It’s my first time studying in a foreign country… and it’s safe to say I’m absolutely terrified. Language isn’t an issue since I’ve been taking Korean lessons for a while now, but everything else is. My timid personality has always been an obstacle when it comes to socialising with my peers, and to make things worse than it already is, I tend to get side-eyed by other girls for some reasons; to this day the answer remains a mystery, but I’m hoping to leave that all behind in my home country. I really don’t know what to expect now that I’m in Korea- but I guess I’m about to find out. It’s my first day at school, and I don’t have the ability to magically teleport back to Japan. Dear Lord… please give me strength. No thoughts and head empty, I find myself standing in front of the door to Room 2-B with a pair of trembling legs. My arms have either turned to stone or they’ve somehow developed a mind of their own, since they’re currently refusing to grab hold of the door handle that’s easily within reach; my nerves have obviously taken the reins of my body, even though it’s practically useless to hesitate at this point. I’m already at school, dressed in my uniform, and there’s nowhere else I can go unless I want my parents to file a ‘missing child’ report to the police. Don’t worry Mina, you can do this. Just take a deep breath in, deep breath out, and- “Oi, move it.” OH MY GOD THAT ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK- How did I not hear any footsteps?! Have I officially lost it?! Actually… I was busy being a panicking mess, huh. It’s a little embarrassing to be caught in such a state, but at least I’ve now returned to reality. I’ve also regained full control of my body since I did physically jump out of pure shock. Thank you for your assistance, ghost-like stranger. After recollecting myself, I turn around to face whoever spoke up- Only to widen my eyes when I find a small, bite-sized girl standing before me. This girl appears to be quite tomboyish with her short haircut and messy clothing, exuding confidence with the way she’s holding herself. I’m really surprised by the fact that she’s the first person I’ve ran into, because… she’s practically the embodiment of my ideal type. Is fate playing with me right now? Have I been struck by Cupid’s bow first thing in the morning? Seriously though, her overflowing charisma is making it impossible for me to not scan through her delicate features in awe. I’m probably staring at her plump lips for much longer than necessary, but I feel like I’m already addicted to the sight. She’s cute yet somewhat y at the same time, so how am I supposed to function when she’s standing right in front of me? Putting my fan-girling moment aside, however… why does it seem like she’s upset? Ah- I’m blocking her way, aren’t I? Gosh, how ill-mannered of me. I quickly take a few steps away from the door to let her through, subconsciously holding in my breath when she approaches. My heart skips a dangerous beat when our shoulders brush against one another’s, the feeling merely worsening when she spares me one last look before she disappears into the room; the door closes behind her and I find myself yearning for her presence almost instantly. If that’s all it takes to make me light-headed, I’ll most likely pass away the next time we meet… wait a minute. If she went into this room… does this mean we’re classmates? Before I can start losing my mind again, however, I find myself getting startled by yet another voice. Apparently today’s ‘Surprise Mina From Behind Day’, because wow my poor heart isn’t getting a break. This time, the voice belongs to an adult man in a casual suit, giving me the assumption that I’m now facing my homeroom teacher. I quickly bow 90º to him as he reaches for the door handle, unknowingly setting off a new wave of panic within me. “What are you doing here? Don’t be shy, come on in!” BUT I AM SHY, SIR. THAT’S WHY I’M STUCK OUTSIDE. Even so, I have no other choice but to comply. Idling outside won’t get me anywhere, so I really need to push myself. The sooner I enter the room, the sooner my day officially begins, and the sooner I can go home. You can’t run away forever, Mina. Thus, with my teeth gritting tightly behind my closed lips, I ultimately follow the man inside. I allow my gaze to stay focused on the floor, but even so I can still tell that I’m catching everyone’s attention. I can literally feel my skin burn up from discomfort, but I’m trying my best to ignore the sensation and walk on. … The audible gasps really aren’t helping, though. Following our entrance, the teacher asks me to stand at the front while he temporarily excuses himself to go set up his desk. My eyes remain glued to the floor as I try not to pay any attention to storm my new classmates are now talking up- Because I’m obviously the subject matter. I never thought there’d be a day where I’m upset about being fluent in another language. Because the thing is, I can understand everything they’re saying and some of the comments are… rather disturbing, to say the least. My will to make new friends is weakening by the second, and no longer do I think I have it in me to socialise with anyone today. There goes my dream of having a better school life, I suppose… no actually, there’s still hope… Because there’s the cute girl from before. Coincidentally, she’s the only person in the room who’s not boring holes into my soul. The sight of her simply minding her own business is actually make me feel a bit better. Is it because I find her attractive, or does she have a magical healing power of some sorts? Either way, it’s working very efficiently. All of a sudden, shattering my inner peace just like that, the teacher bangs his fist onto the blackboard and gives me a mild heart attack. Apparently he’s trying to restore order within the classroom by creating some chaos of his own, making me slightly worried about having him as my new homeroom teacher. Nevertheless, he catches everyone’s attention with great success.