CHAPTER 1

 

“Wait! wait! wait!” Yujin screams on top of her lungs while running towards the bus, fortunately the bus driver was in a good mood and decided to wait for her “Thank God.” She says, taking a breath, then steps inside the bus and settled, regretting the fact that her parents offered to take her to school on her first day, but she insisted that she can handle it and gave them speeches that she’s an adult now.

She took a deep breath as she looked at the window. Her parents are both doctors and their jobs take them around the world, one place to another. Leaving little Yujin to her grandmother on her father’s side here in South Korea, her grandfather died when she was little. As for her mother, she basically grew up on the street so when she met her father it was a fairytale come true for her.

It has been five years since she left this place, five years since her grandmother died but the pain is still there like it was just yesterday. She misses her so much, how could she not, she’s more like her parents than her own.

Her parents told her that it was okay for her to stay in America, but she knew that they wanted her here, with them and so she did; and besides she miss this place, after all, her childhood memories is all here.

 

She’s been out of her mind, spacing out since she settled herself inside the bus until she got off, and before she realizes it, a scream and a loud thud bring her back to her senses.

 

“Oh God, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry” She quickly apologizes seeing the pissed off student in front of her “I didn’t see you.”

The girl raised her brow, visible irritation “you didn’t see me?”

“I—I don’t—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s only the first day and somebody’s already showing her stupidity”

Annoyance surged through Yujin “What did you say?” she asked but remains calm

“Oh, did you hear that? I must have been thinking loudly” The student says haughtily

“I guess even this place has their own version on mean girls, shocking”

“What did you just say?” glaring at Yujin

“Oh? Did you hear that? Good.” she says, glaring back

“W-what?” The girl looking at her in anger “You’re de---“

 

“Minju-ah!” Another student appeared, hooking her arm on the girl’s neck “I know its schools’ first day and everybody hates it but what’s with the frown early in the morning?”

And before Minju can say anything, Yujin had walked past them.

 

“Yah, you! You’re really dead” She rasped, and was going to follow her but the other girl has stopped her

“Yah, yah, yah...” holding her still

“Why don’t you get your arm off of me and I’ll teach that kid a lesson”

“And what did she do to you exactly?”

“She bumps into me; I thought my shoulder’s going to break Yena-unnie” Minju whine

“You’re over reacting again.” Yena replied

“Unnie! It really hurts.” She said massaging her shoulder

“She didn’t apologize?” She asked looking at Yujin’s figure

“She did, but her reason was because she didn’t see me, does that even make sense?” She whines again which makes Yena chuckled

“You know how first day of class is always devastating, she must’ve been spacing out, thinking why we need to get up early in the morning so we could torture our self by this so called studying”

“But she called me the mean girls of this school” Minju whining like a child

“She did?” Yena laughing “She must’ve been hate going to school more than I do.”

“Unnie!”

“I know, I know...” Yena said laughing “It’s the first day so why don’t you just let her off and besides the transferee and freshman’s orientation will begin in about 15 minutes, unless you want to die in the hands of general Kwon we better get moving.”

 

“Finally, you’re here, Eunbi-unnie has been looking for the two of you”

“Well we would get here earlier if it wasn’t for that girl” Minju said, still looking irritated

“Don’t mind her, Yuri...” Yena said “First day blues”

 

Yujin blew out a relief sighed when she got at the auditorium and the orientation was just about to start. “I can’t believe I’ve already met the mean girls’ leader on the first day” she mumbled settling herself at the back seat, though there are available sit near the stage she always prefer sitting at the back no matter what the circumstances is. She likes the convenience of it; she can just leave anytime without anybody noticing especially at times like this, she finds it boring and waste of time to be honest.

 

“Good morning freshmen’s and transferees! I am Kwon Eunbi, the President of Student Council”

Eunbi had been speaking for a good 20 minutes now but she already lost Yujin on good morning “I should’ve woke-up late.”

She was busy keeping herself awake by playing on her phone, when she heard a familiar voice echoing on the speaker. She looked up at the stage and there she was the leader of mean girls from earlier.

“I am Kim Minju, the Vice-President of Students council and I welcome you all”

 

 

“How was your first day?” Mr. Ahn asked, they are now eating dinner which is rare for Yujin. Her parents wasn’t always home, they are basically living at hospital which Yujin doesn’t complain, she’s used to it which sometimes felt weird being with them. But she knew they were both trying and she is too.

