The New Kid • minsung

Chapter 1

♫ School Life • Stray Kids ♫

Jisung knew his highschool years were supposed to be the best time of his life. It was supposed to be a time to grow, to make lifelong friends and to find what he truly desires.

Instead, it just made the brown-haired boy more confused about himself.

Being a student at the Seoul Academy of the Arts, the highest ranking arts school in all of South Korea, was a huge honour. However, Jisung found that his interests had changed. They had first been in playing the piano, but over the last year had quickly changed into rap and cooler music and writing.

Jisung wanted to produce music. He wanted people to feel something when they listened to his lyrics.

The teenager wanted to be famous.

It didn't help that his parents weren't especially fond of that type of music. His mother would turn up her nose at the hard rock music he asked to play during car rides and listened to when he showered. She preferred classical music, and enjoyed a nice Bach piece over anything. It bore Jisung to death before he got his license.

His father was probably a little better regarding his change in interest. Outside of work his dad had hardly any interest in anything, save for television game shows. Jisung would rather just avoid him on any situation regarding what he liked, knowing his father didn't care.

They probably didn't need to know about the small underground rap group he was a part of.

"...Earth to Han? Hello?"

He startles as one of his best friends and band mates, Seo Changbin, taps his shoulder.

The two were supposed to be studying for an upcoming test and had dedicated a corner of the library to it. Books about the history of languages were strewn around them, however the two only used it as a scapegoat to work on their music on Changbin's laptop.

"S-Sorry! What did you say?" He lifts one of the books they were poring through to hide his blush. Changbin looks unimpressed, flipping through one of the books idly.

"Chan's late."

Jisung frowns, checking his watch. It was 4:27pm, and time for evening self-study. The third and eldest member of their music group was supposed to have met them at least 10 minutes ago.

"Maybe he got held up with another teacher again," Jisung mumbles, checking his phone for any missed messages. Their friend Chan constantly got into trouble for his bleached blonde hair, and often had detention after school for it.

After shooting him a quick text, the two return to boredly studying before Chan finally joins them.

"Hey, hey! Sorry about the delay."

He's grinning widely, surprising them with coloured pink and turquoise hair. Jisung's jaw drops at the sight.

"Oh my God, Chan."

Changbin looks up, takes one look at the Australian and shakes his head. "I'm surprised you haven't been kicked out of this damn school."

The foreign boy laughs, running a hand through the fluffy curls. "Yeah. Ms Seon was ready to drag me to a basin to dye it back to black. I've got another slip~"

He waves the detention slip for tomorrow morning, grinning. Both of the younger boys sigh in response.

After Chan sits with them and pulls out his wireless headphones, the three get to work on their new song.

Chan and Changbin were Jisung's only friends in school. He and Changbin had been very close ever since day one. Jisung, who had been picked on for looking like a squirrel during their first year of middle school, had been found crying by a startled Changbin. Instead of turning away, the black-haired boy had gone out of his way to beat the shit out of anyone who had said that or teased him ever since.