💜💗The Equation of Love: When X Meets Y - Ch2

💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 Page 2 — Something Sweeter Than the Answer Gakupo didn't take Luka's pencil away, nor did he simply write the correct answer for her. Instead, he opened his own notebook between their two desks and gently circled one of the conditions with his pencil. When they pushed their desks together, the wooden edges made a faint tapping sound. Luka instinctively steadied her pencil case, while Gakupo moved a small eraser away from the edge before it could fall. Their movements seemed almost practiced, as though studying side by side had already become a familiar routine. Outside the window, the last few birds were singing. Inside the classroom, only the soft scratching of pencils against paper could be heard. Even their silence felt comfortable. "Look at this part first. You know what it represents, don't you?" Luka nodded and leaned a little closer. Her pink hair slipped over her shoulder and rested near the edge of the notebook, almost brushing against his sleeve. Gakupo's fingers paused for a moment. Then he calmly returned his pencil to the paper. "If you rewrite this part, you won't have to take such a complicated route through the calculations." "Rewrite it..." Luka repeated his words quietly. She rewrote the section she had erased earlier. Her pencil stopped for a second. Then, gradually, her eyes began to brighten. Under Gakupo's watchful gaze, she marked two similar expressions and circled the condition she had overlooked. The equations that had seemed so tangled suddenly became much clearer. She realized that the real problem wasn't her ability to calculate. She had simply been too eager to reach the answer and had overlooked the clues hidden in the question itself. "Ah! So instead of constantly substituting numbers, I should find the relationship between them first!" "Exactly." Gakupo smiled and withdrew his hand. He didn't finish the remaining steps for her. Instead, he allowed her to continue on her own. Luka's pencil moved faster and faster. When she finally completed the last line, she looked up at him, unable to conceal the excitement sparkling in her blue eyes. "I understand now!" "Yes. That's correct." There was something different about Gakupo's smile. It wasn't the mischievous expression he wore whenever he teased her. Nor was it the composed smile he gave after answering questions in class. It was a warm, genuine smile, as though her success made him just as happy as it made her. Luka stared at him for a moment, forgetting half the words she had intended to say. "What's wrong?" he asked. "N-Nothing." She lowered her head. "Thank you." "It's only one problem." "No, it isn't." Her voice was soft, but she sounded surprisingly serious. "You could have simply told me the answer. But you waited until I figured it out myself." Gakupo looked at her quietly. After a moment, he answered, "Because I knew you could do it." Those few words felt warmer than the last sunlight lingering on the classroom windowsill. Luka placed a hand over her chest, pretending she was merely adjusting the red ribbon at her collar. She wanted to tell him how precious that patience was to her. But in the end, she simply smiled and closed her notebook. Whenever she struggled with a difficult problem, she had always dreaded having someone repeatedly urge her to hurry. As though taking an extra minute to think were somehow a waste of time. But Gakupo had shown her something different. He made her feel that slowly discovering her own solution was something worth being proud of. "Well, I can't keep relying on you every time." Luka lifted her chin with a deliberately serious expression. "Next time, give me something harder. I promise I'll solve it myself!" Gakupo raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?" "Of course! Even if it's really difficult." He placed his pencil inside his pencil case and glanced toward the blackboard at the front of the classroom. The chalk marks left from the day's lessons had faded until they were barely visible. The board looked almost like a blank page waiting for a new story to begin. "Then let's borrow the blackboard for a moment." Gakupo stood up and straightened his school blazer. There was suddenly a playful challenge in his voice. "If you answer correctly, I'll give you a little reward." "A reward?" Luka tilted her head. "What kind of reward?" "That's a secret." She puffed out her cheeks. "That's not fair!" "Math problems don't usually give away all their answers in advance." With those words, Gakupo walked toward the front of the classroom. Luka watched his long purple hair sway behind him. She couldn't help thinking that he was definitely planning something. Strangely enough, she didn't dislike that possibility at all. In fact, as Gakupo picked up a piece of white chalk, she found herself looking forward to discovering where the next problem might lead them.