soo erm go check out my books it gives a summary of every single book ill releasse

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I hated doing homework with every fiber of my being. It wasn't just a mild dislike—it was a fiery, all-consuming hatred. But if I didn't get it done, I'd get booted from my psychology course, and honestly, failing sounded worse than actually doing the work. So, here I was, sitting at my desk at 1:35 a.m., frantically typing away with ChatGPT as my saving grace.

To say I was drowning would be an understatement. The assignment: "Handling tantrums during therapy sessions with children." How the hell was I supposed to know what to do when a tiny human decides to turn into a Category 5 hurricane in the middle of therapy? I was barely holding myself together as an adult.

Meanwhile, my brother Jungwon was fast asleep in the other room. Jay had flown to America to visit his mom, leaving Jungwon a sad, teary mess for the last three days. Honestly, I didn't blame him—long-distance sucks. But while he was crying over his boyfriend not being here, I was crying over the psychology-shaped dumpster fire that was my life.

Desperate for help, I decided to call Seungmin. He studied music therapy, so maybe he had some useful advice, right? Wrong.

The phone rang a couple of times before his groggy voice answered, full of irritation.

"Jeongin," he grumbled, "what do you want? It's literally one in the morning. People are trying to sleep."

I ignored his attitude because, honestly, this was a crisis. "Okay, so like, what do I do if a kid throws a tantrum during a therapy session?" I asked, the panic clear in my voice.

There was a long pause, probably because Seungmin was debating whether to hang up or cuss me out. Finally, he said, "I don't know, man. Bribe them with candy? Distract them with a shiny object? I don't study psychology; I study music therapy. Maybe ask Yeji or Arin. Good night."

And then he hung up.

Great. Fantastic. Just what I needed. I stared at my phone in disbelief, my brain cycling between "Should I wake Yeji up?" and "Would it be too much to Google 'child tantrum hacks'?"

Defeated, I leaned back in my chair, looking at my screen, where ChatGPT was mid-answer with suggestions like "remain calm and patient" and "redirect the child's attention." Great advice, but easier said than done.

As I slumped in my chair, I heard Jungwon sniffle from his room. I guess we were both having meltdowns, just for very different reasons.

Not only did I have ten different homework assignments due, but I also had a presentation and a shift at Blue Hour. In short, I was utterly and completely screwed.

Desperate, I grabbed my phone and called Ni-ki. He answered after the second ring, sounding a little too awake for 2 a.m.

"Hey," I started.

"Hi. Why the hell are you still awake?" he asked, half-curious and half-annoyed.

"Things. I just can't sleep, thinking about something," I muttered vaguely, not in the mood to explain my chaotic existence.

"Mhm," Ni-ki replied, clearly unimpressed.

"Can you cover my shift?" I asked, deciding to cut straight to the point.

"Depends. Who's working?"

"Well, there's Jake, Sunghoon, Suno—"

"SUNOO?" Ni-ki interrupted, his tone immediately shifting to something resembling pure excitement. "Sure, I'll work!"

And just like that, he hung up.

I stared at my phone, shaking my head. "That love-sick boy," I muttered to myself. If only he wasn't so head over heels for Sunoo—aka Stacy's brother, well, Sowon's brother, but same difference.

---

After three hours of intense research, crying, and about a hundred K-pop edit breaks to soothe my soul, I finally managed to finish all my homework and the presentation. Feeling like I'd just run a marathon, I decided to check up on Jungwon.

As I approached his room, I heard faint sobs.

"Hey, are you okay, little bro?" I asked softly, peeking into his room.

"No," he sniffled, his voice trembling. "He hasn't called me in three days. What if he doesn't love me anymore?"

I sighed, walking over to sit next to him. "Little bro, you're a sexy machine," I said, trying to cheer him up in the only way I knew how. "If he hates you, don't worry—you can just get with his ex, Sunghoon, instead."

"Bu—"

"No buts!" I cut him off dramatically.

Right on cue, his phone started ringing. He scrambled to pick it up, and after a quick glance at the screen, he answered.

"Hello?"

There was a pause as he listened.

"Mhm," Jungwon murmured.

"Okay."

Another pause.

"Goodbye, Jay-hyung," he said softly before hanging up.

I raised an eyebrow. "Sooo?"

"He—he's back in Seoul," Jungwon stammered, his voice still shaky but tinged with relief. "He said his mom was monitoring his phone and took it away, so he couldn't call. But he's back now."

I nodded. "Yeah, I fully believe that. His mom used to pull stuff like that when Jay and I were close."

Jungwon looked at me, his face a mix of confusion and surprise.

"But... he was a player. How was he a player with such a strict mom?"

I sighed, leaning back against his doorway. "Wonnie, you'll understand soon enough. Didn't he say he'd tell you everything?"

Jungwon nodded hesitantly. "Right..."

"Good. Then trust him, okay? Now, goodnight, I need some shut-eye," I said, patting his head before heading back to my room.

I flopped onto my bed, hoping sleep would come easily. But no matter how hard I tried, my mind wouldn't stop racing.

All I could think about was him.

The memory of Chan's soft lips on mine, the way his hands had gently cupped my face, the warmth that spread through my chest—it was all I could think about.

The kiss we'd shared at his house after the K-BBQ felt like it had ignited something inside me. Something I'd spent so long trying to bury.

I turned onto my side, staring at the ceiling, my heart thumping against my chest.

What am I supposed to do now?

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thats all for now pookies goodnight