Mina let out a heavy sigh as she walked through the school’s gate. Her hands tugged lightly on her backpack straps as she walked up to the giant white and brown school building. She stopped in her tracks and stared up at the building in front of her.

“It’ll be fine, Mina…” She whispered to herself. “Don’t be nervous…” She ran her hand through her long brown hair and heaved out a breath. She took a small step forward to walk up the steps when she heard:

“First day?”

Mina whipped her head in the direction she heard the voice come from to be greeted by the smiling face of a young male student. She noticed he was wearing the school’s uniform and guessed that he also attended school here. Mina nodded shyly and looked away trying to avoid eye contact with him.

“It’s my first day, too. I just transferred here,” he said, standing next to her. Mina stayed quiet as he spoke, biting her lip nervously. “Come on. Let’s head inside.” He gently tapped her arm just before he walked up the steps.

Mina watched as he went up and let out a soft groan. She trailed behind him quietly, gripping tightly on her backpack straps. Mina chewed on her bottom lip as she passed through the halls with the boy in front of her. No words were really said between them since they walked into the building until the boy spoke up.

“You don’t say much, do you?”

Mina’s eyes widened slightly as she looked up at the boy. “Oh… uh… no, not really. I mean… just… there’s really nothing to say.”

The boy sighed and stopped walking making Mina stop as well. He turned around on his heel, smiling widely at Mina. “My name’s Bambam~ I probably should have introduced myself to you sooner…”

Mina blinked and bowed her head slightly, “I’m Mina.”

The boy named Bambam grinned. “It’s nice to meet you, Mina noona~”

“Noona?” Mina repeated quietly blinking twice at Bambam. Her eyes studied him for a moment. Around the soft features of his face, down his slim figure, and back up to his bright eyes. She had a hunch he was younger than her, but she didn’t realize he would so quickly call her noona after only meeting him just a few minutes before.

Immediately, Bambam’s eyes widened as his cheeks tinted a soft pink color. “Oh… Are you not my noona? I… kind of just assumed you were.”

Mina shook her head quickly. “No, no. It’s not that. I just haven’t been called noona in years. I lived in the America for the past several years. It’s a little strange.”

Bambam gave a slight nod. “If you’re sure,” he said and held out a hand toward her. “Shall we continue then? We wouldn’t want to be late, right, noona?”

Mina couldn’t help but smile and happily took his hand following alongside him to the teacher’s office. Bambam slid the door open and motioned forward. “After you, noona~”

Mina thanked him quietly and headed inside with him following right after. They both quickly bowed respectfully as a female teacher caught a glimpse of them. She smiled at the two new students and made her way over to them.

“You two must be the new transfers!” She said cheerily. “I’m miss Jeon. I believe that I am your English teacher.” She looks over to Bambam. “First class of the day.”

Bambam smiled at his teacher and bowed again respectfully. “I look forward to learning a lot from you, seonsaengnim~”

Ms. Jeon smiled. “What a cutie. And you must be Mina.” She fixed her gaze on Mina. “Your first teacher is there. Mister Kim.” Mina followed her eyes to where Ms. Jeon was gesturing toward to see her teacher speaking with a male student who had a foreign but familiar look to him. To Mina, he looked like someone she would have gone to school with back in the States.

Mina bowed her head to Ms. Jeon before making her way over to her teacher. Mr. Kim noticed her at the corner of his eye and turned to her, greeting her with a smile. “You must be Mina Fukujima, the new student.”

She bowed her head as the male student peered at her. She peeked up at him and suddenly felt her heart flutter when they made eye contact. Mina looked away from him quickly and pursed her lips together. What’s this feeling, she thought. I just met him and my heart is…

“This is Mark,” said Mr. Kim breaking her train of thought, “He’s your class president.” She glanced back toward him and bowed her head in greeting but said nothing. So he is American, Mina thought. Mark bowed his head back.

“Why don’t you two head on over to the classroom? Mark, you can introduce her to everyone and tell them the news about the trip. I’ll be over in just a few minutes,” said the teacher.

“Okay,” said Mark. He turned toward Mina. “Shall we go?”

Mina nodded and followed after her class president. She waved to Bambam when he caught sight of her and waved back.

