The sound of the alarm ringing woke me up. I’ve always been the girl just like those in the movies and in the books. The typical girl – doesn’t asked out on dates by her seniors, after school, I immediately visit the public library (in fact, I have read most of the books in the Fiction and History section, not that I am bragging), go straight at home, browse the internet, etc. I don’t have parents anymore (told you typical girl you read in most of the books and watched in the movies). They died when I was 10 because of plane crash. I don’t have any siblings. However, my mother’s sister, Aunt Haenim took care of me since she doesn’t have a family on her own. My name is Lee Haru, 20 years old, a college student at Seoul National University taking up Korean Music. I have friends. In fact, I have a lot of friends. Most of them are from different departments but I have friends too, here in our department. My parents, though my time with them was short-lived, raised me well. My mother would often teach me the proper ways on how a lady must act in front of people just like in the past. I remember that she once took me to a tea ceremony but that never happened again because I kept making mistakes. My father really wanted a son. So when I came out in my mother’s womb, he confessed to me that he got really disappointed. He always knew that their child is a girl but he kept wishing that somehow a miracle would happen and I’d be a boy. I was very close to my parents. As far as I can remember, they were both cool. My mother would buy me dolls and teddy bears and my father would buy me cars and action figures. I know that this is so arrogant for me to say but we’re rich. My aunt manages our toy company since I am still too young to manage it myself. Nevertheless, I have learned the basics.

 

I got up from my bed and started to get ready. I don’t why but I’m a bit nervous today. Normally, I would go to university pretty confident because I never fail to study and read my lessons, but today is very nerve-wracking. After I got out from the shower, my phone rang.

 

“Hello? Joonmyeon-oppa! Wait for me downstairs I’ll be there in 30 minutes. Okay?”

“Okay. But can you make it faster? Yi Fan and I have something to show you,” he said.

 

I immediately dressed myself. I like the color black. Most of the times, I go to school wearing all black garments. People would sometimes call me the Black Lady. I think the name’s quite cool. Anyways, Joonmyeon-oppa and Yi Fan-oppa are both my classmates. Yi Fan-oppa should have graduated four years earlier than I and two earlier than Joonmyeon-oppa. However, he has to stop due to health issues. I sometimes call him by his English name, Kris. He grew up in Canada and decided to study in Korea. Joonmyun-oppa also stopped going to school due to financial reasons. We’re all second year students with the same courses. The three of us got close because we all liked the same thing – music.

 

“Haru! We missed you!” Kevin said.

 

“We met last week. In fact, we always meet. Stop acting like that, Kris.”

 

“Okay, Haru. Remember you said last week that you wanted new headphones?” Joonmyeon said.

 

“Yeah, I did. But I don’t have time to buy one, right? We’re all so busy. Exams are coming.” I answered.

 

“Since you’re busy, Yi Fan-hyung and I decided to buy you one!”

 

“Yeah, we did. You better thank us, midget.”

 

They would always tease me for being small. They said that no guy would ever ask me out because I’m too small to become their ideal girl. I would always answer the same thing, “I don’t care and it’s not a bother.”

“Thank you! It’s color black! Thank you so much!” I said as I hang each of my arms to their necks.

 

“Should we go to school now? We can skip it, you know?” Kevin suggested.

 

“Shut up.” Joonmyeon-oppa and I said simultaneously while dragging him inside the car. This is going to be long day.

 

I’m still wondering why I am so nervous.

 

“You know what’s wrong about adults?” Joonmyeon-oppa asked.

 

“No.” I answered. “What’s wrong with them?”

 

“Hyung, how about you?” Joonmyeon asked while punching Kris’ arms.

“No idea.” Kris said.

“They ask too much from us young adults, they don’t even know how much we’re going through,” he said.

 

“That’s true but we also don’t know what they’re going through. We expect too much from them too but we’ve forgotten that they’re not getting any younger,” I argued.

 

“Uh, I think you’re right. I guess I’m just pressured. You know that my parents never wanted me to take up music. They want me to become a doctor,” Joonmyeon said.

 

“Bro, just do whatever you want to do. You’re a scholar remember? You’re going to school because of you alone not because of them. If it weren’t for your student allowances and benefits, you wouldn’t have been able to eat thrice a day,” Kevin told him with irritation.

 

Whenever we talk about Joonmyeon-oppa’s situation, I really feel bad considering that I live well than him. Before he got the academic scholarship, he got nothing. His parents don’t have permanent work. He could barely eat a meal for a day. I would always extend a helping hand, but he wouldn’t accept it. He would always say that he’ll get by. And he did. He’s one of the smartest students in the whole university. I am so proud that he proved that he can go to school by his own means.

 

“Haru, do you mind if we study at your house today? I missed grandma’s cooking,” Kris said.

“No I don’t mind. But promise me that you won’t be too loud, okay?”

 

I stood up and gathered my things and left the room. When lunch time comes, I would always leave the two of them and go to the library. They would always complain that I spend my whole break time in the library and not eat. Eating is the least of my concern every day when lunch time comes. I feel weird when I don’t visit the library every day. I was scanning books at the History section when I heard something. I was at Aisle 15 and the noise came from Aisle 14. I immediately checked the Aisle saw a guy lying on the floor.

 

“Hey, are you ok – Sehun?”

“Ouch. Okay, you saw me,” Sehun said while trying to sit up.

 

“You’re not a book person, so what are you doing here? And you’re here in the History section too. Do you have a fever or something?” I asked him while trying to fix the books that fell on the floor.

 

“That was mean, Haru. Anyways, I’m here because I know that you’re going to be here. I need your help, Haru.” Sehun said.

 

“Okay. Meet me after classes. Joonmyeon-oppa and Kevin will study at my place. You can come!”

 

“They’ll be there? Why do they always get to hang out with you?” I wanted to smack Sehun’s face for doing the aegyo thing.

 

I sighed. “Just meet me after the classes, okay? Tell Luhan-oppa I said hi!” I quickly turned around and left.

 

Sehun is a handful. He’s the youngest in our group that’s why he would always try to act cute just to get what he wants. However, we’re both really close to each other. Before my parents died, his family would come and visit and we would always play. I don’t know why they stopped visiting after my parents died, but his parents are still in good terms with me. They would sometimes send me flowers.

 

I was running along the hallways when I bumped someone.

 

Someone I’ve never seen before. Someone I never thought be part of my world. This was the start of everything.