Trouvaille

(n.)

- a chance encounter with something wonderful

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Peaceful weather, happy vibes on. Surely the pathwalk that leads to the school is buzzling with students that are happily walking side-by-side with their friends and peers. Stories of how their weekend passed by were being shared here and there. Smiles and gleeful laughters mix with the soft hums of the bicycles and the rustling leaves.

Well, that is true for most of them but just how it is for everything else, there's always an exception. 

One girl walks behind the flock of students, trying to figure out how to blend in and not make a fool out of herself on her first day in her new school. Millions of thoughts are racing in her mind as she paved her way to the dreaded school gates.

Uniform, check.

School i.d., check.

Neat appearance, check.

Phone, check.

Wallet with enough cash, check.

Self confidence, somehow missing in action.

 

Great, just when I need it the most.

 

The crisp sound of the bell breached her battle with herself. As the other students scrambled their way to their respective classrooms, she was left alone, staring helplessly at the now empty hallway.

Oh, jeez. How do I locate the principal's office now? HOW DO I GET MY SCHEDULE AND THE CLASSROOMS?!?!

Possible images of how stupid she'll look like when she enters the wrong classroom and the teacher scolds her for being late AND stupid, and the class laughs at her rushed through her mind like a tsunami. She felt so helpless and basically, like a fish out of water. Just as her tears were about to form, she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, why are you still in the hallway? Aren't you late for the first class already?"

She was unsure on how to answer the stranger's questions but fortunately, she managed to blurt out some words.

"Uhm, I'm lost, sort of. Kinda new."

After eyeing her uniform and name tag, the young man smiled understandingly at her awkwardness and said, "Hi, I'm Sungjin. I believe I'm older than you and I guess you're new here? Okay, honestly, if only we had met a little bit earlier, I would have accompanied you personally to the principal's office but my first class' professor is a bit of a tiger so allow me to just tell you how to go there. I can trust your sense of direction, right?"

Being taken aback by the man(Sungjin)'s kindness, all she can do was nod.

"That's good to hear. Now, listen carefully. First, turn around and go straight, you'll reach the lobby again. I assume you've been there earlier, right? From there, turn right and you'll see the stairs. Climb up to the second floor and the principal's office is where all paths lead to. Got that? I'm really sorry, my class is on the third floor of the other building. Gotta run now."

As Sungjin, the kind guy who saved her from her tears and worries, turned around and started sprinting, she was only then able to collect herself and express her gratitude.

"Thanks for helping me, sunbae-nim!"

Sungjin waved his hand as he ran. She watched his running-awkwardly-retreating figure and when he was no longer in sight, she started her pace towards the principal's office. Surprisingly, she was able to reach it in no time, all thanks to the easy to follow directions that Sungjin gave her. She collected whatever amount of braveness that's left in her and knocked.

"Come in. You must be the new student? Please enter the door to the right. Ms. Kim's anticipating for your appearance."

Oh, she's anticipating? Oh, Lord.

"Ma'am, the new student is here."

"Send her in."

The secretary opened the door for her and ushered her to the principal's room. She braced herself for the first dreaded moment of the day - meeting the principal. The person that she imagined to be old and scary was nowhere near those adjectives. The principal's relatively young, more like in her late thirties or early forties, glasses on, and she has this strict-but-reasonable aura around her. She was surprised to see that there was another student present in the room, a male who looks about her age too.

"Good to see you. Please, feel at ease. Here's your schedule. Do you know where the rooms are?"

"No, Ma'am. Sorry, I didn't have time prior to this to check out the campus vicinities," she replied.

"It's alright. Come to think of it, I think you're the answer to my current problem and it's going to be like hitting 2 birds in one stone."  Initially, she didn't understand what the principal meant by that. The principal then turned to the other person in the room and so did she. That was the only time that she was able to take in how he looks.

"Yoon Dowoon ssi, what section are you in again? 1-A, right?"

Silence. He just looked at the principal with uninterested eyes.

"Right, thanks for your answer. That was really helpful, and your record says so too. For your punishment, you'll accompany her not only to your classroom but also to all of her classes. Next time you come in to school not wearing proper attire, you'd be in detention. This is my final warning."

The principal then turned back to her and said, "you guys have the same exact schedule. You just have to follow him and you'll find your classrooms easily. Tell me if he ditches his duty. Oh, and lastly, I hope you'll get to adjust quickly. It may be difficult at the start since you transferred a week after the start of the second semester but I hope you make new friends."

With that, they were sent out to their classes. The principal did not forget to give them their excuse slip, just in case whoever teacher that is present in their first class (which should be almost halfway done by now) demands one. On their way, to their classroom, no words were exchanged between the two of them. On her defense, it's not because she doesn't like him as a person. It's just that she's not sure how she should approach him. As she was so absorbed in her thoughts, she was taken back into the reality when she bumped (full force) on to something hard or should we say someone? She was welcomed by the infamous glare of her companion, her classmate, the person that she imagined to be her first friend in the class - Yoon Dowoon.

"Watch it."

Intense eye contact and exactly two words. That was all he said before he opened the classroom door and entered as if he wasn't really late. Once again, leaving the female student outside with nobody aside from herself and her anxieties.

Well, here goes nothing.

As expected, the teacher asked her to introduce herself in front of the class.

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A/N:

Different POV's next :D This is my first story so please be kind OTL