“See you around, noona,” Bambam said just before Mina walked out of the office with Mark.

“Friend of yours?” Mark asked as he led her down the hall.

“Sort of,” Mina replied. “We met in front of the school this morning.”

Mark let out a hum in response and didn’t say anything further until they reached the classroom door. “Wait here. I’ll call you in.” He entered the classroom and walked over to the podium at the front.

“Everyone,” he said, gaining everyone’s attention. “I have some exciting news. First, we have a transfer student.” A string of interesting noises and different responses came from the students in class. Mina held her chest and breathed out.

Okay, Mina. Don’t be nervous, she thought as she tried to buck up the courage to stand in front of the class.

“Come on in,” Mark’s voice sounded.

Mina turned, catching a glimpse of a student from the next class over. He also had a foreign look to him; an Asian look but not quite Korean like Mark had. They exchanged glances for a moment until Mina disappeared into her classroom. As she walked over to the spot next to Mark, she felt her heart thump in her chest and her whole body heat up. Everyone the in class had their eyes on her. Mina would be lying if she said she wasn’t scared.

“Introduce yourself to the class, please,” Mark said gesturing at the class who all had locked their gazes on her in awe, except the one boy who was reading a book.

Mina swallowed thickly as her eyes scanned around the classroom. She let out a soft breath and bowed her head to the class. “Hello, I’m Mina Fukujima… I—” her voice trailed off as several male students began to cheer and whistle at her. Mina took a step back, nervously playing with the bottom hem of her skirt and shifted her gaze to the floor.

Quickly, Mark noticed Mina was feeling uncomfortable and raised his hand to silence the class. He shot a glare toward the male students who immediately shut their mouths and awkwardly rubbed the back of their necks. The whole class knew how scary Mark was when he got angry and no one ever dared to test their luck with pissing him off. He was quiet most of the time so there would have been no way to know that he got so scary.

Mark turned to Mina, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Mina, why don’t you go take a seat there next to Youngjae?” Mark suggested gaining the attention of the boy who had his face stuck in his book.

“Huh? What?” Youngjae asked as he looked up.

“Is it alright if Mina sits next to you?”

Youngjae glanced to the empty desk to his right and shrugged, turning his attention back to his book. Mark huffed, shaking his head. Mina quietly moved to the desk and sat down, sinking into her seat feeling stares from the other students still on her.

“One more announcement, everyone,” said Mark. “The principal approved our class trip. We’ll be going in two weeks.”

“Class trip?” Mina repeated quietly as the whole class cheered.

“Yeah,” said the boy sitting to the right of her. “We’ve been wanting a field trip for a while. We’re going to Everland Amusement Park.” Mina looked at the boy and nodded at his response. “I’m Jinyoung, by the way. Welcome.”

Mina smiled. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”

Jinyoung smiled back. “So, you’re Japanese?”

“Half,” Mina replied. “Also half Korean.”

“Oh, yeah?” Jinyoung asked. “Which side of your family is Korean?”

“My dad’s side. His family is originally from Busan,” Mina explained.

Before their conversation could carry on, the school bell rang just as Mr. Kim walked into the classroom.

 

After a few lessons, it was finally lunchtime and Mina found herself awkwardly standing around as she looked for somewhere to sit. She gripped on the tray in her hands and glanced at each table. Everyone was sitting in their own little circle of friends.

    Mina sighed, puffing up her cheeks. Well, I can’t just invade in a random group of friends, she thought right before someone gently nudged her.

    “Konnichiwa~ (Hello~)” she heard a female voice say. Mine quickly turned her head upon hearing it and noticed the smiling faces of two female students.

    “K-Konnichiwa,” Mina greeted back.

    “You’re the new transfer student, right?” one of the two girls said, speaking to Mina in Japanese. “I was excited to hear you were Japanese. We are too, you see.” The girl beamed happily. “The rumors about you are actually true~”

    “Rumors?” Mina questioned.

    She nodded. “The rumors about you being pretty.”

    Mina blushed shyly and didn’t say anything. She didn’t particularly think of herself as that pretty, but now there are people in school saying she is and it was surprising. She never got so many compliments about her looks. This was a new feeling to her.

