was noticeably quieter now that Club Day had ended.
As for Hannah? Nothing had changed. She didn't end up joining any club, which left Naomi sulking for a few days, but they'd already made up.
It was lunchtime when the two made their way to the canteen. As they walked, Naomi noticed something odd—Hannah kept glancing over her shoulder, eyes scanning the crowd. Naomi gently tapped her arm, her tone concerned.
"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.
Hannah looked at her, then quickly shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Nothing...? You were doing that yesterday too," Naomi said, narrowing her eyes. Hannah didn't respond, just looked tired.
"It's just… I'm tired," she finally muttered, her voice weary.
Naomi blinked… and suddenly burst into tears. Ugly tears.
"Sniff... I feel you, my friend. *Your* friend too... is tired," she wailed dramatically, slowly closing her eyes like she was about to pass out.
Hannah stared at her, horrified. "It's not that, stupid—!"
She grabbed Naomi and shook her aggressively, snapping her out of her act.
"Then what? I thought you were talking about all the tasks we've been getting!"
"Well, that too… but that's not it." Hannah sighed, glancing around again. Naomi, now properly confused and slightly annoyed, watched her friend's suspicious behavior.
"Just spit it out already. Why do you keep glancing like someone's stalking yo—"
Before Naomi could finish her sentence, Hannah stuffed a piece of bread in her mouth and yanked her into a quieter hallway.
"Shhh… They're here," Hannah whispered, eyes alert.
"Wha—You're doing it again!"
"Shh, I *meant* the Drama Club members, you idiot!" she hissed, shoving more bread into Naomi's mouth.
"They've been watching me. Constantly approaching me. I can't take it anymore...!" Hannah's eyes gleamed with silent vengeance.
Naomi, slightly terrified, stepped in front of her.
"Okay, okay, calm down. You can't kill them. That's not allowed."
"I'm not gonna kill them," Hannah grumbled. "I just want to give them a piece of my mind."
"Nope! Nope~ That's even worse! We *know* what happens when you do that," Naomi said quickly, putting both hands on Hannah's shoulders.
Hannah sighed again, the fatigue etched into her expression.
"I don't get it. Ever since Club Day, I've felt like they've been watching me. At first, I thought I was just imagining it... but it's real."
They walked toward the staircase as Hannah continued.
"One time, I was just reading—minding my own business—and I noticed this guy with wavy brown hair. He was always nearby. Same aisle, same table."
"Oh-ho~ Maybe he likes you," Naomi said with a teasing grin.
Hannah lightly bopped her on the head. "No, it's not like that. I can tell."
"Okay, okay. Then what else?"
"Well, when you were busy with your own club stuff, I went to lunch alone. And guess who I saw again? The Drama Club leader. His smiling at me. Like, really friendly."
Naomi lit up again. "He likes—"
"No! He was just watching me! So much so that he didn't even realize we ordered the same thing!"
Naomi laughed. "Haha, I guess calling their performance *bad* brought you some bad luck, huh?"
"…Does luck even exist?" Hannah mumbled.
Naomi just shrugged.
"But yeah," Hannah said with a sigh. "It probably *is* because of that."
"See? That's what you get. Why did you even say it was bad? Their performance was good!"
"It wasn't."
"It was!"
"It wasn't."
"IT *WAS*! You were so focused on it, remember?"
"T-That was because... the boy who replaced Junia was the only good one."
"…Eh? Really?"
"Yeah. Didn't you notice?"
"N-No…"
"Well, as expected."
"Hey—!"
"Just kidding." Hannah smirked.
Naomi pouted, crossing her arms.
"Anyway," Hannah continued, "Aside from their leader and that boy, the rest were average. Some even bad. I could tell a few were nervous—maybe first-timers—but even the confident ones didn't perform well."
Naomi blinked. "Huh. I guess I kind of get it…"
"They were out of tune. Some had costumes that weren't properly fixed. And the props? Tacky."
"Tacky?!"
"Yeah. I think they were aiming for a fun vibe, but acting out a children's story? This isn't an elementary school."
Hannah's tone grew serious as she explained, and Naomi—though surprised—fell silent. Because deep down… she knew Hannah had a point.
Hannah and Naomi fell silent for a moment, then Naomi gently patted her friend's shoulder as if to say *"just forget it."* It was pretty obvious why the drama club kept chasing after her. Naomi knew her friend too well—Hannah was stubborn and unshakable. So really, there wasn't much to worry about.
