Egocentric [Book I]

New Girl

The signification for an early bell ringing in school was the start of classes, but Minah was still stuck inside the principal's office. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, but it wasn't that good either.

Giving her a student handbook, the woman sent her a warm smile and she smiled back, although Minah zoned out ten minutes ago and everything the principal said since then didn't quite register to her mind well.

"Welcome to our school. I hope you enjoy your time here as much as you learn."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Minah stood up and bowed down, smiling at the principal once more.

"Let me usher you to your room."

Minah nodded and as promised, the woman escorted her. So far, so good, she thought. Usually, principals were cold and robotic; her previous school wasn't an exception. Although she was used to being transferred to a new environment again, she felt a little scared for whatever was in store for her.

Two years... for two years, Minah and her family had been moving back and forth between places, because both her parents accept jobs whenever there is. The latest required a lot of travelling, but Minah and her younger brother Minjae couldn't be left alone, so they took them everywhere. It was a challenge, especially since both children wanted to study steadily and graduate in time.

When her father got accepted as an office employee in Seoul, the whole family took this as an opportunity to move permanently. Minah was hoping that this would be a good place for them and that they wouldn't move again for a long time.

The principal guided Minah inside the room, where students of her age ran frantically back to their seats at the presence of the highest power inside the school. They greeted and bowed in sync, just in time for their actual teacher to enter the room.

"Good morning, Teacher Yongjin."

"Good morning, Principal Hyojung."

Minah stood frozen next to the principal as she exchanged a conversation with Mr. Jo Yong-jin regarding her profile. The male teacher nodded and smiled at her as the principal handed him a paper, showing her record from previous schools. She was never a bad student. Although she and her family stepped from town to town, she studied hard and focused on what's important.

"Class, this is Yeo Min-ah and she's your new classmate." Teacher Yongjin introduced, gesturing for her to come up front and center. "She came all the way from Cheongju."

"Good morning." Minah smiled and bowed, earning herself a few mixed reactions from the class. The boys at the back whispered and sniggered, some girls smiled at her and some simply didn't care. Minah was used to that though, because she had experienced worse things than this on her former first days.

"I'll be leaving you now. If you have any concerns, you know where my office is." Principal Hyojung said, still with a warm smile. Minah had a feeling that the principal would be the only person who she could talk to with sense.

"Thank you."

"Minah, please have a seat." The teacher said, pushing her lightly towards the desks. Minah immediately chose among four empty seats and naturally, she picked the vacant chair next to a girl who seemed nice.

"Hello." The girl beside her greeted, lending her hand out. "I'm Eunri."

"It's nice to meet you." Minah shook hands with her and Eunri instantly scooted closer to her to avoid having to talk loud. Teacher Yongjin was facing the board and writing today's lesson and while he did, Minah thought of making friends.