    “Come sit with us,” the other female student said gently tugging on Mina’s arm to follow them. She did and sat across from them. Both girls smiled.

    “You know, we were once the pretty Japanese transfer students when we got here last year,” one of them said. “Now, it’s you~ And I highly agree.”

    Mina cracked a smile, looking into her tray of food as she spoke softly. “A-Arigato…(Thank you.)”

    “My name is Momo, by the way,” she introduced herself with a smile. “This is Sana.” Momo pointed her thumb at the smiling girl next to her.

    “I’m Mina. It’s nice to meet you both,” Mina said.

    “I have a pen pal whose name is Mina,” said Sana. “She’s Japanese too, in fact. Maybe if one day, she comes to Korea, we could all hang out! It’d be great, wouldn’t it?”

    “Ah, really? That sounds like fun!” Mina exclaimed happily.

    Sana nodded. “Hai~ (Yes~) I’ll write to her when I get home and see if she would like that as well.”

    “So, from now on,” Momo chimed in. “You are our friend. No arguments.”

    Mina let out a soft chuckled. “I have no objection.”

 

The three girls all talked through the entirety of their lunch and even as they walked back to class. As they were walking, Mina accidentally bumped into someone. She was quick to apologize and glanced up to see him and his friend next to him both staring at her.

    Mina noticed one of the two male students happened to be the one she exchanged glances with before she had walked into class in the morning. She bit her lip nervously feeling her heart flutter as she stared back at him.

Mina quickly dropped her eyes to the floor. This feeling again, she thought, clutching her chest for a moment. Why is this happening?

    “Hey, don’t scare her,” Momo said to the two boys as she protectively wrapped her arms around Mina. Sana did the same. “She said sorry. The least you can do is say it’s okay, Jackson.”

    “Yah, that’s Jackson oppa to you,” the boy named Jackson said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. So, that’s his name, Mina thought as she peeked back up from the floor at him. She locked eyes with Jackson for a quick two seconds before she felt her heart flutter yet again and her cheeks heated up.

    Mina glanced back down to the floor. Oh no, she thought.

    Right at that moment, Momo and Sana were both pushed off of her and Mark’s voice sounded. “Alright, enough.”

    Mina looked up feeling a strange vibe in the air that wasn’t there before. It was then that she noticed both Mark and Jackson glaring at each other.

    “Mark,” Jackson said in a hostile tone as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

    “Jackson,” said Mark in an equally as bitter tone.

    A frown formed on Mina’s face as she glanced between the two males feeling some type of intense tension in the air. She felt a light tug on her sleeve as Momo moved her out of the way.

    “What’s with these two?” Mina whispered.

    Momo shrugged. “Who knows? Honestly, it’s been like this since I got here. Must be some male dominance type of thing.”

    “Maybe it’s a lover’s quarrel,” Sana blurted out with a giggle. Mina, Momo, and Jackson’s friend who overheard her all stared toward Sana with questioning looks.

“What?” she asked. “It could be…”

    Jinyoung stepped out of the classroom and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. “Yah, Mark hyung, Mina. It’s almost time for class.” He tilted his head toward the classroom door. “Come on. Get inside.”

    Mina nodded and looked to Momo and Sana. “See you two later.” She stepped passed Jinyoung into the class and shuffled her way to her seat quietly. Jinyoung watched as she did so before turning his head to Mark and Jackson who were still scowling at each other.

    “Next time, Wang,” Mark said and nudged Jackson’s shoulder with his as he went by. Jackson scoffed, keeping a deep glare on Mark and watched as he disappeared into the classroom.

    Jinyoung whistled once to get Jackson’s attention and motioned for him to follow after Momo and Sana into their classroom. Jackson rolled his eyes in annoyance but did so anyway. “You too, Jaebum hyung,” Jinyoung said looking to Jackson’s friend. Jaebum exhaled a breath and followed after Jackson without a word to Jinyoung.

    Jinyoung made his way back to his desk next to Mina. “Sorry you had to be in the middle of that,” he said. “They’re just two idiots who…” He paused for a moment. “That’s it. They’re just idiots.”

