March. It was the middle of the school year. Well maybe a little more than half way through, but that was besides the point. Haein had just transferred to Nalgae Public High School. Taking her first couple steps towards the main entrance of the building, memories of the past few months flooded back into her head as students hurried passed.

Not this time. She thought, determined not to let the past repeat itself.

Haein couldn't let what happened a few months ago happen again. Never again would she be able to bear such heartache.

Pushing such depressing thoughts from her mind, she trudged forward into the school. Looking around at the students moving all about, some eager and some just plain tired.

Where is the office? Haein wondered, as she began to aimlessly look at all of people moving around her. Hoping that someone would notice her looking lost and help her out.

"Excuse me, are you lost?" Right on cue, a girl with long, beautiful dark brunette hair approached her. Haein stared at her for a second, admiring her beauty but quickly responded to the question. "Yes, I just transferred today. I need to find the office, but I don't know where it is..."

Haein sighed lightly and casted her eyes downward. What if this girl doesn't want to help me? She couldn't help but feel a bit insecure.

"I'll help you, follow me!" Much to Haein's surprise, the girl immediately took one of her hands and began to lead her down the hallway. "I'm Boram, Min Boram. What about you?"

"Joo Haein." She simply answered, a bit stunned by the stares they were receiving as they passed through the hallway. "Why are people staring at us?"

"Oh, sorry about that!" Boram chuckled nervously, knowing it was because of her likely. "They are probably just curious as to what I'm doing."

Rather than responding to her, Haein simply nodded her head in understanding. So, Boram was popular? Why would she waste her time on me?

"You alright? You're awfully silent." Boram questioned Haein, concerned by the girl's seemingly doomed expression on her face. "I-I'm fine, just experiencing some shock from the transfer is all..." Haein lied and forced a weak smile on her face.

Boram sighed and looked at the girl with a worried expression on her face. "You don't have to lie to me, you know. If you are having a hard time, don't be afraid to come to me about it. I'm always open to having a new friend!" Boram smiled wholeheartedly at Haein, making her smile more genuinely in return.

"I understand, I'll try be more honest next time." Haein smiled, grateful to meet someone as kind as Boram on her first day.

Before she knew it, Haein had already arrived at the main office with the help she received from Boram. "I have to get to class, but hopefully I'll see you again later!" Boram waved goodbye as she departed from the office, leaving Haein alone once again. Waving goodbye back, Haein approached the secretary.

The name plate on the desk read, "Moon Yeongja." The name suited the woman, who was dressed in all pink from head to toe with grey hair that quickly fading to white.

"Excuse me," Haein spoke up softly, not wanting to disturb the woman too much. The older lady turned and looked at her with a bright smile, one that resembled a smile from Haein's own grandmother. "I just transferred here, my name is Joo Haein."

"Ah! We've been expecting you, Miss Joo. I have all of your stuff right here." The older woman happily exclaimed, beaming with delight. She pulled out a box, placing it onto her desk with a thump. "Here is your classroom number and all of your books for all of your classes, as well as your student ID card."

Struggling a bit, Haein quickly placed the ID card in her wallet before discarding it back into her backpack. She lifted up the heavy textbooks, before peering down at the room number on the desk below. "Classroom 3-A."

"Ha Sungwoon, please help this young lady to her classroom!" Mrs. Moon called out to another student in the office. Haein followed the older woman's gaze before it connected with the gaze of the student in question. They stared into each other's eyes for only a second before Haein quickly averted her gaze.

Ha Sungwoon was a shorter than most guys his age, but he was no shorty when it came to standing next to Haein. His golden hair bounced gently as he made his way over to the two ladies. "Of course, Mrs. Moon. Anything for you." He replied with a cheeky grin, before turning his attention to Haein again.

"I'm Ha Sungwoon, 3rd year student and the student council president. What classroom do you need to be directed to?" He asked kindly, not appearing to be troubled at all by the quest of having to guide a new student. "3-A."

His smile became larger. "That's right next to my class, I'll show you the way." Sungwoon took half of the textbooks from Haein's arms, noticing the poor girl struggling to carry so many heavy books.

He lead her out of the office and up two sets of stairs, onto the third floor where all of the third year students were located. "Thank you for helping me and for carrying my books, I really appreciate it." Haein thanked Sungwoon, grateful to have someone kind helping her again.

"It's no problem, all part of being student council president!" Sungwoon smiled back. "Here is your classroom, I'll go in with you so you don't have to carry all of these books again."

The two entered the classroom, causing the entire room to go silent as the students stared right back at Haein and Sungwoon. Gulping from nervousness, Haein walked towards the teacher who was busy looking at his class registry. "Excuse me, Sir."

The man looked down at Haein with tired eyes, dark circles resting lightly underneath them. "Are you the transfer student?" Haein simply nodded to his question, causing him to smile just a little. "Alright kids, listen up! This is your new classmate, please introduce yourself."

