Throughout the lesson Jieun could barely understand anything. All she did was that she stared at her table and fiddled with her fingers.

Then, it was time for recess. Before she could take another step out of the classroom, the girl with the mirror in her hands stretched her right arm and blocked the door. All Jieun did was look at her with a raised eyebrow.

The girl reached her hands out to pull Jieun’s hair.

“It’s only your first day here and you’re already breaking the rule.” The girl said sternly.

Jieun let out a cry of pain and tried to break free from that girl’s grip.

“Yun Bomi, leave her alone!” A boy shouted from the left side of the classroom.

Bomi unwillingly let go of her and stormed out with a loud ‘hmph!’ Jieun who was still blur of what happened looked at the boy. The boy made his way towards her.

“Are you alright?” The boy asked with a concerned tone in his voice.

She nodded and just fixed her hair.

“I’m Taemin. Jieun right?” Taemin stretched his hand to shake hers.

Again, Jieun only nodded and shook her hand with him. The teacher was strolling and happened to see them together.

“Hey, it’s not the time for you two lovebirds to date now! Get your butts to the cafeteria!” He scolded them.

Jieun was dumbfounded and looked at Taemin in his eyes. Taemin bowed, followed by Jieun and straight away left the classroom.

“He said to go to the cafeteria.” Taemin explained.

Jieun nodded and smiled a little. She followed Taemin like a chick to its mother. As soon as they entered the cafeteria it was full with unfamiliar faces to Jieun. She felt so small and out of place. Taemin helped her get her food and sat together near Bomi’s clique.

As Jieun was eating, she realized that a pair of eyes was aiming her. She moved near to Taemin because she felt afraid and uneasy. She took a peak at the owner of that pair of eyes. It turned out to be the boy sitting beside the window in her classroom. He was sitting beside Bomi.

He caught Jieun looking at him, so he smirked a little to himself. Bomi realized and gave her a glare.

“Who are you looking at, oppa?” Bomi asked sarcastically and wrapped her hands around his arms.

“None of your business.” He pulled his arms away from her, giving Bomi an icy look.

Bomi looked at Jieun again and cursed under breath.

*Jieun’s POV.

The pair of eyes left me wondering, who is that guy? I wonder why Bomi glared at me. Taemin interrupted my thoughts by asking me questions.

“So are you really from America?” Taemin asked and I nodded.

“Why do you only nod when I say something?” Taemin looked at me, straightly in my eyes and came closer to me.

“I-I..eerrr…” I stuttered. I started to sweat and I could feel my cheeks burning. Then, Taemin let out a small laugh.

“Don’t worry. I won’t harm you.” He gave me a sweet smile.

For a few moments, I felt attracted to his smile.

“Hey L.Joe, you’re coming to the party tonight?” A tall, serious-looking boy came up to that boy and wrapped his arms around L.Joe’s neck.

So, his name is L.Joe. Strange. Who has a name like that?

“I want to go too, Min Soo oppa!” Bomi squealed.

“No, you can’t.” L.Joe said, sternly.

“Why can’t I? I am your girlfriend, so you have to bring me.”

“Since when, are you my girlfriend?” L.Joe raised an eyebrow. “I’m going first.” And with that, l.Joe got up from his seat and walked out from the cafeteria with Min Soo and his other friend, leaving Bomi with her girlfriends.

“Jieun?” Taemin snapped me from my idle thoughts.

“O-oh?” I looked at him.

“Are you done eating?” He asked me.

“Urm, yeah.”

We both stood up and threw our trays away.

They walked together to the next class, which was vocal lesson in English. Everyone gathered outside the classroom, waiting for the teacher to come.

Both of them saw the seniors walking by the corridor. It turned out to be the Girl’s Generation seniors. Everyone was excited upon their appearance and cheered for them.

One of the seniors in Girl’s Generation saw Jieun with Taemin at the side.

“Excuse me, are you the new girl from America?” Jessica asked in English.

Jieun replied her in English – “Umm, yes I am.”

“So I guess you’re a shawty.” They all laughed at her.

“But I’m not black?” Jieun scratched her head.

Jessica looked at her furiously since everyone let out a loud ‘ooo’ at her. Taemin then stood in front of Jieun and confronted with Jessica.

“I suggest you leave her alone.” There was a dark aura coming from Taemin.

The ‘ooo’ gets louder and Jessica is embarrassed by that. She stomped her feet all the way to her group.

Everyone looked at Jieun with a shocked look, plastered on their face. Jieun felt like everyone is going to hate her now, since she has someone to back her up. Before anything else could happen, the teacher finally came.

“Sorry I’m late class. Now, let’s get our class started, shall we?” The teacher smiled sweetly at them.

She scanned the whole room and then she laid her eyes on Jieun. She smiled at Jieun with curiosity.

“And, who is this I may ask?” The teacher asked.

Jieun got up and introduced herself to the teacher.

“Good morning, teacher. I am Jieun.” She said in English.

“Oh. Where are you from, Jieun?” The teacher seems to have some interest in her.

“America.” She smiled at the teacher. When the teacher heard her words, she lit up.

“America? Wow, fascinating! Well, why don’t you show what you’ve got up your sleeves?” The teacher gestured her to come to the front of the class beside her.

“What?” Jieun’s eyes widen. “What do you mean?”

“Well, this is an academy and what do you do when you’re in an academy?” The teacher looked at her. “Well?”

“Sing, duh!” Bomi shouted from the back of the class. Since the teacher had told Jieun to sing in front of class, everyone’s attention was on Jieun.

But the problem is that Jieun has stage fright. She doesn’t like to sing in front of an audience, especially in front of people she felt uneasy with.

“Y-you want me to s-sing?” Jieun felt a huge lump in and she’s trying her best to swallow it down, but she was nervous she felt like dying.

“Of course. Now, come here and sing.”

Jieun slowly made her way to the front of classroom and she stood still like a stick. Everyone was staring at her and it made her even more nervous.

She could feel cold sweat dripping down from her forehead. The teacher scolded her

“Then, what are you waiting for? Don’t waste my time.”

The familiar pair of eyes stared at her which made her feel like she needs to sing. But her voice won’t come out.

“Why are you even here if you can’t sing?” Bomi asked harshly. Everyone started to laugh and Jieun felt like crying.

She dashed out of the door and ran to the girls’ toilet. She entered one of the cubical and started crying her tears out. One of her classmates knocked on the cubical she was in and shouted

“Are you a coward or something?”

With that she became unconfident to face everyone again. So she came up with a plan to improve her singing and overcome her stage fright. It was to practice privately at night so that no one can hear her sing.

Jieun called Bae that she would stay at the academy until 10 pm.

“What? What for?” asked Bae on the other line.

“Um, there’s an extra lesson for me.” She lied.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up at 10. Take care.” He hung up.

She waited until everyone had gone home before entering an empty vocal room. Jieun took the guitar from the instrument room and sat on a bench in that room. She looked around to see if there’s anyone around.

When she was sure that there was nobody there, she sang and strummed her guitar. She sang an English song which she used to sing at America.

She was so absorbed into singing that she didn’t realize there was someone listening. Taemin was outside the door listening but there was no glass on the door to see through.

That leaves Taemin wondering who the voice belongs to.