Beep, beep, beep.

The alarm sound seeped into my dreams until I was awake. I slowly opened my eyes, turning over to turn the alarm off.

Great, a new start in a new environment with new people, taking new courses.

Unlike most university students who would jump at the opportunity of finally being free from parents and living with friends, I dreaded it more than anything else. Anything new was an enemy to me and I didn't appreciate starting yet another new school year with even more new factors being thrown into the mix.

To rub salt into the wound, none of my closest friends were going to the same university as me, leaving me staggering on alone. I covered my face under my blankets, shuddering at that thought.

My phone beeped, signaling a text message. Deciding to stop sulking in bed, I threw the blankets to the side and reached for my phone. It was a text from Suho, one of my few closest male friends.

From:Suho oppa

To: Kyungmi

Kyungmi-ah, wake up! Stop sulking under the blankets, I know you're doing that right now! Going alone isn't such a bad thing, we can still meet up and visit each other after school hours, you little introvert! 

I scoffed. I'm not sulking now...

From: Kyungmi

To: Suho oppa

Oppa, I'm not sulking! I was sulking before...

& easy for you to say! If you become busy with all your girlfriends and neglect me, I will hunt you down and drag you away D:<

I put my phone down and went to the washroom, getting ready before I end up arriving late. Spending time searching for my dorm is going to be a long journey, one I don't anticipate at all. I came back out of the washroom moments later, with very light make-up: foundation and a thin layer of eyeliner. Moving to my closet, I quickly changed and dragged the suitcase down the steps with me, phone wedged under my arm.

I arrived to an empty kitchen with a cup of milk and waffles on the table, with a small sicky note on the side. I guess Umma left early for work with Abba again.

I munched thoughtfully on the waffles, comtemplating whether I should go and greet my new roommate first or just go to class and greet her later. After much conflict, I decided that even if it was a small curt greeting, it'd be better than ignoring her, opening the possibility of future friction between our relationship, and I didn't need any more drama in my life. My phone beeped again and I unlocked the screen.

From: Suho oppa

To: Kyungmi

Sure, you liar~

Kekeke, don't worry, I'll never neglect you! I'm your guardian angel, remember? And don't imply that I'll be a player! D: Aish, our little turtle is feisty today!

I glared at the screen and typed a quick reply while downing my milk.

From: Kyungmi

To: Suho oppa

I didn't lie! I was sulking BEFORE you texted me (;

I'm not a turtle, but I will find you and bite you, you bum.

You better not neglect me. You know how I am with new things, and being alone on top of all that.

Putting the plates and cup into the sink, I picked up my backpack from the couch and dragged my suitcase to the door, bending down to put on my shoes. Getting out the door and locking it, I stepped back and looked at the entire house longingly. "It's too soon to say goodbye...will I even survive?" I muttered under my breath, sighing.

I checked my phone one last time after packing everything in the trunk of my car, trying to delay going to university as much as I could without being late.

From: Suho oppa

To: Kyungmi

Kekeke, alright, Kyungmi-ah, I'll stop teasing you~

And don't worry. I've made a promise to you and I will definitely keep it. You never know, maybe a pleasant surprise will come your way sooner than you think.

Now, stop delaying and drive to your university already!

I frowned at the screen in puzzlement. Pleasant surprise? I let out a small scoff at reading the last line. You know me too well, Oppa. Heeding his advice, I put my phone down and backed out of my driveway, giving my house one last look before driving away.

A little over half an hour later, I arrived at the front doors to my university. Well, this is it. One step at a time, Kyungmi-ah. You can do this. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and took a step in, comencing my search for my dorm, which, surprisingly, was found fairly quickly. Stopping in front of the door, I shut my eyes tightly once before reopening them. I reached for the handle, only to have the swing open at the same moment.

