CHAPTER ONE

Even with all the screaming, Eunjeong could not get up. She couldn't even pry open her eyes, let alone get out of bed. And why should she? Why should she force herself from her warm, welcoming pile of blankets into the cold, cruel world beyond?

“Get ready for your first day of school!”

Oh. That was why.

Her aunt silenced the screeching alarm clock with enough force to make Eunjeong wince. Without giving her any time to react, her aunt yanked the cocoon of blankets away. Eunjeong blinked out the glare of the sun, which was rivalled only by her aunt’s irritated gaze.

Her aunt’s neatly-trimmed eyebrows morphed into a scowl. “Do you want to be late for school? On your first day, no less?”

“Since when does it matter what I want?” she grumbled.

Instead of responding to her niece’s spiteful words, the woman hissed, “Get moving. Now.”

A shudder overtook Eunjeong's body, but whether it was due to the temperature or her aunt's glower, she didn't know. Reluctantly, she rolled out of bed with a grunt. She dragged her lethargic body to the bathroom, shivering the entire way.

She stared at the mirror, barely recognising the person that peered back at her. Upon arriving in Seoul, she immediately knew she stuck out like a sore thumb. With her long, wavy hair and tan skin, she was the perfect poster child for a tourist visiting South Korea.

Her aunt had noticed it, too, and promptly whisked the disoriented teen into a beauty parlour. A new hairdo was forced onto her, providing her with a new set of bangs. They felt heavier than hair really should be, but at least they cloaked her eyebrows, which she always thought of as rather bushy and Neanderthal-like.

In fact, she mused as she ran a comb through her messy hair, the bangs weren't too bad. They certainly suited her face, placing emphasis on her large eyes (which was the only part of her body she actually liked). Not too bad at all, though she would never admit it aloud, lest her aunt overhear.

Even when she was fully clothed and ready, her aunt had much to complain about. Oh well. It didn't matter, anyway; Eunjeong’d be gone in a few months, if not weeks.

While she munched on her toast, Eunjeong blocked out the screeching without much difficulty. Korean wasn't her first language, so her aunt's words harmlessly bounced off of her ears like pebbles against a brick wall.

The banshee paused in her tirade to note that they were going to be late. Turning to the clock to confirm her aunt's declaration, Eunjeong almost spat out her breakfast. It was a quarter to seven! In the morning.

With a knotted stomach, Eunjeong hastened to follow her aunt into the car, upon which the former would be dropped off to—ugh—school while the latter would continue on her way to work.

Eunjeong's face must have betrayed her anxiety, for her aunt tossed a few glances. “Nervous?” she grunted, the lull in traffic allowing her to speak.

Eunjeong merely nodded. Thank goodness she didn’t drink anything this morning, otherwise her food would be sloshing around in her stomach and then she'd probably end up throwing up in front of everyone and her first impression would be ruined and she'd be labelled as Barf Girl and—

“Don't worry,” her aunt said dismissively, unknowingly interrupting her downward spiral. “You'll be fine.”

“Easy for you to say,” Eunjeong muttered. Sighing, she forced herself to loosen her tense shoulders and her deathly grip on her seatbelt. It’s okay, she reassured herself weakly. Just play it cool, and none will be the wiser. Her nerves laid to rest, Eunjeong reclined in her seat, closing her eyes and blocking out the entire world.

Too soon did her aunt stop the car for good and usher her out. Eunjeong found herself (half-heartedly) reciprocating her aunt's good-bye. She forced one foot before the other and entered what could only be considered a slightly milder form of imprisonment.

Eunjeong glanced at the sign plastered on the school gate. Gaudy gold letters screamed “Cheongdam High” followed by smaller print that most likely boasted the school's reputable history. Oddly enough, there were only a handful of students congregating towards the gargantuan building that would temporarily serve as their second home. The first bell was to ring in approximately two minutes, and she had expected there to be at least thirty or so people rushing off to class, not two or three. It was…weird.

She shook her head to disperse any and all nauseating thoughts clouding her mind. She couldn’t afford to focus on irrelevant—and, more importantly, distressing—notions, so she chose to gaze at the overcast sky instead as she covered the short distance to the main building.

So intent was she in cancelling out the entire world, she almost walked into somebody. Well, more accurately, she almost walked onto them. In fact, if the figure on the ground hadn't shot up suddenly, she would have done just that.

“Sorry,” Eunjeong said automatically. “I didn't see you.”

The boy(?) stared at her uncertainly, as if she was some alien. Only then did she realise that her apology had been uttered in English, and the boy—she was sure of it this time; he was wearing the standard school slacks—was so painfully, obviously Korean.

With a rightful blush, Eunjeong hastily attempted to divert attention from her slip-up. She went to grab his bag and books, which had burst from their confines, probably due to his fall. Before she could lay her hands on a single book, however, a foot came crashing down, almost catching her fingers. Scowling, she retracted her hand and glared up at the assailant.

Eunjeong came face-to-face with two gruesome leers. Disgusted, she stepped back to distance herself from the owners of such hideous expressions. They were clearly older than her, perhaps third-years, and were both bereft of the mandatory neck-tie and school shoes. With their slumping postures and the casual way they tossed their bags over shoulders, it was clear they weren’t exactly star students.

