The sunlight hit her wooden bedroom floor as she laid on her bed, staring up at the blank ceiling, dreading school. It was so hard for her to get up in the mornings as she needed as much time as possible to prepare herself for the snide and cruel remarks to slip from her classmates' mouths. Not that she has done anything wrong to them, but they found it fun to bully her and keep her isolated from the line labeled, "normal".

Reaching over to her bedside table to grab her phone, she unlocked it and stared at the home screen. With a slight smile crossing her face, she was now motivated to go to school. If anyone looked at her home screen, they would see a stunningly handsome boy. With his hair dyed light brown with a few dark tufts here and there, his eyes big and warm. His smile was enough to melt anyone even though it was just a mere picture on a phone screen. Nevertheless, she found herself slipping into her school uniform, placing an extra in her backpack just in case.

Slipping out of the apartment without telling her tired mother (who had fallen asleep on the sofa once again), she headed for the nearest bus stop enjoying the frosty morning air of late November. It was her last year at high school and she couldn't wait until graduation. A small part of her knew she would miss the handsome guy who had served as her motivation a while back now, but there was a tiny piece of hope clinging onto her heart that told her maybe they could keep in contact after graduation.

Hopping onto the bus and moving to the back swiftly to avoid being seen by her peers, she settled herself by a window and found herself alert and waiting for a sleek, black Toyota to drive next to the bus. The bus was slightly early today and she found her heart sinking as the bus got closer and closer to her stop. Looks like she wouldn't be able to catch a glimpse of him before arriving at school today. As she got off her stop, she waited for a moment before proceeding to walk over to the school gates, wanting to linger behind her bullies and hopefully arrive to homeroom safe and sound.

Adjusting her burgundy blazer and navy blue pants (supposedly white skirt, but her bullies liked to color her skirts), she gave herself a tiny pep talk before looking at the screen of her phone before stepping foot into the school. People buzzed all around her as she kept her gaze on the floor, wanting to avoid trouble. The buzz grew louder as she peeked up and found him walking down the halls, with girls screeching and calling his name.

Pushed against the walls of the hallway, a group of girls continued to follow him, taking pictures of him and asking him if he was by any chance free this weekend. With a light smile, he would politely answer their questions and head to class. Staring at him, she found herself mesmerized. He was just so... charming. Overall, she could see why he was Grade A and she Grade W. The gap between them was so large in the alphabet and not to mention, it was even larger social wise. Heading to her own classroom, she gave his disappearing figure one last look before stepping into the classroom.

Class was no better that day than the day before. The moment she had stepped through the door, she was pelted with crumpled up pieces of paper. Not only was she hit by the soft pieces of paper thrown with force, but with the words her classmates had casually tossed at her. 

The words "ugly", "retard", and "useless" were carved into her mind as she blinked back her tears and put her strong facade into place. Taking her seat in the back of the classroom as usual, she turned to the window, attempting to let the scenery occupy her mind. The class was filled with guys and little girls. The guys tended to ignore her, but due to the girls' effect on them, they've taken on a liking to bully her from time to time. Today was one of those times.

A carton of milk flew her way and it didn't take much to figure out who had done it. Sitting a couple rows ahead, were a group of guys with just one girl standing in the middle, laughing and pointing at her. The girl had her own charms of manipulating them and it was obvious that beauty was just one of those charms. Looking away from the group of her tormenters, she studied her faint reflection in the window.

Her dark brown hair was brushed straight like any normal Korean on the street, her eyes weren't small but they weren't that big either. Her skin was clear and it was fair to say that she looked normal. However, she was treated as if she wasn't. Instead of seeing how she truly looked, she saw someone they had all described. Small eyed, messy hair, and blemishes in her skin. Biting her lip and feeling tears form in her eyes, she buried her head in her arms. The bell rang shortly after and she took a deep breath, looking out the window and at the clear sky.

