The smell of doenjang jjigae was faint. It was more like a watery cabbage than the rich, comforting stew it should be.
I was still laying in bed, staring at the peeling wallpaper, tracing the faded flowers with my eyes. This room, barely big enough for a bed and a desk, was my whole world. Every stain, every crack told a story of a life lived hardships. My life.
"Jimin-ah!" Mom's voice was too cheerful, too bright for this early morning. "Are you even awake? You're going to be late! And guess what?"
I groaned, pulling the thin blanket higher. "What, Mom?"
Mom popped her head in, trying to look excited, but I could see the worry lines around her eyes. "Someone left you a flower! A blue tulip! Aigoo, a secret admirer! Maybe he's rich and handsome and will finally take you away from this place." She laughed, but it sounded forced.
"Mom, seriously?" I said, rolling on the mattress. "Who was it?"
Mom shrugged, the smile fading. "Just some guy. Said it was for the prettiest girl in the neighborhood." She hesitated. "You don't look so good. Maybe you should stay home today, is your arm okay?"
"Mom, I'm fine. I have a test next week. I can't miss anymore lectures."
And I can't tell her about me failing English.
She pressed her lips together. "I'm thinking of going back to the province next week. Your aunt says he's getting weaker."
"So soon? You just got here." The thought of Mom leaving again was bad enough, but the thought of Dad... I pushed it away. I couldn't afford to think about it now. "Can't auntie Chen take care of him?"
Mom's eyes softened. "She's doing her best, but... you know how he is. He wants his wife." She sighed. "We'll figure it out. Just focus on school, arraseo?"
I slowly nodded.
"Just... be careful. If that Winter Kim bothers you, you tell me, don't try to hide it."
"I will, Mom. Go eat before your stew gets cold."
After Mom left, I finally dragged myself out of bed. I briefly cleaned myself then walked into the small kitchen, and there it was. A single blue tulip, standing in a cheap glass vase on the worn formica table. It looked almost artificial, too perfect to be real, especially next to the meager bowl of rice and kimchi Mom had set out for me.
A secret admirer? Right. More like a bad omen.
I picked it up, the petals were papery and cold. Today was going to be a disaster. I could feel it in my bones.
I forced myself to eat a few bites of rice, I was already running late. I needed to call auntie later, but the thought made my chest tight.
"I'm leaving, Mom!" I called out, grabbing my backpack.
"Wait!" Mom rushed out of her room. "Here, take this." She pressed a small, worn norigae into my hand. "It's for good luck. Your grandmother gave it to me."
I hesitated, knowing how much that norigae meant to her. "Mom, I can't. This is special —"
"Keep it, you need it more than I do. Just... be careful, Jimin-ah. Please."
I clutched the norigae in my hand, its familiar weight becoming a small comfort. "I will, Mom. I promise."
I stepped out of the apartment building and onto the crowded street trying to ignore the feeling of dread that settled over me. Today was going to be a long day. And I had a feeling it was only going to get worse.
~•~
The norigae felt heavy in my pocket as I walked through the gates of Jasa-go High. The name alone dripped with prestige, a world of polished shoes and even more polished futures. And me? I was just trying to keep my head above water, a scholarship kid in a sea of chaebol heirs.
I headed straight for my locker, trying to blend in, but it was impossible. The hallways were a parade of designer uniforms, and faces that radiated wealth. It was always the same. I was an outsider, a glitch in their perfect system.
"Jimin-ah!"
Yeji and Hyunjin appeared, their faces familiar in the sea of strangers. "Hey, you okay?" Yeji asked, her eyes scanning my face down to my casted arm. "You look like you haven't slept."
"Rough morning." I mumbled, fumbling with the lock.
Hyunjin leaned in, whispering like his words were illegal. "Have you seen Winter Kim today? I haven't see her up close since the accident but I saw her earlier. She looked intense."
My stomach tightened. Winter. One of the chaebol, the untouchable, the girl who made it her personal mission to make my life suffer even more.
What was she up to now? Since yesterday I haven't been summon to her side like a lap dog. She didn't even post or tweet me on her social media to embarrass me. It was peaceful, yet eerily suspicious.
"She's probably just bored."
Yeji chewed on her lip. "I don't know, Jimin. She seems... different. Distracted, almost. But in a scary way."
As if on cue, their group sauntered past, Giselle and Felix's laughter echoing through the hallway. Winter was in the middle, but her eyes were distant. She didn't even spare me a glance.
Yeji shivered. "Her eyes... they're so blue today. Almost like they're real."
Hyunjin nodded with a blank face. "I overheard her talking to Felix earlier. Her American accent... it's not an act. Maybe it's always been there, just hidden."
"And her clothes... did you notice? No more of those flashy, revealing outfits. Today she's wearing a simple navy hoodie, paired with black oversized jeans. It's almost..." Yeji trails, their eyes glued to the three who just walked past them.
"Normal..too normal. Come on," Hyunjin said, gently guiding me away from the lockers. "Let's get you to class."
~•~
I was alone. Yeji and Hyunjin had already left for their own classes.
The classroom was eerily quiet as I slipped inside. Usually, entering this room was like walking into a war zone. Whispers, glares, the occasional thrown crumpled paper on me - it was all part of the daily routine. But today... it was different. Peaceful. Almost normal.
