Year 4. Seoul, South Korea.

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"Everyone, we have a new student. Be sure to make her feel welcomed." A cat eyed like female entered the room with an aura that spilled confidence through the area. Her tiers were perched with a small smile, her posture spoke captain, and everything seemed perfectly fine before she started speaking. "I-I'm... Kang... Kang Seulgi." 

And right then and there, her tough image was shattered. "I'm f-from A-Ansan..." There was a sputter of laughter coming from the back room and all she could do was drop her gaze to the ground, feeling the embarrassment creep up her spine and overshadow her stature. "Alright, alright... Settle down." The teacher's voice raised as she spoke out to her students, eyeing the boys in back before addressing the new child with a smile. "If you'll take a seat over there, Ms. Bae is running a little late. She'll be here later, alright?" With a meek nod, the girl followed her instructions, keeping her head lowered as she went. 

'It's gonna be a long day.'

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"Irene-ah! What are you coming in so late for?!" A laugh passed the girl's lips as she turned and faced her little coterie (group) of friends with her hands on her hips. "Hey, I was having a problem. I can't help that my parents were over sleeping. I tried to wake them up, but guess who got sent to their room and had to wait 3 hours before they woke up in a hurry realizing what day it was? Them." Irene let out a loud laugh, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "Your parents overslept? Are you sure it wasn't you?" One of her friends punched her shoulder gently, earning another small laughter from the girl. "You're talking to 'The Bae Joohyun.' You really think I can over sleep?" 

It was the class's free time, and 'Ms. Bae' had just returned from her wild adventures of her morning. And already, the news of the shy student spread through the school. "You missed it. There's a new student who completely shut down in the front of the classroom. It was hilarious." Her brow rose as she started tuning into the conversation. "A new student? Does that mean I have someone sitting next to me?" The other person nodded and cracked a smile. "Dude. She looks like an animal... Like at first, we thought she was cool 'cause like... I don't know-- something about her was eyecatching." A snort came from another direction, causing the girl to look in their direction, "but then she turned into a clumsy and dumb animal." A laugh broke out with the other friends. However, Irene wasn't joining in. A taller female dropped a hand on her shoulder, using her as leverage as she laughed louder. "I can't believe it. She looked like she was gonna wet herself-- Only babies do that!" A sigh dropped out from Irene's lips as she removed her shoulder from her hand, looking around to see if she could find the said new student.

"Awww, come on. Don't be such a downer." A hand patted on her back, but she rolled her eyes. "You guys know I don't favor any sort of 'making fun of students,' it's just not my thing. Where is she, anyway?" The others looked around, finding no resemblence of the student in the hall way. Most of them finding no interest in looking for her. Irene read the situation and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and looking at them. "I'll go and find her myself. Go have fun." 

"Ooooh, wow. President Bae at it again."

"Popular Irene who befriends everyone, off to save the day."

"Bunny and the prey, a magical fantasy story, huh?"

Irene just looked at them, letting laughter spill as she shrugged her shoulders. "You guys done having your fun with me? I'll go then." And with that, she left to go and find this student as her friends grew into a fit of laughter. 

She decided to start with the classroom, which she wasn't wrong, finding the student in her pair of desk -- But what she found was much more entertaining than just pure curiosity. Seulgi was sitting there and giving herself a pep talk, quite explicitly and full of body movements. It also didn't help that she was speaking aloud with volume. "Just-- Just make friends. I'm sure you looked like a scared bear, and we don't want that happening again. Right? Right." 

She patted herself on her shoulder before settling down, her chin in her palm as she looked to the front of the classroom, Irene's appearance in the doorway flying over her head. "I can't do this. I cannot. Oh my god!" She squealed to herself, kicking her feet a little under her desk as she shook her head some, holding it after and cupping her own cheeks.

There was a sound of a small giggle piercing through her haze of panic and she was unable to believe what was happening. "Bear, huh?" Floods of embarrassment came up to her features again as she couldn't bring her gaze up from the desk. "Oh, come on. I'm not here to make fun of you." 

