“… so remember to take these during lunch times, don’t forget to take these too…”

The black haired woman went to dive into her bag again. Hani rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her mother’s arm to stop her. She took out a little container filled with pills of every shape and color.

“I’ve got them here omma, I’m perfectly ready for school.”

She looked at her daughter teary eyed, Hani rolled her eyes and reached out for her mother.

“It’s just that my baby’s going to school, I’m so used to you being at home and all, who am I supposed to make snacks for? Who is going to taste my food? Who is going to tell me that my cake is burning?” she whined.

“There, there, always try to follow the recipes okay, never experiment, at least not on your own,” she pulled her mom from her hug.

“And please don’t try and burn down the house,” Hani added gravely.

“I can’t be sure, why don’t you stay for the day and look after me?”

Hani released her mom and rolled her eyes again. Look after her as if she was the sick one in the situation.

“Okay, okay, but just remember okay, any discomfort and I’ll be speed dial number 2 okay?”

“Arasu omma, I’m really going now okay?”

Hani hopped down from the car and watched her mother pull away rather reluctantly from the gates. The car moved in a slower pace than how she liked it to be. She waved her hand again but the car slowly swerved around the curve as if the world suddenly went into slow motion. When it finally disappeared from view, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Hani turned around and looked at her new school. It was bigger than what she had been expected. She would never tell you but her heart was pounding so much that she was half tempted to get one of her medicines. It was odd for her to wake up so early, putting on a uniform and well just, going up with a purpose. Hani suffered from a rare con disorder that rendered her body susceptible to all kinds of trouble. There was no conclusive cure for her disorder, only that the symptoms can be managed one by one.

It suddenly appeared during middle school and ever since then she spent her life being homeschooled. She wanted to meet people, and by people she meant real life people who will stare or not give a damn about her. 

But the school looked really deserted.

“Guess I came too early…” Hani muttered to herself.

She shrugged, she was used to being alone anyway, a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt. Hani went through the school, it was actually really big. She had no idea where she was going actually, but she liked it, it felt like being on a secret adventure. She went through the classrooms and eventually came out to the school grounds. The small little trails widened up to the school yard which stretched on for miles.

“It’s so open!” She screamed, secretly pleased that she could scream instead of just watching her tone of voice so she wouldn’t disturb anyone.

Hani skipped through the trails when something caught the corner of her eyes. Something red. Or was it orange?

She skidded to a stop before following the out of place color. She was brought to a little corridor hovered by a little cute columns.

“What the-”

There was a figure on one of the benches. Her eyes went wide as she went a little closer, it looked like a student, well, he was wearing the school colors.

And he was sleeping.

She looked around.

“Is this normal?” She wondered.

“Excuse me,” she poked the body.

“Excuse mmmeeee…”

“…water…”

“Mwo?”

“…cold…”

She cocked her head at the student. She might not get out too often but she knew that sleeping outside in a day like this in Seoul was not normal. It was freezing in early mornings. Hani continued to stare at the student more, unsure of what to do.

She tried to shake him up again.

“…wwwaaatteerrrr…”

She gave a start.

“O-okay! Okay water, water, water, where the hell can I get water?” she went to and fro, how was she supposed to know where the water station was. She panicked for a while before realizing the boy went back to sleep or he probably never woke up in the first place.

“I was giving myself a heart attack for nothing,” she grumbled.

She rummaged through her back and pulled out the extra water bottle her mother gave her. Her back felt marginally lighter, much to her relief. She placed the water bottle right under the bench.

“There, if you want water so bad you should just wake up, sleeping in random places like these-” she grumbled and for good measure tried to shake the guy.

Instead, she got pulled into a lock.

The boy’s arms were locked around her neck as her body pressed onto his. Her eyes went as wide as saucers.

What the hell is this? This isn’t supposed to happen? Is he going to me? But I just started school!

She panicked as she pried his arms from around her, but they were locked around her good. And he was surprisingly strong for someone who was asleep. She struggled, ready to scream bloody murder when-

“What are you doing?” A deep voice appeared, caressing her ears.

The hot ticklish feeling rose to her head and she suddenly felt light headed.

“DON’T I’M NOT READY YET! NOT THAT I SHOULD BE GETTING READY OR I SHOULD BE READY, I SHOULDN’T BE READY, NO ONE SHOULD BE READY FOR BUT IM SO YOUNG, I KNOW I’LL DIE SOON BUT NOT NOW THAT KIND OF NOT READY!”

“Ah shikuro!”

The boy pushed her away and she fell on the ground a few feet away from him. The sleep was clearly still in his eyes but as he brushed his strange red colored hair from his face, a blush crept to her cheeks.

“What the are you shouting at my ears for, you crazy ?”

His voice was still husky with sleep, lacing the words with a little menace, but the embarrassment and the realization of the boy’s looks were too much for Hani to handle.

