Seulgi gets up earlier that day and even her parents are surprised. She scarfs down her toast and juice and is out the door without much of a word though there's no chance of her being late.

The train schedule on her phone lists off all the trains earlier than her usual ones. They're the trains Seulgi never really cared about getting until now. Usually, she gets to school just at the cut off line, a carefully managed plans that gives her the maximum amount of time to longue around in bed trying to feel awake in the morning.

The trains are a little emptier because it's so early. Sunlight creeps higher in the sky, yellow and hazy, as the sky fades from grey to blue, bits of warmth bleeding out over the horizon and the elementary schoolers aren't around kicking tin cans or soccer balls or whatever else it is they like to kick. It's peaceful. The extra personal space on the train is a bit of a boon too, but Seulgi doubts she'll be able to keep this up long enough to turn into a habit, which is a shame really, because the quiet of the day is really a thing to admire.

She stares out the window and the crowded overlap of roads and paths and bridges and wonders if Soojung will get lost on her second day to school, what time Soojung has to wake up to pedal her bike all the way up the hill to school, if Soojung gets winded or sweaty or and if she wonders what her classmates will think of her at the school gates, hair mussed up by the wind and back warm for the excersion. Three times on the way back to the station yesterday Soojung hid her face behind her hair. Seulgi was polite enough not to point it out, not when Soojung was awkward enough around her and certainly not when Seulgi remembered being in that kind of state of mind herself--a gawky, long-limbed girl in a new middle school even though that was years ago.

Soojung seems nice. She deserves better than what happened to Seulgi. Especially, between Soojung's doubly blank expression, her transfer student American returnee status and the increasing viciousness of high school girl versus their middle school counterparts, since what could happen to her might be infinitely worse.

She walks into the classroom and accepts the half-suprised nods from classmates, greetings of good morning and teasing jabs about if someone messed with her alarm that morning.

Seungwan strides over to her at once. Seungwan is always early. Seungwan is a morning person. Despite that horrific offense to existance, Seulgi is still friends with her. There's just something about Seungwan that makes you stick to her. Charisma or whatever. Seungwan seems pleased with it, even if she doesn't quite notice the effect she has half the time. 

(Seulgi knows why she gets in early anyway: it's to talk to everyone in class. Seungwan always has to bolt out the door to deal with all her extra after school things so it's only the mornings and quick breaks between classes that she ever gets to make friends. Seulgi doesn't bother. Seungwan is good enough for her. Seungwan and the polite coolness that comes with aquaintenceship with the rest of the class. She really isn't here to rock any boats.)

"Morning!" Seungwan greets her, draping herself over the desk. Seulgi's mind, still half-sleep addled from having to wake up earlier, makes a second to register she's taken someone's chair and pulled it up next to Seulgi's. 

"Good morning, Seungwan."

Seunwan pouts up at her, blowing out a exaggerated huff that makes the hair hanging in front of her face, near the mouth, flutter up like streamers. "I told you I wanted you to call me Wendy."

"No one's going to start calling you Wendy. Anyway, isn't that a fast food place?"

Seungwan huffs again, pushing herself upright. She props her elbows up against Seulgi's desk, hands cupping her chin, and tilts her head. "I heard you made a friend yesterday?"

Are people talking about it already? Seulgi braces herself and hopes she can make sure Soojung doesn't become some sort of social pariah (and that Seulgi doesn't have to go down with her because she feels like she would if only because Soojung shouldn't have to be alone when or if the rest of the class tosses her out to sea to float like rotting driftwood).

Seungwan interuppts her, though, because Seungwan is like that and when Seungwan starts talking, she just goes and goes. "People are upset you're monopolising her. Share her a bit with the rest of the class, you know, Sseul?"

That's...actually more hopeful than she thought it would be. Seulgi wonders when she developed this depressing distrust of human nature (scratch that, she knows: middle school) and if there's anything she can do to get rid of it. There's probably not, but anyway this kind of caution has it's uses, she tells herself.

"Sorry," Seulgi says, though she isn't particularly. If Seungwan notices she doesn't care, which is another reason Seulgi likes being friends with her. She's straightforward like that. "She asked if I wanted to walk home with her and you know my favourite part of school is leaving it."

"Is she nice?" Seungwan says.

"She's nice," Seulgi replies quickly so it doesn't seem like she has to think about if Soojung is a good person or not. (It's not like she does in the first place, but she has no idea who else is listening to the conversation and it's a classroom so someone else is always listening.)

