Thirty minutes. I'm 30 minutes early for my first class. I am so pleased with myself that I want to actually pat myself on the back if I could. Good job so far, I tell myself. Now, the next challenge is how I can actually maneuver myself into the right direction to the lecture hall. Hallways in front of me spread like some maze of some sort, and I don't really know which way to go. 

A few months before high school ended, I was convinced that I had to spend the next couple of years working in multiple jobs that I don't like just to save up for my college tuition. Turns out, I got really lucky and my hard work for excellen grades got paid off - I got a scholarship. A freaking huge and prestigious scholarship! The memory is still etched in my brain and I can't help but smile everytime I remember the moment I got the letter telling me my college tuition no problem anymore. A few weeks after, another good news arrived - I am set for the Korean Liberal Arts University*, my dream.

Fast forward, here I am now, on my way to my first class. 

I grab my schedule from my satchel, and skim through it to check the exact room number. There it is, Room 203. Quickly, I go strait to the second floor, knowing from the little pamphlet they give to freshment that all classrooms that start with 2 are located in the second floor. 

200... I take a few more steps forward... 201... a few more steps... 202... a few more... 203!

I remove my eyes from the label by the door, and check my schedule once again. My first class, Introduction to Philosophy at Room 203. That's right! 

I take a deep breath and give myself some piece of encouragement. "This is it, Soojung! Finally," I tell myself.

But just as I was about to grab the knob and enter the room, a strong force pushed me from behind, leaving me with no other choice but to stumble forward. Good thing, I have a good sense of balance. Otherwise, I could have fallen. 

I turn around to see what has just happened, and I find myself face to face with a new but strangely familiar and charming guy right in front tof me. Wait, did I just say charming? No, no, no! He's not. He's looking... okay. But he is not charming. 

He hands me something, and before I could register that it was my schedule, which could have fallen while I was trying to balance, he started speaking.

"Sorry," he says. "I hope you weren't hurt."

"Um... Well, at least I didn't fall so that's okay." I shrugged, not even looking at him and trying to straighten up my now crumpled schedule. 

"Of course you fell." Another voice speaks. I look up and see another guy beside him. As to why I haven't noticed him a while ago, I don't know why. He is taller, leaner and smiling widely, as opposed to the serious look the guy who bumped into me was sporting. 

"I didn't," I tell them before reaching for the knob again. "It's okay."

Before I could turn it, the taller guy scoffs. "Don't be shy. Everyone falls for this guy right here," he says, patting the charming guy on his shoulder. The latter simply rolled his eyes. 

I shrugged, finally opened the door to the lecture hall. 

"I guess we found one girl who is not gushing over you," the taller guy remarks  before I enter. 

I scan the room, hoping to see Wendy, the only friend I have made so far. I met her during the orientation and found out we have this class together. She is Korean as well, but grew up in Canada, hence the English name. I am guessing we'd get along really well since she seems really nice. She tells me she actually heard the teacher is going to be brutally strict in Philosophy class, and suggested we sit together since she doesn't really like the subject. She has no choice though, since it is one of her major classes as she's majoring in History. As for me, I am taking double majors in Literature and Psychology. That may sound like torture, but I just have to deal with it for my dreams.

"Hi," I say as I spot Wendy at the backmost part of the hall. Reading - pretending to read, actually - a blank page of her notebook. "That must be a good read."

She smiles brightly as she sees me, "Thank God! I was about to lose my mind. I just have to see someone familiar. I did not make any friends in my dorm or even in my class before this one."

I laugh, "You eventually will. You're too friendly to ignore."

She pouts, "I don't think so. I saw this cool and handsome guy in my previous class. He even has these cute little dimples. But when I tried asking him to be my partner in a project, he immediately declined. I was so embarrased!"

"Maybe he's stupid anyway. At least you're saved from failing that project," I tell her.

"He's actually really smart. I heard from my gossiping classmates that he gets high grades with minimum effort. He's in the rich-handsome-popular-smart-and-perfect squad. In short, he is friends with Kim Jongin."

I cross my brows. "Who?"

"Are you serious? Haven't you heard of Kim Jongin? He's the most --"

But before Wendy could continue, our professor comes in. Old in around her fifties, wears thick glasses, old-fashioned clothes and a stern look on her face. It's the perfect formula for terror. 

In a snap, even Wendy forgets her daydream about cute and perfect guys.

Note: *I just made up Korean Liberal Arts University, so it's entirely fictional. :)