“Well, here we are. Good luck sweetie!”

“Oh, don’t give me that fake enthusiasm. Geez, dad. Were you excited about the first day of high school?”

“ . . . no.”

“Exactly,” Min Ae concluded. “Are you really making me go? We can talk this out rationally. Maybe—“

“No. I had to suffer through it, now so do you,” he teased, ushering her out the car door. “Now scram!”

“I love you too, dad,” she murmured sarcastically.

She watched the dark blue Highlander make a sharp turn around the corner before her eyes wandered to the daunting building flooded with students standing and chatting at the entrance. Girls huddled together, sending obvious glances at boys who perked their interest. Guys did the same, talking about the subject more openly. Min Ae hoped this wasn’t what she had in store for the next four years. Someone put her out of her misery now.

The sound of running water filled her ears, then the sound of sprinkling drops of water hitting the ground rang clear. Min Ae peered down at the nozzles dotting the grassy landscape and the water gradually seeping from it.

“Perfect. Just perfect.”

The liquid came out in sprinkles at first, slowly changing into a rush of spurts. It rained down at her from all sides, thoroughly drenching the white ruffled blouse she had decided to wear today. A few curious onlookers laughed freely at her expense, not bothering to be subtle about the whole ordeal.

Like them, a boy made his way over, figure hunched over to stop the fit of giggles emitted from his mouth. Min Ae couldn’t place her finger on it, but he seemed very familiar. His hair was neatly arranged in random spikes at the top of his head and he walked oddly, like he had yet to grow accustomed to his body. A black backpack was slung over his left shoulder and a worn duffle bag stuffed with soccer equipment occupied the other.

He smiled wryly at her and dropped his belongings at his feet. His arms spread apart and waved up and down excitedly. Min Ae looked from his face to his outstretched arms in confusion.

“Um, do you have a cramp or something?”

The boy rolled his eyes and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist. His head was buried into the wisps of her straight hair. Min Ae struggled from underneath his grasp. This was going on for way too long. Just who did this guy think he was?

“Stay still, Min Ae. You’re ruining the moment,” he said, voice muffled.

“I’m hugging a complete stranger! Maybe if you just tell me who you are—“

“I’m deeply offended. You don’t even recognize the person who stood next to you for the three years of Junior High during chorus. Or are you playing with me so I don’t let go of you?”

“Kim Junsu! Get your hands off of her. Look, you’ve got her wet with your sweat from morning practice!”

Min Ae’s eyes flashed in recognition. forming a small ‘o’ shape as the thought registered in her mind. She lazily lifted her arms to awkwardly pat his back. She was suddenly yanked backwards, her writing folder escaping from her hold and scattering over the concrete. She bent down and hurriedly collected torn sheets of loose leaf paper before anyone had a chance to read the not-yet-completed load of stories scribbled onto them.

When she stood straight up, the people surrounding her looked at her strangely. They were probably wondering why anyone would choose to write anything before school had begun. A girl, sporting a zebra-print backpack, cleared and motioned Min Ae closer, enveloping the surprised teen into a warm hug. Syae Ri.

“You . . . you never answer anyone’s texts!” she complained, after pulling away.

The rest of the girls surrounding her nodded in unison, completely agreeing on the matter. All was forgotten just a few minutes later after a brief exchange of hugs and summer stories. Their small reunion was blatantly disrupted by the distinct sound of the warning bell.

Students rushed in, Freshmen awkwardly gazed around the main entrance hall; Sophomores casually walked into the auditorium; Juniors followed after them, staring smugly at underclassmen as they passed; Seniors? They slapped hands and exchanged warm hugs, slinging arms over each others shoulders, and walked into the same room as the previous group.

Min Ae fiddled with her damp shirt as she received curious glances from onlookers. No one noticed her growing anxiety. She felt like she was going to throw-up. Not the best introduction to her high school career. She sat next to Syae Ri in an empty row, pretending to dig through her purse to keep herself occupied.