Other than a dismissive glance, neither of the delinquents paid her any mind. Eunjeong saw red. Before she could retaliate, however, the two punks strode away, but not before tossing a sneer at the boy seemingly anchored to the ground.

The burning flush ading Eunjeong's neck and cheeks died away as she inhaled several calming breaths. She collected the scattered books. Thankfully, there were no interruptions this time, and Eunjeong reached for the last notebook with satisfaction.

The boy seemed to have emerged from his stupor, for he also moved to grab the stray book. They both reached the item in question at the same time, and though their hands weren't touching, it was a close call. Apprehensively, Eunjeong glanced at the boy, and he unwittingly mirrored her action.

They froze, each staring into the others' surprised eyes. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Eunjeong could hear romantic orchestral music playing. She huffed in amusement, both at her ridiculous thoughts and at the intensely uncomfortable situation.

That seemed to destroy the tension. The boy grabbed his bag while Eunjeong returned his belongings.

“Thank you,” he murmured, his eyes glued to his shoes.

Smiling, Eunjeong said a casual (and Korean), “No problem.” She suppressed a wince at her painfully obvious accent.

With an unspoken agreement, they resumed their walk towards the main building. The boy trailed behind, but Eunjeong slowed her pace to match his. He raised his eyes fleetingly when she did so, and bit his lip uncertainly.

Upon reaching the school building, Eunjeong pulled the door open, allowing the boy to head in before her. The chirps of the birds and the roar of the passing cars were replaced by the cacophony of chatter of the students and the unmistakable scraping of pens and chairs.

Frowning, Eunjeong whipped out her phone to check the time. 6:58 on the dot. Class was due to start in two minutes, so why did it seem as if they were halfway through the day already?

Still, there were a few stray students lingering in the hallways. However, Eunjeong's relief was short-lived, as they all glanced up the moment she entered. Was it her, or did they stare at the boy too? She was a new student, so her stares were understandable, but him? He was so…plain, so ordinary – if a little scrawny. Yet those punks had targeted the boy, and Eunjeong was now completely sure they were the ones who caused his fall in the first place.

Her first day had barely begun and Eunjeong was already starting to despise it all.

If possible, the boy's head stooped even lower. He scampered away from the burning stares of the students, and Eunjeong followed, though at a calmer pace. Her face was purposely blank.

She figured the boy belonged to class 1-C, and her suspicions were proven correct. At least he saved her the trouble of finding her classroom. Eunjeong supposed she was relieved to be acquainted with one of her classmates already, but the dam known as apprehension halted the flow of all possible joy from flooding her body.

Head still bowed, the boy scurried off into the compact classroom. All eyes instantly zeroed in on him, and their momentary distraction allowed Eunjeong to slip back outside. The thought of all those faces peering intently at her sent her heart aflutter.

She could barely hear the shrill scream of the bell over her thundering heart, and it was only after someone coughed politely did Eunjeong remember her place. Upon whipping around, she found herself staring at what was possibly the most attractive teacher she had ever encountered.

The teacher smiled warmly. “You're the new student, correct?”

Eunjeong could only nod dumbly in response.

“Let's get you integrated, then, shall we?” Eyes twinkling in amusement (Eunjeong was sure it was at her expense), her home-room teacher led her to her doom.

Posture rigid, Eunjeong fixated her gaze onto her teacher's back, determined not to reveal any vulnerability to the carnivores sitting before her. Their glares seared her body with the intensity of a volcano, the sun, and the fires of Hell itself. Despite it all, though, Eunjeong was proud to note that her face remained expressionless.

“This is the new student from Australia,” he said without preamble. Her teacher didn't beat around the bush, which Eunjeong appreciated immensely. If her discomfort was dragged out any longer, she'd probably snap. “Treat her well.”

“Yes,” called the students, a tad dully. At least their enthusiasm was mutual.

As instructed by her aunt beforehand, Eunjeong bowed deeply (perhaps too much so?) and said in the calmest voice she could muster, “My name is Cho Eunjeong. I'll be in your care.” Though hopefully not for long.

The smirks and sniggers that sprung up due to her obvious accent jostled Eunjeong's mask. Irritation flooded her system, and she glowered in the general direction of the perpetrators. At her sudden scowl, all noise ceased, and the teacher—with his opportune timing, as per usual—directed Eunjeong to her desk.

Her glared lessened immediately at the sight of her neighbour. It was the boy.

He stared at her with unmitigated surprise, and Eunjeong inwardly reciprocated his dumbfounded stupor. Resuming her blank expression, she headed to the only available seat, quite aware of the displeasure radiating from her classmates, and she had a sneaking suspicion as to why.

Still, she pointedly ignored their evident ire, and flashed a small smile at the nervous boy beside her. Hesitantly, the corners of his lips twitched upwards, but disappeared almost immediately.

Eunjeong's heart went out to the boy. She knew from first-hand experience that harassment was never a pleasant experience. As time progressed and the glares gradually decreased, she silently promised to rescue the boy from the deep sea of despair he was currently immersed in.

And though she didn’t know it at the time, he would, in turn, help her.