"Hello, I'm Joo Haein. I'm eighteen years old and transferred to Nalgae High from Sinsa High. It's nice to meet all of you." Haein lightly bowed, a bit nervous at having to make an introduction to the other students. "Alright, thank you for that introduction. You can take a seat next to Kang Daniel, please raise your hand so that she may find you please." The teacher spoke nonchalantly.

Haein looked around the room before spotting a student on the far right side of the classroom with his hand up. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when her eyes landed on him. Kang Daniel was incredibly handsome, not what Haein was expecting on her first day of school.

Quickly, Haein made her way to the back of the classroom with Sungwoon close behind her. They both placed the textbooks down, with Sungwoon quickly departing from the room since he was late for class now.

Avoiding the strange glares of other girl's in the classroom, Haein took a seat next to Daniel. He was staring at her as well, smiling brightly at her. Haein looked over at him again, meeting his gaze this time. Her breath hitched in at the sight of his beauty, his peppermint scent briskly entering her surrounding area.

He smells amazing. Haein thought to herself but was quickly interrupted by Daniel's voice. "It's nice to meet you seat partner. Welcome to Nalgae." He kindly said, his voice rich with delight.

"T-Thank you, it's nice to meet you too." Haein shyly responded, tucking a piece of her hair behind her left ear. She could feel her cheeks becoming heated, a bright crimson color already washing over them. Daniel's presence was definitely overwhelming, but in a good way.

Just as Haein had allowed herself to be carefree, memories of the past flooded her thoughts once again. Quickly, Haein turned away from Daniel and began focusing on the lesson that their teacher, Mr. Do had started.

The guilt made her heart feel heavy. Maybe I shouldn't make any friends here? I don't deserve any after what I did. Haein felt herself falling into despair again, but she was quickly pulled out of it. "Joo Haein, please read the next passage."

Snapping herself from her bleak thoughts, Haein stood up and began reading the English passage aloud. Impressed gazes graced her presence, though Haein wasn't really bothered by it all. She had always been very advanced in English, mostly due to the fact that she was fluent in nearly six languages; Korean, English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, French, and Latin.

Those languages had always held an importance for her, as they were the basis of a lot of the spells she practiced. Being well versed in many languages was a necessity for any witch, this included Haein of course.

Finishing the passage, Haein sat back down and was met with an amazed gaze from Daniel. "You're must be super smart." He whispered in acknowledgement, complimenting Haein's language comprehension skills. She merely nodded a "thank you" in return, not wishing to get involved with people just yet. At least, not with her dark thoughts constantly looming over her.

Maybe I should make a sage potion so that I can charm my mind into being positive? Haein thought to herself, not really keen on bewitching herself, but it would be worth a shot if she were to keep up this dark energy.

Suddenly, the lunch bell rang, forcing Haein back into reality. She watched the other students flood out of the classroom, making their way down to the cafeteria most likely. Glancing at the seat next to her, Haein noticed Daniel had left too. Thank god, he's nice, but thank god.

"Are you going to go lunch?" A voice asked her, causing Haein to turn and look at the very "cute" guy in front of her. "Um..."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't introduce myself, I'm Park Jihoon. I just wanted to know if you were because I can show you the way... since you're new and all." Jihoon spoke quickly, scratching his neck awkwardly.

"Oh, alright then. Thank you." Haein, feeling awkward as well, stood up and began to follow Jihoon out of the classroom. Immediately upon entering the hallway, it was very evident of just how popular Jihoon was at his school. Girls were staring longingly and boys were greeting him as they passed through the semi-crowded corridor. Though it was nice to be with someone who was well-liked, Haein couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy by the amount of glares she had been receiving.

Soon enough, the two reached the cafeteria and got in line together. It was then that Jihoon began asking Haein about herself.

"So, where did you transfer from?" He asked with a kind smile. "Cheongju." Haein spoke quickly, not wanting to think about that dreaded place yet again today. "Why did you transfer? I mean, it's just uncommon for people to show up in the middle of the year here..." Jihoon trailed off, trying not to make it seem like he was interrogating her.

"Um, well, I transferred because of bullying." Haein awkwardly twiddled her thumbs, not really wanting to dwell on the past anymore than she already has.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Don't worry about bullying here, I'll protect you from any bullies!" Jihoon chuckled before ruffling Haein's hair playfully. Haein felt her cheeks heat up immediately before she awkwardly nodded, flashing a small smile back at him. Why do I feel like him being around will just bring more trouble than it's worth? She sighed.

Once the two had received their lunch, Jihoon took a hold of Haein's arm and led her to a specific table. "You can sit with us, these are my friends!" Jihoon smiled happily, taking a seat next to a tall, brooding student. Awkwardly, Haein took a seat too, right next to Jihoon of course.

"Oh, I found you!" Boram said cheerfully, happy to be having lunch with a new friend. "Who is she?" The tall one sitting next to Jihoon asked, no visible emotion or expression found on his face. "That's Joo Haein, she's new here!" Boram introduced Haein, not giving her a chance to speak for herself. "That is Bae Jinyoung in case you're wondering."

