“Wake up Dahee. Miso.”

Jiyeon tried her best to wake up the two girls who shared a room. Finding them tucked in their blankets and ignoring the loud girl who dare interrupt their sleep.

“Don’t make me get the spray.” Miso got up at the mention of the spray. The dreadful spray that Jiyeon used to wake the girls up. Only filled with water.

“Dahee ?”

Jiyeon uncovered Dahee, she scrambled around the bed until she felt the cold wind touch her. Her eyes opening up slowly.

“Wake up, little sister. Today’s the first day.” Jiyeon petted Dahee’s hair before leaving the room. The wall mirror that was beside her bed reflected her sleepy image.

______

“Bye Jiyeon, Zinni umma !”  

Miso jumped around before heading to the door, where their school shoes were placed. Miso wore them with a smile on her face as Dahee dreadfully placed them on.

Both the girls were of different personalities and clearly their thoughts about the first day of school were opposite. Miso was ready to go back and meet new friends like she did every year. Dahee on the other hand walked with Miso, still not use to the busy streets of Seoul. At the cross light Miso grabbed onto Dahee’s arm tightly.

“Unni, aren’t you excited ?”

Miso’s head tilted to the side looking for a reaction in her sister. A simple shrug.

“It’s just school. It’s not like we want to study all our lives.” Dahee’s serious gaze sent Miso into deep confusion, deciding if it was either a serious comment or a funny one.

“Kidding.”

Dahee said before the green light of the cross walk light.

“Let’s go.”

Dahee and Miso walked together until they reached the outskirts of the school. The school  was much bigger than Dahee imagined it be.

“Oh ! Chaejin. Hayoung !”

Miso waved frantically at her classmates she had last year. Dahee felt the empty presence when Miso ditched her for her friends.

As she was about to take a step into the gates someone bumped into her. Earning a glare at the person who bumped into her.

“Hey, i’m sorry. Are you okay ?” Dahee looked away as if not hearing anything and walked into the building.

“Who is she ?” One of Jin’s friends said as he looked after the girl who passed right in front of him.

“I’m not sure but I don’t think she heard me.” Jin mumbled to himself before seeing Dahee disappear into the school. Before leaving his sight from the strange girl, he shrugged it off.

_________

Dahee entered her destinated classroom that was written on her schedule. Inside were busy, noisy kids that were hugging and laughing all together. The first day of school should have been like that for any student with a social life as Dahee's classmates but unlike Dahee, she wasn't  fond of talking. Instead of spending her days studying or meeting up friends she preferred to sleep and practice song writing.

Of course Dahee was already smart. She was born naturally smart and only hearing a lesson once was all she needed to pass any test. But, just like her father, she was born unsocial. Having lived with her father since a child was all she was use to, but when that no longer existed, Dahee was left alone to her real mother. The mother that had left her as a baby for the care of her father. Dahee didn’t know anything about her real biological mother at all, only knowing that she had two other daughters. Jinhee, always mentioned as Zinni, was the oldest, apparently she was once the second mother to Dahee but after being detached she lost all hopes in seeing her because of her mothers impulsive action of abandoning them. Jiyeon, the second oldest, not even aware that she had a sister which was kept a secret. The youngest, the product of cheating, misfortune, and betrayal as Dahee pictured it. Because of her mother being pregnant and falling in love with another man even when she was married with her father. Eventually leaving her and her father by themselves. After her fathers death. It was a big impact on Dahee and since then she had to start a new life in Seoul rather than staying in Ilsan. Her mother taking her in, despite being a complete stranger to her.  

All this was new to her. The new school. The new sisters she slowly started to get to know. The new city. New mother. Most importantly the new life she had to live by herself.

She found a seat at the back of the classroom. She didn't mind the stares she got from the people around her.

"Everyone to their seats. Your homeroom teacher should be here in 5 minutes." A lady in her late 30's announced as the students settled down in their seats. All the seats seemed to be full. Luckily, since no one knew Dahee, no one dared to sit next to her.

A man who looked to be in his early 20's entered the door in the classroom and all the students hung their mouths open at the way the homeroom teacher appeared to everyone.

