The night before school started
Mom said,
“You remember Baekhwi, right?”
“Yeah, Auntie Minha’s son.”
“Mm. I talked to Minha on the phone for the first time in ages, and she said Baekhwi got assigned to your middle school too?”
“Oh, really? So?”
He’d probably been living just fine.
I wasn’t particularly curious.
“It’s nice to know someone. Be friendly with him.”
“Okay.”
“Did you pack all your supplies?”
“Haam, what am I, a kid?”
“I Dohee. Why are you so prickly today?”
“Sorry, I guess I’m just really tired today. I’m going to sleep first.”
Ugh, it feels like practice has gotten more intense lately.
I’m so tired I keep yawning.
“Sigh, fine. Hurry up and sleep.”
.
.
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My first walk to middle school.
Sujin, who’d been assigned to the same middle school, begged me to go to school with her in the morning, so I had no choice but to agree.
When I got to the place we’d agreed to meet, Sujin was already there.
“Jeong Sujin, I’m here. Let’s go.”
Sujin spoke in a lively voice from the morning onward.
“Okay! Let’s go, let’s go~”
Maybe she was excited about her first day, because Sujin chattered away with a flushed face the entire way to school.
I answered half-heartedly, and before I knew it, we’d arrived.
“I’m going, then.”
“It would’ve been nice if we were in the same class...”
Sujin and I were in different classes, so we had to go to our own classrooms.
“We can be in the same class next year. Hurry and go.”
“Okaay...”
I turned around to go into my classroom, but Sujin grabbed me and said,
“Dohee, you’re going to eat lunch with me today, right?”
“Eat with the kids in your class. You need to get close to them.”
“Why... Let’s eat together.”
She’d been so excited the whole way here, but now that it was time to actually go into her classroom, she must have gotten nervous.
“You’ll make friends soon anyway. If you really have absolutely no one to eat with, tell me then.”
“Okay...”
“Good. Go in.”
I went into Class 1, where I’d been assigned.
When I entered, the kids who’d arrived first were sitting in groups with the ones from the same elementary schools, chatting away.
The very back seat by the window was empty.
Sweet.
I sat down, hung my bag, and put in my wireless earphones.
Then I listened to the video of my song from the monthly evaluation a few days ago and checked it again.
The more I listened, the more shortcomings I could hear.
Ah, I should’ve handled the ending note a little more there.
While I was listening, some girl came up beside me and spoke.
“Hi, Dohee.”
I took out my earphones and looked at the girl.
Who are you?
When I looked at her like I didn’t know her, the girl said,
“We were in the same class in fifth grade. I’m Hyeju.”
Ah.
I felt like I might remember her.
For now, I should just pretend I did...
“Oh, Hyeju! I didn’t recognize you because you’re wearing makeup.”
“Mm-hm. If the seat next to you is empty, can I sit there?”
I wish she’d just go somewhere else.
“Sure, sit, sit.”
A little later, two more girls came over and said,
“Oh! Hyeju!”
Hyeju jumped up and made a fuss like she was delighted.
“Mingyeong! Jia, you two are in Class 1 too? No way!”
Naturally, the kids called Mingyeong and Jia sat in the seats in front of me.
Haa...
If they’d sat down, they should’ve just talked among themselves, but the girl called Mingyeong spoke to me.
“Dohee, you know me, right? We were in the same class in third grade.”
Ah.
Really?
“Oh, of course. It’s been a while.”
The kid named Jia also spoke to me.
“I was in the same class as you in third grade too!”
“Of course~ I know.”
I seriously don’t know a single one of them.
The girls kept talking to me in cheerful voices.
“But Dohee, are you wearing tint?”
“No, I only put on sunscreen and lotion.”
“Wow, really? I thought you had makeup on!”
“Whoa, me too. I totally thought you were wearing makeup. You don’t put on anything else?”
“After washing my face, just an ampoule and essence for skincare...?”
“Really?”
Then would it be fake?
“Dohee, do you use Instagram?”
“Oh, me too! Tell me yours too.”
“Ah, no. I don’t use Instagram.”
“What, why not? If you did, you’d become an influencer right away.”
“I don’t really like social media...”
Even my mom is way too into social media.
“Then Dohee, I don’t have your number. Give it to me.”
“Me too!” “Me too!”
Ah.
I’m tired.
A little while later, a young female teacher who seemed to be our homeroom teacher came in and said,
“All right, everyone, we’re going to have the entrance ceremony first, so go out to the field and line up.”
“Yes.”
“And is I Dohee here?”
I raised my hand and said,
“Yes, I’m I Dohee.”
“Ah, you, follow me.”
When I followed the teacher out to the field, she handed me a certificate case and said,
“Dohee, you’re the new student representative today.”
“Ah, the new student representative. Yes.”
Usually, the new student representative is whoever entered at the top, so I guess I got first place on the placement test.
“You only have to make a simple pledge as the new student representative, so when it’s your turn...”
The teacher explained how I should make the pledge.
.
.
.
“Next, we will have the entrance pledge from the new student representative.”
I went up onto the platform.
And to the side, I saw a camera filming this moment.
“Pledge.”
I raised my hand with my fingers straight and said,
“We, the 243 new students of Seoul Suan Middle School, solemnly pledge to abide by the school rules, study diligently, and become honest and wise people.”
The camera flash went off.
I’ll have to ask the teacher for this photo too and save it.
That way, I can brag later that I was the new student representative.
.
.
.
After the simple entrance ceremony ended, all the students returned to their classrooms.
When I sat back down in the seat I’d been in earlier, the girls surrounded me again and started chattering.
“Dohee, why were you the new student representative?”
