Not so bad after all
From Country Pumpkings To Tough Citizens
Lee Jieun's pov
It was morning! A bright and sunny Monday morning, the day I'll start my new school. I still haven't bought anything to my fridge, so my stomach grumbled uncontrollably every morning. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I think that's true when I get my first paycheck and actually afford buying something.
Maybe, maybe not. I was slowly getting used to live like that, not eating breakfast or wasting my time. I already got a job, and I got some friends, not from my age though, but friends nevertheless.
It was time to greet Agatha and give her today's breakfast, toast with jam. I have never tried that, so I guess that's the way they eat in France. Did I tell that Agatha was from France? I was really international Jieun now, I have met people from France, Korea and England!
Sure, my mom was the first British person in my live that I met, but she's just a mom to me. She might have that all fancy and elegant past in England, but right now she was just a farmer in the middle of nowhere that still had everything you called sights.
We had beautiful green forests that mesmerized people, we had small and fresh mountain springs you could bath in, we had nice fields of lavender and hay, well managed farms with pigs, cows, horses, hens and even more farm animals. It's a place for a person that loves nature, fresh air and friendly people. It's a place you can relax in and it's a place you can enjoy something the city can't offer. It was something I called by the name home.
Right now I was right behind Agatha's bedroom's door, lost in the memories of home. "Boo!" I heard Ann say as she put her hands on my shoulders. I was snapped from my thoughts and I couldn't help but to yelp and almost drop the tray in my hands. It would have happened without Ann's helping hands that took it from me, knowing what my reaction would be.
"I did warn you when we met!" She said and stuck out her tongue before entering the bedroom, where Agatha was already waiting for me.
"Yah! Ann! Agatha didn't almost get any breakfast because of you!" I accused worriedly when my heartbeat calmed down a bit. It seems like a young child like me could somehow bring out their childshness within them. Ann would scare me time after time, yet I couldn't get used to it.
Agatha pouted and sulked like an kid, and also I started to notice that she was terribly stubborn. We had to persuade her to come out with us yesterday, when it was a really hot summer-like Sunday. Today is Monday, and the time to enter the school I was afraid of.
I'm super duper nervous about this. I've only been in a school with around twenty people, but schools here are a lot bigger than back at home.
"Isn't today your first day in school?" I heard Agatha ask. I only gulped and nodded grimly. My nervousness was displayed very well and these ladies are good at catching on things as well. Besides, why wouldn't I be nervous? I'm about to start my first year in college, it's not something you do everyday now is it?
"Aww... She's nervous." Ann said with a proud and somehow longing gaze to me. It looked like one of those smiles mom's give to their daughters on wedding days.
"Don't . Just go and get her to the road of studying!" Agatha ordered. "But.. You haven't even eaten yet!" I protested, not wanting to go yet due my nervousness. Agatha stared at me with that stubborn face I knew very well now.
"Ann, you should leave already." She commanded her while staring right into my eyes.
"You should go to the bathroom first!" I suggested so I could buy some more time.
Ann shook her head and took sides with Agatha. "She's right, you know.. It's time to leave already." She stated calmly. No, I didn't want to! Not yet!
"But... But... I don't have any books!" I tried protest desperately while Ann started dragging me away. I tried to get out of her tight hold, but it was nothing but ant's struggle against her strong arm muscles. I begged from Agatha, using the best puppy eyes I had. She just narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms and shook her head. Sigh.. It must've meant I had no choice but to go.
Ann dragged me all the way to her car, an old red Fiat, and even put the seat belt for me. She tried to be extra careful, so I couldn't escape from her. It's not like I had any other place to go after escaping anyway.. Our little car trip was silent as ever, I believed I had never been that quiet for so long in my whole life.
Instead of talking, my mind was busy thinking all the worst situations that could happen today. The nervousness grew bit by bit, every inch we went closer, I was more and more in the verge of mental breakdown.
I had a hard time breathing, when we finally arrived to the school's yard and Ann parked the car. The school was like a castle, no, like Hogwarts! It looked magical and it was really spacious. There were space for more than thousand people for sure!
I think the front yard there was double the size of our lavender fields, which means a lot. I fanned myself with my hand repeatedly and breathed in and out deeply, gaining Ann's attention.
"Calm down Jieun, it's only a school." She said to me with an assuring smile. My mouth hanged open in shock, not knowing what to say as an answer. School? This building right in front of me is 'just a school'?