A black haired girl with bangs looked at me and blinked a few times before realization registered in her eyes. "Oh! You must be my roommate, right?" The small shock rendering me mute, I only managed to give a curt nod. She smiled kindly at me and I noticed that she had a pretty eye smile. "Nice to meet you! I'm Minah," she opened the door wider and gestured for me to enter.

Snapping out of my frozen state, I gave a small smile and nodded, pulling my things inside. "Hello, my name is Kyungmi."

We had a bit of a small chat and I was surprised at my ability to not automatically close up like a clam to her. Maybe it was her smile or her attitude, but she seemed geniunely kind and it encouraged me to talk to her. She was also kind enough to help me unload some of my bigger belongings before comparing our schedules. Unfortunately, I only had the last class with her, which wasn't much help because I had absolutely no clue where the classroom to my first class was. She did give me some brief directions, but with my poor memory and disoriented state, it was all soon forgotten.

Not wanting to hold her back, I nodded my thanks to her and grabbed my backpack as she left. "Just stay calm, and think logically. Just stay calm, stay calm, stay calm," I repeated the mantra to myself before leaving as well. Once out of our dormitory, I compared the buildings around me to my map and started to go in the direction that I thought was right.

Too engaged in my map, I didn't realize that I had deviated towards a tall male while walking and bumped into him, sending my map, schedule and phone to fly up into the air along with a few of his belongings. He gave a small shout of surprise and we both stared with wide eyes as my phone shot to the ground at an alarming speed. I inwardly kicked myself for not seeing him and prayed for my phone to not break, knowing that I wouldn't make it in time. I clenched my eyes shut and braced for the all too familiar crack as the device makes contact with the pavement, but it never came.

I opened my eyes slowly and realized that the guy I had bumped into had caught my phone just inches before it kissed the ground. I breathed out a small breath of relief, while feeling a tad bit horrified at the same moment. Intereacting with yet another stranger. Why can't I just be in the comfort of my blankets at home...

He approached me and handed me my phone, a proud smile blossoming on his face. "Saved it for you, why didn't you try to catch it?"

I hesitantly took it out of his hand and uttered a small thanks. "I thought I wouldn't be able to catch it in time..."

He grinned and shook his head, bending down to retrieve our belongings. "Nah, if you really went for it, you probably would've caught it." 

He stood back up and handed me my two sheets of paper with a bright smile. I took it from his hands and thanked him again. "I'm sorry for bumping into you, and thank you again for saving my phone." I said softly, giving a small bow.

He blinked at me before laughing. "You don't have to be so formal! But no problem, I'm always happy to help others," he replied cheerfully.

I gave a small smile and left, quickening my pace to find my class before class started.

I ended up going around in circles before finally reaching the room in a frenzied state. It seemed like the class was in the midst of introduction, as all eyes immediately landed on me, causing me to flush in utter embarassment at the unwanted attention I was receiving. "I-I'm sorry, for interrupting Sir. I couldn't find the room in time..."

The professor glanced over at me, unfazed and nodded. "It's fine, since it's the first day. Just find a seat." Everyone continued to look at me, curious as to where I would sit and I bit my lip in uncertainty, finding no seats that isolated me from the rest. My eyes landed on a male waving at me, gesturing me to sit in the empty seat next to him. My eyes widened as I realized that it was the guy I had bumped into earlier.

I wasn't eager to sit next to a stranger, but I was drawing too much attention, and compared to the rest of the class, I at least recognized his face, so I quietly shuffled over and sat down as the professor continued the introductions. The guy grinned at me and leaned over to whisper, "Hey, I didn't know we were in the same class; we could've walked here together, because I'm pretty familiar with the university."

I turned over and looked into his eyes, a bit unsure whether or not I should continue the small talk. "I didn't know either, since I was in too much of a rush to find this room." He shrugged and smiled again-his smile was contagious, and I found myself smiling back with a bit more enthusiasm than I usually showed to strangers. "Let's see your schedule then. We might have other classes together other than this one. If not, I can probably show you the way."

