"Are you kidding me right now, Mom?"

If you had heard my voice at the moment, you would have assumed that my mom had committed some sort of grave travesty that had traipsed upon my rights as a human being. Years later, I will admit that I was being quite dramatic, but at the moment, it certainly felt like my mom had commited previously mentioned grave travesty and that I was going to die.

"Song Minah! I told you to walk to school today! I can't drive you every day! From the way you're acting, it sounds like I told you to run a marathon, stupid girl!"

Ok - I was being very dramatic. And also, my mom was a formidable match for my sassy mouth.

At this point in time, I was fifteen years old and entering my first year of high school. We had moved to Seoul from Daegu over the winter break and it was my first day at school.

I had prepared myself to be a friendless outcast for the first few days before hesitantly worming my way into a small friend group and having casual pals. My older brother had taught me that if I set my expectations low, I could never be disappointed. Not exactly the most inspirational of brotherly advice, but he wasn't wrong.

"Mom, I am literally going to show up to school as a sweaty mess. It is like half a mile away and we both know I wasn't born with any athletic ability."

Even though my expectations were low, I was pretty disappointed that I had to walk on my first day of school.

"Wear an undershirt and it will absorb all of your sweat. Life hack." the damn woman looked proud of herself.

I could only stare. "Mom, that is not a life hack, more layers are literally just going to make me sweat more."

"Song Minah, I am not driving you and that's final. Find your own ride or walk."

I scowled. I didn't know anyone in the province, let alone someone who could drive. Walking it was.

Throwing an extra shirt and deoderant into my bag as a final thought, I sent my mom a dirty look as I headed out the door. "I will remember this, Kim Raenah."

"Don't call your mother by her full name, Song Minah."

"If you don't call me by mine, I won't!" I stuck my tongue out at her and dashed out of the yard as she shouted at me from the kitchen window. Great. The neighbors were going to hate us and it hadn't even been a full month.

As I approached the last crosswalk before I got to the (dumb) school, I was stopped at the traffic light. As I waited (rather unpatiently, I will admit) for the light to change to green, a boy came up and stood beside me, wearing a similar, though more masculine uniform. I gave him a cursory glance - okay it was a glare, I was in a bad mood - and he simply cocked an eyebrow at me, before turning his attention back to the light.

I rolled my eyes and looked to the light, shooting ahead of him when it flickered green. I heard a scoff behind me and hurried my pace, leaving him in the dust behind me.

(I am not ashamed of my immaturity and will acknowledge it fullheartedly)

I continued my quick pace into the school, toward the lockers where I was to use locker 465, with Traffic Light Boy far behind me, then I whipped off my shoes and threw them in my locker. I wiped my sweaty forehead off with a tissue and left it in the depths of my locker. As I shut the, someone beside me cleared their throat.

I gave a small shriek - very feminine, very cute, I'm sure - and snapped to look at the guilty party.

Traffic Light Boy, with his shoes and school bag already changed, not a drop of sweat on his tan skin, had shut his locker. "Beat ya." He gave me a once over. "Also you scream like a goat."

That is how I met Kim Jongin.

Before I get into the rest of the details of our first meeting, I would like to apologize to my mother and father and brother for the following statements. I was a young high school girl who had just been compared to a goat by a young high school boy. I had just moved to a new city with no friends and in the first encounter I had with a peer, I had been likened to a barnyard animal.

"Did you just ing call me a goat?"

The boy choked, certainly having not expected that response. "I d-didn't call you a goat, I called your scream goat-like-"

"Please don't talk to me ever again, you complete ." I beamed, adjusting the bag on my shoulder. "Bye!"

His former arrogance and cool demeanor had completely vanished and I walked away, leaving a startled Traffic Light Boy behind me.

I'm from Daegu. I don't mess around.

Traffic Light Boy was in my math class and spent half the class burning a hole in my back. Finally, he quit giving me weird looks when I bared my teeth at him. I didn't learn his name until the teacher scolded him for his last test grade in front of the entire class - something I momentarily pitied him for before he glanced at me again and then I resumed my eager distaste.

His name was Kim Jongin.

He attempted to come up to me during lunch, but at that point, I had jumpstarted my plan of worming my way into a small friend group, playing the role of a small, lonely girl and I was eagerly welcomed by my female classmates.

Kim Jongin was frightened off by the thought of confronting me in a mess of girls. Thus, I escaped unscathed.

After school, I knew he would be seeking me out - though I had no idea why - and slipped out of the mess of students, hurrying on my way home. All I knew was that this kid was giving me weird looks all day and then suddenly trying to speak to me. You can't exactly say I was overreacting when I literally felt like a target.

"Hey!" a shout came from behind me. "Song Minah! Wait!"

I made it past the traffic light just as it turned red, forcing Kim Jongin to wait at the other side. I promptly made a run for it.

I had a huge headstart, making it down one street and corner, leaving Kim Jongin far behind me.

Why I was avoiding Kim Jongin, it was mostly just because he was being annoying and following me around - and who wouldn't avoid someone who was literally stalking them? He wasn't ugly or anything, tall, lean and athletic looking, with a dark tan and neat hair. His uniform looked orderly enough, so he wasn't some sort of gangster... so why he was harassing me like one, it was a mystery to everyone (namely me).

"Safe!" I breathed out, slowing my 'run' to a walk. I probably looked like a giraffee with an awkward limp as I made my way down the street, but no shame here, I have already acknowledged my inability to do anything even remotely athletic. My talent is in nail art, thank you very much.

"Song Minah!" a voice from in front of me called. "I told you to wait!"

I gawked. Somehow, the boy I had left in the dust was then in front of me, his forehead not even looking damp nor was he out of breath. "How did you get in front of me?"

He blanched before shrugging. "Short cut."

I clicked my tongue. "Dammit. Fine." I sighed. "What do you want?"

"Um, I just wanted to apologize for, uhh, earlier." he looked a tad guilty. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings by calling you, um, a goat, but I wasn't even calling you a goat, I was just trying to make a joke and be funny because I knew that you were a new kid because I had never seen you in middle school or elementary school and I wanted to make you feel welcome but now I see that it was mean and my older sisters always told me never to be mean but then I was mean and then I felt bad and you got mad at me and I felt really bad and I wanted to apologize but you were looking really busy with your new friends and so I didn't want to bother you and then you ran away from me and I am really sorry." his shoulders slumped with a sigh.

Okay, Jongin looked more than just a tad guilty. The kid looked close to tears.

"It's fine, Jongin." I consented, the overwhelming kindness that is my personality finally breaking free (ok that was an exaggeration, I will acknowledge that). "You are forgiven for calling my voice goat-like. And I apologize for swearing at you. I only do that to people who I don't like."

He flinched at that.

"But you are alright because you apologized, so we can be friends." I assured him, trying to be a kind classmate.

The boy brightened immediately. "Really?"

I shrugged. "Sure. I don't mind."

And thus, I had gotten my first close friend at school.