“YOU WERE THE ONE WHO PULLED ME CLOSE!”

“WHY THE ARE YOU SHOUTING?”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

“WILL YOU STOP IT? CHRIST YOU’RE GIVING ME A OF A HEADACHE.”

“OKAY- I mean okay…” The tinge of red was still evident on her cheeks.

She looked at the boy uncertainly. What was she supposed to do now? Should she say sorry although it wasn’t her fault? Should she ask him why he was sleeping outside? Or should she just run away? Then she realized this wasn’t her fault. This was her first encounter with someone from the outside. And she was letting him curse at her when she was trying to help.

She picked herself from the ground.

“Wh-”

“I was trying to wake you up because it’s freezing out here and you suddenly pulled me close, who does that? So therefore it isn’t my fault and there is no reason to shout at somebody who just gave you water,” she said everything in a huff before turning her heel.

Something bumped the boy’s heel.

A water bottle.

Hani stormed away, well not really stormed, more like sprinted away. Her first encounter with someone from school and it was disastrous! And here she thought she was going to do the really cold but cool girl effect from the dramas she had seen over and over again.

But she screwed up. The world gave her a perfectly good looking person and she screwed up!

Her heart was beating so fast that her vision started to get blurry, her breathing started to become shallower. She went into one of the emptied classrooms and settled herself to an open window. She struggled through her back and managed to snag a yellow little but the rest of her box clattered to the floor.

She ignored it and swallowed her medicine. The ground started to seem more stable.

“You don’t look like a drugee.”

The voice was deeper and closer since it was just right beside her ear. The cold breath tickled her ears again and spent an electric tingle down to her toes that she stiffened up.

“You look rich enough to be a drugee,” the voice was low, almost set to a whisper.

Hani tried to gather up her wits.

“T-t-they aren’t-t-t drugs.”

She didn’t dare turn around.

“They don’t look like candy to me either sweetheart.”

“M-medicine. They’re my medicine.”

The voice grunted. The heavy presence on her back suddenly faded as she released a breath. She wasn’t even aware that she was holding it in the first place. She quickly turned around, seeing the tall and broad back walking away.

“Please don’t tell anyone.”

The boy turned around.

Sweet lord mercy. Look at those full lips.

“And why not?”

“Just don’t.”

He looked at her for a second before shrugging his shoulders and giving a sniff.

“I don’t really care, but what I do care…”

His voice trailed away as he went to the door and opened it wide for her. Hani looked at him expectantly.

“Get out.”

“W-what? Why?”

“Look I don’t care if you’re a druggie or if you have cancer or , this is my room, get out,” he ordered and sniffled again.

“How can this be your room?”

“It just is sweetheart now leave.”

Feeling indignant, she picked up all her medicine from the floor and stuffed it inside her bag. She threw her nose in the air showing him that she wasn’t bothered at all.

“Fine.”

She shoved something to his chest before turning her heel.

“What’s this?”

“For your cold, see, being a druggie has its perks,” she said in a clipped tone before marching away.

Hani stomped her way through the halls, furious. This was her first day of school? Being cursed out and getting kicked out of a classroom? It seemed to her that the world was trying to tell her to go home. And her little inner voice whined inside her head, already missing the comforts of her bed.

“Ow!”

“Oh my god I’m so sorry!”

The feeling of a hard body colliding against her almost sent her sprawling to her feet. But she was so down that it didn’t bother her anymore. She began picking up her things from the floor.

“It’s okay,” she mumbled under her breath.

But before she could scoop up her bag, it was picked by someone else.

“Really I’m sorry, I didn’t look at where I was going, seriously, I feel like such an .”

Hani looked at him.

“Did my mom accidentally sign me up for an all boy’s school?”

The boy looked at her, confused.

“I… don’t know?”

Hani suddenly realized she had said it out loud and covered .

“Did I just say that out loud? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean that, I was just, it’s just.”

He laughed, “I think I might have hit you a little too hard there,” he lightly patted her head.

She looked at him wide eyed, “I think so too.”

“I’m Mark by the way, Mark Tuan,” he chuckled before extending his hand out.

“Hani Choi.”

They shook hands and there was a temporary silence between them.

“You’re not planning on running away with my bag right?” Hani pointed at her bag, smiling.

“Dammit, you got me and here I thought I was going to have a free bag on my first day,” he tsked before holding out for her.

“First day?”

As far as Hani knew, she was the only one who entered school when it had already started. It had taken her mother a little trouble into making the school take her in even though if she had to catch up on extra work. She didn’t know there were others like her too.

“Yeah, I’m a senior, you?”

“Senior? That’s cutting it close, oh a junior still.”

“I know, it having to graduate with a class I barely know, I studied in LA, my friends are all there and I can’t graduate with them.”

