Kim Hae Rin walked up to her homeroom class, sighing wistfully as she tied up her messy brown hair into a tight ponytail, not caring if it was not neat.

School again, she thought with a groan, holding tightly onto her blue plastic folder while entering the homeroom at the same time, only to see the class buzzing with students chatting excitedly, telling each other what they did during the summer holidays. I hope there are new students to hang with this year. Omo, I am so excited! Only three weeks until the skate competition!

She scanned the classroom for a particular person and walked over to her when she had spotted who she was looking for. She then sat down next to her best friend, Park Boo Yee, on a wooden desk. “Annyeonghasaeyo, Boo Yee ah,” she said cheerfully, beaming at her. “How was your winter vacation?”

Boo Yee turned and smiled brightly at her, stashing away the white comb she always used to comb her pretty, silky jet-black hair. “Oh, it was daebak!” she gushed enthusiastically, giving her a thumbs-up to show her enthusiasm. “My family and I went to Yongpyeong again, like always. What did you do during the winter vacation?”

Hae Rin just shrugged in a casual manner. “Oh, the usual,” she replied nonchalantly, waving her hand like she didn’t care, and she didn’t, really. “Snowboarding, and hanging out with the guys. Just the same old, same old, nothing unusual,” she added with a smile.

Boo Yee rolled her eyes at such adventurous and so-like-Hae-Rinactivity but she was smiling. It was obvious, she should have known. In fact, she wasn’t surprise. Hae Rin was the typical tomboyish girl she’s ever met. It’s a wonder how they were best friends.

Speaking of which . . .

“Are you going to the annual homecoming this year?” she asked.

Hae Rin immediately made a face at the mentioned word ‘homecoming’. “Shireo,” she declared with firm determination as she took her book out from her bag. “You know, they go all . . . formal . . . there. Not my kind of style and you know that, Boo Yee. Nuh-uh.” She held her hands up, crossing it to make an X to send the message across clear.

But her best friend frowned. “Aww, come on,” she pleaded, pouting. “I do not want to go alone. Please?”

“Aish, mollayo,” Hae Rin answered, but she was wavering at her friend’s aegyo. “It’s not my kind of thing and you know it. . . .”

“How bad could it be? It’s just for one night.,” she pointed out. She could tell that Hae Rin was weakening. Just a little bit more . . .

Just then their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Jang, walked in the classroom and the whole room fell hushed. When she was sure the class was quiet as a mouse, she went on to announcing, “Okay, class, we have a new student today.”

“Awesome,” the two best friends murmured under their breath. For years, they had never had a new student. They were finally able to meet someone new instead of spending

“Please welcome Kim Kibum.”

And Kim Kibum entered the room, smiling his signature smile with a little wave, and saying, “Uh, annyeonghasaeyo, Kim Kibum imnida. But you can call me Key.” He flashed the class a winning smile. “I hope you’ll take care of me while I’m here.”

“Omo, he’s so cute!” three girls from the back row cried.

One of them even fainted.

Mrs. Jang sighed at that. “Okay, Mr. Kim, why don’t you take that seat beside Miss . . . uh, Kim?” she suggested, gesturing to the empty seat next to Hae Rin’s table.

Key shrugged and sauntered casually over to where Hae Rin was, unaware of the staring eyes that followed him. “Annyeonghasaeyo, I’m Key,” he said. He held out his hand.

“Kim Hae Rin,” Hae Rin replied, smiling at Key. “No need for the honorifics.” She shook his hand before turning to Boo Yee. “And this is my best friend, Park Boo Yee.”

“Hi,” Boo Yee said. She smiled warmly at the new kid in school. She knew what he felt. She was the new kid not so long ago herself and if it weren’t for Hae Rin, she’d still be friendless.

“Hi.” Key nodded, deciding that these two girls were different from the others.

Mrs. Jang put three textbooks in front of Key. “Mr. Kim, these are your textbooks. Since you’ve met Miss Kim, she’ll help you catch up with us,” she said sternly.

“Neh . . . Jang seongsaeng-nim,” Key replied, a bit startled by her sort of hostility.

Mrs. Jang turned to Hae Rin with a stern look. “Miss Kim, you are in charge of Mr. Kim, all right?”

“Neh, seongsaeng-nim.”

“This means for you to stay at lunch and help him,” the teacher continued.

Surprised flittered across Hae Rin’s pretty face but she nodded. “Oh . . . uh, neh,” she replied a little slowly. “I guess I can.”

“Good to hear that.” Mrs. Jang went back up. “Now, class, open your science book to page fifteen . . .” she said to the class.

After class, Key got up and turned to Hae Rin apologetically. “You really don’t have to stay in for lunch,” he began to say. “You can just show me what to do, and then I’ll just do it.”

