The sharp white light of the bathroom reflected off the mirror, illuminating the entire room. Nau Rin sat upright on the chair in front of it, a white towel draped gently over her shoulders.
Her mother stood behind her, separating the fine strands of her hair with her fingers and carefully aligning the blades of the scissors. The crisp snip, snip echoed clearly in the bathroom as the cut strands slipped over the towel and fell softly to the floor. In the mirror their reflections appeared side by side—the girl's expression calm and composed, while her mother's gaze was intensely focused. She moved the scissors slowly and evenly, occasionally pulling a section of hair straight between her fingertips to check that it was level.
Before long, her mother finished cutting her hair. When Nau Rin looked into the mirror, her once-long hair had been shortened to just below her chin.
She stepped out of the bathroom and took a small bottle of milk from the kitchen refrigerator, drinking it while standing there. As she did, her mother passed by on the way to prepare lunch. In the brief moment they crossed paths, Nau Rin noticed that she had already grown to be about the same height as her mother. Her face had not changed much from when she was younger, yet she had already grown up.
Her wide gray cotton pants and white T-shirt made her pale skin appear even softer and brighter. When she entered her room, soft white snow was falling outside the window. She opened the window just enough to slip her hand through and held out her palm. The snowflakes drifting down from the sky melted the moment they touched her hand, turning into tiny droplets of water. Only when the room began to grow chilly did she close the window.
She then took out her new school uniform from the wardrobe and carefully ironed it. Not wanting even the slightest wrinkle to form, she cleared a special space in the closet and hung it neatly, as she always did.
The gray light of morning slipped through the gap in the curtains, and when the alarm rang insistently, Nau Rin hurriedly got up. During the spring break she had grown used to waking at eight, so now she rushed so that she wouldn't be late.
After putting on her uniform completely, she looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She wore a deep green jacket over a gray vest and white shirt, a black tie neatly in place, and a black skirt falling above her knees, the colors blending together to give her a modest yet impeccably polished appearance.
She picked up her red-striped scarf, slipped on her shoes, and stepped outside, leaving her parents behind as they wished her well. As Nau Rin walked through the gate of the yard, she ran straight into the other three. Though they stood there yawning, all of them wore neat uniforms and freshly trimmed hair.
Yet none of them greeted one another. They only looked at her with expressions that seemed to say, Oh, it's you.
When they got on the bus, the others settled into the very back seats. Minho leaned against the window and soon began to doze off. Nau Rin chose a window seat a little farther toward the front, and a young woman—who looked as if she had only recently started working—sat down beside her. After three stops, the bus halted. Nau Rin stepped off first, followed by Taehyun and Seohun, and finally Minho climbed down last, still looking half asleep.
As they walked side by side toward the school, Minho came up beside her, their shoulders nearly aligned, the two of them almost the same height. Seohun, however, was about five centimeters taller than her, while Taehyun was only a few centimeters taller—just barely able to look down at her.
When they reached the school entrance, the name "Sang-Woo High School" was written in large letters on the stone wall beside the gate.
Students passed by in every direction. The girls wore jackets over their uniforms, with knee-high socks directly against bare legs below their skirts and thin-soled sneakers on their feet. No one else seemed to be wearing tights except her.
The boys, on the other hand, all had their hair neatly trimmed.
When the opening ceremony for the new school year began, the students stood mixed together in the gymnasium. Nau Rin went with the other three and stood at the very back of the hall. Soon a teacher stepped onto the podium and announced the name of the student who would take the oath on behalf of all the students.
Nau Rin had been standing quietly in the corner when suddenly her name was called.
She did not move from her spot. When her name was called again, Taehyun lightly nudged her with his elbow and gestured, saying, "Go."
As she made her way through the crowd of students toward the podium, loud applause filled the gym. It was a tradition for the student with the highest entrance exam score to take the oath. Yet the moment Nau Rin stepped onto the stage, the hall that had just been filled with applause fell completely silent. She knew that kind of silence well—the silence when everyone's eyes turned toward her.
She swore, on behalf of all the students, to faithfully follow the school rules and study diligently. Then she walked calmly back to her place. Thousands of eyes followed her every step, but she paid them no mind and simply returned to stand where she had been.
When the principal finished his speech, the ceremony came to an end. Students immediately gathered in front of the wall where the class assignments were posted. Minho pushed his way through the crowd until he reached the very front, searching for his name, while Taehyun and Seohun had already checked theirs and were standing a short distance away. Nau Rin, too, stood quietly beside them.
