He thought she was invincible.

As usual, Da Eun woke up with the sun shining on her through the curtains. She would always wake up on her right side and quickly use her arm to shield her eyes from the blazing sun. She would then turn the other way and stare at the bed sheet for a while. Afterwards, she would finally get up and drag herself to the bathroom across the hallway.

Breakfast, as was every other meal, was lonely and quiet. Da Eun would take this time to watch the news, learning about the moving world around her. That morning, the news revolved around a bombing that took place during a marathon. The horrendous pictures and videos flashed before Da Eun’s eyes causing Da Eun to feel sick.

She gave up on her breakfast and threw the left over toast away. She went upstairs and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Today, she was going to see her exam results. She would find out whether she had maintained her average and position in the school.

So Da Eun got in her car and drove to the University campus. She held her chin up high as she walked across the grassy field. She pushed her way through the crowd and found herself in front a large bulletin board that showed the results of the exams. Da Eun took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She opened her previously closed eyes and scanned through the black and white lists of names. She chanted her last name in her mind before landing on a slew of Lee’s. Her eyes followed the list from the start and stopped when she saw her name. Lee Da Eun.

With her heart racing, she placed her index finger on her name. Then, she slid it to the right to see the scores of her exams. And when she saw the scores she got on her exams, her heart stopped. Her lips parted slightly and stayed that way as she stared at the score and soon after, her school ranking.

She always thought that in a moment like this, she wouldn’t be able to hear anything. She thought the world would detach itself from her and all she would hear is the pumping of her heart. She thought she would feel frozen in a sea of people that were still in movement just like her.

But that was not the case. Da Eun was surrounded by noise and she could hear ever y single comment made. They all knew. Every one of them knew what grade Da Eun got on her exams.

But what everyone seemed to be more excited about was the new position she held in the rankings. Da Eun had always been third in her faculty. Above her were two boys who dedicated their lives for studying. She had at least a little bit of a social life so she figured she would always be under the two.

But her position dropped and that was what bothered her. She dropped below Choi Miyoung. She dropped below the girl who she had an undeclared competition with since high school. Choi Miyoung finally won. It was unfair, thought Da Eun.

Da Eun finally turned around and walked away from the darn bulletin board. But when she met faces with the source of her anguish, she wished she was still in front it. At least that way all she needed to do was stare at the truth and not face it.

“Did you see the scores?” Miyoung asked with the nastiest smile plastered on her face.

Da Eun put on a smile, “Yea.”

Miyoung raised an eyebrow, “You don’t seem disturbed by it.”

Da Eun let out a small laugh, “Why would I be? You beat me. Congrats.”

“I like the sound of that. I did beat you, Lee Da Eun,” Miyoung stepped forward, staring Da Eun in the eye.

The two stared at each other for a while before Da Eun broke the eye contact. She looked to the side at the crowd staring at the two. Everyone she made eye-contact with immediately looked away. It was as if they were afraid she would explode on them at any moment.

Da Eun turned her attention back to Miyoung, “You’re right. But remember the way you beat me, Choi Miyoung.”

Da Eun walked away from the crowd of nosy students and a proud Miyoung. She bit her lip in the process, cutting it open. When she tasted the blood, she cursed at herself before searching through her bag of limited items for a tissue. When she didn’t find one, she let out a frustrated sigh.

 “Here,” A deep, clear voice said.

Da Eun looked up to see someone with sunglasses on, handing her a napkin. She took it graciously while smiling a bit.

“Thank you,” She dabbed the tissue on her lip.

“No problem,” He said before walking away.

Da Eun turned around and watched the backside of the man. Then, she turned around again and found her way across the school campus. When she got to the pa