Yeoncheong and Seoha found their class and stood at the very back. Before long, the opening ceremony began.
‘He talks way too long...’
Opening ceremonies being boring was no different here.
Yeoncheong looked at the principal on the platform as he continued his address. A speech that seemed about to end, yet never did. Not only the students, but even the teachers began watching the principal’s mood.
Yeoncheong’s gaze naturally drifted downward, and she looked over the other students standing ahead. As the address dragged on, a few students began glancing around.
To ease her own boredom, Yeoncheong also moved her head without much thought, avoiding the eyes of the teachers posted along the gym walls.
‘Wow.’
Yeoncheong let out a small exclamation inwardly. It was because of Seoha, who came into view when she turned her head to the side.
Her straight back and unwavering gaze fixed forward. How should she put it—there was a dignity about her that made her seem unlike an ordinary student. Even as everyone else grew tired of the repetitive speech, Seoha remained unshaken.
Perhaps she felt Yeoncheong’s stare fixed on her. Seoha turned her head toward Yeoncheong. Her soft hair above her shoulders rippled, and her red eyes met Yeoncheong’s blue ones.
“Hm?”
Her voice was quiet enough that only Yeoncheong, right beside her, could hear. Yeoncheong had been staring intently at a girl she had met for the first time today. Suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, she snapped her head forward.
For the first time today, Yeoncheong thought it was a relief she hadn’t cut her hair short. The hair falling to her shoulders had become a curtain hiding her expression.
Even the endlessly continuing address could not overcome the students’ murmuring. As the disorder grew worse, the principal cleared his throat and hurriedly wrapped up his speech.
The gym became noisy in an instant. It was only natural, since that had been the final item of the opening ceremony.
The teachers by the gym walls began finding their classes one by one. Starting with the third-years at the very back, Yeoncheong also followed her teacher’s guidance out of the gym.
***
Like a highway during a holiday, Yeoncheong repeatedly moved forward and stopped.
‘I thought I was going to die from how uncomfortable that was.’
After barely managing to reach the classroom, Yeoncheong caught her breath.
In front, behind, to the left, and to the right. There were girls on every side. Close enough to brush against. Yeoncheong, who had walked while shrinking in on herself as if something terrible would happen if they touched, was already exhausted.
A desk with only her bag sitting forlornly on top. Yeoncheong picked up the bag she had tossed there in a rush earlier, sat down, and looked around the classroom.
It was the privilege of a transfer student who had naturally ended up sitting at the very back.
‘Looks like she’s not here yet.’
Seoha, who had been walking beside her, had disappeared at some point, perhaps because of the crowd.
Even in that brief interval, the students gathered in twos and threes to chat. They looked cheerful, saying they had ended up in the same class again this time.
They had spent a year at the same school. In other words, that meant groups had already formed among them to some extent.
Hugging her bag, Yeoncheong fidgeted with her fingers for no reason.
‘I did expect this, but...’
Yeoncheong knew that Hwaryeong High School was a school that rarely accepted transfer students.
So she had worried about what she would do if they showed too much interest in a transfer student, but now that no one actually paid her any attention, it felt strange in its own way.
Still, in any class, there were always people who got along with everyone.
Two students who were like the sun of such a class approached Yeoncheong from behind.
“Boo!”
The slightly more playful student grabbed her shoulders and shouted. It was meant to loosen up the transfer student, who looked nervous, but...
Crash.
Every student in the classroom turned toward the source of the noise. There was the fallen chair, Yeoncheong who had slipped beneath it, and an expression of genuine shock at the sudden contact.
Still clutching her bag tightly, Yeoncheong’s face flushed at her ridiculous state and the countless gazes on her.
“A-are you okay?”
The flustered girl held out a hand. Just then, their homeroom teacher, Jisu, entered.
“Everyone, I’m sure I told you to get ready for class...?”
Teacher Jisu’s eyes narrowed as she looked around the noisy classroom.
“Hasol... are you already bullying the transfer student? How many times have I told you not to do that?”
“Ah, teach! When have I ever done anything like that?”
The students burst into laughter, and the stiff atmosphere loosened. The girl called Hasol set the chair upright and helped Yeoncheong to her feet.
“You said your name was Yeoncheong, right? Sorry, I’m really sorry!”
Hasol hurried back to her own seat. The other students also took their seats one by one, and Yeoncheong dragged her chair over and sat down in front of her desk.
After looking once around the now-quiet classroom, Teacher Jisu opened the attendance book.
“Since today is the first day, shall we take attendance first? It’ll help me remember our class’s names and faces too.”
The teacher’s finger ran down the attendance book as she called out names.
“Kang Hasol.”
“Yes!”
Starting with the girl from earlier, who answered while raising her hand high, the monotonous process of calling names and raising hands continued.
Seoha, who had somehow taken the seat beside her, asked.
“Did something happen?”
“No, nothing happened.”
Yeoncheong shook her head vigorously. If Seoha hadn’t seen it, there was no need to go out of her way to tell her about an embarrassing scene.
After finishing attendance with Yeoncheong last, Teacher Jisu actually began class. Because of the opening ceremony, there wasn’t much class time left. Hasol and a few other students groaned, but their homeroom teacher didn’t budge.
Class began with the words that it was for their own good later on. Teacher Jisu’s subject was math.