Hani picked up her pace beside him even though she had no clue where they were going.

“Then you should’ve told your parents that.”

“And you think they would have understood?” He scoffed.

Hani nodded her head, knowing he was right. She closed though because she didn’t know what else to say to him. She didn’t have enough time to go through the how-to-comfort-people crash stage. Hani suddenly realized that were students already going about the place.

“Where are we going by the way? Or should I just stop following you or something? Wait am I following you or are you following me? But I don’t know where we are going, do you know we are going? Oh God I am following you!” Hani’s steps faltered.

Mark laughed again before putting his arm around her.

“Just relax, I accidentally saw your school slip, you’re in the same class as my cousin’s.”

“Oh.”

Hani let herself be steered by the good looking older guy as students started to stare at them. She started to feel uncomfortable enough to slightly shake him away when they arrived to her room. The classroom was already getting nosier by the second. Once again her heart started to beat really fast. Before she could even prepare herself, something heavy pounced on her.

“Yo Mark!” the voice hollered.

“Sorry, he’s not trained yet,” Mark threw her an apologetic look.

The guy certain had the American look about him as he looked at her from head to toe.

“Really cuz? You’re barely here like an hour and you already have this?”

“We haven’t even gotten to the chapter where I teach him manners either,” Mark explained again.

Hani couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hi, I’m Jackson,” he said smoothly as he ridiculously wagged his eyebrows up and down.

“JACKSON YOU MORONIC RETARD!”

A skirt flew across their faces and landed squarely on Jackson’s face. Hani’s eyes were wide when a pretty girl in curls came out and started to swat Jackson. Jackson tore the skirt from his face and laughed his eyes out. There was a distinct red stain on the light brown skirt.

“I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT I HAD MY PERIOD CHRIST.WHAT.IS.WRONG.WITH.YOU?!” She hit Jackson up with every word.

Hani looked expectantly at Mark.

He opened his mouth and closed it again, “I honestly have no explanation for this.”

Hani burst into a fit of laughter. The girl in curls smiled widely at Mark.

“Oppa! You’re early! Your girlfriend?” she pointed at Hani who immediately started to choke on her saliva.

“Ommona,” the girl started to hit Hani’s back.

“I didn’t know being my girlfriend was that bad of an idea,” he mumbled under his breath.

“A-a-a-ani-“ Hani gasped “I-i-i-i-yo-you just- surprised!”

The three of them exchanged glances and laughed simultaneously.

“She’s so adorable Mark!”

“She’s the new transfer student, Hani Choi.”

Hani was still wheezing when she gave the other girl a half-hearted smile.

“Yoo Ra Han, nice to meet you Hani!”

“Nice to meet you too.”

The trio exchanged words and started to joke around. Hani was welcomed by the class, sure not everyone was curious about her, but a friend or two was already enough.

“I’m going to leave Hani in your capable hands--” he turned around to face the wide smiled Jackson before he continued his to finish his turn “—Yoo Ra.”

“What? Why can’t I take care of her?” Jackson asked, outraged.

“Because you’re an idiot.”

“I think Hani will get along fine on her own, but I will be here though,” Yoo Ra smiled happily.

“Good, now it’s time for me to go on an adventure for my classroom too,” Mark waved goodbye.

“Hani, right here,” Yoo Ra waved at the seat just beside her near the windows. It was like she was in middle school again, except with nosier classmates. She smiled gratefully and plopped down beside her.

“So how do you like it so far?” she said conversationally.

She never had a girl friend before. It was exciting. She thought of Yoo Ra’s words and remembered the two rude boys she had met this morning. But she quickly pushed them aside.

“It’s been fun, I was lucky Mark oppa found me, I think I would have still been wandering around if it weren’t for him.”

“Yeah, oppa’s sweet like that, a complete opposite from that idiot,” Yoo Ra jerked her thumb to Jackson’s direction who seemed to be hell bent on trying to swallow his first whole.

Hani laughed.

“Don’t you think it’s a little bit endearing?”

“Endearing? You call that endearing?”

This time Jackson was dancing around like a monkey, jutting around and pushing his booty up in the air. Hani cracked up into a fit of laughter again.

“You’re right, you’re right you win,” she said between laughter.

“Thank God this school doesn’t lack--”

A stream of squeals started to echo within the corridors, giving Hani a start.

“What’s that?”

She craned her neck and started to see rows of girls crowding up into the hallways and doors.

“What’s happening?”

Yoo Ra smiled knowingly. She pulled Hani to her feet and started to push her way through the crowd of girls with an occasional finger and growl. She grabbed a chair and climbed on top of it so they could see through the bars of their rooms into the hallways.

“What are we supposed to be looking at?” Hani asked, getting more confused by the minute.

“BTS.”

“Who?”

“The Bangtan Boys.”