The school bell rang, signaling the beginning of class, but the teachers were all standing in the headmaster's office, concluding a quick meeting he'd called them into earlier. As he finished his announcement, he dismissed the teachers to go back to their classes.
"Professor Park, could you stay here a moment?" Principal Lee's voice called out cordially as he walked to the double doors of his office and motioned for a young woman to follow him back in.
"What is it?" Professor Park asked gruffly, his mood already soured by the news they'd just received. He didn't like the events that had happened near their school lately, and having to constantly tell students to be more and more on guard was making him wonder if the school was as safe as he'd originally thought.
Lee motioned for the young woman to stand in front of his desk while he moved behind it to pull out some papers to hand to her. "Professor Park, this young woman is a new student here, starting today. She is from America originally, but has spent some time here, so she is learning the culture, but she's not perfectly situated yet." He pulled out some more papers and studied them, smiling to himself. "Her grades are excellent, and she comes well-recommended from her previous schools, so I'm sure she will be a welcome addition to ours."
Park stared at the girl who was quietly reading through the papers she'd been handed. She didn't look like a trouble maker, so he hoped she wouldn't turn out to be one. The last thing he needed was another Shinwoo.
Grumbling beneath his breath, Park acknowledged Principal Lee, then turned to instruct the girl to follow him. She nodded and smiled awkwardly before thanking Lee and hurriedly following the intimidating professor down the hall. As they walked, Park realized he'd need to introduce her, and had yet to hear her name.
"Hm. What's your name?" his grouchy voice asked over his shoulder.
"Hm? Oh, let's see… Young Hana-Yun. It's not my American name, but when I came here, the family who I stayed with helped me pick that as my new name. I hope that isn't a problem?" she giggled nervously. Park stifled a groan, but managed to reply that it wasn't an issue. They arrived at the classroom, and he entered first, indicating that she should stand to the side of his podium while he spoke to the class. He knew an announcement had been given over the P.A. system, but that it was up to him to explain it.
"Listen up! As you've heard, there was an incident in the neighborhood. Law enforcement has suggested that students be sent home early."
Han Shinwoo's hand shot up immediately. "Teacher, what happened?"
Park groaned to himself, but knew that it was likely better to tell them. "Someone was murdered." He admitted, his voice low. The students began murmuring amongst themselves, putting him on edge. "Police are still looking for the culprit. All we've been told is that it wasn't an ordinary murder. I know it's inconvenient for some of you, but please head straight home after school gets out. No tutoring sessions, after school activities, or co-curricular events." His voice was stern as he instructed them, knowing it was in their best interests.
"Yes sir" the class responded dully.
"We also have a new addition to the campus. Miss Young Hana-Yun has decided to transfer here. She is originally American, but has spent some time here. Still, please help her with our customs and such if she needs it. Young, you may say a few words about yourself if you like."
Hana blushed a bit, still nervous about having to try to introduce herself to a Korean class, especially after the announcement the professor had just made. She'd spent over a year here, attending a special school and living with a Korean family for the first 8 months to help her transition, but she still felt like a foreigner when it came to formal introductions. She cleared her throat, trying to appear calm and confident as she spoke. "Please call me Hana if you like. I grew up in America, but I've done my best to learn what I can about Korea so that I won't cause you any trouble, but please excuse me if I make some mistakes. I've heard great things about this school, and I look forward to my time here." She smiled softly, giving a quick little bow of the head.
"Hm. Shinwoo! Go grab a desk and chair from the old room. Put it next to Ikhan." Park called out, getting the redhead's attention. Shinwoo grumbled but left the room to find a seat for the new girl.
"Young, do you have any friends near here yet? You missed the P.A. announcement, but we are advising all students to have at least one companion when going home after school."
"Aah… no, I don't yet. Is there a cab system, perhaps? I can call one of those for today."
"There are a few, but you should call one well ahead of time, as they're all based across town. Notify your afternoon teacher if you need to."
"Ah, yes. Thank you professor." She acknowledged his advice, then moved to stand in the back of the room while waiting for Shinwoo to return. It didn't take long before he was back, and placed the desk and chair where the teacher had told him to. "Sorry you had to wait." He offered sheepishly, making her smile. "No worries. Sorry you had to go get these for me. I appreciate it though." She blushed a little at him, suddenly noticing he was kind of cute. "Hehe, no problem." He responded. He opened his eyes again, having closed them when he made his sheepish grin, and she was struck by the bright blue hues staring back at her. He turned and walked back to his seat, breaking her gaze. She sat in her chair, pulling a notebook out so she could take notes, despite not having her books yet. She'd studied far more advanced subjects than most schools this level would teach, so she was confident she'd be able to keep up until she could get the books.