Naturally, Yeoncheong had no textbook, so she pushed her desk together with Seoha’s to share. Seoha glanced at Yeoncheong, who was subtly keeping her distance.
“You can come closer to look.”
Moving the textbook more toward the center, Seoha pulled her chair slightly. Startled, Yeoncheong swallowed her breath. If she leaned just a little, their shoulders would touch.
At that moment, Yeoncheong realized one more fact.
Having gone to an all-boys middle school and high school, Yeoncheong had zero resistance to girls.
***
The bell announced the end of class. Teacher Jisu left the classroom, telling them to remember where they had left off.
‘Is it over...?’
Seoha’s hair, swaying and gleaming with even the smallest movement of her head, and its scent. Yeoncheong was certain she had listened without dozing off, yet she remembered nothing at all.
Even so, Yeoncheong was grateful that break time had come. For Yeoncheong, whose mind and body were already exhausted to the limit, it was a desperately needed time.
However, the sun shining upon the classroom was still alive and well. The girl named Hasol came straight over to Yeoncheong.
“Yeoncheong, are you okay? You didn’t get hurt earlier, did you?”
Her yellow hair was so bright it felt dazzling just to look at. With all the hairpins stuck in it and the way she approached without hesitation, it was obvious she had a bright personality.
The girl who had come with her was about to introduce herself as well when Seoha stepped in between the three of them.
“Sorry, girls. Can I borrow Yeoncheong? The teacher told me to get her textbooks for her.”
“That makes sense. Then let’s talk again later.”
“Y-yeah.”
When Yeoncheong nodded, Hasol went off to her other friends without lingering. Seoha rose from her seat and called to Yeoncheong.
“Let’s hurry and go.”
Yeoncheong followed Seoha out of the classroom.
‘Is it because she’s famous, or because she’s pretty?’
She hadn’t noticed when they were walking through empty halls, but Seoha drew eyes simply by existing. Even though they must have gone to the same school for a year already, Yeoncheong could sense something like admiration in the gazes directed at her.
The place Seoha led her to was the library in the rear building. Break time was short, so naturally there wouldn’t be any students in the library.
‘Well, not none.’
When the library door opened, a student with purple hair who had been wandering between the bookshelves hid herself. Seoha went straight to find the librarian.
“Seoha. What brings you to the library during break?”
“I came to pick up textbooks for the transfer student.”
“Ah, those. Wait just a moment.”
The librarian went inside and came out carrying a bundle of books.
“I thought this might happen, so I prepared them in advance.”
“Thank you.”
Yeoncheong thanked her after Seoha. The librarian waved her hand to say it was fine, then added as if she had just remembered something.
“Oh, but there were about two or three books we didn’t have left. I’ll give you those separately later.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
After thanking her once more, Seoha and Yeoncheong carried the bundle of books out of the library.
***
Yeoncheong, who had boldly taken up the bundle of books, regretted the decision she had made less than five minutes ago.
The fact that she had been a boy until about a month ago, and the pointless pride that she couldn’t ask a girl her age for help.
And so Yeoncheong had refused Seoha’s kindness and carried the bundle of books on her own.
As she moved the bundle while switching hands, Yeoncheong eventually found herself using both hands.
When she had been a boy, she could easily carry dozens of textbooks at once, but not anymore. Unable to accept that, Yeoncheong searched for the cause elsewhere.
‘Is it because we’re in second year? The books are thick.’
In the end, Yeoncheong bent over and set the bundle down. There was no helping it with the stairs. Seoha gazed quietly at her.
The rest was brief. Just then, the ringing bell announced the start of class.
“Go on ahead. I’ll be right there.”
Yeoncheong slid her hand under the string tying the books together again. Just as she was about to slip her other hand in as well, Seoha moved quickly.
“I’ll help.”
“I’m fine...”
Seoha cut off Yeoncheong’s words.
“One, two, three.”
At a count that no human being could ignore, Yeoncheong’s body moved reflexively. The bundle of books was lifted in one swift motion. Seoha spoke with an expression that seemed to say, See?
“How is it? Light, right?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Seoha began climbing the stairs first. A beat late, Yeoncheong hurried a little to match Seoha’s pace.
When they returned to the classroom through the back door, their eyes met the teacher’s, who had already arrived. The teacher’s gaze turned toward the bundle of books.
“Seoha and... the transfer student?”
“Yes.”
“Good work. Hurry and take your seats.”
The two of them sat down, and Yeoncheong untied the string and searched through the pile of books for her textbook.
She felt relieved that, since there were no more books missing, she wouldn’t have to push her desk together again. Putting aside the discomfort, Yeoncheong had no confidence she could sit through class properly like that.
As she searched for the textbook while looking at the desks around her, Seoha offered a helping hand.
“It’s literature.”
Yeoncheong nodded and flipped through the books one by one, then froze.
‘Of all things...’
The teacher, having finished preparing for class, called to Yeoncheong. Yeoncheong, who had squeezed her eyes shut, lifted her head above the desk.
“Did you find your textbook?”
“Well... I haven’t received literature yet.”
“Is that so? Then share with Seoha beside you.”
Yeoncheong rose from her seat and pushed her desk together with Seoha’s again.
Yeoncheong couldn’t listen properly during literature class either. Considering the first math class, it was only natural.