"Come on," Naomi said brightly. "They'll get tired eventually. But we both know what *won't* get tired—our stomachs. Let's go!"
Hannah gave a small, amused smile and stood up to follow.
But before they could leave the hallway, two very familiar faces came into view just around the corner.
Levi, the drama club president, and Harin were standing casually against the wall.
*They were listening.*
Naomi, quick to catch on, let out a nervous laugh and ducked behind Hannah like a toddler hiding behind her mom.
"What are you two doing here?" Hannah asked bluntly, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Oh, us?" Levi responded with a playful grin. "We just happened to pass by."
Hannah raised a brow, unconvinced—but decided to play along. "Oh? Well then, we'll gladly be on our way."
She turned to leave, but Levi gently grabbed her wrist.
Hannah froze. Her gaze shifted to his hand—expression slowly darkening.
Levi immediately let go and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Oops—sorry. I just want to talk."
"About what?"
Levi's smile faded, his tone shifting. "About what you said. Regarding our club."
Naomi cleared her throat awkwardly and gave Hannah a few quick pats on the back. "Oop, looks like you've got business. I'll just… leave you to it! Bye~!"
"Wait—Naomi!"
"Sorryyy! Let's just say... I'm starving!" she shouted as she bolted toward the canteen.
Hannah stared after her with a look of pure betrayal, let out a long, defeated sigh. She slowly turned back to Levi and Harin. The air between them was suddenly heavier—tense—but no one made a move to break it.
---
*Later, in the drama club room...*
Somehow, Hannah had ended up in front of the entire drama club. (Okay, so she *wasn't* dragged literally, but emotionally? Spiritually? Mentally? Yes.)
Hannah wasn't sure how it happened. One second she was defending herself, the next she was dragged into enemy territory.
*"What did I get myself into?"* She thought as her gaze flicked every person in the room.
She sat with her arms crossed and one leg draped over the other, leaning back in her chair as she calmly observed the group.
On the other side, Levi and the rest of the club members were quietly watching her back. Some whispered. Others frowned. A few looked outright offended.
They didn't expect her to come off this strong.
"So..." Hannah broke the silence, her voice smooth. "Are we just going to keep staring at each other? Or do I need to blink first?"
Levi cleared his throat, stepping forward. "What you said earlier... about our performance. Was it true?"
"Yes," Hannah answered flatly.
"…You didn't even hesitate."
"It didn't require thinking."
The room broke into murmurs. A few members scowled at her while others rolled their eyes. But Levi just laughed.
"Well, I guess that's fair."
"Levi, are you seriously agreeing with her?" one member said, clearly irritated.
"Of course I am," Levi said, his voice calm but stern. "She was part of our audience. She noticed things. Things we should've noticed ourselves."
"But she's being harsh! Other students said we were good. Why care about just one opinion?"
"Because it wasn't just *one* opinion," Levi replied. "She just said out loud what the rest of us were too afraid to admit."
The room fell silent.
Levi glanced around at his club, his tone deepening.
"The Drama Club used to be great. When I joined, our seniors were talented, dedicated, passionate. But now?" He looked straight at them. "Some of you don't even show up to practice. Some don't bother learning their lines. You've taken the reputation they built... and got lazy."
Hannah blinked, slightly surprised. Even *she* didn't expect him to be that honest.
"That's why," Levi continued, looking back at her, "I brought her here. To help us."
"Huh?" Hannah frowned. "I came here to repeat what I already said, not fix your club's problems."
"But you *can* help," Levi said, leaning in slightly, his tone hopeful. "Say it again. Tell them what you told me. Tell them what they need to hear."
"Why should I? Aren't you their leader?"
"I am. But I'm better at performing, not... organizing. I'm creative when it comes to acting, not props or design."
*"So that's the issue,"* Hannah thought. *"They're all just filling the wrong roles."*
She sighed.
Her gaze drifted around the room. Some club members still looked defensive. Others seemed thoughtful.
She could see the cracks. The confusion. The disorganization. And the *potential.*
"…Fine," she finally said, arms still crossed. "But I'm not joining."
"Of course not," Levi said with a cheeky smile. "We'll just... be grateful recipients of your unsolicited opinions."
Hannah rolled her eyes. "And if you don't like my 'opinions'?"
"We'll suffer through them. For the sake of art."
A small, amused smile then crept onto her face.
"…You're lucky I'm in a good mood today."