    Mina giggled softly as Mark turned in his seat obviously hearing what Jinyoung had said and glared at him. Jinyoung stuck out his tongue playfully at his friend making Mark roll his eyes and turn back ahead.

    Jinyoung smiled and leaned over closer to Mina and whispered to her. “See? Idiot.”

    Mina stifled a laugh behind her hand right as the teacher walked in.

 

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

 

Finally, it was the end of school. Mina had felt like it went on forever but now it was over and she could head back home. She held onto her backpack straps as she walked out of the school gates. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened it to text her mom when all of a sudden, she was yanked back. Her eyes widened as a student on a bike zoomed passed her. Mina shivered slightly at the thought of nearly being hit by someone.  

    “Are you okay?” a male voice asked.

    W-What… who, she thought looking back at the male student who just saved her life. Her eyes were still wide as she looked at him in complete shock. She gulped, catching her breath and nodded at his question. “Y-Yeah… thanks. I really didn’t see him…”

    “Don’t worry about it,” the boy said, “He’s always in a rush when school ends. I’m Yugyeom.” He smiled wide.

    “Nice to meet you, Yugyeom. I’m Mina,” she said.

    “Mina? Ah—So, you’re the girl I kept hearing about today.”

    “Eh? Am I that popular?”

    “Kinda, yeah. Everyone has been talking about you all day. Especially this new transfer student in my class, Bambam. He talked about you a lot.”

    Mina laughed softly at the mention of Bambam. “Is that so?”

    “Yeah,” Yugyeom said. “Anyway, I’ll send you on your way. Watch out and don’t get hurt, okay?”

    “No promises,” Mina joked earning a laugh from Yugyeom.

    “See you around, Mina noona~” he said before waving as he walked in the opposite direction as her. Mina smiled to herself and slowly made her way back home.

 

“Okaa-san~ (Mom~) I’m home,” Mina called out to her as she slid off her shoes and set them neatly to the side.

    “Welcome home,” her mom, Haruka said from the kitchen.

    Mina set her bag down and made her way into the kitchen. She made her way over to Haruka’s side and gave her a hug. Haruka smiled.

    “How was school?” she asked.

    Mina hummed happily thinking back to her day at school. “Long and very interesting.”

    “Have you made any friends yet?”

    Mina smiled remembering all the people she had met that day. “I have. In fact, they’re both Japanese.”

    Haruka grinned. “I’d like to hear all about them over dinner. Go do your homework. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

    Mina nodded. “Okay. Any update on otou-san (dad) yet?”

    Haruka was silent for a short moment before shaking her head. “Not yet, but the doctor’s said there’s no bad change so that’s a good sign.”

    Mina sighed and nodded quietly. She made her way out of the kitchen and grabbed her bag from where she placed it down. She headed to her room and sat at her desk. She set up her books and notebooks on her desk and began to do her homework.

    In the middle of doing her homework, her mind was suddenly filled with the image of Mark and Jackson glaring at each other. Not long after that, she had completely forgotten about her homework and began thinking about the both of them; thinking about the way they acted to each other, and the possible reason why they acted that way to each other.

    She thought of the tension she had felt as she watched them glare at each other. And worse, she began thinking of how Sana said it could be a “lover’s quarrel” and thought that maybe, just maybe, they could be…

 

Haruka’s voice snapped Mina out of her thoughts. “Mina! Dinner’s ready!”

    “C-Coming!” Mina called out. She set down her pen, frowning as she shook her head to get rid of the thoughts in her head. Why did I think of them all of a sudden, she thought. Before she stood up, she placed her hand on her chest remembering the way her heart fluttered when she looked at the both of them. Mina felt her cheeks heat up thinking about it and quickly shook them out of her thoughts. No, no, stop it, Mina, she thought as she stood up off of her chair. Don’t think like that.

    She huffed out a breath and headed out of her room. Maybe I’m just hungry. Yeah, that’s it. I’m tired and hungry. Some food and a relaxing bath will make it better, I’m sure of it, Mina thought as she made her way to the dinner table where her mom was setting up their meal.

    Tomorrow it’ll certainly go away, she thought, nodding to herself. It’ll be fine, Mina. You’ll be fine.