One

Eunji slumped drowsily on her chair, blinking and staring aimlessly at the table in front of her. Her long, wavy brown hair was a mess with tangles and lengths of hair sticking out in random places. She yawned widely, ignoring the presence of other students entering the classroom. Stretching her arms up before resting them on the table, she placed her head snuggly onto her arm pillow. With a content smile, she closed her eyes and quickly urged herself to sleep.

People who saw her figure sleeping near the window would have immediately assumed she was anti-social —though this wasn't exactly the case. It was true Eunji didn't have any friends, though it wasn't because she was shy or an extreme introvert; rather, because she couldn't waste her precious time socialising. Eunji took every chance she could get to sneak some sleep into her tight schedule. Before class and during breaks were the typical times, although she occasionally fell asleep during class without knowing and frustrating her teachers. It wasn’t because she didn’t care about her grades, in fact, it would be quite the opposite. But studying was the least of her priorities when she could barely afford proper food to eat.

After her parents had divorced and her dad disappeared, Eunji was left with her mum who barely survived from the break-up. Her family was never even close to being rich but when her dad left; their minuscular wealth had plummeted even further. Her mum tried to work to support her only daughter, but her depression had stopped her in her tracks. Eunji knew it was her responsibility to take care of her mum and their bills, and took it upon herself to work long hours despite having school. Her sleeping schedule has long since been ruined and getting at least five hours of sleep was already considered to be lucky.  Sure, life wasn’t easy, but Eunji had learnt that the hard way. That was why she couldn’t help but sleep at school, although others thought differently.

“Look! She’s sleeping again!” one of the boys who just entered the classroom yelled.

“Oh come on, when is she ever not?” another boy muttered. “She is probably nocturnal.”

There was a moment of silence before both of them shrieked, “Like a vampire!” They cackled in glee at their similar mindset. 

Eunji was facing the window so her face was hidden. She blinked her eyes open and scowled in annoyance. She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut once more, hoping that the boys would just stop acting like immature five year olds. 

“Oooh, she’s getting angry!”

“Don’t anger the vampire or she’ll drink your blood!”

Eunji realised it was only a hopeless dream to have the boys shut up with their vampire .

A few minutes later, Teacher Jang entered the classroom and Eunji heard students shuffle quietly to their seats. Their teacher's hair was set up in a tight bun as always and her usual scowl was still present. Knowing Mrs Jang's temper, Eunji immediately sat herself up and roughly patted down her hair. Looking towards the front, she saw their teacher standing at her front desk, with an unfamiliar figure beside her. His hair caught her eye. It was blonde with a hint of brown, curly and poofy, just like a poodle; a soft, cuddly poodle. Eunji raised her eyebrows in interest and placed her elbow casually on the table, resting her head on her hand as she continued observing the new boy. His baby face was adorned with angelic, doe-like eyes and his small lips were rosy pink. Quite frankly, he looked gorgeous.

The classroom was filled with the curious and excited whispers of other students, mainly girls who were obsessing over his looks. Eunji had to admit, his looks were better than average—way better. There were a few squeals and giggles before the teacher cleared and the noise died down.

“Good morning class,” Mrs Jang said confidently, her lips twitching as she tried to maintain a straight face though her attempt to conceal a rare smile was clearly evident. Eunji raised an eyebrow when she realized that their home room teacher was also quite pleased with the new boy.

“A new student will be in our class from today onwards. I expect you all to give a warm welcome." She glared threateningly at each and every student, her gaze lingering on Eunji a bit longer than others. Eunji raised an eyebrow. Teachers didn't take a liking towards her, though it should be obvious she wasn't the type of person to bully the new kid.

"How about you introduce yourself?” Mrs Jang asked the boy beside her.

The boy smiled brightly and nodded, his smile already capturing the hearts of many girls in the room.

“Hello! I’m Xi Luhan. This is my first day and I am so excited to be here!" His arms waved around in excitement. "This is my first time moving schools so it’s thrilling to be in a new environment! I love the uniform and…”

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