I looked out of the window of the room during my Economics 2 class. Since there's no designated seats when you're in college, and students just come and choose seats every session, I make it a point to come early to class and choose the seat near the window. There was something simply beautiful and nostalgic just by watching the sky. The birds, the clouds. I like looking outside the window.

Although...
Everytime...
It gets me in trouble.

"How about you, Miss, over there?" I heard the professor say. I was gonna continue looking out the window, but then the professor repeated himself. "You, miss? Looking out the window!"

I turned my head towards the front. My nostalgic, self-meditating self suddenly jolted back to reality. "Yes, sir?"

My Economics teacher was frowning. Probably pissed. He got his class list from his desk and scanned it up and down. When he looked up, he glared at me with those sharp eyes. "Miss Ahn Misaki."

I gulped.
I'm pretty sure I'm in trouble.
“Yes, sir?”

“Would you mind showing us on the board how a supply and demand curve should look like? Your head seems to be floating outside the window. You probably know what the answer is since you’re not listening.”

I mentally sighed. Everyone was glancing at me from the corner of their eyes. Perfect. Although I’m good at public speaking and am quite comfortable doing a stunt in front of a crowd, I would never want eyes to be on me in the first place if I had to choose. And this what I get. I have to do this quick. I went up the board and drew the supply and demand graph, just as how the professor would want it.

When I finished, the professor was still jeering at me, still with that frowning expression. “P-perfect, Miss Ahn. You may take your seat.”

That's one point for me.

He never bothered me when I look outside the windows again.

My name is Ahn Misaki. 21 years old. I'm a third-year college student at Yosei University, enrolled in the College of Information and Technology (although this was never my planned program in the first place). Everyone calls me Misa, though, because there's a different naming convention here in Korea where there's only supposed to be three syllables per name.

I'm actually half-Korean, half-Japanese, in case you're wondering.

Korea is beautiful, dear. I promise.

That was what my Mom told me before I left Japan for Korea. All my life I've been raised in Japan, studied in Japan, grew up in Japan. But then for college, my mom wanted me to study here in Korea. Because Dad would have wanted it for me, I assume.

Well, that's just a gist of me, anyway.

About my personality, well, you'll get to know me more later on.

Economics was my last subject for that day, so I was supposed to be free afterwards. But then, I still had this thing that I have to attend to.

Club meeting.

A few days earlier, there was this club fair at the school's auditorium. 

"Misa, what club will you be joining?" Park Soochan asked me that time. She was one of my frequent classmates when I started here, and we ended up getting really close. 

I shrugged. "I don't know. Is this even required?"

Soochan was just as uninterested as me as she looked at the flier given to her at the entrance with all of the club names. "Honestly, it isn't. But you actually get plus points every time you participate in extra curricular activities."

"Plus points in what?"

"I don't know. Maybe to those related subjects? Like when you join the Taekwondo or the Soccer club or any of the sport-related clubs, you get plus points in PE?"

"But we only have PE during our first year. I'm actually done with PE."

Soochan sighed. "Holy nuts. We're third-years already and we still haven't figured out how clubs here in Yosei work."

I laughed at that. She joined in. And we simply ditched the club fair.

After ditching, both of us went our separate ways since she had a class, and I was still in my break. So I went to the library, took out my iPad, and watched some animes.

I've always felt lonely ever since I got here since I was all alone. I was an only child, and I was raised conservatively. I was always held inside the house, because Mom would say 'the outside world is dangerous'. I never went out with friends because Mom told me 'I'd get badly influenced, and I'd end up pregnant at insert-early-age-here'. My Mom wouldn't allow me to have a boyfriend because 'I should set my studies as the main priority'. So to speak, I was still lonely in Japan. I felt ostracized, though I usually have those conversational friends. But, you know, those people just come and go.

And because of that, I relied my happiness on watching animes, adoring those fearless heroine in shoujo mangas, and simply falling in love with those perfect, unattainable boys. The characters were my only companions.

BUT.
I got jealous.

Why do those animes have those unique story lines? Why does the female lead always get the guy at the end? Why is every bit of those animes exciting?

Why don't I have a life like that?

Let me go farther in my flashback.
Please bear with me.

"Because you never really tried branching out, did you?" one counselor told me way back in high school.

"What do you mean, ma'am?"

"I mean, have you tried being the first one to do something about your life?"

"I really don't get it, ma'am."

I heard her mutter 'hopeless' under her breath. Then she sighed and smiled lightly. "Dear, you're the one who maneuvers your life. If you keep everything to yourself, and won't let anyone come in, then you'd never have those 'exciting thrills' you feel in those animes."

I frowned that time, I remembered. "So, what are you implying, ma'am?"

"What I'm trying to say dear is that you should be the first one to take action. Make a move. If you keep yourself stagnant and unmoving, then how can you complain about not moving on in life if you yourself aren't even trying to move? Try doing something. Be the one to initiate conversations. Smile more often. Join clubs. Volunteer for events. This might change the course of your life."