Before long, Minho emerged from the crowd, wiping sweat from his forehead. Leaning one hand against the wall as he caught his breath, he said,
"I ended up in Class 1–3. What about you guys?"
Taehyun shrugged slightly.
"Seohun and I are in Class 1–2."
Minho glanced at Nau Rin and added,
"You're in Class 1–1."
Nau Rin replied with a faint note of reluctance in her voice,
"So I'm the only one in a different class?"
Minho shrugged again.
"I'm in a different class too, aren't I?"
Nau Rin looked at him and said casually,
"So what?"
Minho opened his mouth in protest.
"This little—"
Just then the class bell rang loudly, reminding everyone that it was time to head to their classrooms. Seohun, who had been leaning against the wall while fiddling with his phone, said briefly,
"I'm going."
Then he turned and walked away.
Taehyun followed right after him.
"Same here."
When only Minho and Nau Rin remained, Minho said,
"I'm heading off, you idiot!"
With that, he walked away first, leaving Nau Rin behind.
Walking through the same countless eyes that stared straight at her, Nau Rin finally arrived at her classroom. Almost at the same moment, the teacher entered as well. He looked to be in his mid-forties, with a slender but firm frame that gave him a professional air. Fortunately, some students had not yet arrived, so many seats were still empty. Nau Rin chose the second desk from the back in the first row and sat down.
The teacher stood in front of the board and said,
"From today on, I'll be the homeroom teacher for Class 1–1. My name is Park Kyung-soo."
He wrote his name in large letters on the board.
Just then, one student raised his hand while glaring openly at Nau Rin with obvious displeasure.
"Teacher, doesn't the school rule forbid dyeing your hair?"
Teacher Park cleared his throat.
"She hasn't dyed it. That is her natural hair color."
As soon as he finished speaking, sounds of surprise rippled through the classroom. Nau Rin, however, quietly turned the pages of her book as if she were completely detached from what was happening.
Then another student spoke up.
"But even so, couldn't she just dye it? Does she really have to attract everyone's attention like that?"
Teacher Park looked at the student over the rim of his glasses, his gaze cold and piercing. With the chalk in his hand, he tapped the edge of the desk rhythmically. The entire classroom fell silent.
His voice lowered.
"Rules exist to limit actions, not to punish individuals. Go Nau Rin has not dyed her hair—this is something she was born with. If we accuse someone of 'seeking attention' for something natural, should we punish a tall student for 'trying to stand out' by being tall?"
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Instead of sticking your nose into other people's business, focus on how to make the knowledge inside your own head worthy of attention. This matter is closed."
After saying this firmly, Teacher Park slowly swept his gaze across the classroom as though looking straight through everyone. A silence so deep that even a pin drop might be heard settled over the room.
He continued,
"Don't let yourselves be distracted. Focus only on your studies. These three years will determine which university you enter—and even who you will become. Don't forget that. Starting next week, I'll assign seats."
With that, he tucked the pointer under his arm and left the classroom without turning back even once.
The moment the teacher stepped out, the heavy silence that had filled the room broke apart, and the classroom instantly erupted into noise. Just then, the lunch bell rang.
Nau Rin stood up from her seat and began walking toward the classroom door when suddenly a male student behind her grabbed her hair and yanked it hard.
Startled, she turned around and tried to pull her hair free, but his fingers were tangled deeply in it. Without hesitation, Nau Rin grabbed his wrist tightly, trying to stop him from moving.
The boy dragged her slightly as he pulled her head closer to him.
"Do you recognize me?" he asked with a mocking tone.
Then he looked around at the other students.
"I went to the same elementary school as her. Her hair color really is natural…"
He smiled faintly and then paused.
Looking at her again, he murmured under his breath,
"Freak."
Though the other students were startled by his behavior, they began whispering among themselves, murmuring things like, "So it's true…"
Still gripping his wrist, Nau Rin said coldly,
"Let go."
The boy smiled smugly and leaned slightly toward her, bringing his ear closer as if pretending to listen.
"What did you say? I didn't catch that."
This time Nau Rin spoke more clearly, her voice sharper.
"I said let go."
"And what if I don't?" the boy said mockingly.
Before he could finish his sentence, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist with a grip as hard as iron.
"Let go," a cold voice said.