“Yeoreum-ah!” Park Minji called out, placing an arm around Yeoreum’s shoulder.  “Wanna walk to school together?”

            “Sure.” Yeoreum grinned.

            “I’m so tired.  I stayed up all night studying.”

            “Same here.  I barely slept, and when I did, I swear I was dreaming of our history textbook.”  

            “As expected of Miss Yonsei University.” Minji smiled.  “It must be nice to study in your dreams as well.  I wish I could train myself to do that.”

            “Hey,” Yeoreum replied, “I’m not the only one who received an offer.  And I haven’t made any decisions yet--”

            Minji sighed.  “But it’s Yonsei.  Unless you’re trying for SNU, you’d be crazy not to accept.  A full-ride tuition must be amazing.”

            Yeoreum paused, thinking back to the mysterious letter that may or may not have come from the future.  “Say, did you hear anything about the possibility of a new student transferring in today?”

            “Nope,” Minji replied.  “This late in the year?  We only have one semester left in high school, Yeoreum-ah.  Transferring in now would be a bit...tough.”

            “You’re right.”

            They walked through the school gates, bowing to Mr. Kim, their homeroom teacher on their way in.  He smiled back.

            “Good morning, girls.”

            “Good morning!” they both replied.

            Walking into the classroom, Minji took her seat in the front, and Yeoreum walked to her seat in the center of the room.  She checked her watch, and then the clock at the front of the room, noting that she could squeeze in a fifteen minute nap before Mr. Kim started class.  Placing her head down on her desk, she felt her eyes begin to droop, and she smiled.

            “Han Yeoreum?”

            “Hm.” She stirred, frowning.  I just closed my eyes!

            “Han Yeoreum.”

            She whined.

            “Han Yeoreum!”

            She shifted in her seat, keeping her eyes shut.  “Just five more minutes, Mom.”

            “Do I sound like your mother?”

            Yeoreum felt a sense of dread run through her veins as she registered that the voice was way deeper than her mother’s.  Opening one eye and then the other, she almost jumped in her seat, staring right into the eyes of Mr. Kim.  She glanced around the classroom, reddening as she registered everyone’s gazes on her.  Yeoreum then looked at the clock, realizing in horror that it read 8:00a.m.

            “I apologize, Mr. Kim.” She immediately stood up and bowed, face still red in embarrassment.  I shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night!  I can’t believe I didn’t wake up in time!

            “Just don’t let me catch you sleeping again,” he replied with a smile.  

            Yeoreum bowed once more before taking her seat.

            “Class, now that Yeoreum is present with us, I’d like to bring in our new student.  He’s come all the way from Daegu, so please treat him nicely.”

            “Eh?” Yeoreum’s eyes widened.

            “Something wrong, Miss Han?”

            “Ah...nothing,” she replied.  A coincidence.  Nothing but a coincidence.

            Everyone began whispering as Mr. Kim exited the room.  Yeoreum made eye contact with Minji, who simply shrugged in response.  Yeoreum reached one hand into her backpack, fishing around for the mysterious letter.  The whispering halted as the door opened, and the entire class waited in suspense to see who walked through the door with Mr. Kim.  

            The boy who walked through the door seemed to bring a cold aura with him, and Yeoreum instinctively pulled her blazer closer around herself.  A petite girl with long brown hair and brown eyes, Yeoreum tended to get cold easily.  The boy’s glare seemed to bring the temperature in the room down below freezing.

            “Class, this is Min Yoongi,” Mr. Kim said as Yeoreum opened the letter.

            She let out a small gasp.  Min Yoongi?  That’s what it says in the letter too!  What’s going on?

            “Please introduce yourself to the class, Yoongi.”

            “I’m Min Yoongi.” He bowed, then turned toward the teacher.

            Mr. Kim laughed.  “I suppose shorter introductions are better.  Your desk is next to Miss Han’s desk.  Han Yeoreum, please raise your hand.”

            Yeoreum, slightly perplexed and slightly nervous, raised her hand.  She observed as Yoongi, who had blond hair and hooded eyes, walked down the aisle.  He had rings on his fingers and wore a chain around his neck.  The moment they made eye-contact, she felt as though he was daring her to continue to stare at him.  Yeoreum quickly shifted her glance toward the window, which she remained focused on for the rest of homeroom.

<:>

            Yoongi hated self-introductions.  He wasn’t the good kind of interesting anyway, not that the teacher and the other students cared about what he had to say.  What do I say?  Hi, my name is Min Yoongi, I’m the son of a company president’s mistress, and I kind of want to die?  Bull.  He briefly made eye contact with the small girl with dark hair and brown eyes who was also his seatmate, but she looked away almost immediately.  Good, look away.  Not like I’m here to make friends anyway.

            “Did you see the way he glared at me?” one student whispered to another while the teacher had his back turned.

            Yoongi closed his eyes.  Rumors about me already?  This has got to be some kind of record.  He scoffed, staring the two students in the eye.

            “He’s looking, he’s looking,” the other one said.

            That’s right.  It’s easier if everyone hates me anyway.

            “I feel so bad for Yeoreum.  I’d be so scared to sit next to him.”

            “Not like she had a choice.”

            He paused, redirecting his gaze to the small girl with the brown eyes.  So her name’s Yeoreum, huh.  

            “I bet he got expelled from his old school for beating someone up.”

            “Yah, you’re too loud.  He might hear you.”

            “Why else would he transfer in with one semester left?”

            Yup, I can hear you.  Yoongi rolled his eyes, placing his headphones over his ears and leaning back.  He closed his eyes and focused on his music.

            All of a sudden, he felt a tap on his shoulder.  Yoongi opened his eyes, surprised to see his teacher--Mr. Kim, was it?--standing there with a smile on his face.

            “Yoongi, we’re in the middle of a lesson.  Please listen to your music during breaks only.”

            Yoongi scoffed, but removed his headphones anyway.  Glancing once at his seatmate, he noted that she was still looking out of the window.  No one else stared at him either.

            “Let’s get back to the lesson, shall we?” Mr. Kim smiled.

            Yoongi stared at the clock, which read 11:00.  Just a few more hours, Yoongi.  You can live through these next few hours.  He paused, a small smirk forming at the corner of his mouth at that thought.  How ironic.