You stared at your phone, waiting for Wonwoo to reply only to be answered by the ring of the school bell. You took a breath and put your phone away. So much for your best friend having your back.

You watched as more students came in, filling the rest of the classroom, none of them you knew by name or by face. What's more is that most of them seemed to be already acquainted with each other. You trained your eyes on your notebook, pretending to be interested with its plain cover when the teacher arrived. Like always, there was the dreaded introductions part of the class and when your turn arrived, you were quite happy that half of the class wasn't paying attention at all.

"Hi. I'm y/n. I'm a new student and I just transferred from the School of Performing Arts Seoul. Nice to meet you." At the mention of your old school, several students (most noticeably girls) turned and started whispering to each other. Not that it's something you've never experienced before. It was a pretty famous school but you had an idea why they were behaving like that.

At lunch, you sat at an empty table and ate in silence and peace when your phone vibrated.

Despite replying late, it was nice to finally talk to someone you know. Being in that room for hours with no one to talk to was a pain. It was kind of awkward to be just…there.

You went back to eating when you noticed a girl you recognize from your class approaching and sat in front of you. "Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm Kim Soeun. I'm from your class."

"Hi. I'm y/n."

You watched as Soeun fidgeted, as if she was contemplating whether to say something or not. And in your mind, you already knew where this was going. You were practically a master at this already and it was fun. Sometimes.

"So...you went to SOPA huh. That's a pretty cool school. Why did you leave?"

You shrugged. What a cliché way of starting this conversation. “I wanted to do something else so I transferred. Except for that, SOPA’s alright. There were lots of cute guys too," you smiled innocently. It was the usual bait you used, a classic that never failed.

You watched Soeun's eyes widen in recognition. Like you said, it never failed. "I know right? A lot of them are popular in other schools too, even here! Especially..." her voice lowering down a bit, "especially Jeon Wonwoo."

There it is. "Ah...Jeon Wonwoo huh?”

“Yes...you're his best friend right? Some of my friends knew about him and...well, they knew about you too. Ah! They're not stalkers or anything,” she quickly added. “They told me they just overheard it from the students in your school.”

"Mhmm," you nodded, chewing on your food thoughtfully. So far, Soeun has acted like a lot of other people did when they talked to you. You sighed. Can’t people be a little more original? They’re too predictable; this conversation is quickly turning tasteless and dull. Should you just end this conversation already?

"So, can you tell me anything about him? Or you? I mean, I just wanna know if the rumors are true or not. You know, so that I can know who you really are," she smiles.

Your eyes left the table and went to her. What is she up to? Most people usually just go straight for Wonwoo trivia and ignore you.

“I don’t know what kind of rumors you’ve heard but here are the facts: One, don’t get fooled with his bad boy image. He’s a dork and tells really lame jokes. Trust me. Two, he doesn’t believe in love at first sight. You gotta be friends with him first. Three, his ideal type is someone who suits him well. Good luck with that. Four, he's only dated once. Didn't last long. And last but not the least, I'm his best friend and childhood friend. Nothing more.” You paused to breath and quickly recounted everything before proceeding. “If you have any questions, you better ask him yourself. It's better to get answers from him directly, don’t you think?" you smiled and went back to eating your food. Now’s the crucial part. If she reacts like everybody does, then…well, whatever.

Soeun's face was now a shade of pink, obviously flustered from what just happened. "Ah...well," she started.

“Soeun!” A guy you barely recognized called over.

She looked back at him before facing you again, bowing slightly and stood up. "Thank you. I'll be going then. Bye."

Without paying attention, you quietly finished your food and tried not to think about other things, taking in small, slow breaths. This always happened, people going after you in hopes of hooking them up with your best friend. You never really understood why but for some reason after entering high school, people started paying attention to him and in a way, started paying attention to you too. You were annoyed by how petty some of them were, giving you unnecessary hate. So what if you’re close with him? Is that a crime? So whenever someone approaches you, you just cut the conversation short by telling them what they want to know. It makes people dislike you but it makes dealing with rumors easier. And at the very least, they’ll dislike you for a reason that you can accept. But even though you were used to it, you were hoping that maybe this time in this new school, things would change. But obviously, it hasn't.

Finally, classes has ended for the day and you were free to go. Most classes only required short introductions about the subject and a few light reading as homework so your day was still pretty free. And thankfully, nothing else happened and you survived the first day.

You plugged in your earphones and your music, walking towards your school gate when you saw a couple of guys standing outside. They were so noticeable that students keep on staring at them as they walk by. Seeing this, you can’t help but grin for two things: one was that this group of guys looked so attractive (not to mention tall) that they are figuratively and literally standing out from all the people. The second one was that Wonwoo actually stopped by your school for you with a few of his friends.