Please God, don't let me suffer like this. I've lived like this for so many years, don't you think- you could give me something to ease my pain? Anything? Tears brimmed her eyes as she stared out the window and closed them when she heard the teacher step into the classroom. Anything at all, God. I'm begging you. I know nothing comes without a price and I'm willing to pay. Even if it means being happy temporarily.

A piece of paper hits her on the head as she hears various of whispers and giggles, chanting "carton". That meant throwing a carton of milk at her. It wouldn't play in her favor if she were to dodge as she knew that a second carton or possibly a third if she was lucky the first two times, would definitely hit her. Bracing herself, with her heart heavy knowing that the teacher would do nothing to stop it, she heard the door slide open. With her heart beating wildly, she bit her lip, curling her hands into fists. The sound of a carton being thrown caused her muscles to tense as she heard the soft sound of the carton landing.

Searching her body for any stinging pain, she found herself surprised when she didn't feel any. It was odd, but nonetheless, she was relieved. Maybe they had missed. Opening her eyes bit by bit, not allowing her own body to relax, she found herself astonished to see someone standing so close to her. Letting her eyes wander to the mysterious somebody's face, her heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of his face.

With his warm eyes and a smile plastered onto his face, she found herself gaping at him, just like the rest of the class. Even the teacher seemed to be in awe as his mouth was left slightly ajar from the scene.

"Now, we don't want to hurt our fellow peers do we?" His voice was soft and calling his voice anything but an angel's was unjust. Opening the milk carton that he had caught with his hand, he took a sip out of it. "This milk isn't even spoiled. You guys don't know what you're missing out on." The class was left in silence until a boy with his hair dyed a bright shade of red.

"Excuse me, but I don't think you're in this class. You're a Grade A student, aren't you supposed to be in class 12-A?" The boy questioned out of curiosity. "Why is a Grade A mingling with Grade D students? Rather, a Grade W right there." The boy extended his index finger in her direction and she quickly looked down on her desk, her face turning red from embarrassment of having him find out what her Grade was.

"There is no such thing as Grade in my eyes. We're all the same aren't we?" Surprised by his answer, she looked up at him to see him staring back down at her with a small smile. Looking back at the class who seemed to admire him as much as she had admired him, he beamed. "From now on, I'll be a part of this class. I've decided to transfer to this class since I've heard that this class was pretty diverse. Not to mention, I've also heard this class has quite a character." The class broke out into murmurs, most of which were because they had gained more admiration for this Grade A student.

"I'm sure everyone knows who he is, so let's get settled now." The teacher said, clearing his throat and turning to the board. "Please take your seats now."

"Excuse me sir, but I would like to introduce myself. Think of me as a new student and think of it as a new beginning for me. I would really like to start fresh in this classroom." His innocent-like smile caused the girls in the class to swoon over him and it would be a lie if she said she hadn't done the same, internally. The guys seem slightly irritated by the girls' reactions but still worshipped him as he was able to impact so many of them. With the teacher's approval, he moved to the front of the classroom to formally introduce himself. 

"Good morning, my name is Jung Daehyun and I will be in this class until I graduate. Please take good care of me!" His eyes met hers as he finished his introduction and she felt her heart beat accelerate a bit more. "Where should I sit now?" 

No sooner had that left his mouth, girls began shoving their seat partners and offering him a seat next to them. Feeling rather intimidated by all the shoving, she turned away, hoping that she would not somehow get involved with all the shoving going around. The teacher, sick and tired of all the commotion for this Grade A student (which he had taken a liking to, like who couldn't? He was extremely nice and well-mannered), stepped up, stopping all the shoving.

"Daehyun, please just take a seat wherever you want. As you can see, this classroom has many seats. Any of them is fine." The teacher cleared his throat, shooting glares at certain female students who had begun pouting and using aegyo to try and get him to sit next to them. With her eyes focused on the scenery outside the school, her ears were all open to hear if his footsteps were getting any closer to her. To her disappointment, he took a seat a few rows in front of her, sharing a seat with nobody. The whole class seemed to be disappointed like she was, but nothing more could be done now. The teacher looked annoyed by the reactions of the overly dramatic females in the classroom.

