A loud sound coming from an alarm caused Naeun to let out a groan. She closed her eyes within a heartbeat after she turned off her phone, only for it to keep ringing once again. This time, it wasn't the alarm but rather a person calling.

It was Taemin calling.

She huffed and frowned as she answered the call, greeting her best friend with a displeased "Why the hell are you calling me at 5 AM?", instead of a good morning.

Taemin rolled his eyes even though she couldn't see him. "Yah, do you even know what today is?"

"Today is the fifth time you're ruining my sleep. And yes, I do keep track of it because it really pisses me off."

"Oh, so should I just let you sleep in and be late for your first day?" Taemin argued back, leaning back in his chair as he sipped his usual strong black coffee.

"What do you mean—OH MY GOD!" Naeun jumped off her bed and looked at the calendar sitting at the top of her bedside table. Today was their first day at Hankuk University.

"Isn't it ironic that you could remember how many times I've disturbed your sleep but you couldn't even remind yourself of an important event like today?" Taemin continued to reprimand her, but she immediately shushed him. She's in no mood for his scolding.

"Whatever, I'm fully awake now! So what time are we going to go?"

She heard him sigh out loud and simply say, "I'll be there at seven."

"Are you kidding me?" She was about to whine when he cut her off.

"Are you kidding me? Don't tell me you're not done prepping yourself by seven. You're not going to a prom, Naeun."

"Can't we leave at eight? Our class doesn't start until nine!" Even though she and Taemin differ in their courses, both of their first subjects every Monday start at the same time for the first semester.

"May I just remind you that we're not attending high school anymore that is just a few blocks away from our home? We're taking the bus until we've finally settled on our dorm. And we also have to get there early because we still have to find our classroom, and it's important not to be late on your first day!"

Naeun isn't a morning person, but Taemin obviously is. She thought to herself, "How can someone speak and nag a lot during the early hours of the day?

"Will you please just shut your mouth? You sound like my mother." She scratched her head out of annoyance and continued, "I'm hanging up; I'll go take a shower first."

"You better be ready by the time I arrive at your house, or else I'll leave without you," Taemin threatened before ending the call, causing her blood to boil. She stomped her way towards the bathroom, while Taemin, on the other hand, laughed to himself as he imagined how Naeun probably cursed him in her mind. After finishing his breakfast, he made his way upstairs to take a shower and get ready.

"Eomma, I'm leaving!" Taemin bid his mother goodbye, and as he was about to finally take a step outside his house, his mother came running to catch him and called his name.

"Taemin-ah! Take these brownies that we baked yesterday night with you and give them to Naeun's family. You take care at the university, huh? Call Eomma when something's wrong." Grateful, he smiled at his mother, placed an arm around her shoulder, and gave her a light peck at her temple.

"Thank you, Eomma. I'll make sure to give these to Naeun's parents. Don't worry about me; your son's already an engineering student!"

"Aigoo, but you're still Eomma's forever baby! Now get going; I don't want you to be late on your first day."

Chuckling, he bid her goodbye one last time and then went his way towards the Son family household. He saw Naeun's mother watering plants outside their garden, and the woman immediately noticed his presence.

"Oh, Taemin-ah! Come inside!" She opened their gate for him, and he bowed as a sign of respect.

"Good morning, Mrs. Son! My mother wanted to give these brownies to you; we baked them last night."

"Thank you for this, dear. I'll make sure to give something back to your mother soon. Just wait for Naeunnie in the living room; she said that she'll be downstairs any minute by now." The woman beamed him a kind smile and excused herself to go to the kitchen to place the brownies. Before he could take a seat on their couch, he heard light footsteps and saw Naeun coming down.

She was clad in a simple white fur sweater and jeans, and she paired them with white sneakers. Taemin wore a casual beige polo shirt, which he also paired with white jeans and shoes.

"I was just right on time, huh?" Completely opposite from her demeanor when he called earlier, she was now laughing and seemed to be in a good and light mood.

"Yeah, I guess you're lucky today. Are you ready to go?" He placed both of his hands in his pockets and waited patiently when Naeun told him that she was just going to let her mother know they were leaving. After her mother sees them both off, they manage to catch the bus on time that will lead them to Hankuk University. He took a glance in her direction and noticed that Naeun suddenly grew quiet.