“It’s fine.” She answered. Everything is good, except for the fact that she had just met one of the campus mean girls who is also a member of the student council, and not just a member but the Vice-President which is great, ing great.

 

Yujin’s POV

 

It’s been three months since the school had started. Everything is going according to what I hoped for, three peaceful months, no college drama, no complications and no trouble besides of course what happened on the first day still it wasn’t the kind of trouble that can cost me anything.

I did say three peaceful months, right? That is true but there’s one strange thing that’s been bothering me these past few days, this one strange student sitting across me to be exact.

It’s lunch time, it’s the school’s cafeteria, every student can sit wherever they want, and I have no problem sharing a table with someone as long as they mind their own business and just let me be. My morning class ended at 11, a real convenient, I don’t need to race my here when all students starts their lunch break. I always sit at the corner on a small table enough for two people to eat because the tendency of students sitting with me is low if not zero.

It was Tuesday last week when this student suddenly sits across me during lunch time, I was surprised because no one had been in that chair for the past three months. She didn’t even ask if I was eating with someone or if the seats were already taken, she just sat there and eat which wouldn’t be worth thinking if the cafeteria wasn’t half empty at the moment and sit there for 6 consecutive days.

I closed the book that I’m reading hardly to get her attention which it did, because she looks like a little kid who’s about to get scolded by her parents.

 

“I-I’m s-sorry…” she said quickly as if her life depended on it, her voice was too shaky to not notice too. She looks like I was about to beat the hell out of her “I-I didn’t mean to disturb you…” hanging her head low “I’ll eat quietly; I won’t make a sound I promise.”

I observed her for a moment, does she really think that I was acting like this because she was eating loudly because she’s not. If I was blind, I wouldn’t even know that she was here, that’s how quiet she is.

“Okay, listen. I’m not trying to be rude here but why do you keep sitting with me, 6 consecutive days to be exact when clearly there’s still a lot of empty chair.”

“I’m really sorry.” Still hanging her head low

“Will you stop saying sorry and don’t give me crap that it was just a coincidence that you always ended up on the same table as me, I wasn’t born yesterday” I told her to both save our time from the lie. “So, tell me, what’s your angle?”

 

She didn’t say anything and just looked down. I put my book into my bag “I’m going to think that it was just a coincidence, so you stay away from me” I said and was about to stand up and then she mumbles

“You were alone” she says, almost whispered but I was able to hear it but had to make sure

“What?”

“You…were… always alone” She says more clearly,

“So what if I was?”

I’ve met one of the schools mean girls on my first day and now the school’s goody-good student, or is she? I don’t usually act like this even from stranger especially if they did nothing wrong or don’t do anything that’s out of the line, at least for me. But I’ve seen this story before on my previous school. It wasn’t me but someone who’s in the same class as me. She was a new student, I didn’t really know the whole story or interested to know but to make the story short that new students life took a wrong turn after got approached by some students who looks like an angel but dragged her to hell.

“If it makes your heart sunk seeing someone alone, don’t, at least not to me. So whatever speeches do you have about how people’s belongingness and going to ask me to join whatever organization you belong to; don’t. I wasn’t alone because I don’t have a choice, but simply because I prefer to be alone.”

She just looked down. Was that a yes? Or not? I can’t quiet tell.

“You know what, that doesn’t matter.” I said seeing how she won’t say a word any second now “just stay aw----“

“I just wanted to enjoy my food” she said, which I can’t help but frown upon hearing. What the hell is she saying now?

She might have seen the frown on my face “It’s true. I’m not lying” she added as I stared at her.

“Like you, I don’t mind being alone too” She says without hesitation “It’s just that, when lunch break comes and I got surrounded by students who talks while they eat with their friends and I have no one to tell how bad I did during the exam or where should we go on weekend I couldn’t help but feel lonely that I couldn’t even eat. At least when I sit with you, I don’t have to feel lonely because you’re alone too” and for the first time she met my eyes for more than three seconds “Because of you I was able to eat and enjoy my food ever since the school had started.” Then smile at me “Thank you…”

 

It has been a while since I’ve heard something like that or to be more specific it has been a while since I stayed to listen to someone and I didn’t know what to say. Was she for real? Or was it just some ploy? She seems sincere but not everything you think is real, is real.

Thank God, the bell rung after she says that and then left.

 

End of POV

 

The next morning...

