Silence

Jiwon wasn't usually quiet - oh, no, he was far from that - yet on this certain day he seemed to be the quietest person in the room. He keeps his head down as he enters the area, eyes concentrating on his phone as he pretends to scroll through his playlists as he hopes that he didn't seem awkward or out of place. When he finally reaches his seat, Jiwon praises himself quietly for achieving such a laborious job and settles down, getting his books out like a good student would. If anyone he knew ever saw him, they'd probably laugh their butts off seeing him so timid but there was no face he recognized.

He quietly observes the people; the girl in the back with the loud laugh and sarcastic remarks was someone he wasn't too keen on being friends with, the guy in front of him seemed to be indulged in his book to even care about his presence, the girl whose claimed a place on top of the teacher's desk as she smugly grinned seemed too flirty for innocent Jiwon, and the rest of the class were just a little noisy and hyper group. It wasn't that he was irritated by it, no, in fact, he enjoyed the lively atmosphere, it was just that he couldn't receive a certain vibe that matched his. Maybe his future friends in this school just weren't in this class. Or grade. Either way, Jiwon tries to think positively of this new situation.

Minutes of writing down a bunch of useless words that made no sense at all (which Jiwon knows won't help him in the upcoming Chemistry class) passed by and it was finally the first class of the first day of his first year in this new school. The students immediately fixed themselves up, some getting off their tables, some immediately turned serious, but all returned to their respective seats, changing their whole personalities into that of a perfect student's. "Either the class is professional or the teacher's scary," Jiwon thought to himself. The teacher entered the class. A trail of students followed her behind as well. Jiwon judged the teacher by her facial expressions, she didn't seem too scary.

"Good morning," the teacher greeted, in English. The whole class replied with Jiwon not bothering since he still didn't know how the Korean schools in America run. "Does everyone have their books with them?"

No one answered. The teacher, taking this as a 'yes', then proceeded to speak in their mother tongue. "Alright then, let's get started. Turn your pages over to the second page. I'm sure all of you don't need to know the basics of handling the instruments in the lab, am I right?"

Jiwon just nodded, quickly looking back down at his books. It was in English and he was a bit grateful for that. Korean was never a problem for him - he just preferred learning through English. He was much more used to it.

"Ah, yes, Yena, could you read the first page?" the teacher commanded. Whoever the girl was, she started reading with a light yet clear voice. Though the class was quite big, her voice seemed to have reached all corners of the room. She somehow gave off a powerful aura just by reading. He had no idea who the girl was but he was curious.

Jiwon never knew one could be quite fond of a person's voice. 

---

On the first break, he was called in to the Principal's Office. Jiwon was practically panicking as he waited outside, overhearing the argument between the Principal and a persistent unruly kid. It was his first day, why on earth would he be in trouble? But then again, they never said anything about him being in trouble. They only told him that he had to meet the Principal on the first break. So he taps his foot anxiously as he leaned back on the wall, waiting for his turn. 

If it weren't for her pen falling, Jiwon would have never noticed the petite girl beside him. He snaps his attention towards her.  Feeling the obvious attention, she looks up after picking the fallen object, a flat line of her lips and bored eyes greeted him. Jiwon wasn't going to lie and say he wasn't a bit intimidated. "Uh, hi, I'm Jiwon, the new kid from your class..."

"I know, I'm Yena," she replied, seeming to have gathered all her energy to give him a soft smile, sticking her hand out to offer him a handshake. It seemed a bit out of her personality. "Nice to meet you, Jiwon-ssi," she says, formally and politely.

"Yena," he thought. "Ah, the girl who read!" 

Jiwon was finally happy to know who it was.

"Nice to meet you too, Yena-ssi," he grinned, gripping her hand tightly and giving it a light shake. Her smile slowly faded and she returned her emotionless front again. And in just that moment, the doors to the office opened. A boy, younger than both Jiwon and Yena, walked out of the small room, glaring at anyone who was in his way - that included both the older kids.

"Call your father, Hyunwoo," a deep voice erupted from the room. Jiwon realized he was suddenly nervous again. 

Yena, however, walked into the office with no hesitance. She walked as if she owned the place. "You called for me, sir?"

The principal looks up from his papers after massaging his temples. As soon as he sees her, he smiles warmly. "Ah, Yena, yes, I did. Is Kim Jiwon outside?"