Haein nodded her head in a small bow, greeting the tall guy. "You don't have to be formal with him, he's a second year." Jihoon chuckled, teasing Jinyoung who attempted to put the older boy in a headlock. Haein couldn't help but smile a little at the interaction, it was kind of... cute in a sense.

"Oh, new girl! Funny running into you again." Sungwoon chuckled as he took a seat across from her, another student following close behind him. "Jisung hyung, meet our newest transfer student, Joo Haein." Jisung smiled and immediately put his hand out to shake hands with Haein. "Nice to meet you, Haein. I'm Yoon Jisung." Haein nodded her head with a small smile before shaking his hand, pulling back fairly quick.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Another mysterious boy said quite loudly, a snaggle tooth appearing in his bright smile. "Oh, who's this?"

"This is Joo Haein. Haein, meet Park Woojin, he's in the same year as you." Sungwoon introduced them. "Oh, okay, anyways; Sorry I was late, basketball practice ran a bit over time." Woojin chuckled, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. "Yeah, we could tell, you stink. Bad." Jisung pinched his nose, waving the air, in an attempt to fan away the smell.

Everyone laughed, including Haein. Though it was uncomfortable when she first sat down, she certainly did feel a lot more relaxed than she had before. Haein knew she didn't deserve to experience such kindness from them, but she couldn't help but forget about what she had done in the past. She wanted to allow herself to be "happy" again, even if it was for only a short while.

The bell rang again, signaling the end of lunch. There were some groans, but all Haein could hear was the lively chatter of the other students. "What class number are you in?" Boram asked with a hopeful smile.

"3-A." Haein answered simply, a smile unknowingly creeping on her face. "Oh, so you're with Daniel and Jihoon. The girls are going to be jealous of you." Boram sighed, already knowing how vicious some of the fangirls could be. "What are you talking about?" Haein questioned, not really understanding just how popular Daniel and Jihoon really were.

"Kang Daniel and Park Jihoon are the most popular guys at Nalgae, almost every girl and some guys are like, in love with them or something." Boram explained. "That means the both have fans, who are pretty crazy at times, so be careful." Haein sighed upon hearing the warning, she couldn't deal with bullies or anything similar again, not here.

She furrowed her eyebrows when she entered the classroom, hoping that Daniel and Jihoon would just leave her alone. But, almost immediately, Haein was tripped by a girl who sat in the back of the classroom.

With a thud, Haein roughly landed on the ground. Hearing some people snickering at her, tears pricked at her eyes as she began to fear the worst. This can't be happening, not again. She clenched her fists tightly, causing her knuckles to turn white. Glancing back at the girl, she read the name tag on her blazer.

"Choi Moonhee." Haein read aloud, making sure that she could remember the name. "Yeah, that's my name. Don't wear it out, loser." Moonhee spoke harshly, causing her "minions" to giggle from behind her. "You better stay away from Park Jihoon and Kang Daniel, understand?"

Haein glared at the girl. She was beautiful, but completely rotten inside. "What's going on here?" A voice bellowed out, sounding quite angry at the sight in front of him.

In the doorway stood Kang Daniel, seemingly just returning from lunch and wherever he had disappeared to. "D-Daniel Oppa," Moonhee stuttered out. "The new girl just fell and I was about to help her up, but she rejected me."

This lying piece of... Haein bit at the inside of , feeling wetness at the tops of her cheeks. However, much to Haein's surprise, Daniel was a lot smarter than Moonhee thought he was. "Do I look stupid to you, Choi Moonhee?" Daniel spoke, taking a couple steps towards where Haein was still laying on the floor. "I heard you tell her to stay away from Jihoon and I. I'm not your property, Moonhee. If you were really "helping" her than she wouldn't be crying , would she?"

Crying? Haein lightly touched her cheeks, not fully realizing that tears were indeed rushing down. Moonhee bit her lip before rushing from the classroom, now crying herself. "Are you okay?"

Haein looked up to see Daniel reaching out a hand to her. Wiping her eyes, Haein ignored his outreached hand. She stood up and immediately got in her seat, not saying a word to him at all. Maybe I should stay away from them all? For their own safety.

With a sad look in his eyes, Daniel sighed and sat down silently in his seat. A new teacher entered their classroom, starting up a History lesson. However, Daniel couldn't focus on the lesson at hand. Haein felt him watching her closely and she could tell she had hurt him.

Clenching her fists again, Haein held back angry, yet sad tears. I'm sorry Daniel, but this is for the best...
 

Hello everyone~ I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter! There's a lot of mystery going on right now that only I, your author, know about lol XD Anyways, everything will be revealed in time~^^ I would really appreciate it if you could please tell what you thought of the first chapter in the comments below! I will be back soon with a chapter two; See you all next time!! :) — monbxbe