I guess my face told the words I was supposed to say out loud, but I couldn't. "...or a castle." She admitted with a casual shrug.
I nodded with rounded eyes, and soon we found our way to get the check up done and so I could get my timetable for this year.
"Name?" The assistant asked.
"Lee Jieun." I answered, still frozen at the spot I stopped, not daring to move at all. The assistant pressed the computer's keyboard fast like she would have done that since birth.
Well, at least if you compare her to me, a country girl that didn't know how to even turn on a computer. After couple strong presses, I heard some beeping coming from a machine that looked like a big, white, electronical box. Soon paper came from inside of it and I just couldn't hide my fascinated face.
We do have internet at home, we have electricity and some machines we needed to take care of our farm, but stuff like this, I have never seen. "It's a printer." Ann whispered to my ear and I just nodded silently, trying to pretend I knew what it was even though everyone had already seen my first reaction.
The assistant that had stood up to get the paper, was short. Her hair was tied to a tight bun, she had a smart looking office outfit and she wore black high heels. So she was even shorter she already seemed? "Here." The target of my wondering said and I accepted the paper.
Only thing that made me happy, was the mark on my timetable that said 'Art, course 1'. That probably meant I'd have art the moment I stepped in this building, good for me, it's the only thing I'm good at. Oh, but I was also quite good in math and science. I'm not trying to brag, I was one the best of our village. Heck, I was even better than Sehun! The bookworm of studying!
"History of art?" Ann read behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts once again. I was already surprised by the name of my history course, so I checked it to be sure. It did say history of art. That must be interesting! "Are you happy?" Ann asked like the wide smile on my face wasn't evident enough.
The assistant lead me to my class, but I had no time to check what was the number of it. I only had time to admire the beauty and all the artistic symbols and details of these walls and stairs. How could a school be this awesome? Was this a dream? I pinched my arm to be sure, and surely it did hurt my hand. I hissed in pain and started rubbing my aching hand.
Out of nowhere, the assistant just stopped at one point and so did I, before I would have bumped to her and caused a mess like the typical me would manage to do.
"This is your class. Are you ready?" She asked me. I seriously thought about it for a minute, which must've confused the assistant. I guess it was a question I should have answered yes right away.
"Yes, I think I am." I said, so she knocked the door that held my fate.
"Please come in." I heard the teacher say inside of the class. The assistant opened the door and pushed me inside so my new classmates could see me. I froze when I saw the expectant stares of them, their observant eyes that reminded me a pack of hungry hyenas.
"Lee Jieun, am I correct?" The teacher asked and I turned my attention to her.
"Yes ma'am." I answered as I bowed. Some if the students chuckled at my weird behavior that I didn't think was strange.
Our teacher seemed to catch my uncomfortable feeling, so she explained something for the class. It was unneeded, but I couldn't argue with her.
"As you can see, Jieun-ssi here is a really polite young girl. She does not know the habits of this school or any school of Seoul. She came from the countryside, so please welcome her well." She said and narrowed her eyes while scanning through every person sitting in the class, searching for reluctant ones.
None of the students moved or even blinked, waiting to be saved from the strict teacher. Then suddenly she smiled so brightly, I thought she was a sun for a minute.
"Now, do you want to introduce yourself?" She asked, smiling still her bright smile and I started to slowly like her.
"Yes!" I said enthusiastically. I was starting to get comfortable, thanks to the teacher, so my smile appeared automatically and I started my introduction.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lee Jieun. Please take care of me." I said and bowed deeply. I heard some clapping and cheering, so I stood up again.
The whole class was smiling and welcoming happily. It seemed like my worries were for nothing, just a reaction to new things I was afraid of doing. I should make more friends now, invite them to drink coffee at the coffee shop I worked at, learn something new and get an experience I would never forget.
Booom, now it all starts. (This chapter might've been just a boring filler in your opinion, sorry) You're all waiting for Sehun, right? No worries, he'll come soon~ Maybe not in the next chapter, but at least at the one after that! It's not going to take long, so please bare with me~ (even though I seem to update rarely..) Do understand that these chapters are long, so it takes a long time to write these. I also have to re-read the chapter, fix mistakes and write this author's note. But enough of that rant, thanks for your support! ^3^ Please comment & subscribe! ^^
I guess it's too late to change Sehun to Zelo? xD Suddenly I'm getting weird zelo vibes...
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