Jiwon reveals himself, peeking from behind the door. Contrary to the young boy's expectations, the Principal seemed so welcoming and amiable. Well, tough life of a Principal, huh? The man in the suit sittingbehind the dark brown wooden desk gave a slight nod, signaling for latter to come in, the younger male bowing as a reply. Yena gives him a short stare then switches her attention to the Principal. "Is there anything you need, sir?"

"Yes, I need you to introduce Jiwon to the school. Take him for a tour, enlighten him on the system, and all those things," the Principal ordered before letting out a sigh of relief. "I trust you know what to do anyways."

"No problem, sir," Yena replied, a courteous nod and smile followed, being her usual self around the staff of this school. She turned to the quiet boy behind her. "Let's go then, Jiwon-ssi?"

---

As he was taken to every floor, corner, and room, Jiwon realized he really did need a tour. The school was quite big and it was easy to get lost in it. Yena seemed to know the location and purpose of each room. Not only did she know that, she perfectly explained the school system with its exams and constant monitoring and rules. Then, she moved on to the teachers and gave him advice on what to do with their classes. Jiwon didn't realize she had a little red square badge on top of her nametag. He didn't know what the five stars meant but he was sure it had something to do with a ranking of something.

"So, I think, I've introduced you enough for today?" she said, giving him yet another courteous smile. Somehow it bothered Jiwon how her tired eyes didn't match her smile.

"Yeah, thank you," he smiled back, hoping to deliver his sincerity. "If I have any other questions, all I have to do is look for you?"

Yena nodded curtly, her smile slowly falling. She walked off ahead, leaving Jiwon alone in the hallways.

---

It was finally time to go home. He sure had one hell of a day. He was so unprepared for the quiz and it just bugged him. Had he known, he would have at least read through the book and passed - he was sure he had failed. Nonetheless, he was more excited to go home and avoid the awkwardness that he felt. Some girls have started talking him up, guys introduced themselves to him, and teachers seemed to adore him - yet all Jiwon wanted was to sleep. He noticed the petite girl two rows in front of him, not bothering to move an inch even after the bell rang. The rest of the students moved like lightning, packing up - or, to be more exact, throwing their stuff in the bag - and chatting about their plans for the rest of the day. Yena stayed in her seat, still writing on the piece of paper. She was still solving the damn question. Jiwon chuckled.

"Any plans for today, Jiwon?" 

Jiwon turns around to see who was talking, a bit taken aback that this girl was dropping formalities, as if they've known each other for a long time. "Er, maybe?"

She chuckles, nodding. The way she stared at him scared Jiwon. He had learned her name earlier but he was pretty sure that they weren't close enough to be talking this informally. Actually, they could, considering they were in the same grade, but Jiwon was still uncomfortable around them. It was only a day afte all. He waved his feelings off - maybe Jina was just a friendly person. "Well, in case you have nothing to do, you should hang with me and my friends."

The latter blinked, not sure how to answer. "Okay..."

Jina walked past by him, coolly walking to meet her friends outside in the hallway. He could hear their chatting and laughing aloud slowly decrease. That left Jiwon and Yena alone in the classroom.

He packed his bag quietly, his eyes constantly turning back towards the girl in front of him. After what seemed about a minute or two, she let out a frustrated sigh before shoving her pencils back in its case and slamming the book close. In just a flash, she was already out the door. Jiwon had the urge to run after her.

---

After such a long day, he had finally arrived home. He locked the door, turning on the lights and setting his shoes to the side. Jiwon wastes no time to get to the kitchen, taking a cup of ramyun and preparing it for himself. How he wished his mom were here. He missed his mother's meals. He missed his mother's voice. He missed his mother and his family. 

"It's alright, two more years and I get to see them," he mutters to himself as he waits for his noodles to cool down enough for him to eat.

The familiar three-note tone rang through his ears. Wondering who would even come to his house when he knew no one, Jiwon runs off to open the door.

The familiar height, hair, and uniform was such a contrast to her energetic smile. Yena was standing in front of him with three topperwares of what seemed like food and a happy smile on her face. She looked so much different from when she was at school.

"Hi, I heard you're-" her smile immediately dropped. She blinked once, twice, thrice before finally grasping what was happening. In front of her was Jiwon, the new kid. Who would have thought he'd be her new neighbour. "Y-you live here?"

Jiwon nodded wordlessly, looking down at the shorter one. Though he expected her to turn and leave, she gave him a friendly grin instead. "Here, my mom wanted you to have this," she grinned, handing him three sets of topperware which he assumed were food. "She's anxious that you wouldn't like Korean food but...you're Korean anyways. Nice meeting you, neighbour."

