Chapter 1 The First Meet
The college clock struck 9.
Students were lazily sitting in class, some half asleep, some whispering, some pretending to read.
The sound of the sliding door broke the noise.
_Thrrk._
The class teacher stepped in, register in hand. And behind her — a girl.
The whole class looked up.
She was beautiful in a soft, quiet way. Long straight hair tucked behind one ear, white shirt slightly oversized, bag held tightly with both hands. Her eyes were down. Innocent.
"Settle down, everyone," the teacher said, adjusting her glasses. "We have a new student joining us from today."
She gently placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"This is Jiho. She just transferred here. She is very bright, so I expect all of you to be kind, helpful, and make her comfortable. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," the class said together, but eyes were still fixed on Jiho.
Jiho gave a small bow. Her voice was soft.
"Hi... I'm Jiho. Please take care of me."
A few boys smiled. A few girls whispered.
The teacher scanned the room.
"Okay dear... go sit with Ari."
In the second row, a girl with short hair and bright eyes almost jumped up.
"Here! Here, Jiho! Come!"
That was Ari.
Ari happily pushed her bag aside and patted the empty chair next to her. Her smile was genuine.
"Don't worry, I'm Ari. You can sit with me. I save notes for everyone."
Jiho smiled for the first time. A real, relieved smile.
"Thank you," she whispered and walked towards her. She sat down, placing her bag under the desk.
Ari leaned in instantly.
"You're so pretty. And your name is pretty too. Where did you transfer from? You must be nervous, right? First day is always weird."
Jiho laughed a little, relaxing.
"A little. Everything is new..."
"You'll be fine. I'll show you everything. Canteen, library, which teacher gives homework and which one just pretends to."
Jiho nodded. "That would be really helpful."
Behind them, in the last bench — the air was different.
Three girls and two boys were staring straight at Jiho.
Not with curiosity. With interest of a different kind.
One of the girls, with red lipstick and folded sleeves, smirked.
"Look at her," she whispered. "So soft. So innocent."
The boy next to her chuckled, low.
"Fresh piece. Perfect."
Another girl twirled her pen.
"New girl, no friends, looks like she'll cry if you shout. I love this type."
"Should we welcome her our way?" the red-lipstick girl said, and they all shared a slow, evil smile.
The third girl spoke, eyes on Jiho's back.
"After lunch. Let's see how long that smile lasts."
Jiho had no idea. She was busy looking at Ari's notes, unaware that five pairs of eyes behind her had already marked her.
Ari, meanwhile, felt it. She glanced back once, frowned.
She leaned to Jiho and whispered, "Hey, ignore the back benchers, okay? Just stick with me."
Jiho looked at her, confused.
"Why? Who are they?"
Ari's smile faded just a little.
"The ones who think bullying new students is fun."
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