CONTAINS SWEARING

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I heavily sighed as I approached the gates of my new school, which of all places, was in South Korea.

"KOREA?!" I yelled in disbelief.
"Yes!! Your father got the perfect job opportunity, isn't it exciting?" My mother replied with unnecessary joy.
"Mom what the actual I know nothing about Korea and I am not about to go to high school there! What about my life? And my friends?"

It's strange because a few days earlier I was wishing I could leave the country, get away from everything, from the people who certainly weren't my friends because in fact I don't even have any anymore. I hate this place. But, it's just so sudden, moving to another country just like that. Have they even considered what I might want? I need time to think.

"It's okay, you have time to finish things up here, we won't be moving for at least 6 months, at least you'll have time to learn the language."

Hah, okay yep I'll just pack my bags and leave, easy. You know it's going to be so easy to get a good education when I'll have no idea what the the teachers are saying. Not that I care about my education anyway.
Sure, it’ll be easy for them, they're both fluent in Korean!! I may have learnt the language if my parents were actually ever around to teach me, but that obviously never happened. I know what Korean sounds and looks like, but I am not even going to attempt to pronounce it.

I'm half Chinese and half Korean in appearance, so I shouldn't get stared weirdly at for being a foreigner thank ing goodness, but it won't be long before the kids at school realise I'm a total freak! Not that their opinion of me would be any different from here in America...

I hate the fact that my parents gave me a Korean name when we live in America, they just want me to be made fun of. Nobody knows how to spell or pronounce it anyway, so I've always introduced myself as V Kim. Why V? For Victory... Which is the complete opposite of what I'm achieving in life.

I used to be your average book-loving nerd, highest grades in every class, complete with glasses and everything. But since middle school, I've constantly been teased for... Being different. It's not entirely the fact that I'm Asian going to a school made up of mostly whites. I guess my perspective on life is just different from others, and I found out the hard way, writing poetry and painting flowers is not the way to fit in as a 15 year old boy.

So I became rebellious, skipping school, purposely failing tests, pranking the teacher, getting drunk on weekends… But even then I couldn't fit in, I'm still an outcast and I always will be I guess.

And now I just have zero motivation for school, therefore my grades are . I still write about my feelings and I go to art club secretly after school, but I'm not happy. My parents don't know about anything that's been going on in my life, and I don't think they have the time to care. They just want me to go to an expensive school and have expensive things.

So now here I am, 7 months later, at the front gates of my new school in Seoul, South Korea, about to enter my new life.

Well, .

I fixed my hair awkwardly before stepping through the school gate and making my way to… where am I going again? I had a map of the school but I was not about to look like a complete dork and pull it out. I want to fit in.

Of course, on the front building there was a sign that I recognised to read “Front Office”. Yes, I had been studying the language a little, only because there was nothing I could do about the hideous fate that I would have to come to this country and go to school.

No less than 20 seconds later I was pushed to the ground by a smiling figure. Well, he literally ran into me and I fell backwards. What a great way to start my first day of school. I was about to shout something probably rude when he spoke.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” The boy almost shouted. “Here, let me help.”

He reached out his –pretty- hand with an obnoxious smile still plastered on his handsome face.

He continued to talk when I didn’t respond, I had no idea what the heck he was saying, but his voice was soothing and friendly. It’s a lot harder to understand real life Korean rather than google translate speaking it for me.

“It’s okay.” I told him and got up myself, smoothing out my shirt and readjusting my tie.

“I’m Park Jimin.” Jimin held out his hand again and smiled wider, his eyes disappearing into lines. Cute. “Nice to meet you. I never… something something something”

“Um hello...” I replied. I really didn’t want to socialise or be noticed but I figured it would be better if I had a friend, or at least someone to tell me what I’m supposed to be doing and this guy seemed nice enough.

I shook his hand. “…Jimin-ssi. I’m…” I had to think about it for a moment, who did I want to introduce myself as? V Kim, the forever alone weirdo that fails at school? I slowly continued.

“Taehyung. Kim Taehyung.” My own name was foreign to me.

Jimin chuckled at my words. Why was he laughing? Was he laughing at me?

“Taehyung! We’re friends now! You’re new here, right? Come on, I’ll show you.”

And just like that I was taken by the wrist and dragged to our first destination, Jimin’s friends. I instantly started to regret talking to this guy.