After waiting for most of the students to leave, you walked up to them with a big smile on your face. “Awww. I feel so special.”

“You better be.” Jun, one of Wonwoo’s friends and classmate, ruffled your hair.

“It’s nice to see you too,” you said, fixing your hair. “Did you guys miss me already?” Just then, you felt your bag being lifted from your shoulders and saw Mingyu, another friend of Wonwoo’s, weighing it.

“Hmm…seems light. Gimme.”

“How many times do I have to remind you that I’m older than you?” you asked as you gave him your bag.

He frowned. “Only by a few months.”

Wonwoo laughed as he started walking towards the bus stop. “Alright kids, don’t fight.”

You rolled your eyes before turning to Jun. “Hanging out already?”

“Yeah. Wonwoo and I don’t have much to do and I’ve been too busy this vacation.”

“And Mingyu?” you turned to take a glance at Mingyu who was quietly but contently walking behind.

Jun shrugged. “He says he doesn’t have homework but Myungho and Seokmin says they’re swamped.” He leaned closer and whispered, “He’s probably just skipping to play.”

You shook your head and smiled. Jun and Mingyu were just a few of Wonwoo’s friends that became your friends too, although it did took some time for you to warm up to them. Thanks to them, you didn’t have to worry about being lonely in school; you had big brothers, friends your age, and younger brothers. Though they were all guys, it never really bothered you like it did with your mom sometimes. It was more fun this way anyway. Although sometimes, you can’t help but get annoyed when everyone’s together. They were just too loud.

You finally reached home and asked Mingyu for your bag while Wonwoo and Jun went straight to his house.

“You’re not coming over?” Mingyu asked.

You shook your head. “I’m going out with my mom tonight. Next time, definitely.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Are you making anything tonight?”

Mingyu smiled. If there’s anything that he loved to do when hanging out with you, it was definitely making you food. At least, that’s what he told you. He said that it was nice seeing you eat the food he makes because you ‘totally show appreciation’ for his cooking unlike the others who just eat what he makes. “I’ll save you something, don’t worry.”

“Alright. See you!”

Mingyu walked in and saw Wonwoo and Junhui setting up the TV so that they could play their usual soccer game. He sat on the couch behind them with a blank look on his face when Wonwoo turned to look at him.

“She’s not coming?”

Mingyu shook his head.

“Sorry Gyu. I didn’t know. Try again next time?”

Mingyu shrugged. “I guess.”

“You’re still making food though?” Jun asked, his eyes still glued at the TV screen.

Eyes closed, Mingyu shook his head and plopped down on the couch.

You just got home with your mom and went straight to you room. You took off your shoes and changed into comfortable clothes when you heard the doorbell ring. Moments later, your mom called in saying that Wonwoo dropped by with some food from Mingyu. You quickly went to the dining area to find Wonwoo already seated and smiling innocently with the food and a pair of forks in front of him.

"Why do you have a fork?" you asked as you sat in front of him, opening the plastic container.

"It's for sharing," he announces, giving you your fork and digging in himself. "Besides, you probably already ate while you're out."

"Well, you're not wrong about that," you smiled and took a bite as well.

Wonwoo watched as you started eating. "So. How was school really? You were pretty quiet about it on the way home earlier. Did it happen again?"

You nodded. "This girl approached me during lunch and asked about you. Well, I was included but mainly because of you. So I gave her ‘Jeon Wonwoo’s Frequently Asked Questions’,” you said, miming a marquee with your free hand. “She ran away though," you shrugged.

“I don't know if I feel more sorry towards you or for her because you probably scared her.”

“Hey, whatever,” you shrugged. “If she was gonna be friends with me just to get close to you and then date you and become obsessed and scary like the last one, I'd rather not let her meet you. Unless you like her better of course,” you glared.

Wonwoo smiled and reached over, pinching your cheek. “Don't worry. I won't date anyone who'll fight my best friend. But if I end up single my whole life, that's on you. You got that?”

You returned his mocking smile and went back to eating, finishing the whole thing.

“Are you sure you're okay?” Wonwoo asked.

Thinking back, you didn't actually liked your first day at your new school. It was so different but also so similar with your past life. But with the things that happened outside school, having your mom, your best friend and a few other friends with you, in the end, that's all that matters, and it made you feel alright. "Yes. I am."

Wonwoo smiled and nodded. “Well,” he started packing the stuff he brought, “I'm going. Need to be early tomorrow. Try not to stay up too late,” he said as he walked out of the room.

“Lock the door!” you shouted after him.

“I know,” he shouted back.

That night, you went to bed with a smile on your face. It was just your first day. You’ll find the right people. And if not, well, you’ll always have Wonwoo with you.