"Han Shinwoo, Woo Ikhan, Seo Yuna, and Kadis…" professor park started, referring to his roll sheet before continuing, "Kadis Etrama D. Raizel… You four go to the principal's office." Park called out, just as Shinwoo had settled back into his chair.
"What is it?" the red-head blurted out.
"I didn't ask. Did you guys cause problems already?" Park countered.
"No sir!" Shinwoo denied irritably.
"Fine then." Park concluded, turning to start his lecture for the day.
Hana looked around curiously at the four who were standing up in response to the professor's announcement, noticing that Shinwoo was being accompanied by the quiet, dark-haired young man in the seat next to Shinwoo's, as well as a young brunette girl in front of herself, and a short boy with glasses between her and the dark-haired one. She was curious about it, but had no real reason to ask anyone, so instead she focused on what the professor was writing on the board.
The four kids came back later, once again piquing Hana's curiosity, but no one else seemed to care, so she tried to ignore it. The rest of the day went by fairly smoothly, though she had to share books with other students in a couple of classes, just to be sure she was taking the proper notes. She couldn't help noticing those four throughout the day as they'd hang out together, even sharing their meal at lunch. Despite spending so much time in Korea, she still hadn't had real ramen, as she was a bit wary of it. She'd packed a sandwich and some fruit for her meal, and chewed on them quietly as she doodled in her notebook. A few students had approached her outside of classes and introduced themselves, some asking questions about if she was really from America, etc, but none stuck around or invited her to hang out or anything, so she spent her lunch alone, but it didn't bother her.
Towards the end of the day, she remembered professor Park's advice and asked the last teacher if she could make a call about a half hour before the end of class, which he allowed once she explained the reason.
By the end of the day, she felt relieved that the first day had gone well, and hoped things would continue to go well for as long as possible. She waited out front for the cab to appear, catching Shinwoo and his friends out of the corner of her eye as they walked out the front gates. Shinwoo noticed her and asked about her situation, since he'd been out of the room when she'd explained her intention to get a cab. She re-explained to him and he apologized for her having to go through such troubles on her first day at their school and asked which direction she lived in. She lived down the street from Principal Lee's home by about a block, so Shinwoo offered to let her walk home with their group in the future.
"Aah… that would be nice, as long as it wouldn't be a problem for any of you. I'd hate to be a bother."
"No way! Not a problem at all. We all walk that direction anyway, and with all the safety measures going on lately, I'm sure the headmaster would appreciate it, too." He countered jovially. She found herself blushing again at the mirth in his eyes and nodded, agreeing that it would be best.
Shinwoo called the others over to talk with Hana while she waited for the cab, which she'd been informed would likely be late, given their usual routes were further away than she'd anticipated. The group offered to just walk with her today, but she said it would be rude to just ignore the effort the cab driver had put out to drive all the way there for her.
When it finally arrived, she bid farewell to the others, looking forward to possibly making friends with them. They waved goodbye and walked off together, chatting about whatever it was teens in this region cared about. She took her time in the cab as a chance to think about the people she'd met today, though she'd barely had time to consider half a dozen of them before the driver pulled up to her home. She paid him and thanked him for his effort.
"No problem, miss. I heard about the problems on this side of town, and I'm glad you called a cab, rather than walking alone. Will you be needing a ride every day? I can plan ahead better if you do." The older gentleman offered, and she couldn't help being touched by his kindness.
"No, thankfully that won't be necessary. The students I was talking with when you arrived offered to escort me home from now on. Thank you for the offer though." She smiled happily.
"Don't mention it. And if something changes, you just call up this number," he said, handing her a business card with his specific driver number on it, and his company's information, "just be sure to call at least an hour ahead if you can. We get awful busy downtown, and it can be hard to get over here quickly. I don't work every day, but we have a lot of good kids working at the garage, and any one of 'em would be glad to help keep you kids safe." He nodded, as if affirming his own statement. "You take care now, and don't lose that card."
She smiled and clutched the card happily, nodding to him. Looking at the card, she read his name. "Thank you Mr. Jung, I'll be sure to keep it safe." She promised, waving to him and heading indoors. She noticed he hadn't left yet, and decided to wave goodbye again as she entered her house. As soon as she closed the door, he drove off, and she couldn't help smiling again at his paternal behavior.