“Usually, the person who did the best on the entrance exam is the new student representative, I think?”
“Oh, really?”
“Dohee was always really good at studying too. In elementary school, she got perfect scores on everything.”
“Wasn’t that just a rumor?”
“I think it was true. Right, Dohee?”
“Haha, I was just lucky...”
‘Please, I wish the three of them would just talk among themselves. I’m so tired I could die.’
Fortunately, not long after, our homeroom teacher came in, and the kids quieted down.
The teacher wrote her name on the blackboard and said,
“Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Cha Minjeong.”
“We’ll be having an orientation on how your middle school life will work from now on, but before that, you’re all sitting wherever you wanted to sit right now, right? Let’s sit in number order.”
The kids in class groaned as they got up and moved to their assigned seats in number order.
Phew, thank goodness.
It was a shame to leave the window seat, but it was a hundred times better than being surrounded by kids and having my ears hurt.
When I went to the seat with my number on it, a girl I’d never seen before became my desk mate.
I sat down and said to the girl beside me,
“Hi. Let’s get along.”
The girl looked at me and answered with a nervous face.
“Uh... hi!”
She’s cute.
After greeting her, I propped my chin on my hand and listened to the teacher’s explanation, and second period ended before I knew it.
When break time came, all the kids in class were busy getting to know their desk mates.
But I took out my phone and looked at sports news.
Oh, Arsenal won yesterday.
Come to think of it, it’s been ages since I watched overseas soccer because I’ve been too tired.
As I was looking at my phone, I could see out of the corner of my eye that the girl beside me was opening and closing her mouth, wondering whether or not to talk to me.
Ah, fine, I’ll let it slide because you’re cute.
I turned my head, looked at her, and said,
“I didn’t tell you my name, did I? I’m I Dohee. You are?”
“Ah..! I’m... Yu Sohui.”
She’s cute enough to have only ever been adored, so why is her personality so timid?
“Really? That’s a pretty name. What school did you come from?”
“Ah, I moved here from Incheon this time...”
“Oh, really?”
Then she doesn’t know anyone.
If I become friends with her, I can use her as an excuse for the two of us to quietly go around together.
But there’s something so timid and cute about her that she’s like a newborn puppy, so I want to tease her.
“Then do you know Daesik from Bupyeong, Incheon?”
“Huh...?”
“Wow, you lived in Incheon and you don’t know Daesik? He’s the number one guy in Bupyeong.”
“Ah... sorry...”
Maybe she got scared, because she couldn’t properly meet my eyes.
Ah, why is she so cute?
“Ha, I’m joking, joking. There’s no such person. I was just messing with you to help you relax, but I’m sorry if I startled you.”
“Ah... no! Hehe...”
She’s damn cute.
I want to bite her.
Maybe Sohui had gathered her courage too, because she opened her eyes wide and said one thing.
“Um... when I first saw you, Dohee, I was surprised because you were so pretty!”
“Oh, really? That’s the first time anyone’s told me I’m pretty.”
Sohui’s already round eyes grew even bigger, and she said as if shocked,
“Huh...? Really?”
“Yeah, really, it’s the first time.”
“But you’re really pretty...”
“What part of me is pretty, and how?”
Sohui looked over my face this way and that, flustered, and answered,
“Ah... your eyes are really big... and your eyelashes are long, and your nose is pretty... and your mouth is pretty...”
“And?”
“Your face is small too... um...”
Ah, I want to keep teasing her.
But she might actually get scared, so I can’t do any more.
“I’m kidding, haha. Sohui, you’re really cute too.”
“Ah... thank you.”
“You’re seriously so cute.”
“Hehe...”
“Want to be close with me from now on?”
“Yeah...”
I’m sorry, Doa.
I think I got a new little sister today.
Of course, the number one spot in my heart belongs to our Doa...
As we talked and exchanged numbers, the school bell rang.
Third period was math.
The math teacher came in.
After introducing his name, the math teacher started the orientation, as expected on the first day.
He said math class would be held by level, combining Class 1 and Class 2 and then dividing us into an upper group and lower group for classroom-switching lessons.
Come to think of it, in my past life too, I think math and English were held as moving classes.
When third period ended, the teacher posted the class division list on the bulletin board before leaving.
Let’s see what class Sohui is in.
I went to the front and looked at the list.
First of all, I’d be in the upper group.
Sohui is... in the upper group too.
Looking over the upper group list, I saw more familiar names.
Class 2, Baekhwi. Class 2, Jeong Sujin.
I guess Baekhwi is in Class 2 too.
He was pretty fun to tease when we were little.
.
.
.
It became lunchtime.
Even though I’d gotten a little close to Sohui, she couldn’t bring herself to ask to eat together and was hesitating.
What am I supposed to do with her when she’s this cute?
“Sohui, shall we go eat?”
“Dohee, aren’t you supposed to eat with your friends...?”
Sohui, who was thinking of my situation first, was so commendable.
“I don’t have friends.”
“Really...? You were talking so much with the kids in class this morning...”
“They’re just kids I know. My only friend is Sohui, you know?”
Sohui’s face brightened instantly.
The moment Sohui was about to continue speaking, Sujin came to our class and said to me with a pitiful expression,
“I couldn’t make any friends... Dohee, let’s eat lunch.”
Ah.
When I turned my head to look at Sohui, Sohui, whose face had been bright, now looked like she was about to cry.
What am I, the protagonist of a yuri love triangle?
.
.
.
So I just made the two of them friends.
During monthly evaluation season, I’ll be leaving early before lunchtime like it’s nothing, so what if both of them skip lunch because they have no friends?