Scene: First Day of Enrollment
The floor tiles were dull white, the kind found in every government school.
The secretary's keyboard clacked without rhythm, her coffee half-drunk and cold.
The overhead fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, as though even they resented Mondays.
Mu Yichen stood quietly in the small admin office, clutching a manila folder in his hands.
He wore a standard school uniform—nothing altered. White shirt, navy pants, black shoes slightly too big.
"Name?" the secretary asked without looking up.
"Mu Yichen."
"Transfer from?"
"Shanghai No. 2 Secondary."
"Any allergies?"
"…None."
"Special conditions?"
"No." (A lie. But a necessary one.)
She typed a little more, then sighed and reached for a small envelope.
"Here. This is your locker key, student ID, and schedule. Your homeroom is 2-B, second floor. Show this to your teacher. Don't be late. Dismissed."
She slid the envelope across the desk without looking up again.
He took it silently.
Bowed.
Left.
The hallway smelled faintly of floor polish and old chalk.
Students brushed past him in clusters, chatting, laughing, barely sparing him a glance.
For the first time in his life, he was invisible.
And it felt… perfect.
At the door of Class 2-B, he paused.
A few students peeked at him through the window. No one recognized him. One boy whispered something and laughed. A girl yawned.
He straightened his collar, exhaled slowly, and knocked twice.
The teacher—a lovely -looking woman with rimless glasses—opened the door halfway.
"Mu Yichen?"
He nodded.
She turned back to the class.
"We have a transfer student today. Don't ask questions. He's not fluent in Korean, so don't overwhelm him. Mu Yichen, come in."
He stepped inside.
All eyes turned to him.
Someone giggled. Another student muttered, "Another one?"
But he said nothing.
He only bowed, then spoke in practiced, lightly accented Korean:
"Hello. I'm Mu Yichen. I transferred from China. Please take care of me."
The teacher gestured.
"Sit at the back. Next to Han Seri."
And just like that,
the most extraordinary boy in the world
took his seat
as the most ordinary student in the room.
No applause.
No headlines.
No one cared.
And that, to him,
was beautiful.