i wrote this idea a year ago, forgot about it, and then literally just found it sitting in my drafts collecting dust yesterday night. bear with me.

Dahyun stared back at her reflection. 

‘This can’t be happening.’

A couple of minutes ago, the Korean had been trying to put her contacts in when they had dropped through the slip of her fingers. And to make the situation that much worse, they fell into the sink, disappearing as it spun straight into the black abyss of the drain. It felt as though her soul had fallen with it, since it might as well have. 

Dahyun had frantically tried looking into the drain, hoping with her whole being that they had gotten stuck before falling in or something. She’d even swept her finger under, despite the urge to gag and the metal stopper digging into her skin painfully, as she tried to get a feel for it. 

Long story short, she had been unable to find them and silently trudged to her room, internally groaning as she pulled open her drawer to see, as best as she could without her contacts, the container that held her glasses. She reluctantly took it out and popped the lid upwards, lo and behold revealing her frames. 

She cringed as she gingerly slid them on, blinking a couple times to get used to the sudden adjustment. It felt weird. 

Dahyun could not go to school wearing her thick-rimmed glasses lest she face the embarrassment, but it was either that or show up absolutely blind. She wasn’t sure if she’d rather face the embarrassment of looking wonky or the embarrassment of slamming into a wall. 

Dahyun thought about it, even going as far as creating a mental list of pros and cons of each option. But it only led to one answer for her. 

So, here she was. Standing in front of the mirror with a pair of her nerdy rounded, “Where’s Waldo,” glasses. The only pair she had, might she add, leaving her no other options. Just slap on a white and red striped shirt and she’d complete the look entirely. 

Dahyun glanced at herself once more in the mirror before sighing heavily.

‘Better not break these.’

She had already wasted about an hour in the bathroom debating her life choices and how she had ended up at this point in time, though now it was time to go to hell school. 

Giving herself one last look over, she left after hastily stuffing her face with a bagel, rushing out. 

. . .

Dahyun adjusted her backpack straps, clearly nervous, as she walked through the halls feeling self-conscious. 

It felt awkwardly silent, like she could even hear the small squeaks her shoes made against the hallway floor and her own breaths echoing in her ears. 

She knew and suspected it was all in her head, but it felt like everyone was watching her, their eyes honed onto her as conversations halted mid-sentence at her presence. 

There was no way she had just imagined that black-haired girl pausing what she was about to say to her friend to look at her from across the hallway. Dahyun averted her gaze, dropping it to the tiles and silently counted in her head as she walked. 

But maybe she really was being stared at by others, just for a different reason than what she thought. 

Dahyun tried not to pay attention, practically marching her way to her locker. 

. . .

Sana stood at the lockers, rocking back and forth on her heels as she talked to Mina. They were discussing study plans for their upcoming exam in chemistry when Mina’s eyes suddenly widened, forgetting her next words. Too focused, they hadn’t realized that some of the chatter had also stopped, disappearing to leave a strange kind of silence.

Sana quirked an eyebrow at the abruptness, confused.

“What?” Wondering what had caught her attention, Sana turned around to see Dahyun at the end of the hall. It was weird that everyone was quite literally eyeballing the younger girl, but she brushed it off in her head. Sana called out to her.

“Dahy—”

Her voice died out, getting caught in as she continued to stare at the pale girl.

The closer Dahyun got to the two Japanese girls, the clearer Sana’s vision became, leading her to realize what was so obviously different today.

Oh.

“Woah,” Mina muttered under her breath, eyes caught on the approaching girl. 

Dahyun’s hair fell over her shoulders in gentle waves with smaller strands framing her delicate face, accentuating her beauty, while she wore a white crop and tight black jeans that hugged the curve of her waist. The biggest surprise were the spectacles resting on the bridge of her nose and her pink cheeks.

Mina had to admit that something imperceptive fluttered in her chest at the sight of Dahyun, and a subtle glance at Sana proved the girl was completely and utterly starstruck, making her cough out an amused chuckle. Deciding it would be best to leave now, she patted Sana’s shoulde