I chewed on my lip and nodded, still feeling fairly nervous. He glanced over and went through my schedule, nodding in approval. "Hey, we have most of our classes together! Niiiice," he laughed and handed back my schedule to me. I looked at him questioningly. "We do?"

He nodded. "Two classes today, two tomorrow, and so on. You're lucky you have someone like me to show you around!" I blinked a bit at his cheerful personality. He's literally like a ray of sunshine. How can he be so happy all the time, even with normal small talk? 

"Do we have the next class together?"

He nodded enthusiatically, "Yep! Just not the evening class." 

"Oh, okay," I say, "thank you then, uhm...?" He widened his eyes and chuckled. "Oh right! I forgot to introduce myself haha, I was too busy talking about our schedules. My name's Chanyeol, Park Chanyeol."

"I'm Baek Kyungmi."

He gave me an amused expression and I looked back a bit questioningly at him. "What?"

"You're very quiet and not very talkative, Kyungmi." I looked down, a bit embarassed. It wasn't my original intention to explain myself to him, but I found myself pulled towards his positive personality and elaborated briefly so as to not make myself look like some weird socially awkward girl. Which I pretty much am. "I'm more of an introvert and not very social, sorry."

Chanyeol shook his head and chuckled. "It's fine! You're super polite and formal too. Loosen up, I don't bite. You don't have to be formal around me and just speak comfortably, alright?" I nodded and smiled. "Alright."

After our Functions class, we left together and he led us to the next class, all the while getting to know me better and introducing more of himself. Sometimes I would look at him questioningly, but for the most part, I didn't feel like usual detachness that I typically feel around people I didn't know.

"So none of your friends came with you here?"

I shook my head in disappointment. "The other universities had programs much more suited for them, so we all went separate ways." I sighed.

He laughed as we turned a corner, "Don't worry, you won't be alone for long. For one thing, you'll definitely need to get to know your roommate since you're living on campus, and you've already got a friend right here!" He pointed to himself and grinned at me as we approached the room, prompting me to give some sort of pleasant reaction.

I just looked at him skeptically. "We just met, two hours ago, Chanyeol. I barely know you."

He continued to grin, unfazed by my skeptism and went on, "Yeah, but we know the basic things about each other. You can get to know me more as we go through our friendship!" I bit my lip and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. In return he just grinned wider, not taking back his decision, even though he was the only one who decided that we would be friends right away. "Friends, okay? No take backs."

I opened my mouth to retort about what kind of decision that was but we had already went inside the room for Chemistry. He dragged me to the side of the room, being considerate after I told him that I didn't feel comfortable being around strangers and preferred being in the shadows than in the spotlight, so I stayed quiet.

Like all beginnings, our classes were mostly on introductions and greetings, not really doing much. We got our course outlines and were told to get the necessary materials for the course, with a brief overview.

In a flash, we were approaching lunch. I started to worry again, assuming that he would sit with his friends, since he barely knew me anyway. It's not like we're that close.

He walked with me into the cafeteria and told me to wait as he jogged off to a table of boys who waved at him. He walked over and must've told them something about me, because several of them looked over at me before turning their attention back to Chanyeol, nodding.

He turned and jogged back towards me, looking a bit unsure for the first time. He stood in front of me and gestured towards the guys at the table. "They're my friends, and I know you're not welcome towards strangers and attention, so I did give them a small heads up before, so in case you do want to come with me, you don't have to worry. They're nice guys after all." He smiled a bit, looking at me and gauging my reaction.

I looked between the table and Chanyeol, who looked at me encouragingly. Looking around the cafeteria, I realized that I knew nothing about the way the system worked or anyone in the room. In fact, there weren't any free tables for me to sit anyway, and sitting alone would probably just bring more attention to myself. 

I looked back towards the guys and then slowly nodded. "Okay."

