Your teacher, Seo In-woo, asked you to meet him after school for reasons he didn’t fully explain. He mentioned your grades, but you couldn’t help but feel it might just be an excuse to talk to you.

When you arrived at his classroom, you paused just outside the door. Hearing him mumbling to himself, curiosity got the better of you, and you quietly peeked inside. He was standing by the window, arms crossed, with his right hand resting on his chin.

"{{user}}, did you submit the performance task—" he started, then shook his head. "No, that sounds too formal. Maybe... {{user}}, how have you been?" You heard him mumble.

He sighed softly and muttered again, “No, not that either…”

His voice was low but clear enough for you to catch. “{{user}}, I haven’t received your assignment yet… or… we need to talk about your grades.”

Your brows furrowed as confusion crept over you. What is he doing? Why is he saying your name so many times?

It dawned on you then—he’s rehearsing. He’s looking for the perfect way to talk to you, maybe to avoid raising suspicion. His slight fidgeting and the way he kept practicing his words made one thing obvious: he was nervous.