This voice was unfamiliar to her, and she was much too afraid to gaze at the person. She had already gotten enough of embarrassment for a whole year, and she can't withstand another. "I never caught your name, you know." The voice was so much clearer now, and she keeps to herself, keeping her hand at her cheeks with her eyes darting from place to place on her desk. "I'm gonna start calling you 'Bear' if you don't give me a name." 

"That's even more embarrassing!" Her hand clamped over , accidentally raising her voice and she squeezes her eyes shut -- mentally cursing herself as she sighs into her hand. 

Irene could only giggle at her antics, finding it all too adorable. She makes way to the front of her desk and crouches onto the ground so that her eyes were above the edge of the desk. This way, she was able to look at the new girl more clearly. "My name is Bae Joohyun, Bear." After getting a good look at her, whether or not the seemingly younger person was looking at her or not, she stood back up and outstretched her hand so that the other could see. "M-My name isn't.. Isn't Bear..."

"Too late. You didn't give me a name when I stated I didn't get it earlier..." Her hand was left in the air as she spoke, sighing a little and furthering her hand more. "I go by Irene and my friends call me 'Bunny' as a joke. See? Look, we're both animals now." Irene's lips turned into a smile as she gazed at the other. Her brows perked up as she saw the other's hands drops cautiously from her features, then carefully holding onto her hand and shaking it. "S-Seulgi-- Kang! Kang... Seulgi." 

"See? It's not so bad, right?"

"...Your friendliness is a little intimidating."

"At least you're not a scared bear anymore, right?" 

"A-Are you teasing me?"

Joohyun shrugged her shoulders, an obvious teasing grin coming to her lips.

The bell rang and the students start filing into the classrooms, right into their seats as the teacher began going over briefings of the class. Irene briefly grinned before sitting in the desk next to Seulgi, leaning over a little and discreetly whispering. "If anyone is ever giving you trouble, be sure to tell me. I'll deal with them. Alright?" Seulgi nodded and flashed a quick smile, giving the smaller an eyesmile. 

"Irene." Her attention was pulled forward as the teacher called out her name with an easy tone, "I see that you made a new friend, but back to class. Shall we?"

The class shared their hypes of "ooohs" and laughs, returning to the school schedule.

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"Seulgi-ssi." Seulgi turned and looked Irene who was packing her things, tilting her head a little as she did the same. "Where do you live?" And the girl responded with silence, shaking her head to ensue that she doesn't know. "My parents will be picking me up after school... I haven't gotten to know my way around just yet."

Irene nodded gently, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "Oooh... You'll be here 'til then?" And again, she responded with silence and a curt nod. 

"Do you ever talk?" Once more, her voice remains quiet as she shook her head. 

The shorter girl let out a light sigh as she got up from her seat, patting the bear's shoulder. "I suppose I'll be trying to get you to talk more tomorrow then, right?" A quick flash of a smile and a turn on her heels, she exits the room while glancing over her shoulder. 

"Yah, Irene!" Irene lerched foward as her friend came over and threw her arm over her shoulders. "Is that all you call me by, Joy?" The younger one grinned at her stance, rubbing her arm lightly. "It should be 'unnie,' you know that, right? You're so rude." The girl chuckled and nudged into her, letting the taller lead her in the direction of their house. "Unnie or not, you're still shorter... Speaking of which, I can't see you!" Joy teased the older by getting onto her toes, her arm still hanging on her shoulders, just as she placed her free hand above her eyes -- trying to 'scout' out the older.

And with this, she earned a jab into her rigcage. "Ahhh, what the heck!!" She was left behind, doubled over as she held the place the older hit. "Aren't you gonna wait on me, Irene?!" 

"Nope." Irene shrugged her shoulders simply and continued walking the path down, laughing to herself as she heard the younger whine out loudly. "You'll be fiiiiine."

Irene's place wasn't too far from school, but nor was it too close. She was able to enjoy her social life but maintain a perfectly healthy and studious life. "Sooyoung-ah. If you don't hurry up, we're gonna be late for the show... And our afternoon snack, if you want to stay over." The younger one of the two, and taller, only sped up and grinned over at her. "Hey, don't you have to welcome your new neighbor? Like a good neighbor you are?"