“Oh, there he is. Hey, Jaejoong! Come sit by us!”

“Who . . . ?”

Min Ae’s lips parted in an unfinished question. Syae Ri scooted over a seat patting the now vacant spot on her left, next to Min Ae.

“I hope you don’t mind. He’s a good guy,” Syae Ri whispered, wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive motion.

“Um, I don’t—“

“Great, here he comes,” she replied, not giving her a chance to protest.

Min Ae diverted her head to the left, eyes widening in shock at a familiar face grinning back at her. She quickly looked away in embarrassment.

“Aw, what’s wrong?”

Junsu poked at her cheek, smiling cheekily at her embarrassment. The girl in front of him was strangely appealing. She was no Syae Ri, but she was definitely eye catching. Something had changed over the summer and he wanted to know what did. She sank in her seat and turned her head to glare at him.

“What?”

“Easy there, I just wanted to ask how your summer was.”

Her facial expression changed to one of uncertainty.

“Summer? It was alright. Nothing too exciting, I visited some relatives in Japan but that’s about it.”

“You sure? You seem awfully different from the Min Ae I knew in eighth grade.”

“How so?”

“Well for one, you’re definitely talking a lot more. You only spoke to me once last year. And that was to ask if we could share sheet music.”

“Are you serious? There had to be another time . . . ?”

“Nope. I would’ve remembered seeing those pretty lips talking to me.”

Cheeks flushed with a tinge of pink, Junsu because he had let his thoughts slip, and Min Ae because she had never been complimented by a boy before.

“Hey, Syae Ri.”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me, Jaejoong. I thought you said you were going to text me over the summer so we could hang out.”

The boy moved into the row, taking a seat next to Min Ae. His attention, however, was firmly locked on Syae Ri and her whining. He winced and wondered why he’d come over in the first place. He knew she wasn’t annoying but he wasn’t one who particularly liked being reprimanded. Actually, he didn’t know anyone who liked receiving a lecture.

“I was busy. You know, summer work at the docks with my grandparents. Plus I had to make a bunch of outlines for the Freshmen class trip this year.”

“It’s only Freshmen year. You work too hard for your own good. You don’t even need to prove yourself to the teachers! Everyone already knows you’re a shoe in for class president.”

“Everyone except me; I have too many flaws to make up for!”

“God, you sound like a wuss. Man up! How the hell do you plan on getting a girlfriend with that sort of attitude?”

“Girlfriend? You’re already thinking of relationships? We’ve been here for one day.”

“So? Every girl has their fantasies; boys have to be the same, right? I’m pretty sure you’ve been thinking about dating someone too.”

“No I haven’t—“

“Liar!”

Jaejoong sighed and rested his elbow on a seat rest, propping his head up on the same hand. Geez, what did it take for him to be taken seriously? This girl always gossiped with her friends, there was no telling what rumor she’d spread if he didn’t do something about her assumptions. Hmm, something smelt like vanilla.

His gaze fell on the girl staring at her hands, a light cover of blush tinting her cheeks. She lifted her hand to move a strand of hair from her face and puffed her cheeks out, a habit she’d picked up from watching too many dramas. Cute, he thought, smiling at her without realizing he was receiving curious glances from his classmates.

Min Ae felt someone’s eyes on her. It wasn’t Junsu; he was talking to a soccer team mate about their next away game. So she looked to her right. Just in time to catch Jaejoong shoot her a meaningful smile and shake his head, chuckling as he engaged in another conversation with Syae Ri. She rested her eyes on him for a moment then turned back to watch the principal as he failed to try and get the rest of the students’ attention.

She felt bad for the poor man, everyone ignored him. He was a rather awkward old man, standing short at around five foot one. He didn’t really give off an intimidating aura. Truthfully, he seemed like a pushover. She noticed one of the female guidance counselors making her way onto the stage, smiling politely at the other staff members that had been forced to come for orientation.