And with those simple words, she left, leaving him to wonder why this girl seemed to have several personalities.

---

The following morning Jiwon encountered her again. They were both silent as the elevator took them to the ground floor. Jiwon only looked at her from time to time, not wanting to creep her out. They both walked to school. He kept his distance from her, again, not wanting her to think he was obsessed with her. Jiwon wasn't a creep, he just had this slight interest in her. She seemed like quite a confusing person. Jiwon knew, from his experience with observing people, what a person could do, say, and whatever based on their first impressions. He could immediately catch up on their personalities but with her - he couldn't seem to put a finger on what her personality really was. He thought God was just testing him on his judgements - he should probably stop assuming things like a good Christian would.

Upon their arrival, Yena immediately scurried off to a different direction, her notebook and pen in hand. He was going to follow her but she moved fast. That was the last he saw of her before their first class started again.

---

Halfway through their English class, the Principal passed by their classroom. After his little scolding over last year's class average, he went on to call Yena out of the room. She left the class and returned a few minutes later, flat-faced as usual. The girl beside her asked her something and she shook her head, her eyes never leaving the book in front of her. Hearing a few snickers from the back, she turned to glare at them. That didn't stop them from talking though. Yena rolled her eyes. How immature, she thought.

When the bell rang, Yena was already by the door, blocking a few male students who were irritated by the fact that she wouldn't let them out. She showed no fear or response. "If anyone wants to take the optional Geometry exam to raise their averages up, feel free to go and contact the Principal. The list of people who failed Physics last week have already been posted outside. If your name is on the list then you have to stay in class afterschool."

With that, she let go of the door and pushed her way out of the group of students who wanted to leave the room. Instead of going back to her seat, she approached Jiwon.

"Jiwon-ssi," she greeted. "Do you think you could stay afterschool to help some students with their Physics lessons? You're quite good at Physics."

The latter blinked, wondering how she could know. Physics was one of his fortes. Then he thought the Principal must have asked her to ask him. With a polite smile, he nodded. "Sure, why not? I have nothing later on."

She returned the smile, grateful that he was cooperative unlike the rest of the unruly class. "Thank you so much, I'll be in there to monitor so handling this class won't be hard on you." 

Jiwon chuckled, feeling somehow comfortable around her. "Yena-ssi, I hope you don't mind, but do you think we could eat lunch together? I don't want to seem like a lonely loser," he blurted out. 

Her expression changed for a millisecond before she covered it up with a smile. She was indecisive for a minute before she answered. "Sure, why not? Take this as my payment for asking you to help."

Jiwon laughed. Even if she weren't to pay him, he'd still teach because it was on the Principal's orders. But he decided it would be better for her to think this way. "Let's go, then?"

---

She turned out to be a pretty cool person. He talked with her as if they've been friends for a long time. Jiwon enjoyed her company. He hoped they'd be friends soon. Yena was a laidback person, one who could reciprocate the same amount of interest and same amount of topics to talk about with him. Either they were similar or she was just an intelligent person who knew how to handle communications well.

Suddenly, Yena looked at her watch and frowned. "Ah, I'm not even done eating!"

Jiwon chuckled, taking a sip from his water bottle. "Why, what's wrong?"

Yena pouted, suddenly rearranging the bunch of papers laid out on the table and put them in between her notebook. Jiwon felt a bit sad. "I've got a meeting with the student council..."

Really, she hadn't had such a nice conversation in a long time and she had to leave. She was beginning to regret being involved with the school too much. But she shook the thoughts away. "No, having friends at this stage and in this school is a bad idea, keep yourself busy," she thought to herself. But she couldn't seem to be suspicious of the boy in front of her. He seemed so sincere. 

"Want me to come and wait for you?" Jiwon offers, not really wanting to part with such a person.

She shook her head, declining his request. It would be rude if she asked him to wait for her. "Nah, I'll see you afterschool, you've got a load of people to teach."

Jiwon gave her a slight nod, disappointed that he would be alone, and gave her a short wave before seeing her run out the cafeteria. 

 

"How'd you talk to her so quickly?" a guy suddenly seats himself in front of Jiwon. Jiwon nearly choked at his sudden appearance.

"Um, I don't know?" he replies, not sure how to answer his question. Honestly, what kind of question was that? Strange.

