Our Destiny - Daerin

Chapter 3 - Introduce Herself

Haerin's POV

I followed closely behind Hanni as we made our way to the headmaster's office. The silence between us was palpable, and I couldn't shake the feeling of awkwardness. As we walked, I couldn't help but think about Minji's comments about Hanni's height, she's right. Hanni looks tiny.

"We're here." Hanni finally spoke, pulling me out of my thoughts. With a small gesture, she indicated for me to enter the office first. I did as instructed, stepping in tentatively as Hanni followed shortly after. As she knocked on the headmaster's door and waited for a response, I could feel my heart pound in my chest.

We walked into the office, and as soon as we entered, I noticed something odd. "What the fuck- the girl who had been mad at me earlier was also there, standing beside headmaster!?" I thought to myself.

She didn't seem to react to our presence, and I didn't want to make eye contact with her. I just continued to follow Hanni, remaining silent.

Hanni spoke, "Good morning Mr Marsh." Hanni greeted Mr. Marsh, the headmaster, I gave him a quick nod, not knowing how to act in the situation. He was a tall, Western-looking man, with an air of authority and discipline about him. He returned Hanni's greeting and then spoke, his voice heavy with the expectation of the conversation to come.

"Good morning, Hanni," Mr. Marsh said with a small nod. "And who might this be?" He turned to me, looking me up and down, his eyebrow slightly raised. I couldn't help but feel uneasy under his gaze, feeling like I was being assessed and found wanting.

"Oh! Are you Haerin? I thought you'll be here tomorrow!" He said with happy tone.

I spoke, "Nice to meet you Mr Marsh, yes I'm Kang Haerin."

Mr Marsh replied, "Nice to see you too, Haerin." He said with a smile."And I'm very happy that you're transferring here. I know your father, of course, so let's not be too formal, alright?"

I nodded as agreement, he chuckled lightly, before turning his attention to Hanni and the girl bumped into me this morning.

"And have these two already introduced themselves to you?" he asked, looking both of them.

I shook my head, pretending not to know who they were, despite the fact that I had seen them earlier this morning.

"No, I don't think anyone has officially introduced themselves yet," I said, trying to keep the tension out of my voice. I still hadn't caught that meanie's name.

Hanni spoke softly, "I'm Pham Hanni, Vice President of The School Council," as she made a small bow. I nodded in acknowledgement, feeling a bit more confident now that we were on more familiar ground.

As the girl who bumped into me spoke up, I turned my sharp eyes in her direction. "I'm Danielle." she said, her tone cold and clinical. "President of School Council." The tension between us was palpable, but Mr. Marsh stepped in, breaking the silence.

"That's all," he said, his voice confident and commanding. "Danielle, I want you to show Haerin to her class and make sure they're settled in. Hanni, you can go to your class now before you're going to be late. " Mr. Marsh looked at three of us, expecting total cooperation.

Hanni quickly nodded and left the room, leaving Danielle and me alone. Danielle turned to me, her expression still stoic and unblinking. "Sure, Mr Marsh." she said, and gesturing for me to follow her.

As we made our way out of the office and toward the exit of the room, Danielle suddenly stopped walking and turned around, facing me with a shocked expression.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed, walking toward me with an annoyed look on her face. "Why would it be you?" I looked down at her, noticing that she was quite shorter than me, and I realized that I could use her height to my advantage.