Because of the lack of volunteers, she, Lee Bomi, head guidance counselor of Royal Academy, had been forced to cancel her date with a gorgeous, rich lawyer to watch over these brats?! She wasn’t in a mood to be tampered with. Even with the deceiving smile on her face, most of the students shivered at the aura she emitted. Her expression changed as soon as she reached center stage, her eyebrows oddly scrunched and the corner of her lips twitching. She was eager to let her anger loose.  She yanked the microphone out of the bewildered principal’s grip and shouted into it, catching everyone’s attention.

“Yah! Listen up you brats! You think you’re the only one who wants to be here?!”

Whispers broke out among new students. Min Ae’s ears perked as an extremely loud comment reached her. Ohh . . . did she feel sorry for the poor idiot that said it.

“Mwoh?! You in green shirt! Say it to my face if you’ve got any balls!”

Dead silence.

“Thank-you, Miss Lee,” whispered the principal, wiping sweat from his forehead from a worn handkerchief. “Now, as I was saying, I believe you guys will do great job this school year, we’re expecting a lot from you. Now, if our class presidents would stand and briefly inform our students of the matter we discussed while voting . . .”

No one moved.

Miss Lee rolled her eyes and whispered something into his ear, shoving a piece of paper into his wrinkled hands. He stood there for a moment, unmoving, until the pretty guidance counselor with an attitude barked another command into his ear.

“Oh r-right, y-yes,” he stuttered. “Sorry, we haven’t announced who they are yet right? Um . . . Freshmen class president, Kim Jaejoong; Sophomore class president, Park Rika; Junior class president, Choi Seunghyun; and Senior class president, Park Jungsu.”

The auburn-haired boy next to Min Ae rose from his seat coolly, even lifting a hand to brush the hair from his eyes before he made his way over. Min Ae glanced at the boy curiously, hmm . . . he seemed decent enough. Her gaze lingered for a second longer, not on the boy, but on the stylish glasses framing his face.

Although she didn’t want to be the one to admit it, she had a strange for a guy with glasses. Her wander gaze wandered to the boy next to him. She cringed at his tacky sense in fashion and wondered why such a young person would ever wear shorts, suspenders, and high socks. She decided to take her back; guys with glasses are strange creatures that should never be addressed.

             “So you twist it to the right, put in the number, twist to the left, put in the number, and put in the last number...”

            “Hey.”

If the sudden pressure on her shoulder wasn’t enough to make her faint, then the husky voice whispering into her ear was . . . definitely. Min Ae blushed and shyly turned around. Her eyes contorted into a glare once she noticed it was just Syae Ri trying to pull a fast one on her. She mumbled something incoherent and kicked the jokester lightly, returning to her previous task of opening the stupid locker.

“Wow, Min Ae. You really are innocent. I’m afraid if you spend any more time with me, I might corrupt you’re pure nature. Soon, you’ll be thinking of . . . the nasty.”

“. . . the nasty . . . ?”

“You know,” she whispered, “the thing that guys and girls do to keep the human population alive and thriving.”

Min Ae pushed Syae Ri into the closest room, which so happened to be the girls’ lavatories. She sent the poor girl reeling into an open bathroom stall.

“Thanks! I had to go anyway!”

“You’re welcome, take your time. I’m not leaving without you,” she lied.

“ . . . Yah! Min Ae don’t leave me here alone!”

The hallways were slowly emptying of students. Min Ae had decided it would be best to take a look around. If anyone asked what her major flaw was, it was her absolutely horrid sense of direction. She’d wandered off on her own on a visit to a movie theater once and ended up circling the damn place since everything looked the same. She even missed the entire of the movie (So much for those ten dollars). She came to a dead-end-corridor and sighed, spinning on her heel to escape back down the stairs.

Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea to begin with. She spun the map around in her hands, trying to decipher the strange numbers and letters. After wandering down yet another empty corridor she finally heard speaking coming from a nearby room.

Her eyes lit up as she raced her way down the hall, skidding to a stop and flicking the door open with her wrist. She bowed politely and proceeded to ask if someone could bring her to the exit. But her eyes widened in horror as she witnessed several girls stomping on an innocent soul in the corner. She noticed drops of blood dotting the girl’s face as well as a broken pair of glasses underneath the shoes of another girl.

Min Ae rashly pushed the other girls away and lowered herself to meet eyes with the injured girl. She glared coldly at the sorry excuse for human beings behind her.

“Get. Out. Now!”

Her voice was laced with firm authority and venom. At first the group scowled and took a step closer to her but Min Ae’s statement was obviously heard by someone as she could hear the thump of sneakers on the floor. The girls looked at each other in panic then sprinted out the open door, forgetting all about the two in the room.

“Are you alright? Geez, they did a number on you. Here let me—“

“Stop! Don’t touch me! Who the hell are you anyway? I could’ve handled them by myself. I hate all you people taking pity on me because I’m a little bigger than most teenage girls! I know you don’t mean any of it so back off!”

“But—“

“I didn’t ask to be Sophomore class president so don’t you dare try to pin me as a tramp because all the other presidents are boys. You’re exactly what guys are looking for,” she said in contempt. “Do you think so lowly of yourself to feel threatened by a fat girl like me?! Huh?”

Min Ae was taken aback by her blunt statement. She sunk to her knees and folded her hands over her lap. What was she supposed to say to that? She sighed and reached into her pocket, wordlessly handing the girl her pack of Kleenix tissues.  She looked up once she felt the packet being gently lifted from her fingers.

In front of her sat a girl with tear-stained cheeks and glassy eyes. Her cheeks were curved into a natural pout and strands of hair defied gravity as they stood from her head. Min Ae was in utter shock. What was this girl talking about? In her opinion, she had never seen someone so naturally beautiful. She had a thicker look to her but it was better than the walking toothpicks that pranced around.

Min Ae slowly reached out to pull the defying-gravity hair back to its original location, envious of how soft the texture felt against her finger-tips.

“Do you feel so lowly of yourself to feel inferior to those girls who did this to you? Do you feel so lowly of yourself to degrade yourself further? Whatever they said isn’t true, do you understand me? I’m not taking pity on you . . . you’re pitying yourself for not fitting in with them. Wouldn’t you rather stand out than fade into the crowd?”

She shook her head in disappointment and dusted the debris off her jeans, deciding to leave before the girl had another angry outburst. But a gentle grip on her wrist made her eyes wander to the girl who was now staring at her with an astonished look plastered on to her face.

“Wait, what’s your name?”

“Lee Min Ae,” she answered. “It was nice meeting you, Park Rika.”

As soon as one foot left the safety of the room, she was yanked into a circle of boys, all of them smiling down at her in approval. One bowed deeply, his dimples revealing themselves as he genuinely smiled at her.

“Thank-you for talking to my sister,” he said.

“You’re welcome . . . ?”

“Park Yoochun,” he finished.

“Right,” she drawled. “Well, I have to go. Last minute school supplies, you know?”

Kim Jaejoong leaned his body against the wall, watching her with interest as she walked down the hall. She paused for a brief moment at an intersection, looking between the halls to decide which to take. He chuckled once she picked the left one, whistling a happy tune on her way down it. This girl was interesting, she had the tenacity to save Rika from those girls but . . . did she even know her way out?

He hesitantly stepped away from the wall and strode in the same direction, rushing to catch up with her.

“Hey, wait! Let me show you the way out! You’re going the wrong way!”   

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A/N: Hope this keeps you interested ^^’ This chapter was just to introduce you guys to the characters. But I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

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            Word Count: 3, 187

            Updated: 10.19.10

            Current Pieces Intact Status: Whole