“Woah woah woah- calm down you guys. I know you’re all super pumped up to have a new friend, but let’s at least give her a chance to introduce herself, okay?” Um, it’s actually not okay, sir. I have a list of phobias- and speaking in front of a crowd is one of them. Seriously, I can barely hold a conversation with a single person, let alone speak up in front of 35 students. Oh no, he’s already giving me the stage. I want to dig a hole and live the rest of my life as a mole. I’m actually considering the plan of breaking down into tears just to get myself out of this situation… but that idea really is stupid. Oh well… here goes nothing. Just don’t stutter in front of the whole class, okay? “Um…” I pretend to warm up my voice as I’m actually giving my brain the time to generate an emergency introduction, trying to get it over with as quickly as I can. “My name is Myoui Mina and I’m from Japan. It’s a pleasure to meet you all and I hope we’ll get along well…” Thankfully, that seems to be enough to do the job, my classmates now welcoming me warmly… a bit too warmly, perhaps. I don’t know why they’re getting so worked up over two mundane sentences, but I admire the amount of energy they have; I’m certain if I’m not in my current position and my nerves weren’t here to keep me on my toes, I’d be on the brink of falling back asleep because it’s still so early in the morning. While the commotion continues to play out, I try to discreetly sneak another peek at my new crush. She still has her head down, and I’m surprised by her ability to sleep in an environment like this. I wish I can be just as unbothered as her. … Hmm? The seat beside her is still vacant. Oh, how I wish I can sit right next to her. Somebody’s probably just late though, so I shouldn’t ke- “Mina-yang, you’ll be sitting next to Son Chaeyoung over there.” my teacher gives me another mild heart attack by abruptly reading my mind, his hand now pointing towards the spot I was just eyeing. “Please go take a seat and get yourself settled down… and be very careful.” I’m slightly confused by his indecipherable mumbles near the end of his sentence, but I’m no longer paying attention to anything else. I’m now far too busy having a grand celebration within my head, feeling like I’ve won the lottery. It’s as if God knew I needed this arrangement in order to survive the remainder of my day. Hallelujah. Anyhow… Son Chaeyoung, huh? Even her name sounds cute and attractive. I wonder if I’ll get to call her by her first name. That can be my new goal to this silly crush of mine. Strangely, while I’m walking over to my designated seat, I overhear my other classmates making some odd comments. Maybe I’m just mishearing things, but it seems like some people aren’t too fond of Son Chaeyoung- which would be absurd. I mean, how on Earth can anyone dislike her? She seems so harmless and nice. “C-Chaeyoung-yang, can I ask you to show her around the school when you have the time?” the teacher proceeds to wake her up from her slumber, his words becoming music to my ears, even though it’s a bit shaky. “Pretty please?” I turn towards my new desk-mate out of curiousity, only to jolt in my seat when I find out she’s already staring back at me. Our eye-contact triggers my heart to execute a somersault within my chest, although I’m somwhat confused by the expression on her face; apart from looking like she really wants to go back to sleep, she appears to be… troubled? Annoyed? Distressed, perhaps? “Alright, fine.” she still ends up replying, surprising not only myself but the entire class. Okay, so I did hear things correctly. Based on what I can pick up now, the majority of our classmates aren’t happy with our teacher’s choice. Exactly why do people seem to dislike her so much- and why does it seem like she dislikes me? Have I actually ruined my chances of befriending her, all because I accidentally blocked her path? I mean, I suppose it was very rude of me to hinder someone like that, especially when people may be in a rush to get to class on time. I just hope I haven’t destroyed all my chances with her, because I’m really looking forward to getting to know her better from here on out. Dang it, Minari. You can be such a baka sometimes. To my utter disappointment, I think my worst nightmare is starting to come true. Because even though we’re sitting right next to one another, I never get to interact with my soon-to-be tour guide- at all. Not only does she seem to be ignoring my existence on purpose, she tends to disappear from her seat whenever I’m mobbed during our breaks. Sure, I’m acting silly for wanting her attention so much, especially so when I’m receiving so much more from other people. I also understand that I’m being very ungrateful, and I know I should feel happy about all the affection I’m getting. I am the new student who needs friends, after-all. However, there’s something about my other classmates’ attentiveness that feels… off. For instance, some of my female classmates act as if we’re already best friends, conducting a lot of skin-ship even though we’re technically still strangers; even if there’s a d