**

It had been a week since Chaeyoon’s transfer to the high school. Since the school or well- the town itself rarely had newcomers moving in. ‘They often move out to the city’, the head village told her parents; she and her family were well-known. Rumors spread fast, don’t they?

Everything was new to her, new house, neighbour, new school, new friends; hopefully. Her parents were wary about that. They were aware about their only child who was not much of a social butterfly. She was not bullied so far, thankfully but they hoped she owned peers of her own, other than her cousins.

Students were running all over the place, a norm when the first bell of the day rang.

Chaeyoon was picking up some books for her next classes when it rang. She was about to turn her heels when someone bumped square into her shoulder, her books dropped in process.

“Oh my god sorry I can’t stop I’m sorry bye!” the voice was getting further as Chaeyoon raised her head, the culprit was running and she was waving at her?

“I’m rushing! Sorry” she chirped again and was then gone from her sight.

A few boys soon rushed running too, looking like some of them were trying to close their gap with the upfront chaser. Are they playing tag? Chaeyoon could only shake his head. Boys will be boys, with a tomboy girl? absentmindedly curved upwards. Cute.

Chaeyoon was deep in her thoughts when she felt a hand tapping her, “Excuse me, you dropped these”

Startled, Chaeyoon took a step back, resulting in crashing into someone behind her. Balance was not her forte as she slipped, her eyes tightly closed, embarrassing the cold hard floor.

Her fall was being halt, she realised. Her eyes fluttered open when she saw a pair of arms wrapping her waist. Red shades were painted across her face. What a conventional way to give first impressions, she mentally face-palmed herself.

Chaeyoon jolted upwards, wriggling from the boy’s hold, knocking her head with another boy.

Can this day get any worse? She mentally grumbled, blowing her fringes to soothe the pain.

“Hey, you’re the new kid!” the voice belonged to the person who tapped her earlier, she was still conscious enough to recognise the voice, pointing his index finger directly to her face, while rubbing his aching forehead, still hissing in pain.

She had been immune to the ‘new kid’ nickname; they were too frequent, coming from others mouth, even the teachers. For a change, she wished they could start calling her with her name; her parents gave her the name ‘Chaeyoon’ for a reason- to be called with. Anyway, she brushed it off and flashed her signature smile.

Chaeyoon bowed multiple times before sprinting away in shame. She had done enough damage for today; she did not want to make anything worse.

“Myungsoo, enough!”

Woohyun managed to jerk Myungsoo’s arm after several attempts on catching up to him. He pulled the latter down, sprawling on grass, somewhere around the school field, panting hard. Sunggyu and Dongwoo reached them just seconds too late, huffing with their hands clasped on their knees. Pants and grunts filled the air until Sunggyu complained,

“Why are we always the ones to save that brat when she’s in trouble?!” as he lay him head on Woohyun’s stomach, earning a few groans from the moving he made.

“Because”, Dongwoo reasoned, “she’d be beaten into a pulp if Myungsoo caught her”, copying Sunggyu’s actions, using Myungsoo’s abdomen as his pillow.

“I hate Choi Hyemi” Myungsoo rolled over, avoiding Dongwoo’s head drop “And that’s for making me lose her for the umpteenth time”