“Oi! Kids! It’s time to wake up!” I shouted from the kitchen. Slowly, one by one, my little brothers arrive at the dining table fully clothed and barely awake.

“Noona,” Jun Suk groaned. “Why do you have to wake us up like that?”

“Because otherwise, you won’t wake up and you’ll be late to school,” I answered. “Here; eat up.” I set the plates of toast, and eggs down on the table. “Umma, I’ll be going now okay? Kids: study hard.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay Nari?” My mom asks.

Why, you wonder? Because today is the day I’ll be starting school at Pledis High, a school filled with rich kids and advanced academic classes. I’ve strangely been invited to go to that school even though I wasn’t rich, but I wasn’t going to complain. As long as they provide me with the education I need, I’m good.

“I’ll be fine, Umma. Don’t worry about me.” I walk over to her and give her a kiss on the cheek. “Bye, Umma. Work hard today.” And with that, I took my leave.

You may or may not be wondering where my dad is. The answer to that would be that I don’t have one. I mean, of course I have a dad; he’s just not with us anymore. My parents got a divorce by the time Hyun Ki, the youngest out of my three little brothers, was born. That was about eight years ago. I’ve been working in order to support my mom and my family ever since.

Anyways, today is the first day of school and I’m not really sure how I feel about this.

“Don’t stress, Nari. Just focus on getting your high school degree so that you can go onto college and get a high paying job,” I whisper to myself as I stand in front of the school gates. I only took about five steps when I was already knocked down to the ground as someone roughly bumped into me.

“Ow,” I mumbled.

I looked up at the person but to my amazement, that person just continued walking. My eye twitched a little but I took a deep breath, and let it go. As I watched him walk away, it shocked me as to how tall he was. I jumped when the person following behind him turned around to look at me. He had piercing eyes that seemed like he was glaring at me. Then he turned back around and continued his way.

“I hope I don’t have any classes with them,” I wished discreetly to myself before continuing my way as well.

I was given my schedule, my locker number, and my lunch time. Everything is running well and smooth except for the fact that I’m pretty much shunned at this school. I discovered this throughout the school day as no one ever made eye contact with me, and no one talking to me except for my teacher and counselor. Maybe this wasn’t a good choice, I thought.

“No,” I scolded myself. “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to get an education.”

With that in mind, I make my way to lunch. I wasn’t surprised when I found myself sitting alone at a table. No biggie, I told myself.

“AH!”

I jumped. I looked around to see what was happening, only to see this huge group of girls running to the front of the cafeteria. Listening closely, I make out some words: Oppa! Saranghae! Ah! I shake my head in disapproval and turn my attention back to my lunch. School hierarchy, I concluded. My old school had one too. At least, back then, I had acquaintances at school.

I wasn’t fazed with the screaming background again until I felt this uneasy feeling. It was like someone was staring at me. I turned my head a little to see who it was staring at me. I jumped again when my eyes meet his glaring eyes. Why is he glaring at me? Pretending as if we didn’t make eye contact, I shifted my eyes around some. While doing so, I got a glimpse of those sitting at his table… and the massive group of girls surrounding it. So he’s a kingka, I thought. I saw the tall guy from earlier, and a few other so-called kingkas. There are so many of them. I turned back around and ignored the uneasy feeling crawling up my back.

“It’s over,” I sighed, unlocking my locker. The last bell has rung and the students are flooding out of the school. Ok. Pick up the kids. Then go home and change for work. After work, grab some fish for dinner, I reminded myself as I load and unload my backpack.

“Nabi?”

I freeze. Is someone calling me? No. That isn’t my name.

“Nabi, is that you?”

Wait a minute. This name… no one has called me that since…

“Nabi, it is you!” I didn’t have time to react as I was pulled in for a hug. “Nabi, it’s been so long! How are you? What are you doing here? At this school?”

“Uhm. Mihae, I can’t really talk in this situation,” I say, and she releases me.

Kim Mihae. I first met her when we were five. When she first met me, she pronounced my name wrong and called me Nabi instead of Nari. In her mind, the name just stuck and she’s called me that ever since. She could’ve might as well be my first and only friend. But then I moved because of my dad’s job. As I look at her now, I am overwhelmed with how unreal this is. She, my childhood friend, is in front of me right now, wearing my new school’s uniform. She’s so tall now. She’s so pretty…

“Wah. You wear glasses now, Nabi? You’re so cute!” Mihae squeels. “Oppa, I can’t believe it’s actually her. I thought you were just messing with me.”

Oppa?

My eyes meet the guy’s standing behind her.

“Hi Nari,” he greets. “I’m in your math class. I’m Jisoo, Mihae’s boyfriend.” He reaches out his hand for a handshake.

Boyfriend?

“You kids over there. What are you still doing here? School’s over,” a teacher exclaims.

Oh. I’m going to be late.

I bow an apology to the teacher, and to my childhood friend and her boyfriend. “I’m sorry. I can’t talk right now. I’m going to be late,” I tell the two. I close my locker and quickly walk out of the school and towards the school’s gates.

As I fast walk to Jun Suk’s school, I couldn’t help but think: Was that Mihae? She’s so much taller, and prettier, and skinnier, and she has a boyfriend. She changed a lot. I changed too. She definitely won’t like the me now. Cute? I’m not cute. She must have saw wrong. She wouldn’t be friends with me now, not with her status. We’re incompatible now.