He started to walk towards them, leaving me behind. In my panic, my hand shot out and grabbed onto the hem of his hoodie, tugging at it. He turned back, looking surprised and saw my expression. "Oh sorry, I forgot again! Don't worry, I'll be there and won't leave you alone with them. Just sit next to me, okay? We can sit on the edge if you want?" I nodded tentatively and he smiled, coming back to me and guiding me to the table, this time walking next to me.

"Guys, like I said just moments ago, this is my new friend Kyungmi. Don't scare her away! Introduce yourselves." Chanyeol grinned at the group. As promised, they didn't make a big deal out of it and greeted me with friendly self-introductions and smiles. I struggled to remember the names of the group and distinguish one from another.

"Hi, my name is Tao, nice to meet you Kyungmi!" A guy with dark eyebags smiled at me.

"You can call me Lay and this guy eating over here is Xiumin. Beside him is Luhan." The three guys greeted me, while Xiumin gave me a wave as he chewed.

"I'm Kyungsoo, hi." A guy with big round eyes smiled gently at me and I smiled back, feeling my nervousness recede.

"Oh, I'm Jongin, but everyone just calls me Kai. Nice to meet you!"  

I smiled at all of them. "Hello everyone. It will probably take me a while to differentiate you all, though." They were all kind and just laughed, nodding in understanding. Chanyeol pulled me to the bench and sat down next to me, near the edge like he promised before. "See? That wasn't so bad." 

I nodded, putting down my bag on the table and taking out my student ID card. "Yeah, I guess. I still felt a bit nervous and awkward though."

He smiled and after dropping his bag, helped me back up and led us to a line for the food. "Nah, first meetings are always like that, so don't worry."

I nodded again as we placed food onto our trays. I'm glad I didn't stutter and stand there staring at them like an idiot or give them the cold shoulder.

After lunch, we set off again to Physics and time really seemed to fly by as we left the room already. I looked over at Chanyeol, troubled. Noticing my uneasiness, he leaned towards me. "Are you okay? Don't worry about your last class; I'll walk you there okay?"

"Are you sure? You won't be late?" I asked uncertainly, but he nodded without hesitation.

I nodded and cracked a small smile, still silent as I eventually drifted into my own thoughts. "Okay, just meet me in front of this building, five minutes before your class starts and I'll walk you there," he explained, but my thoughts drowned out his words. I wonder if Minah will want to sit with me...

He bid me goodbye at the door and left to tend to his own activities. That evening, I arrived about ten minutes before class so as to ensure that I wouldn't be late and waited for him. As promised. he walked me to my class before leaving. After thanking him, I cautiously entered the room and looked around, unsure of where to sit and hoping to spot Minah somewhere. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Minah smiling at me. "Hi! We meet again, Kyungmi!" 

Relieved, I nodded and smiled. "Yeah."

She looked around and then back to me. "Are any of your friends here?" Looking down, I gave a subtle shake of my head, getting ready to be judged because in a room of over a hundred students, why would I not have friends? However, she just looked relieved and pulled me to the seats where her bag was. "Phew! I thought I was going to be alone. I'm not close to anybody here either."

With that, we sat together through class and separated after class, with me returning to our dorms and her heading out to meet her friends.

I opened the door to our dorm and laid down on my bed, closing my eyes for a brief moment. Reaching for my phone, I texted Suho back from this morning.

To: Suho oppa

From: Kyungmi

Oppa, I made it. I survived the first day.

Immediately, I got a reply back before I could even lock the screen.

From: Suho oppa

To: Kyungmi

See, I told you! I'm a bit busy at the moment so I will text you back later! Talk to you then!

I put my phone down beside me on the bed and closed my eyes again, overwhelmed and exhausted. One step at a time, Beak Kyungmi. Baby steps.

Hello, I'm starting on another fanfic, this time with a different setting and lighter mood (: The characters have more different perosnalities and I decided to work with a different concept. I hope you enjoyed this and please anticipate the next chapter! Thanks for reading!

xx, BeatofWings