Hae Rin smiled. Kim Kibum sure is a polite and friendly person. “It’s okay,” she replied to the new student. “I can stay in with you.”

Just then a guy came up to them, a skateboard under his arms. “Hey, Hae Rin, you comin’ out at lunch?” he asked Hae Rin. “We’re all gonna show our skate tricks!”

Hae Rin laughed a friendly laugh. “No thanks, man,” she replied, waving her hand. “I’d rather wait ‘till the skate competition to show my moves.”

“Okay, later!” He went down to the hall and disappeared.

Key watched her in amazement. “You skate?” he asked in awed.

Hae Rin shrugged and nodded. “I know,” she said admittedly with a sheepish smile and rubbed her hand behind her neck, “I’m not your average girl.”

“You got that right,” Key replied, chuckling.

“Okay, so what’s your next class?”

He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “Uh, well, I’ve got chemistry then two periods of P.E.,” he replied, frowning thoughtfully.

She studied the paper. “Lucky you,” she replied, smiling. “We have the same classes.”

Boo Yee came out of the classroom later. “Hey, what’s your next class?” she asked Hae Rin.

“Chemistry,” Hae Rin replied, ruffling through her schedule. “You?”

She gave a small, almost sheepish, laugh. “I’ve got history honors class next.” She sounded almost proud, and really excited.

Hae Rin grinned and turned to Key. “You see, Boo Yee here is into history,” she explained. “Like, really into them. She could be a professor, in fact.”

Boo Yee made a face.

He nodded. “Ah.”

Boo Yee looked at her watch and she bit her lip as she read the time. “Oooh gotta go! Hey, Key-sshi, sit with us at lunch, okay?” she said with a friendly smile.

He grinned at sheepishly. “I can’t,” he replied, scratching the back of his head. “Hae Rin is helping me with homework. . . . Oh, and just call me Key.”

“Oh, okay.” Boo Yee waved. “Later!”

He turned to Hae Rin the moment Boo Yee was out of sight. “So, where’s the chemistry lab?”

“Right this way,” she said, walking down the hall with Key right behind her. She looked back over her shoulders. “And welcome to my school.”

He nodded. “I think I’m going to like it here,” he replied.

Boo Yee was running up the stairs. “Why does my classroom have to be on the second floor?” she groaned. Her hair was getting messy and soon she’d have to comb out the tangles. She was not vain, but she does not like it when her hair is frizzy.

Choi Minho was walking down the hall with his posse. “So yeah, I did date Seohyun, but then we broke up,” he was saying. “She was too clingy. And that Siwon dude stole the spotlight.”

Just at that moment, Boo Yee accidentally bumped into one of Minho’s friends. “Mianhaeyo,” was her automatically response.

“Hey, it’s my fault, Boo Yee,” he replied. “I’m really sorry.”

Minho looked at her with interest. “So you’re Boo Yee?”

Boo Yee turned to him, wondering he meant by that. “Uh, yeah, I am. And you’re Choi Minho, right?” she asked back. Omo, the kingka of the school knows my name?!

He nodded. “Nice to finally meet you,” he said, smiling.

Boo Yee didn’t have time to think about what he’d just said. She was in a rush. “Well, I gotta go. Annyeong!” As she run off, the only thing in her mind was Omo, he’s so cute! She reached the classroom and sat down, out of breath.

“Well, you’re a minute late,” Yoona, her seat-mate, commented, arching an eyebrow at her. As far as she was concerned, Boo Yee was never late to anything history-related.

“I ran into your best friend,” she replied a little breathlessly, shrugging.

“You mean Minho . . . right?”

She nodded, taking a sip from her water bottle. Deng, was she exhausted from the running. But it felt good as well. “Neh . . . did you meet the new guy?”

“You mean Key?” Yoona asked. When Boo Yee nodded, she went on, “We met at SM set last year. He told me he was moving here.”

Boo Yee slapped her forehead, recalling. “Oh yeah; I forgot you train at SM too.” She grinned. “Well, I think he likes Hae Rin.”

“Yeah, but he’s got a girlfriend. Jessica . . . or was it Tiffany?”

“Oh. Well, he’s getting real well with Hae Rin.” Boo Yee smiled at that.

“Hey, random question,” her friend suddenly spoke up. “Do you like Minho?”

Boo Yee was confused. Why was Yoona suddenly asking her this question? “Well . . . I only met him today, briefly.” She smiled shyly. “But I can say is he’s cute.”

Yoona laughed heartily as she took out her cell phone because she got a message. Her eyes lit up. “Check your cell for me,” she said eagerly.

Boo Yee pulled out her phone from her pocket and saw ‘New Message’ written on the screen. “Did you send me something?” she asked.

“Just open it and read,” she urged.

She opened the message. “Who’s this?”