I know. It . The reasoning . But I at getting a point in life anyway.

So, while absent-mindedly watching the anime in my iPad, remembering those words the counselor told me, I shut off the gadget and dashed right back to the club fair.

That's the end of my flashback.

Which then led me to the front door of the school's music room, back to the present.

Yes, I joined the Music Club.

I stared at the closed door.
Am I doing the right thing here?

I mean, this is the first time I'd be joining a club in a while. My last club was... wait... that was still back in elementary. High school... I didn't join any club that time because I focused on my studies. But, shouldn't I be focused on studies right now just the same? Why am I trying to get into a club right now? I don't even know how clubs work nowadays, most especially clubs in college.

"The door's not gonna move itself if you just stare at it, you know."

I turned around. There, behind me, was a guy with the height of Godzilla, smiling at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I quickly said with an apologetic grin. "Is... this where the... um... music club is?" I kinda felt embarrassed saying that. Why?

The guy grinned at me. "Yup, you came at the right place."

He went ahead of me and opened the door for us. As we entered, I noticed that the room was, well, a music room. Well, stupid, what did I expect? It's a music club after all. But then again, it was a bit huge. The room had all sorts of instruments at hand. There weren't seats and tables. I wonder if they moved it out just for the club meeting.

"So, name?" he asked as he went for the seat at the piano by the corner of the room.

I looked around. There's no other seat. Damn, where are those desks when you need them? So I stayed standing. "I'm Ahn Misaki. But everyone calls me Misa."

He nodded. His eyes suddenly went big and he seemed to have realized something with his surprised reaction. "I'm so sorry." He stood up. "Let's sit on the floor."

Oh, how thoughtful of him.

We both sat down on the floor. 

"I'm Park Chanyeol, by the way." He extended his hand, and we both shook our giddy little hearts to it.

I just nodded and smiled.

Point 1: I'm an only child, as I've stated earlier.

Point 2: I'm good at socializing, but I'm generally socially awkward.

Point 3: I've never had boyfriend. 

To sum it up, that was the most intimate I have ever been with a boy (shaking hands, alone in a room).

"So," I spoke up. I had to get rid of the thoughts running in my head. "Are there any other who would be coming?" I was hoping there is. Because I wouldn't know what to do in these situations. Like, come on. Alone with a cute guy inside a solitary music room? How awkward could that be?

He took a paper from his pocket. "Hmmmm... I supposed there are still three more people. It would be awkward if it would only be the two of us, right?"

GASP.
He bluntly spoke my mind!

I just chuckled. "Yeah."

After that, it really did become awkward. I didn't know what to say, and this Park Chanyeol guy doesn't seem to want to say anything anyway. So we kept quiet while fidgeting for things on the floor.

Be the one to initiate conversations.

Damn.

"So... are you, like, the president of this club or something?" I asked.

He shook his head and grinned. "We haven't even voted yet."

"But, you have an aura of a president."

He laughed. "I do?" And he continued to laugh.

What kind of awkward conversation am I trying to get here?

"Anyway, Ahn Misaki right?" he continued. "That's... a bit weird for a Korean name... perhaps you're not Korean?"

"I'm half-half."

"Japanese-Korean?"

I nodded.

"That explains it." He shifted on the floor and scooted an inch closer to me. And, just to let you know, I almost had a hard time breathing. Too close... Too close... "So what brought you here to Korea, if you mind me asking?"

As an automatic response, I scooted an inch away from him. I need to breathe. "It's a long story. And it's not really interesting. Maybe some day. When we're close enough." I mentally slapped my head. What did I just say?

He laughed. "Okay. I'll get close enough to know your side of the story. Soon. Okay?" He grinned and gave me a thumbs up, and I swear, I think I was beet-red.

The door shifted open and three more people came in.

"Oh!" Chanyeol stood up to welcome the three new people. I stood up just the same to greet them.

Two boys and one girl. One guy had this prominent cheekbones, and had this silly little grin on his face that you would want to punch, and the other boy looked like a lost young puppy. The two boys were from some of my classes. Then there's this girl. I don't know her. She looked tough as nails with her piercing eyes. And she had this cute chubby cheekbones.

We all huddled on the floor just like how Chanyeol and I did earlier.

"Ah! I think we're complete!" Chanyeol said. "So, introductions!"

"Hello everyone. My name is Kim Jongdae!" Mr. Silly Grin said.

"Hi. I'm Oh Sehun." Mr. Lost Puppy introduced.

"Hi guys. I'm Park Seulgi. Nice meeting you!" Ms. Piercing Eyes said brightly.

"I'm Ahn Misaki," I said, as awkward as possible, I think.

"Hello everyone! I'm Park Chanyeol! And welcome to the Music Club!"

And that, everyone, is how my life started to turn downside up.