With a thin smile on her lips, she picked up the carton of milk he had drank from on the desk next to hers. Placing it back down, she found herself smiling at nothing in particular but the carton of milk. Maybe this was what God had sent her to ease her pain. Turning back to focus on the board and the person sitting a few rows in front of her, she picked her pen up and began to jot down her notes.

 

 

It wasn't long before the bell for lunch rang and everybody immediately crowded around the doors, desperate to get out and get to the cafeteria. Rarely anybody had stayed in the classroom as they often had friends in other classes they had wished to socialize with. Staying put at her seat, she packed her books up and laid her head down on the table, silently sighing as to not attract any unwanted attention from her classmates. As the classroom became increasingly empty, she allowed her head to rest on the palm of her head as she stared out the window, not bothering to see if any of her peers were still in the classroom.

There was a loud shuffle of papers and murmuring as she turned her attention to it, subtly peeking in the direction. Alone in the classroom with her was none other than the Grade A student. Neatly placing his papers aside, the classroom door slid open, throwing her off guard as she quickly and awkwardly turned back to the window.

"Daehyun, let's go! The pizza shop around the corner is almost full! If we don't go now, we won't be able to get any seats!" A male voice called to him as he turned his head with a smile.

"It's okay, you guys go ahead. I need to take care of some things here. Besides," his short pause caused her to sneak a peek in his direction. Holding up a bag of lunch next to his face, he continued. "I already have something to eat anyways. So just go on without me." Dismissing who seemed to be his friend, she watched as he continue to move his books around his desk before stacking them together and heading towards the back, somewhat close to her. Pretending to be interested on the obscene and rather mean writing on her desk, she tried hard not to seem nervous around him. His soft scent caused her head to spin and she couldn't imagine how she would've felt if she was in his arms. 

"Excuse me...?" A hand moved in front of her face as she snapped back into reality, tracing the hand to its owner. Making eye contact with him in which she had shyed away from, he smiled. "Do you know which lockers are taken and which aren't? It's hard to tell since some students here don't use the lockers. Nevertheless, their locker is theirs and I don't want to take it away from them."

"A-are you talking to me?" Her voice ended up in a higher octave than she would've liked it to be. His eyes got smaller as he chuckled at her reaction before looking around the classroom. Despite being asked a rather stupid question, he politely answered.

"Well, you are the only one in this classroom aren't you?" He asked, playfully adding, "unless we have a couple of ghost friends keeping us company." With another chuckle, the girl turned to a bright shade of red, mentally scolding herself for asking such a stupid question. "So, can you tell me which locker I can use? I'm sorry for bothering you, but in the midst of adapting to a different class, asking the teacher for a locker totally slipped my mind." Flustered by his apology, she shook her head.

"D-don't apologize. It's really not a bother!" Her nervous habits started to kick in as she found herself stuttering, her voice at a higher octave, and her face flushed red. "I-I don't think there are anymore empty lockers in this classroom. Which is why this class is pretty small." Also the reason why I'm in this class. Less people equals somewhat less tormentors.

"Oh, is that so?" He seemed disappointed and she felt her heart sinking. She was a Grade W student and that being said, not only was she being targeted but so was her belongings, leaving her with the only choice of keeping all her belongings with her or in the abandoned janitor's closet on the other side of the school. She had no use for her locker anyways. "I guess it can't be helped then." Brushing his bangs aside with a following sigh, she mustered all her courage to look at him.

"Well, you can use my locker if you'd like. I'm one of the students that don't use it anyways." She sent him a shy smile as his face lit up and seemed to smile back at her.

"Really? Are you sure?" With a tiny nod, he raised a brow at her. "Then where do you put your stuff?" Pausing for a moment to think things through clearly, she decided to keep that fact that she kept her belongings on the other side of the school to herself.