“Oh, it’s Minho,” Yoona replied, trying to hide a smile. “I gave him your number. Waeyo? What did he say?” she asked Boo Yee innocently.

“He just asked me out,” she replied slowly.

“Reply!”

“Already did.”

“And??” Yoona pressed, leaning toward her.

Boo Yee sighed. “Unnie, you know my parents and Hae Rin’s parents have a rule on dating,” she told her friend. “We’re both not allowed to date until we’re sixteen. So I said no.”

Her face fell as she rememebred. “Oh. I forgot. Can I tell him that?” Yoona asked her.

She shrugged. “Okay, I guess.” In truth, she was sad to have to say no to him.

Soon, their history teacher, Mrs. Kwon entered, saying, “Okay, class. Open your books to page two hundred and thirteen.”

At lunch, Key and Hae Rin were at the library, getting ready to study. “Are you buying your lunch from the canteen or you got homemade?” she asked.

“Homemade,” Key replied, holding his food up. “I made bulbogi for myself today.”

“Bulbogi? Omo, I haven’t tasted one in years!”

“I’ve got enough to feed a football team,” Key offered. “Wanna share?”

“Sure. Why don’t you go get a table and start? I’ll just get my lunch.”

“Okay,” Key replied and went off to look for a table.

Hae Rin went to the office to pick up her food before coming back to sit beside Key, who was bent over a table, books sprawled open and everywhere. “Okay, so what are you doing now?”

“History . . . hey, question. Can we eat in here?”

“Yeah,” she replied at once, “but you have to be a library member to have those privileges.”

“Can I be one?” He paused. “Wait, are you one?”

Hae Rin nodded at that, laughing a bit. “Don’t tell my skate mates but yeah I am. I love reading. So, you want a card?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“Okay, so why don’t I help you with this first, then after we go get you an application form?”

“Good idea. So, history?”

“Well, you better be ready to do six chapters by tomorrow,” she told him.

Key sighed. “I’ll be ready . . . if you help.” He gave a small smile.

“Deal. Okay, so, Chapter One: Medieval Times . . .” she said.

After school, Boo Yee was still sad. So the cutest and popular guy in school just asked me out and I’m the first girl to ever reject him. Well, I’ve got a good reason.

“Hey,” Minho’s voice called from behind and she turned, snapping out of her thoughts and into reality. Could he be any more gorgeous, standing in front of her? “So, Yoona told me.”

And . . . that reminded her of how pathetic she was.

“Neh, I’m really sorry,” she replied ruefully. She looked at him, wondering why he would bother coming up to her. “So, what brings you here?”

“Well, I was wondering if you wanna go get some ice-cream,” Minho asked her out shamelessly. “Then I’ll walk you home. . . .”

Boo Yee nodded, liking the idea. “Sure. But could I bring my friends Key and Hae Rin?”

“Sure.”

She saw her friends walking out of the school doors. “Key, Hae Rin!” she called. “Over here! You guys!”

They ran up to them.

“Hey, what’s up?” Hae Rin greeted.

“You two wanna join us for ice-cream?”

“I can’t,” Hae Rin automatic replied and Boo Yee tried to her hide disappointment. “I gotta help Key finish his six chapters for history and chemistry.”

Key smiled a little sheepishly. “Yeah, I really have to catch up. Why don’t we hang at my house and do a little study group instead?”

“I’m cool,” Boo Yee replied. “Minho-sshi?”

“All right.”

“I’ll just call my chauffer,” Key said, pulling out his Blackberry. He called his chauffer, and then put the phone back in his pocket. “He should be here soon.”

Minho turned to Key with interest. “So, you’re the Kim Kibum. I heard you’re in SM right now,” he said. “I will be joining there soon. Man, how will you deal with all the girls?”

Key shrugged. “How will you deal?”

“Yeah, it’ll be tough. So many girls will be after us.” He rolled his eyes. “Minus the two present.”

“Obviously,” Boo Yee said with a smirk.

“I have my good, trusty ol ‘brothers’,” Key replied, grinning.

Hae Rin turned to join in. “Oh yeah, don’t you have, like, two other friends who are tight with you? Where are they?” she asked with curiosity.

“Onew hyung and Taemin are gonna transfer to this school tomorrow.” Key shrugged.

“So,” Boo Yee spoke up, “Key, how come you decided to start normal schooling?”

“Well, it is the only school available for me. The other schools are all full. But, I’m not complaining. I already have great friends.”

Everyone smiled at that.

“Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer,

Do you know you’re unlike any other?

You’ll always be my thunder, and I said

Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors

I don’t wanna ever love another

You’ll always be my thunder

So bring on the rain

And bring on the thunder”

Hae Rin pulled out her cell phone. “Mianhae. . . . Yeobosaeyo?” she answered.