Dahee who wasn’t paying attention at all stared out the window. Slowly losing herself to where she thought back to the summers she spent with her father. Even without talking she felt like he was communicating with sharing his favorite books with him at a park nearby. They spent hours without stop reading books and sharing to each other their ideas. Just like the autumn that was outside the classroom, she would remember her father dropping her off at the entrance of the school. A kiss on the forehead and a stare that said a million words of care. She would leave and be welcomed back again by him. Those were the days she spent as a child.

“Eun Byul ?”

“Here.”

“Chan Su ?”

“Here.”

“Dahee ?” The teacher looked around for a reaction in a student.

“Dahee ?” With the mention of her name Dahee turned to the owner of the face.

“You must be Dahee ?” The teacher said nicely before smiling warmly at her. Without a word of acceptance he continued going down the list of students.

__________

Lunch break came, rather than going out to eat Dahee stayed in her class. She looked out the window as students walked and chatted. She even saw her half-blood sister pass by with her friends at the concourse. How Dahee envied her social skills. Of course it didn’t mean she hated her own sister but rather wished she was something like her.

“Is this how you’re planning on staying all day ?” Dahee turned be faced with a young guy. Probably the same age as her but she didn’t seem interested as she turned to face the window once again.

“I’m V, if you’re wondering who I am.” Dahee ignored him, hoping to get him to leave.

He didn’. Earlier his homeroom teacher had asked him to take Dahee around the school. Which he gladly accepted knowing that Dahee was a new girl in school. Someone he could get close to. Very. Close.

V, Taehyung, was the most charming boy that roamed the school. Of course he was one of the seven that were his friends. Unlike the others, he was the one who had girls hang on to him, he could easily get a girl according to people and he was smooth at getting them. Not to just date but to work his magic of a man. He would use girls he liked and want, rather than take any girl serious. Since of course his father was like that. A professional photographer who was single, yet his profession let him get closer to models and attractive women. Since young, V, had learned from his father that no woman would give him the time of day because eventually they would leave and never come back. That showing your face of a weak man was like giving them the power to dominate them, letting them know that you can’t live without them.

That’s how V was raised. That’s why whenever he smooth talked to girls he always found them disgusting after doing what he usually did, a one use rule to him. One girl. One time. Never again.

“Well, for a senior you look young.” Commented V as he found himself standing in front of Dahee’s desk.

Dahee continued to look out the window, obviously not knowing that the boy was still there. So deep into her own thoughts.

“Are you planning on looking outside the window or...would you like to go..somewhere else.” He slowly placed his hand on top of Dahee’s. Her reaction was quick though, a quick second before she pulled away. Causing her to get up with a serious glare on her face and turning to leave the classroom. She pulled out her schedule, only 3 different places she had to figure out, her classroom, her gym room, and her music room. She walked around school and of course she saw how many new faces to he, starred as she walked.

She reached the music room, no one was in there as Dahee hoped. She entered and all around were smaller classrooms for independent practice. She passed by them and she found one that was open. She looked around to see if anybody was around to use it. She almost smiled when she pressed the first key, since she moved from Ilsan to Seoul it had been a while since she had played. Who she learned it from, her father. The same father who taught her how to sing. And she played, she played the keys of a tune. Smiling as she remembered her father once more beside her. She played the one song she always heard her father sing.

She could imagine her father right beside her as she sang, still wearing the hospital gown as they sang together. She felt proud, how her father would appear in a time she felt the most loneliness. A new school, a new family, but without the comfort of her father that was once with her. As she sang she cursed at herself for her father leaving. When she hit the last key she could see that the person beside her, was no longer there. A deep sigh left her, she grabbed her bag and he left the practice room, she wondered if she’d be able to go back to that same place.

And all the while she left, someone came from outside another room next door. As he on the popsicle he had. He watched as Dahee left, her expression back to that serious look that could intimidate anybody.

“New girl has talent.” He smirked as he resumed to on his popsicle, the bell rang, an indication of classes starting

____________________________

Updated. I wrote this foreword a long time ago but i'll update slowly, little-by-little.