He laughed and asked, "Are you nervous?"

She rolled her eyes at him and snapped, "Of course, we're going to meet lots of new people and be exposed to a new environment. Aren't you nervous?"

"I am; I just don't make it too obvious, unlike you," Taemin continued to tease.

"You always like winning against me; your pride reaches heaven." Naeun let out a 'tsk' before deciding to ignore his mocking laugh and focus her attention on the view outside the bus window as they slowly approached their destination.

Taemin noticed that Naeun was barely saying a word as they walked towards her classroom. He decided that he should be with her and make sure that she does not get lost before he searches for his own classroom.

This time, he wasn't about to make fun of her anxiety. Giving her a light nudge at the shoulder, he whispered softly in her ear, "Naeun-ah, it's going to be okay. You'll do great."

She let out a sigh that came from deeper than her lungs, and her shoulders slumped. "I don't know, Taemin..."

Halting, he forced her to look at him as he placed both of his palms on her cheeks. "I know it'll be hard to be surrounded by new faces, and it's the first time we don't get to be in the same class, but you can do this, Naeun-ah. I believe in you."

"Don't you think it's time for you to be independent and be less clingy to me?" he joked to somehow lighten up the mood, and he's glad that it worked as Naeun playfully hit him by the arm. Well, he was her only friend in this lifetime, and having to survive in a class without him for the first time is truly a nightmare for Naeun.

"You really think that I can do this?" Naeun begged for assurance with her desperate tone.

"I know you can." Ruffling her hair, he flashed her a bright smile. "You have thirty minutes vacant after your first period, right? Let's meet later before you go to your next class at the university cafeteria."

"Why? You'll buy me some snacks?" Naeun took his invitation as leverage to take advantage of him. Having no choice, Taemin nodded and chuckled when Naeun squealed in excitement.

"I'll only treat you when you do well in your class, so make sure you do, okay?"

"Geez, you really sound like my mother." Giving him a side-eye, she waved her hands and reached for the doorknob of her classroom. "I'll see you later!"

"Good luck, Naeun-ah!" And like how she had just , he really does look like a proud mother seeing off his daughter.

Taking a big, deep breath, she mustered all her courage to finally enter the room.

Naeun wandered her sight to look for a vacant seat, and there were actually still a lot of seats to choose from. Not wanting to become the center of attention for her professor, she automatically crossed out the front row as her option. She also didn't like sitting at the back, so choosing where she felt the safest, she successfully navigated her way towards the vacant seat on the fourth row. There aren't a lot of students as of the moment, and she wondered if some were just late or if only a small number of students were enrolled in the class. Her thoughts were disturbed when a lady brought her back to her senses.

"Excuse me. Is this seat taken?" She gave Naeun a kind smile.

Naeun actually has a very timid personality. It takes her a lot of courage and time to warm up to someone. Memories suddenly flashed through her mind during the year when Taemin and she first became classmates.

Taemin was a transferee from Cheongdam-dong. During his first day, the only vacant seat was beside her, and so their teacher made him sit next to her. She didn't have any friends, but unbeknownst to her, it would be the last time. The moment Taemin occupied the seat, he immediately sent a hand wave in her direction and flashed her a smile that was brighter than the sun. It also helped that his new home was only a few blocks away from her house, and they learned that they were new neighbors, so they eventually got close.

He was her first comfort and her first and only best friend.

Coming back to reality, she also smiled at the girl, though she wasn't sure if it looked forced. "Ahh no! You can sit here."

The girl gladly obeyed and offered her a handshake. "My name's Yoon Bomi! You are?" She excitedly introduced herself.

Unsure of what to do, she raised her hand to accept the handshake and couldn't help but stutter, "S-Son Naeun..."

"Are you used to meeting new people? You're very shy." Bomi softly asked her, and her face immediately turned crimson red. Maybe Taemin was right that her nervousness was showing too much.

"Well, I really don't socialize that much." She honestly answered and lowered her gaze, but saw in her peripheral view that the lady nodded as if she understood her.

"That's fine. Am I the first friend you've made in college?" Her eyes snapped back to hers, and she was left for words.

Friend?

"Would you like to be my friend?" Naeun wasn't sure i