Mina was trained to be the epitome of grace, carry herself with poise, and to treat others gently. But when Mrs. Pak introduced Mina to the rest of the class she was the epitome of nerves instead. She had just moved from Japan to South Korea over the summer, she still hadn’t mastered the language, and at the young age of seven was well aware of how cruel children could be. 

    Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, she knew she could adjust, all she needed to do was make one friend. As the teacher rambles on with the introduction Mina scans the room for a friendly face. Her eyes land on a pretty girl with long black hair, her bangs held up with pink little bobby pins with Shibas on the end. Cute. The familiar dog reminded her of home and she took it as a sign that this is the girl she should befriend. 

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    Fragile- that was the first thing Chaeyoung thought when she saw the foreigner being introduced to the class. Her pale skin, medium-length dark wavy hair, matching lavender dress and cardigan, just screamed girly, maybe even prissy. Chaeyoung could tell that the girl was nervous, she felt sympathy for her. According to Mrs. Pak the girl had just moved to Korea, so Chae understands that this must be overwhelming. She watches as Mina anxiously looks around the room, and notices that her demeanor brightened a bit. ‘That’s weird’ Chaeyoung thinks, but decides to try to make friends with the new girl. Hopefully she can make her transition easier.

    Lunch time rolls around and just as Chaeyoung was about to approach Mina, she sees the young girl strut over to Sana. ‘Mm, I underestimated her, maybe she isn’t painfully shy’ Chaeyoung ponders on that for a bit. She eventually changes her mind about becoming friends with the new girl, she knows Sana is nice and that she’ll fit in nicely, seeing as though Sana is also Japanese. Although feeling a slight tinge of disappointment, Chaeyoung walks away from them and joins her usual friends, Dahyun and Tzuyu. Oh well, maybe they’ll talk later on.

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    After a long internal debate Mina finally gathers the courage to talk the pretty girl with the cute hair pins. Her palms are sweaty and her breathing is erratic, but her parents always told her to breathe in and out, to hold her head high, and to act as if she was always performing on stage. That is easier said than done, but the same integrity she has during her performances is one she has to carry throughout her daily life as well. Obviously, this is a difficult task when someone is as painfully shy as Mina. 

    Breathe in, breathe out, Mina’s thoughts are interrupted and before she can choke out a sentence she hears “I love your dress, purple is my favorite color, pink too though, and sometimes light blue, my name is Minatozaki Sana.” It’s the hair clip girl, Mina was right, this girl was super friendly and she's relieved.

     “Thanks, I like your hair pins. I’m Myoui Mina.” Mina’s words come out as whisper, but Sana smiles at her and begins chattering away. Mina succeeded in making her first friend at school and the world seemed a little more manageable now. For the first time since the move, Mina is excited to see what the future holds.