"Congrats on having the longest conversation with her," the guy in front of her chuckled, confusing the hell out of Jiwon.  "If you haven't noticed, she doesn't talk much to people."

"Ah, really?" Jiwon finally understands. "I just thought she was busy and all..."

The guy gave an acknowledging smile. "Well, yeah,  but that's not exactly the reason too," he smiled. "I'm Junhoe, by the way, and I have to go."

The latter nods. He didn't have a chance to introduce himself but he was pretty sure he was a good guy. Maybe they'd meet again later on.

---

The afterschool session started. Jiwon was busy checking everyone's answers, walking around them and scanning their answers one by one. Yena sat at the back of the class, busy doing some papers but kept an eye on most students, shushing one after the after, not minding the fact that she was receiving some irritated looks. He didn't understand why they didn't give him the exact same looks when he told them off. His eyes kept going back to check on the girl, seeing that as each minute passed by, she seemed more sad and sad. Her eyes flicked over to a girl in the second row for a small second before turning back to her papers, her eyes filled with what seemed like hurt. Jiwon followed her eyes, of course, and saw Jina sitting with her pencil barely moving on the piece of paper. She hasn't even answerd two questions. He wanted to bring his palm to his face. The only question she did answer was wrong too.

When the bell rang, Jiwon quickly went over to see Yena, worried about her expression before. "Hey, are you okay?"

Yena looked like she was on the verge of crying. It shocked him. "I'm fine, I'm just not feeling too well," she assured him before turning around to scurry off home before he could ask her anymore questions. She couldn't afford to look like this at school.

 

"She's such a bitch, what the hell?!" he overheard a girl chuckling/

"I know, right? As if she doesn't talk in class..." one agreed. It disgusted Jiwon.

"Of course she doesn't, she's friendless now," the other added.

Angry at the hateful comments, Jiwon turned to see who the culprit was. He raised an eyebrow before letting out a frustrated sigh. He packed his bag to avoid having to confront the girl. He hated those kinds of people. 

"Jiwon! Thanks to you I understood the concepts!" the same girl appeared in front of him, greeting him with such a sweet smile it almost made him puke. He tried hard not to roll his eyes. What a fake. "Maybe you wanna join us at the mall?"

Jiwon snickered before standing up. "No thanks, I have things to do," he declined politely, wasting no time in stepping out of the class. Yet it seemed that the girl in front of him didn't understand what he meant.

She grabbed him by the arm, pulling out the aegyo. "Aw, come on, it'll be fun! You're already smart enough, right?"

It wasn't any of Jiwon's business and certainly not his place to feel some sort of detest for this girl, but he really disliked her for some unknown reason. He broke free from her grasp, really annoyed at this point. "Yeah, well, if I hang out with people like you, my IQ would decrease at a quick rate and I don't want that."

It took a while for Jina to understand what he meant before she gave him a scoff, crossing her arms. "I'm only trying to welcome you and make you feel part of the school, aren't you rude?"

"Aren't you rude for calling Yena a bitch?" he chuckled, really getting tired of this girl and it was only day two.

Jina's expression changed, her eyes flared with anger. "You don't know Yena the way we do, she's a venoumous bitch - ask anyone."

Maybe he didn't know. Maybe he had no right to judge. But he believed Yena more than he believed the others.

"Maybe she is, maybe not, I don't really care. What bothers is me is you can't even say it to her face," he retorted with a teasing grin.

Before she could answer some stupid comeback, he already left the class .He was curious as to how Yena was.

He walked home, listening to music as he did so. What was it about Yena that sparked so much interest in him? And what is with the people here being so judgmental? Maybe they misunderstood her expressions, or the fact that she told them off. As far as he knew, it was her job, right?

Jiwon needed more time to think before actually getting to his house, so he takes the stairs to calm himself down. Not even a week yet and he's already pissed someone off - great. As he walked up the stairs, he could hear small sobs. For a second he thought the staircase was haunted and he nearly ran out to the nearest exit but curiousity got the best of him. He continues to walk, thinking maybe it was just his imagination. But what he saw nearly broke his heart. 

Yena was on one of the steps, bawling her eyes out.

---

[Author's Note;
Ta-da! First chapter finished! :D
Actually it's been in the drafts for months now... 3 Sorry guys.
Obviously it's going to be a bit boring but please do anticipate the future chapters. Thank you for reading~ Comments are highly appreciated. :D

I will definitely be updating soon since my finals will be ending in two days and I already have half the second chapter in my drafts.

Published Date; 23/03/2015]