Hello Stranger

Prologue

802 words

The smell of dust from old the textbooks being used.

The faint sound of students mindlessly scratching away at their notebooks.

The monotonous voice of your chemistry teacher, babbling on about significant figures and other useless things.

And of course you, seconds away from sleep as you held your chin in your hands at your desk.

The bell rings.

Yup, you were back in school.
The mid semester break ended just as quickly as it had started, leaving you to fall back into the endless cycle that was high school.
Students started to file out of the classroom, the teacher giving rushed instructions on how to do the homework that only half the class would end up doing. You quickly packed up your things, falling in line with the other students making their exit.

You didn't dislike school; to you it stopped you from going insane. It gave you a reason to get out of bed in the morning, it kept you busy during the year when the days seemed to drag on. It was an opportunity to meet new people and learn new things, and even if a lot of it seemed useless, you were grateful for what it had to offer in terms of experience.

In terms of academics, school actually wasn't much of a struggle for you. You did well in most of your classes and weren't one to skip around either.

But socially? You weren't exactly popular; nor were you a social butterfly. If it weren't for Jiyoung, you would be walking this tough road alone. She had introduced you to your current group of friends, and they made high school much more memorable.
When she appeared behind your locker door, it was almost impossible to hold back a smile.

"So are you ready to head to lunch?" Jiyoung asked, her fingers playing with a lock of jet black hair. "I think Eunji was able to score us a table outside this time around-"
"You mean after class right?" You interrupted, raising an eyebrow as you took a binder out of your locker. "Because I have lunch in the second shift..."
"What? No you don't," she giggled, looking at your printed schedule on the inside of your locker door. "That would mean you don't have lunch with me, or the rest of the girls..." Her voice fell away as she read the letters printed on the paper.

Y/n- 3rd period: Economics/Lunch second shift

"No..." her eyes grew sad as she looked between you and the paper, disappointed.
"Wait, so I don't have lunch with ANY of you guys this quarter?" You asked, panicked.
"I guess not," she sighed, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "Where are you going to eat?"
"I'll figure it out," you said sadly, but not before Jiyoung's eyes grew big as she sharply drew in a breath. "What's wron-"
"Don't turn around," she whispered, eyes darting between you and something behind you, and you immediately knew what it was, or rather- who it was.

Ignoring Jiyoung's warnings, you looked over your shoulder, confirming your suspicions.

To say he was perfect was an understatement.

Tall and lean, his angelic face framed by slightly long dirty blonde hair which was pulled back into a cute ponytail. His eyes were warm, crinkled in the corners from the smile dancing on his lips as he moved down the hallway. He carried a blue binder in one hand, the other was stuffed into the pocket of his trousers.

To say Hwang Hyunjin was perfect was an understatement.

And you were staring.

He glanced at you, meeting your gaze before flashing that million dollar smile in your direction and giving a small wave, making your palms grow sweaty and your heart beat frantically. A light chuckle left his lips before he walked into your economics class, making you release a breath you didn't know you were holding as Jiyoung looked at you.

"How are you supposed to ask him to the fall formal if you can't even say hi?" she laughs, checking her phone as your face flushed red.
"I know right? I can barely talk to him in class either," you sighed, leaning against your locker.

The warning bell rang through the air, letting students know it was time to hurry to class before their teachers marked them tardy.

"Well...I guess you gotta get to class," Jiyoung said, eyes cast downward.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be okay with out you guys at lunch," you said, giving her a reassuring glance and she nodded, turning to leave.
"Who knows, maybe you'll end up eating with Hyunjin," she giggled mischievously.
"Seo Jiyoung," you whispered, hitting her shoulder as she walked away, cackling.

You shook your head to yourself, walking into your Econ class right before the bell rang.