Chapter 03
The morning of the transfer day.
Yeoreum stopped her older sister, who had come to take her to school, and headed to school on her own. Her steps toward the main gate seemed to show that she had grown quite familiar with the neighborhood.
Humming happily with excitement, Yeoreum only realized she was self-conscious about not wearing her new Huyeong High School uniform when she reached the main gate.
“They probably won’t notice that it’s a middle school uniform, right?”
Trying to appear unbothered, Yeoreum quickened her pace as she felt the gazes on her and entered the school. She spotted the teacher’s office and immediately went inside.
By chance, a passing teacher asked, “Transfer student? First year?” which helped her find her homeroom teacher without getting lost.
While exchanging a brief conversation with her teacher, Yeoreum’s eyes met those of a few boys who approached. Even while talking to the teacher, the boys occasionally glanced at Yeoreum with curiosity. Once they left, they ran up the stairs, chatting about the new transfer student—but Yeoreum couldn’t hear them.
Her gaze went to the attendance sheet the teacher was holding.
“Class 2. So I’m in Class 2.”
After confirming her class, Yeoreum’s face lit up with a mix of nervousness and excitement. She liked the teacher, who had a stoic expression and tone, but whose blunt remarks were surprisingly funny and carried a sense of charisma.
Filled with anticipation, Yeoreum followed the teacher toward Class 2.
“Only three classes?”
Curious, Yeoreum looked around at the school’s unusual layout. Then the teacher, seemingly understanding her curiosity without even looking, said:
“Unique structure, right? Up to here is the humanities section. Class 4 is on the lower floor with the vocational section.”
Yeoreum nodded faintly, absorbing the information, and looked around again. Across from Class 2 was the broadcasting club.
“Oh, the broadcasting club!”
Yeoreum’s eyes lit up as she glanced at it, then she turned to see the classrooms for the second-year students.
“The layout is really unusual.”
Soon, Yeoreum stopped in front of Class 2. The classroom door was closed, but the students’ chatter was audible even from outside. Nervous, she swallowed dryly.
As she tried to enter through the front door, the teacher gestured for her to stop.
Yeoreum looked puzzled, and the teacher adjusted their glasses without a word.
“Surprise. Go in when I call you.”
“Eh? Ah… okay.”
Yeoreum smiled, amused at the expressionless way the teacher said it. The teacher entered the classroom as if Yeoreum didn’t exist and closed the door.
Left alone in the empty hallway, Yeoreum fiddled with her middle school uniform.
“I should go to the uniform shop first.”
She mentally reviewed the directions the teacher had given her to the uniform shop. Her gaze fell on the partially obscured broadcasting club sign across the hallway. Even if she got lost in the unusual layout, she thought, she could find her class if she remembered the broadcasting club. She made sure to engrave it in her memory.
Inside the classroom, students murmured quietly. One student, unable to contain curiosity, raised his hand and said:
“Teacher! What about the transfer student? Aren’t you going to introduce them?”
“Oh, right. Transfer student. How did you guys know?”
“They saw her in the teacher’s office earlier!”
The students exclaimed playfully, “Oh, what the—teacher!”
Soon, they stared intently at the door, waiting for the transfer student to enter.
“All right, come in.”
“Teacher, the door is closed—won’t we be able to hear?”
“Oh.”
As one student pointed this out, the teacher moved to the door. Small chuckles came from different corners of the room, but as Yeoreum stepped inside, the students instantly quieted down.
Feeling a bit embarrassed under all the stares, Yeoreum opened her lips slightly in an awkward smile.
Following the teacher’s signal, she stepped forward.
“Hi. I’m Han Yeoreum. Nice to meet you. Let’s get along from now on.”
Remembering her mother’s advice to always greet people brightly and smile, Yeoreum offered a wide, cheerful smile.
A spring breeze blew in through the open window, lifting her long black hair. Still smiling, she brushed it softly behind her ears.
“Uh…”
At that moment, a small voice from a boy almost at the back of the classroom caught Yeoreum’s attention. The sunlight hit his light brown hair and dark eyes, making them particularly bright.
Perhaps startled by her gaze or by the fluttering curtains, he locked eyes with her. Yeoreum didn’t know how to react when the teacher continued speaking, and her attention naturally shifted back.
“As you can see, we don’t have fixed pairs. Boys sit in one row, girls in another. You can sit in the back near that boy. He’ll show you your seat tomorrow. Every Monday, everyone moves one row back, and every month, one column sideways. If you can’t see the board, adjust your seat as needed. That’s all.”
Once the teacher said she could leave, the students questioned:
“Why does the transfer student go first? What about us?”
“You’ll go soon too. There’s barely any difference.”
“Bye!”
Hearing that they’d go soon, the students greeted Yeoreum. Feeling a little awkward about leaving first, she gave a small embarrassed smile and quickly left the classroom.
Despite the brief interaction, the students seemed bright, lively, and kind-hearted, and Yeoreum already liked her new class.
Uniform Shop
Yeoreum measured herself and looked over the uniforms she would soon wear.
The summer uniform was a white shirt and black skirt. The winter uniform included a white long-sleeved shirt, a navy vest, skirt, and jacket. If she removed the jacket from the winter uniform, it could serve as a spring/autumn uniform.
Both the spring/autumn and winter uniforms came with a zip-up tie, which Yeoreum found stylish.
Another perk was that girls could choose pants. Thinking ahead to colder days, she bought two pairs.
“First-year, right?”
“Yes.”
“Name?”
“Han Yeoreum.”
The owner explained that students wore yellow, green, or red name tags depending on their grade. Yeoreum nodded and watched curiously as her name was printed in black on a yellow tag.
On her way home, she felt happy thinking that tomorrow she’d be wearing the same uniform as the students she passed.
Suddenly, a voice called out, startling her slightly.
“Oh? That’s the one who went first!”
“Where? Oh, our class’s transfer student!”
Yeoreum turned her head toward the voice. Four girls rushed up to her.
“…Han Yeoreum, right?”
When Yeoreum nodded slightly, one girl proudly said, “See, I told you!” The others introduced themselves quickly.
“Oh, you got your uniform too? The shop owner was really nice, wasn’t she?”
“Yes, very friendly.”
While chatting briefly, a short girl with a bob cut suddenly exclaimed:
“By the way! The boys said you’re pretty.”
“…Me?”
“Yes, yes. They said a transfer student came, fair-skinned, long hair, and pretty. But who was it again…? Oh, it was the one who went to the teacher’s office.”
Yeoreum tried to recall, but she hadn’t paid close attention, so she didn’t remember clearly.
At that moment, a voice of some boys came from behind her. One voice, low and pleasant, caught her attention. She turned slowly to see who it was.
“Uh…?”
It was him—the boy from the very back of the classroom. She smiled slightly.
He looked at her with a somewhat flustered expression and said:
“Do you… not remember me?”
