3RD ROSE: Song Jin Hee, the appointed Class President

HIGH SCHOOL IS NOTHING WITHOUT having its popular cliques and caste systems that you usually encountered in television drama series, movies, webtoons, animes or even in ePUBs and teen, young adult novels. You’ll encounter the jocks, those cool, sporty fellas that usually called the cafeteria kings because of their popularity rooted from being an athlete. Jocks are nothing without the cheerleaders, considered as their leading ladies—those drop-dead gorgeous girls that top not just in dancing but also in flirting and seducing (err, sorry for the terms but that really happens in reality). You can also encounter the geeks, those smarty-pants fellas that excel academically and reign on the school ranking every term. You’ll encounter the bullies and the queen bees, the fellas that you’ll never wish to meet. They’re sort of one of the highest popular cliques and grabs the highest position in the caste system next to the jocks and the popular, good looking rich (rotten) kids. And lastly, the basket case—they’re the ones who are not included in the popular cliques and belongs to the lowest position of the caste system. In short, they’re the commoners, the civilians, the nobodies, the ordinaries, the losers—and Song Jin Hee knows she belongs to them.

But right now, this is not the clichéd popular cliques that she usually encountered nor read on books and TV series. She’ll meet these people that who knows, might be the ones who hold the whole of South Korea’s economy.

“Welcome to the classroom of the elites, nouveau riche.”

Jin Hee gasped silently when the people inside the classroom stopped chatting just to spare her a look. Some of them looked at her with curiosity, starting to make inaudible conversation with each other while some of them just looked at her in nonchalance. Even the guy writing on the whiteboard stopped on what he’s doing just to spare her a look.

“Ah Young-ah~ long time no see! How are you?” their gazes settled at the guy who’s now skipping like an idiot towards them.

He was about to hug Ah Young but she abruptly raised her hand to stop him. “Seriously, Jeong Suk? You talked like you haven’t seen me for ten years.”

“Even if it’s just one day without seeing you, I already miss you,” Jeong Suk winked at her.

“Shut up, Jeong Suk. You’re giving me goosebumps, seriously,” Ah Young grimaced as she rolled her eyes.

His eyes settled on Jin Hee that made her gasped for the umpteenth time. “Oh, who’s with you?”

“Our new classmate, Song Jin Hee. Jin Hee, this is Kim Jeong Suk—” before Ah Young could finish her sentence, Jeong Suk held Jin Hee’s hand.

“The moment I laid my eyes on you, my heart fluttered like crazy,” her eyes widen when he pulled her hand towards his lips and kissed it.

What the…

Before he could say a word, Ah Young pulled her away from him. “Drop that sugar-coated, flirty words of yours, Jeong Suk.”

“Hey, Ah Young-ah, are you jealous?” a playful smile flaunted on Jeong Suk’s face that made Ah Young roll her eyes.

“Dream in one hundred million nights, charlie!” Ah Young pulled Jin Hee towards the platform, facing their classmates.

Oh my god. What on earth…? Jin Hee can still feel the nervousness flowing in her whole system.

“Okay everyone, drop that effin’ gadgets and chitchats of yours and I want all your attention here,” she clapped her hands to have all their attention. Once she got it, she, then, gestured Jin Hee to them. “This girl beside me is our new classmate and she will be with us starting today until the end of the semester.”

“If she can still be with us in that span of time,” everyone giggled when one of their classmates butted in as she flipped her hair and chuckled.

Jin Hee frowned. What kind of people are they?

It really feels like I’m not accepted here.

“Oh, shut it, Mi Yeon,” one of their classmates, also, butted in.

Mi Yeon’s gazed settled on their classmate. “Don’t be such a party pooper, Siel Lynette. If you don’t wanna join our fun here, you’re free to leave Seoul and go back to the Philippines where you really belong.”

The girl named Siel Lynette nonchalantly looked at her, crossing her arms on her chest. “First of all, you’re not the boss of me to order such thing and second, you don’t deserve our attention so don’t be such an attention seeker, susan.”

Watching this scenario, I don’t really think I can survive here. Jin Hee looked at them in awe. Weomae abeoji.

Mi Yeon squinted her eyes as she stood up. “What did you just called me?”

“Oh, c’mon. I don’t think you’re deaf to let me repeat it, Cha Mi Yeon,” Siel chuckled sarcastically at her.

“You—”

“Stop it, Mi Yeon,” Ah Young interrupted at last. “Let the transferee settle herself here before you continue your bickering with Santiago.”

Mi Yeon pursed her lips into thin line and abruptly settled herself in her seat again as the girls beside her kept on comforting her.

“Butthurt,” Siel chuckled that made her seatmate nudge her using her elbow while chuckling with her while Mi Yeon threw daggers at her secretly.

Ah Young glanced at Jin Hee with a smile. “Introduce yourself now.”

Jin Hee gulped the imaginary lump on and looked at her new classmates which she really regretted to do so because their silent, serious gaze met hers. Not a really good idea.

She lowered her head to breathe enough air to quenched the nervousness building inside her, whispering ‘you can do this’ to encourage herself before settling her gaze to them.

“G-Good morning—” she was cut abruptly when they started giggling like she just cracked a joke.

What’s wrong with these people? Ugh, right. I forgot that being soft spoken is not appearing in their dictionary.

She breathed in and out before pulling a serious look on her face for them. “Hi, I’m Song Jin Hee. I’m average in many aspects and I’m very independent as a student so don’t bother to accompany me and to take care of me. I’m not asking for any of your help. Nice to meet you all.”

A pregnant silence filled the whole class as she finished introducing herself to them though there are still inaudible whispers and murmurs on their seats, eyeing her like judging her which made her mentally roll her eyes.

“Okay, thank you, Jin Hee-ssi. Just look for a vacant seat. Any minute from now our teacher will arrive for the first period,” Ah Young broke the silence herself as she gestured the seats in front of them. Before Jin Hee could leave the platform, someone raised his hand.

“Excuse me, I have a question to the newcomer,” Jin Hee looked at the guy who’s now eyeing her.

Wait a minute, he looks familiar. She stared at him for a couple of seconds before her eyes slightly widen. Right! He’s that guy in the garden! On the tree branch! The one who pulled a prank on the other guy by drawing stuff on his face!

“What is it, Joo Hyuk?” Ah Young asked.

“How did you enroll yourself here?” he asked, still eyeing her. That made the inaudible whispers and conversations grew louder as everyone agreed to his question.

If Jin Hee managed to shrug the nervousness off her after introducing herself to them, now it came back like a hurricane. She could feel her heart beats erratically that might wreck her ribcage.

Does he She stared at the guy named Joo Hyuk nervously. knew someth