I blinked, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Students were chatting quietly, some were already studying, and there wasn't a single sign of hostility. It was like I'd stepped into an alternate reality.
I scanned the room, my eyes searching for my usual seat. The one beside Winter, where I was forced to endure her constant taunts and the occasional shove. But it was gone.
"What the... hell?" I muttered under my breath.
My gaze drifted towards the front of the room, Winter Kim. Sitting at our usual desk, the one I shared with her. Alone. No Giselle, no Felix, no entourage. On her side was a new desk, clean and polished, with my name neatly printed on a small placard.
My eyes and mouth hung open.
She was sitting, so immersed with just her and... a textbook. I squinted. Was that...?
How to Learn Korean Effectively.
"Is this some kind of a joke?" I whispered, my brain short-circuiting.
The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the scratching of pens and the occasional cough.
Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. Winter just sat there, studying, her face blank.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to walk towards my new desk. The weight of everyone's gaze pressed down on me, making me feel goosebumps all over my body.
I peek on Winter, she didn't even acknowledge my presence, her eyes glued to the textbook.
It was like I was invisible.
The morning crawled by, lectures after lectures. I tried to focus on what the teachers were saying, but my mind kept wandering back to the person beside me.
She didn't participate in class — means she didn't made fun of our teachers or our classmate. She didn't talk to anyone, didn't even glance in my direction. She simply sat there, studying her Korean textbook.
What was she up to? Was this all some kind of a prank?
The teachers seemed oblivious to the strange tension in the room. The other students, however, were definitely aware. I could feel their eyes on me, watching, waiting for something to happen.
I glanced on the wall clock. It was almost lunch time.
As the bell echoed through the halls, I braced myself for the unavoidable confrontation. But it never came. The other students simply packed up their things and filed out of the room, carefully avoiding my gaze.
I didn't even move a muscle. I stayed there, seated on my chair, while watching the whole unreal scenario of my entire high school life.
Winter closed her textbook with a soft thud, her movements precise and deliberate. For a split a second, our eyes met. Her gaze was - blue, I mean... softer? Then, without a word, she stood up and walked out of the classroom, leaving me alone in the silence.
I finally found the strength to stand, my legs feeling like jelly. As I stumbled towards the door, I saw my friends. They were standing just outside, waiting.
And then, the impossible happened. Winter walked right past them, and she... smiled. A small, polite, almost normal smile. She even gave them a little nod. It was so out of character, so surreal, that I almost laugh. Or scream. I wasn't sure which.
The twins were speechless, their mouths gaping like fish. They just stood there, frozen in time, as Winter disappeared into the chaos of the hallway with Felix and Giselle.
The two exchanged a knowing look.
"What. the. hell. was that?" Yeji finally managed to choke out.
"That wasn't Winter..." Hyunjin exhaled. "That just wasn't her."
Their eyes bored into me.
"We need to talk. Right. Now."
~•~
I didn't hesitate. I grabbed Yeji's arm, pulling them through the crowded hallways, dodging elbows and backpacks, until we found a relatively secluded alcove near the back of the cafeteria. It wasn't exactly private, but it was better than nothing.
"Okay, seriously, what is going on?" Yeji demanded. "Why was Winter acting like she was auditioning for a Disney movie?"
I took a shaky breath, trying to piece together the morning's events. "It started when I walked into class, my usual seat was gone. Vanished. And in its place..."
"In its place, what?" Hyunjin pressed.
"They gave me a new desk, right next to her. Right next to Winter. And she was just... sitting there. Studying. Like nothing was wrong."
Yeji and Hyunjin exchanged a look of disbelief. "Studying?" Yeji repeated. "Winter Kim? Studying? What was she studying, how to conquer the world with perfectly polished nails?"
"Ani..." I said, shaking my head slowly. "She was studying... Korean."
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Okay...something is definitely not right" Hyun said.
"Not right?" Yeji scoffed. "This is beyond not right. This is like... a parallel universe kind of wrong. But shouldn't we be happy about this?"
Hyunjin and I stared at her, our mouths agape. "I am, Yeji, but with all these weird things? Winter Kim is acting like a total hypocrite, and you think we should be happy about it?"
"Well, yeah..." Yeji said, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, think about it. No more taunts, no more glares, no more spitballs. You can finally have some peace and quiet. Maybe even focus on your studies for once."
"But at what cost?" Hyunjin countered, his brow furrowed. "Don't you think it's a little suspicious? Winter doesn't just change overnight. Something's going on, and we need to figure out what it is."
"Maybe she realized that being a bully isn't cool anymore. Maybe she's finally decided to turn over a new leaf." Yeji said, rolling her eyes
"Or maybe...she's planning something even worse. Something that we can't even imagine." I shivered on what I just said.
Yeji's face fell. "Okay, fine," she said, sighing. "I get it. It's weird. But what do you want to do about it? We can't exactly march up to her and demand answers. She'd just laugh in our faces."
Hyunjin was silent for a moment, his eyes scanning the crowded cafeteria. Then, he turned to me. "Jimin, you're the closest to her. You're the one who's sitting next to her in class I mean. You need to find out what's going on."
My heart lurched. "Mwo? Me? Are you kidding? I can't! She hates me! She'll never talk to me!"
"Maybe not," Hyunjin said, a sly smile spreading across his face. "But maybe... she'll pretend to. Who knows?"