"I-I usually bring my belongings with me. I feel much safer that way." She answered, saying the second sentence in a much softer tone as he was seemingly confused from her answer. "My locker is right here." Pointing at the small maroon red square, smack in the middle of the other lockers was another reason to why she didn't keep her stuff in her locker. Helping him place his books into the locker and an accidental hand brushing as she helped, she couldn't help but blush at the contact.

Your face is all red. Are you okay?" His eyebrows furrowed together as he placed his hand on her forehead, causing her to lose her breath momentarily and her face to turn even redder. "You don't seem to be sick either. Are you hot? Maybe you should just rest. I can do this by myself. I've bothered you enough as well." He said cheerfully, ushering her back to her seat and making sure she was alright before he returned to the locker just a few feet away from her.

Staring at him, she found herself lost at his angelic features starting from his warm brown eyes. It was one of the many features that had captivated her. Not only did he look like an angel, he had the personality like one. Which led her to believe once more, that this was God’s gift to ease her pain. After all, he did manage to save her from being pelted by a carton of milk just this morning.

“So, are you going to eat lunch?” The sound of a chair being lightly dragged across the tiled flooring brought her back to reality as she stared at him, dumbfounded. Taking a seat next to her, she found it hard to swallow her saliva.

“I-I don’t... really eat lunch.” She answered in response, playing with her fingers. This was the first real conversation she had with someone in her school for how ever many years she had been isolated from the social norm. Keeping her gaze on the white tiled flooring, a roll of kimbap appeared before her eyes, startling her as she stared at him.

“You should eat something. You’re not that fat.”Realizing what he had said might’ve sounded like an insult, he cleared his throat and attempted to make things right. “What I meant to say was, you should gain a bit more weight. People think being a skeleton these days are pretty, but in my opinion looking healthy is much prettier. Which is why you should stay healthy and eat lunch. Go ahead and take it.” Holding the kimbap out in her direction, she found her hands slightly trembling from being way to nervous as she took it from him gratefully.

“Thank you.” She whispered, blinking her tears back as he smiled at her, oblivious to how much his action and words had meant to her. Not only was he talking to her, but he was also caring for her and it made her even more self-conscious. She could see why he was a Grade A student and why she was a Grade W. She wasn’t as good as he was. More like, she couldn’t even compare to him. In other words, he was too good for her and she knew it.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” He questioned as he had pulled another kimbap roll out for himself and begun eating it himself. His mouth was stuffed with the rolls and she couldn’t help but find him cute. Catching her stares, he turned slightly red himself, apologizing for his manners. “Sorry, I really shouldn’t be talking with my mouth full should I? I can’t  help it at times though. I want to eat, yet I want  to talk at the same time.”

Helping her rip the aluminum foil that had wrapped the roll of kimbap, she thanked him, feeling rather embarrassed over the fact that he had to help her with everything. He really was an angel to her.

“Why are you eating lunch with me?” She blurted out as she nibbled on a piece of kimbap as she wasn’t that hungry. The thought of her bullies were enough to make her lose her appetite. She wasn’t trying to sound rude or ungrateful for his company, but rather it was something she was genuinely curious about.

“Before I answer that question, can I ask why you’re asking? Do you not like my company?” He questioned, a slight frown painted on his face. Despite the frown, she still found him incredibly handsome and she was taken aback by his thoughts of her disliking his company. Shaking her head rapidly, she blurted out her answer.

“I’m a Grade W and you’re a Grade A. You’re so much better than me.” She blurted out, embarrassed on having to reveal or at least remind him of her Grade. “There are so many other people you could hang out with. Like other Grade A kids of this school.” Her voice grew softer as she reached the end of her sentence, his frown slightly deeper than it had been.

“I’m Grade Twelve, you’re Grade Twelve. In fact, every senior in this school is Grade Twelve. That’s what we are. There’s no such thing as a Grade A or Grade W amongst us. It’s us who put those social boundaries between us. It’s our last year at this school, assuming that all of us will graduate. I’m not better than you because I’m a Grade A, I’m not better than anyone in this entire school just because I’m a ‘Grade A’.”

He took a deep breath before looking her in the eyes, which scared her in a way as he was even more charming when he engaged himself in analytical thinking.