 

Yujin looked at her watch, 12:14 PM. It’s already lunch time and yet the chair in front of her is still empty. Yujin shakes her head as she blew out a sigh “Stop thinking about it.” She mumbles “She’s probably looking for another student she can easily prey.” Then she went back to reading but a minute hasn’t even pass when the words of the girl earlier echoes on her mind, “Aish!” as she closed her book in frustration and looked around.

 

Yujin puts down her food as she settled herself in the seat. The girl who’s occupying the other side of the table is looking at her with wide eyes open. Yujin had found her at the other side of the cafeteria, sitting at the corner, alone.

 

Yujin is already on half of her pasta and the girl is still looking at her with those wide opened eyes.

“If you’re trying to say something, you have to actually open your mouth unless this school teaches mind reading that I haven’t enrolled in”

“W-what are you doing here?” she asked almost whisper

“Enjoying my food...” The girl seems taken aback by Yujin’s answer because she looks like her heart just drop. “And I can’t really do that if you keep gawking at me like that.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” She said immediately, then looked down

 “Aren’t you getting tired doing that sorry face all the time” Yujin said seeing how the girl always looks sorry for everything

The girl didn’t move but she bit her lower lip this time, she looks like a child who’s stopping herself from crying while getting scolded

Yujin stares at her for a moment. “Please tell me you’re not going to cry on me now”

The girl raised her head and looked at her “I’m not going to cry.”

“Well you look like you were.”

“I’m not. I’m just s—“

“Sorry again?” Yujin cut her off “Will you stop saying sorry. It’s not like there is something to be sorry about.”

“I’m just really sorry.” She replied “I wanted to just eat my food quietly so bad that I ended up bothering you.”

“Then maybe you should apologize.” Yujin told her “If you’re planning to just disappear from the very start then you should’ve not said those words yesterday. You should’ve just kept your answer to yourself even if I asked. Because those kind of words would linger even for someone like me who doesn’t care.”

The girl stared at her clueless “What... are you... saying?” she trailed off

Yujin sighed “You’re annoying and frustrating.”

The girl looked down biting her lower lip again

Yujin made another deep sighed again “You can’t just appear in front of somebody like that for a week then say those words and then disappear. You can’t do that. Because even if the other person was bothered by you for a whole week they would get worried when you just disappear.”

The girl looked at her.

“What I’m saying is, if you’re okay to eat with someone cold, mean, rude person like me, we can...” She stops, thinking if she’s really sure to what she’s saying and what she’s going to say “We can...” she sighed, “Neverm—“ she stopped when she saw the girl now looking at her with, a hopeful and tearful eyes. Yujin smiled to herself, she really is like a child “How old are you anyway? You look like a kindergarten right now”

“21...”

Yujin almost choke on non-existent food on “W-what? 21? You’re 21?”

“Yeah...” She nodded “Why? How about you?”

“I-I’m...” Yujin cleared and took pasta unto as she uttered lowly “18.”

“What?” It was the girls’ time to get surprised “You’re 18?”

 

In America, age doesn’t really matter that much, you can call 5 0r 7 years older to you casually. In here, it matters a lot and this girl in front of Yujin is 3 years older than her and that’s a hell of a lot here in Korea.

“I’m your unnie then.” The girl said, and then a smile appeared on her face

“You look like a child who’s about to cry while being scolded and you’re 21.” Yujin said formally, addressing her with honor which made the other girl chuckle.

“What?” Yujin asked, seeing the girl laughed “You feel a lot better now knowing you’re my senior.”

The girl shook her head “No. It’s just that you’re more like the 21 years old than me. I can’t believe I’m getting scolded by an 18yr old.” She smiles then looked at Yujin “Anyway, earlier you weren’t able to finish what you’re going to say. What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay...” The girl said lowly. Then the bell rang indicating that the lunch break is finished

 

Yujin organized her things then carry her bag, noticing the girl looking dejected.

 

She steps away first without saying anything, it’s not like she had something to say. But after five steps she stops, and then went back to the girl who’s still fixing her things on the table.

 

“I’m Ahn Yujin.” Yujin said as she extended her right hand to her

The girl look so surprised at Yujin’s action, “I—I’m Kang Hyewon.” She said looking at Yujin

 

Yujin pointed at her hand, “Ah, right. I’m sorry.” She said as she took Yujin’s hand “I’m Kang Hyewon.”

 

“If its okay with you to be seen with someone mean and rude like me, then let’s be friends.” She told her, which Hyewon replied nodding with a joyful smile and tearful eyes.