"So, the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell?" Jaebum asked. Eunsu nodded her head as a small smile of relief rested on her face. The boy nodded and wrote this down in his notebook. The two were in biology working on a project. Students had to work in pairs and this time Jaebum was the lucky one who ended up working with the smartest girl in the class, guaranteeing him a perfect grade. Eunsu did her best to be friendly, but still her classmates only acknowledged her when they needed someone to do their work. The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day and all of the students began packing their bags.  

"Do you think you could write the essay? I have to spend tonight studying for the calculus test tomorrow," Jaebum said, not looking at her as he closed his notebook and collected his things.

"Sure, it probably won't take long. See you tomorrow," she said as she forced the smile to grow on her face. The boy didn't respond to this as he stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder before walking across the room to talk to his friends. The girl watched as people walked past her, even saying bye and waving to a few of them who didn't even care enough to acknowledge her existence. It seemed like things had always been this way, but Eunsu still had a small hope that one day she could make a friend. Once the room cleared out, the girl let the smile fall off of her face as she took her time packing her things away. She mentally went over her to do list of homework and calculated that it would take less than three hours complete.

The girl left school and began her walk home, taking her time to enjoy to the cool autumn air. It was late October and her birthday was coming up next month. On top of the winter holidays, it was her favorite time of year. Eunsu smiled to herself as she made a game of stepping on as many fallen leaves as she could manage, loving the crunch they made under her thin ballet flats. Soon enough the girl was in front of her own home and the driveway was empty as usual. Her father spent most of his time abroad on business trips while her mother often spent the days doing errands or visiting friends until she decided it was time to come home and fix dinner. With no siblings, Eunsu had begged and begged her whole life until her birthday two years ago, her parents bought her a puppy. The girl stepped up the walkway leading to the front door. Once she stood on the porch, she took off her bag to rummage for her house key and could already hear Coco whining and scratching at the door.  

"Don't worry baby, mommy's coming" the girl cooed to her dog as she retrieved the key and slug her bag back on. Once she turned the lock and opened to the door, the small ball of white fluff walked out of the house and jumped on the girl, it's nose at level with her knee.  

"Aww my poor puppy had to wait all day," Eunsu said as she crouched down to pick up the dog. The pup wiggled around in her arms as she smiled and waked inside, closing the door behind her. She sat the dog down to take off her bag and kick off her shoes. Coco ran around the room and let out a few barks of excitement. Eunsu tucked her long black hair behind her left ear as she zipped open her bag and pulled out what she needed in order to complete her assignments.  

            After finishing the last of her work, the girl heard her mother in the kitchen. She looked down at the resting ball of fur in her lap and gently picked it up to hold in her arms. Coco's eyes opened as Eunsu stood up and walked out of her room, down the hall to where her mother was standing, stirring a pan of something on the stove top.

            "How was school?" her mother asked as she leaned forwards to turn a knob before walking to the sink and washing her hands. Eunsu ran her hand through the dogs fur a few times.

            "Good, we had to do group work in biology," she said as she walked to the table and took a seat, still cradling the pup.

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