“Don’t let those useless social boundaries get to you. You’re better than anyone else if you believe you can be. Don’t fall from their words, instead gain from them. For example, people would always criticize the amount of food I ate during my meals. Typically, I can eat at least more than three kimbap rolls at once.”

 Noticing that he was already done with his second roll and had nothing else, she looked down at the kimbap roll he’d given her. With only half of it done, she pushes it towards him as the sound of his cheerful laughter greeted her.

“No, it’s okay. You eat it. I’ve already ate too much.” Ruffling her hair, she turned red from the contact as the bell rang. Before she could thank him, he had picked the remains of his lunch and dumped them in the trashcan. “It was nice eating with you. It was quite peaceful. I hope we can have lunch together tomorrow, Eun Kyung.”

Her eyes widened as she heard her name slip from his lips, surprised that he knew her name. Before she could say anything in response to his heart warming words, the classroom door was opened her classmates came flooding in, causing her to slump down in her seat. With a smile on her face, she blinked back her surprise and looked up at the clear sky, thanking God for his “gift”.

 

It wasn’t long before the last school bell rang and she was always the last one to leave the classroom. It was to avoid huge masses of people who would take advantage of their chance to push her/ kick her “accidentally”. Their “apologies” were never sincere and everything regarding her was just a joke to them. Packing the stuff she needed and placing the rest in the janitor’s closet, she headed out the school building through the back door as always. There were always Grade C and D students who lingered by the front door, trying to be rebellious by not going home right after school. She didn’t want to get involved.

Making her way to the bus stop, she found herself staring at a male figure talking on the phone. Her heart fluttered as she wondered how she should approach him- or maybe not. He had spent lunch with her and helped her many times today. She shouldn’t bother him anymore. Taking a deep breath to rid her head of any thoughts, he ended his phone call, then noticing her standing nearby, distracted by her thoughts.

“Eun Kyung!” Waving a hand at her, he sent her a smile as she moved a bit closer to him, slightly dizzy from the alluring scent he had carried. “Where are you going right now?”

“Um... me?”

Stupid, obviously it’s you.

“I mean- I’m going home.” She answered, after mentally scolding herself. Amused by her stuttering and the red tint on her face, which he had noticed from very early on, happened around him, he let out a light chuckle.

“No plans today? Just going home?” He questioned, trying to lighten the atmosphere as he could feel how tense she was. “I don’t have much to go as well. Besides visiting my father at work and then going home to do my homework.”

“It’s not like anyone would want to hang out with me.” She mumbled, unconsciously as he shot her an appalled look.

“Are you saying I’m not a someone?” He asked, pretending to be hurt. Biting her lip, she was alarmed by his reaction, failing to realize that it was just a joke.

“Of course not! That’s not what I meant! It’s just that I’m a Grade W and everyone else wants to associate with people of the same rank or above, so they never ask me to hang out with them.” She blurted out at once, her words slightly slurred together. “I’ve also been a wangtta for a long time and I just don’t know how to-“ Pausing to catch her breath and stop herself from revealing too much, she backed away from him in shame. “I’m sorry- I shouldn’t be concerning you with my petty troubles. I have to go.”

“Then-“ He was cut short as he paused to think. “Would you like to go grab a cup of coffee with me right now?” Her heart stopped at the sudden invitation as her mind was screaming “yes”. However, her heart was screaming “pitiful”.

“You don’t have to. I don’t want you to take pity on me.” She answered quietly and before she could leave, he rushed in front of her, causing her eyes to meet his.

“Don’t think of it that way. I never intended to pity you. By the way,”  he paused as a smile crossed his lips. “You still haven’t thanked me for sharing my lunch with you. One way you can repay me is keeping me company while I wait for the chauffer to pick me up.” The hard look in her eyes softened as she realized his intentions and agreed to keep him company.

