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The train didn’t exactly skid to a halt. It was just that one minute it was moving at speed impossible for her to run against and another minute later, it just seemed to stop. She didn’t lose her balance but tightened her grip against the handle next to the seat she was in.

She moved her shoes away from the random puddle of metallic crimson that wasn’t there just a second ago and she blinked her eyes to adjust from the train’s cheap artificial lighting to the dimly lit green that washed over her surroundings.

The still train was eerily silent and the tall coffins that stood vertically around the car, where living, breathing passengers were just moments ago, were unmoving. Mina clenched her fist and took deep breaths and started counting the minutes it took for all of it to go away.

She played with her hands at first before deciding to open her duffel bag and go over the pamphlet the school provided for transfer students to kill time. Once she was all too familiar with the school’s vision for its students and faculty alike, she pulled out another pamphlet. This one was printed on some glossy and expensive-looking paper and was from the dorm she would be staying at due to her scholarship. She was halfway through her fifth look at the printed out map when the green vanished, chatter resumed and the train was once again moving. Another night, another silent hour.

“We apologize for the delay due to an unforeseen incident. It is now 12:01 in the morning. The last stop will be for Yeosu Central. All passengers must get off at the next stop. Thank you.” The speakers right above crinkled.

Mina grabbed her bag, not seeming to mind the weight as its sling dug into her shoulder. She patiently waited for the other passengers to get off before leaving and when they were all gone, she stood up and took care to not step on the small puddle of clear water in front of her seat. When she made it to the entrance of the station, she felt a strange weight in the pit of her stomach. Strange. She thought. You’d think coming back to the town you grew up in would give you a sense of relief, not foreboding.

The area wasn’t crowded, as expected of the late hour. It was almost deserted, save for the few passengers from her own train and some of the station’s staff. Only one figure in particular stood out to her though.

A girl around her age was waving at her.

She waved back and the girl smiled before approaching Mina. The girl had short hair and wore what should be Mina’s future uniform or at least a version of it. Mina could’ve sworn that the standard one she was given and was now wearing had a white button down shirt to wear under the black blazer instead of the green hoodie the short-haired girl was sporting.

“Hey, you’re Myoui Mina, right? I’m Yoo Jungyeon but just Jungyeon is fine. I’m here to you to the dorm.” Jungyeon smiled. Extending a hand for Mina to take.

“Nice to meet you.” The Japanese girl was proud of only having the slightest hesitation in taking the other girl’s hand and shaking it in greeting.

The two exchanged a few more words before Jungyeon said they had to get going before it got even lates. “Nayeon won’t be too happy if we get back super late.”

“Oh, um, sorry. There was a delay.”

“Yeah, I heard the announcement so don’t worry about it.” Jungyeon softly patted Mina’s shoulder. “Oh and Nayeon’s another student who lives in the dorm. She and I are going to be third years starting tomorrow. What year are you in?”

“I’m in my second year.” Mina said in her quiet voice. The two passed through a lively street lined with brightly lit stores and large crowds before making a turn to a far quieter neighborhood.

“Cool. We have another second year at the dorm. Be careful though. She can be a bit too much to handle so you shouldn’t let her push you around too much.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.” Jungyeon chuckled as she put her keys into the doorknob and unlocked it with a click.

“Jungyeon unnie, you’re late!” A loud voice boomed from right in front of the two.

“Mina, this is Park Jihyo, the other second year and our resident loudmouthed microphone.” Jungyeon stretched her arms to point out the girl dressed in a black cardigan over a white button down shirt and the school’s standard skirt. She had her bangs cut short to just barely touch her eyebrows and her hair in general was black and fell past her shoulders but what really caught Mina’s attention was—“Your eyes.” Mina blurted out before she could stop herself.

There was silence for a few painful seconds before loud laughter came from Mina’s left and the Japanese girl whirled around to face another girl whose teeth reminded her of a rabbit. The new girl was currently leaning over what seemed like the dorm’s front desk counter and laughing herself into tears.

“The new student’s a sharp one, isn’t she, Thomas?” The new girl said in between giggles.

“Thomas?” Mina repeated uncertainly,

“That would be me.” Jihyo raised her hand with a tired sigh. “These sunbae think I look like that damned train. Anyways, this is Im Nayeon unnie. A third year.” Jihyo’s tone was flat as she looked at Nayeon who was still laughing at her expense.

“Nice to meet you, Mina! I was the one you spoke to on the phone earlier.” Nayeon smiled and quickly shook Mina’s hand which was just within the older girl’s reach with the way she was still leaning over the counter. “Welcome to Yeosu.”

…...

The girl was tall, that much was certain. If Mina had to guess, she was maybe over 175cm. The only reason Mina could even make such a close guess was because the tall girl was in her class and happened to sit one seat away from Mina’s seat in the back row by the lockers.

Mina remembers the girl often sitting silently in class which was normal aside from the fact that she was also silent after class, during lunch and during free period.

She doesn’t think everyone bullies the girl since no one really bothers her but something about the tall girl just seemed a little sad since no one really did bother her, not even just to talk.

“Hey, Jihyo.” Mina softly said as she faced her friend. They had their desks pushed together to make room for them to eat lunch together and the room was deserted but most importantly, the tall girl didn’t stay in the room for lunch today.

Jihyo munched on and simply gestured for Mina to continue.

“Do you know the girl that sits over there?” She turned away from Jihyo and pointed at the chair on the far right of the classroom, closest to the backdoor,

“Ro Seungwan.” Jihyo said, swallowing her food before giving Mina her full attention. “She’s been in the same class as me since second year of middle school but I’ve barely spoken to her and when I did, it was only for school stuff like daily student duty. Why?”

“Oh, nothing. Just a little curious.” Mina averted her eyes, shyly.

“She’s really pretty, isn’t she? Like a Hollywood actress.”

“Are you just saying that because she looks foreign?” And the girl, now known as Ro Seungwan, really did look foreign. Big light brown eyes with a high-bridged nose, full lips and a dusting of freckles definitely made her stand out.

“Nope, she’s actually pretty popular despite being quiet. Everything I know about her is just from what I heard from other people though. If you really want to know about her, ask Jungyeon. They’re sort of friends.”

“Oh, okay.” Mina nodded before going back to pick at her eggroll.

…...

“I’ll see you later, sunbae!” Momo called out before shutting the door. She grinned happily, knowing that practice was done for the day before noticing a girl standing by the shoe lockers. The girl’s light brown hair looked almost orange in the setting sun’s light. Momo smiled.

“Yah, you didn’t have to wait for me, Seungwan.” She slapped the tall girl’s shoulder playfully.

“I don’t mind.” Seungwan smiled before taking Momo’s hand. “Come on. Let’s have dinner before going home. I’ll let you pick the place this time.”

Just some snippets of what the story's going to look like,

Based off of Persona 3 and may become a love triangle or even a love square or whatever. Pairings are not yet certain. :)

-Rye