Seungwan makes a nodding, humming noise of contemplation and so Seulgi goes on with an explanation that should clear things up before anything gets too bad. If there's anything she can trust Seungwan with, at any rate, it's telling thing to other people. 

"She has a cold expression, but she's really just shy. I think she's quite sweet, actually. She just needs to warm up to us. Not everyone can start off at lightspeed, Seungwan."

"I know, I know." Seungwan chuckles, eye smile at full max. Her smile is disarming and friendly and probably everything Soojung needed to see yesterday when all Seulgi could give her timid smile was another hestiant one in reply. She remembers, once, she could have worn an expression like that on her face, just like Seungwan's but somehow now they just won't come, even if she practices them in front of the mirror.

"Seriously," Seulgi scolds.

"I'll make sure we all get along," Seungwan protests, raising her hands in mock surrender. "She seems cool anyway. She's pretty and kind of tall and she's lived abroad. That's cool. Maybe I can get her to call me Wendy."

"Please stop trying to make that a thing."

"It's going to be a thing! My name is Wendy."

"It's too early in the morning for this," Seulgi groans. Proactively nipping Soojung's little problem in the bud didnt' take as long as she thought it would (mostly because it seemed like Soojung wouldn't be having a problem at all but whatever).

Soojung really is quiet. 

Seulgi didn't notice her at all when she crept up yesterday to blurt out she liked Seulgi's name and she doesn't notice her this time either when, one second, she's just talking to Seungwan about a drama her mother made her watch with her and, the next, Soojung is there, hair perfect and not wind affected at all, uniform immaculate. Whatever she was talking about to Seungwan, it comes to an abrupt stop. She should say hello, but for some reason she can't manage that and Seungwan turns, curious about whatever it is she's staring at. (She's not staring at Soojung, she's just surprised. Why is she so surprised, though? Didn't she tell Soojung just yesterday this is where they'd see each other.)

"Ah," Soojung says. She looks at Seungwan and then at Seulgi and then at the floor (or maybe her shoes, she's really hanging her head down).

"I think your shoelaces are cool too," Seungwan says and Seulgi knows it's supposed to be gentle teasing to break the ice but Soojung sure doesn't seem to because she half-twitches, half-flinches and looks up at Seulgi, silent, expressionless face pleading.

Seulgi glances over to the desk next to her, chair conspiciously absent, and realises what's going on.

"Seungwan, put the chair back and go get your own." 

Seungwan has an expression that's almost surprise flicker on her face (but it's still mostly happy and upbeat so Seulgi has difficulty calling it anything other than that) and then looks at Soojung.

"Is this your chair?"

Soojung nods.

"Ah. My bad." Seungwan puts it back behind Soojung's desk and walks over to introduce herself. Soojung's backpack is still on her back, but if it wasn't Seulgi imagines she'd be trying to hug it and hide herself behind a tiny wall of a canvas and PVC plastic accents.

The point is, Soojung's hands are free so Seungwan sticks out a hand for a western style handshake and says, "I'm Son Seungwan but you can call me Wendy."

"No one calls you Wendy."

"And they never will if you keep point that out!" Seungwan whines, frowning at her. Her head whips back to face Soojung, all perfect smiles again just as quickly as she switched from happy to annoyed.

Hesitant, Soojung takes it and shakes it. "Jung Soojung."

"A handshake is a bit much, isn't it, Seungwan?"

"It's American style," Seungwan jokes and at least Soojung doesn't flinch at that. Instead she actually does manage to laugh, a quiet sort of chuckle that can't be heard and is only noticed because of the way her shoulders rock up and down a bit.

"Nice to meet you," Soojung says, smiling a little more.

Seungwan looks at her, expectant, eyes sparkling and everything and, god, even Seulgi couldn't deny a face like that.

Soojung continues, pronouncing the name with a sharp clarity Seulgi's never managed, "Wendy."

It makes sense she's say it like that, anyway. Wendy is an English name and Soojung did grow up in America.

Seungwan claps and hugs Soojung, arms wrapping over the new girl. Does Soojung like skinship? Seulgi doesn't. Seungwan never cares. (Though Seulgi would be forced to admit Seungwan also has a way of making you not care as much and anyway Seungwan's skinship isn't that excessive anyway.) She can't make out Soojung's expression with Seungwan blocking all of it so she settles for sitting still at her desk and waiting to see if Soojung says anything.

"That's great!" Seungwan says. "Just keep saying it like that, okay? We're going to start a trend. We might even get Seulgi to jump on board."

Soojung laughs again and Seulgi is thankful. If anyone can make sure the girl has friends, it'll be Seungwan.