“It seems as if you’re the one pitying me now.” He said jokingly as he led the way to the nearest coffee shop. “But then again, I don’t mind as long as I have company. So far, I find your presence the most peaceful and the most comfortable.”Beaming at her, he opened the door to the coffee shop as she followed, getting in line to pay for drinks.

“I like how you included so far.” She mentioned, knowing that her presence could be quite burdensome.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone can replace your position as the most comfortable presence to be around in a long run,” he assured her cheerfully. “So, what are you planning on ordering?”

“I’m not sure. I’m not a coffee type of person.” She answered truthfully. “I’ll just wait for you to order yours.”

“Well in that case, can you find us a seat? I don’t think the chauffeur will get here until a bit later. It’ll be a bit tiresome to stand the whole wait.” With a quick smile, he moved up the line and to the cashier as she somewhat reluctantly left his side.

She wasn’t the type to become attached so easily, but with him- forget it. It was all due to her stupid crush on him. Pulling her phone out, she stared at the lock screen of her phone, shaking her head. The moment she unlocked her phone, his face would pop out and that would be the end of her. It was only if he caught her. Never had she ever thought that she would become so close to him that she would have to worry about him seeing her phone screen. Even if he did, he would’ve deemed her to be one of his admirers and not thought much of it. Biting her lip, she set her phone down and waited for him to get his order.

“You said you weren’t a coffee type of person. Their hot chocolate should be one of your liking. It’s by far the best thing in this coffee shop. Ironic that their signature drink isn’t coffee, but nevertheless, their hot chocolate isn’t a joke.” Stunned that he cared enough to buy her a drink, she brought my wallet out to pay him back as he shook his head. “It’s fine. I don’t always treat people to drinks, so when I offer, just take it.” Sipping at his own cup of hot chocolate, she followed him in suit, unsure of what to say to him.

“H-hot!” She sputtered as the scalding hot drink touched her lips, nearly choking on the bits of hot chocolate that managed to make its way down to . Noticing his gaze was on her she turned bright red, coughing awkwardly while wiping with some tissues. “Sorry,” she said weakly, avoiding eye contact.

With an amused chuckle, he subtly spit his hot chocolate back into the cup. “I’m actually glad that happened. My tongue was really burning up back there.” Wiping his mouth like she had, he pushed his drink aside. “I guess I’ll wait for it to cool.” Noticing that she wasn’t responsive, he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry if I talk a bit too much. I guess it’s just because I want to get to know people and other things more.”

“D-don’t say that.” I think you’re incredible. Everything about you is. I can’t possibly match up to you. “If anything, you’re amazing and I admire your ability with words.” Stunned at her own words, she turned away as a grin was spread across his face.

“Exactly what I would say to you. You’re pretty amazing yourself. Just throw yourself out there and you’ll be better than me. You have a way around your words too.” Playing with his hot drink, he smiled at me. “Your words have the power to soothe me. For others, your words seem to transmit your emotions to them. As of right now, you feel shy don’t you?” She was shy. It was because of him. Before she could say much of another word, his phone rang, causing him to pick it up.

“Alright, I’ll be there in a bit.” Sending her a look, he ended the call and got up. “My chauffeur is here.”

“Oh...” Standing up and throwing her backpack on, she picked her drink up. “I should get going too then. It was nice talking to you.” About to walk off in a different direction the moment they stepped outside of the coffee shop, she felt his hand pulling her gently.

“Where are you going? The car is that way.” He said pointing towards the sleek black car he had always taken to school. Realizing what he was saying, she shook her head and politely declined. With a look of disapproval, he reluctantly watched as she made her way to the bus stop, not forgetting to put in a few words of thanks. “Thanks for keeping me company today. It was really nice and-,” with a smile on his face he continued. “You owe me for not allowing me to send you home.”

With that being said, he got into the car as she watched as the car drove off, stunned by his charming personality. She was charmed.

No, I should be the one thanking you.

Thank you.

 

 

A/N: First chapter out. Let me know what you think! This story was created to help me improve my writing skills. So if you have any constructive critisms please don't hesitate to leave me a comment below or inbox me! Thanks~