Hana nearly choked, bursting into laughter so hard she had to clap a hand over her mouth. "It's nothing like that. I've just been swamped with wedding preparations."
"Wait—what?" Nari's gasp echoed through the phone. "You've already set a wedding date?"
"Mm-hm. This Saturday," Hana replied casually, taking a slow sip of water.
"This Saturday?!" Nari's pitch climbed an octave. "Isn't that way too soon?"
"I know, right?" Hana smiled faintly. "But if you think about it, it's not such a bad idea."
"How so?" Nari pressed, curiosity dripping from every word.
"I can just… get it over with quickly, then return to college," Hana explained, trying to sound breezy.
"Oh, speaking of college—guess what I heard today when I stopped by our dorm."
"Don't tell me Taehyun finally quit," Hana teased.
"I wish," Nari groaned dramatically, rolling her eyes at the thought of their insufferable math teacher. "But nope. A new student joined our department."
"And I'm guessing it's a he," Hana said knowingly.
"How did you know?" Nari laughed.
"Because you wouldn't sound this excited if it were a girl," Hana shot back with a grin.
"Ding ding! We have a winner," Nari laughed louder.
"So? Spill. What about him?" Hana asked.
"My goodness, Hana, he's gorgeous. And rich. Like—filthy rich."
"That's great," Hana said lightly, though her mind was miles away.
"Anyway," Nari continued, "you're not coming back tonight, are you?"
"No. Probably not until after the wedding."
"Excuse me? And I don't even get an invite?" Nari's playful outrage crackled through the line.
"Of course you're invited," Hana reassured quickly. "In fact, I'll ask Kai Seok if it's alright for you to come over tomorrow."
"I don't mind," came a smooth voice from behind her.