"My studies will excuse me from welcoming them.. I'll greet them tomorrow in the morning." Her hand turns the knob of her house, entering as she called out that she was home and trailing herself to the kitchen with her friend following close. "I have studies with Joy. Can you bring the snacks up to my room, Mom?" The mother let a grin drift across her lips as she nodded, lightly patting her daughter's head as she did the same to her friend. "Will you be picking up the new neighbor's daughter for school tomorrow? I heard she goes to your school." 

The two kids were already marching up the stairs, lost in their own conversation and the mother could only let out a quiet sigh of chuckles. "Girls, I'll be up in a minute!"

Irene and Joy chimed in unison before entering the older's room, putting their stuff down and taking their books out. "But yeah, I mean.  I'm going to be friends with her either way. I don't want anyone messing with her just because she messed up on her first day. It just means she only has one way to go! Up! ...Or so my grandpa says. I don't remember much." Joy lifts an eyebrow as she tilts her head at what nonsense she was speaking. "Ugh... Dumb talk, please." A sigh crossed the older girl's lips as she looked at her dear friend with disbelief. 

At this point, her mother comes in and places a bowl of fruit down and two cartons of juice. "What she means is," she pauses, straightening her posture as she stands back up. "Once you've reached the bottom, the only way to go is up. It's a saying.. like 'the early bird gets the worm.' Which, by that, I mean picking up your neighbors daughter for school tomorrow. I hear she goes to the same school. Okay? I'll be back before dinner."

The two wave goodbye to her mother and begin snacking away, getting work on their studies as promised.

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Morning comes and Irene is up earlier than usual to make sure she's presentable for the neighbors, after all.. She had missed yesterday's first meeting. She quickly tugs her shoes on and checks her features one last time, grabbing onto the house key and her pocket money for the day- then finally, exiting her house to the house a few doors down.

With a deep breath, she exhales slowly and rings the door bell.

"I'll get that!" Irene's brows rose as she heard a familiar muffled voice come out from the house.

...But just who did it belong to?

"And here we are," a girl spoke from the other side, sounding as if she's having trouble with the lock, but of course only being mindful.

As the door pulled open, Irene's expression sparked into a wide grin as her worries washed away.

She figured out whom the voice belonged to.

"Bear!" 

The other was startled by the exclaim of the older. Jumping back a little as she stared at the other in awe, completely and uttery confused as to what the 'bunny' was doing here. Without having a moment to express her disgruntlement about the nickname, she was stumbling back because the smaller had tacklehugged her way into her arms.

Being the awkward person she was, she didn't know whether or not to hug back.

"Bear! You're the new neighbor?! Oh, this is going to be so fun!" 

The girl's parents stepped out, wondering what the commotion was about. Only to find their daughter flustered in another girl's arms as she buried her head into their own daughter's neck. "See, Honey? I told you she wouldn't have any problems." 

"I-Irene-ssi... I told you not to call me 'bear'..."

The shorter jolted back and knocks herself on her head, resulting in sticking her tongue out playfully with an eye closed as if it actually hurt. "My bad, bear." 

This resulted in a pout and a quiet whine, aside from the shaking that Seulgi was already doing.

"Oh, excuse me. Where are my manners-" She quickly collected herself and pulls away from the younger, straightening her jacket and bowing in 90 degrees. 

"Bae Joohyun, 4 year in school, and 9 years of age. I like to go by Irene, but for Seulgi-ssi. It's 'Bunny.' Pleasure meeting you!" She straightens her posture, smiling as the taller girl just stood aside, still flustered. "Oh come on, bear."

"Hey-- I told you not to call me 'bear!'" 

"Right.. Of course, bear." 

"I think you're just teasing me, now!" 

"Mhm. Yes, bear~"

The parents of the bear just enjoyed the pleasurable sight in front of them before bringing the younger in, letting her join in for breakfast as much as Irene had refused. 

"She's going to do just fine, husband." The mother of the bear reached over and patted Irene's head along with Seulgi's. "They get along just fine like her mother had said."

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A/N: I told you guys I was terrible with time. 

But! Thank you for tuning in for chapter one!

Upvotes, subscribes, and comments are much appreciated! 

Xumin out!