01 | The transfer student

"Class, we have a new student joining us today. Please put your hands together to welcome Jung Wooyoung"

Mr Kim Young-goo, the class teacher of 12A, walked into the class that day with a more cheerful demeanor than usual. The kids craned their heads to peer out the door after his introduction to the new student in eager anticipation.

The class door creaked open and a shy young boy walked into the class. He had his hair brushed into parts on each side. His hair bounced behind him as he walked up to the front of the class. He looked at Mr Kim with his naïve, gentle, dark brown eyes. "Go on, introduce yourself..." Mr Kim mumbled.

"Hello everyone... My name is... Jung Wooyoung." Wooyoung muttered under his breath, but everyone, including the students in the back row, could hear him.

"No one wants to hear your long ass self introduction!" Changbin leapt to his feet and yelled from the back of the class.

The class burst into laughter.

"Ya!... give this guy a break, you're making him nervous" San smacked Changbin in the head.

Ever since beginning, San had been the only person who could do this to Changbin. He was feared by everyone in the class, except for San. However, for someone like San, that wasn't surprising. He was best friends with everyone in the class, and he seemed to be liked by everyone. It was almost as though he couldn't be disliked in any way.

"Quiet!", Mr Kim shouted and the whole class instantly quietened down.

As the class fell silent, Mr Kim cleared his throat with a delighted look on his face "Alright, very good. So, where were we? Oh yes. Wooyoung, our buddy over here hasn't finished his introductory speech yet. Please continue." Mr Kim gave Wooyoung a warm smile as he stood beside him, his shoulders hunched.

"Ah...thank you, Mr Kim. Um..., so I have my own personal reasons for moving here and... uh...well, I'm looking forward to meeting you guys."

"We don't!" Changbin yelled. The whole class burst into laughter once again.

Wooyoung had always been a self-conscious person. He suffers from social anxiety, is always afraid of being judged, and despises being the centre of attention. In his previous school, he had that one friend Yeosang who stuck with him throughout his schooling life, until he left him for good. Yeosang got invited to be best friends with the popular student because he was handsome and radiated confidence. And with that, Wooyoung was left on his own. With great effort, Wooyoung brushed away his emerging thoughts.

Mr. Kim grinned. "Thank you for introducing yourself, Wooyoung." He cast a brief look around the classroom before settling on the only empty seat in the back row and smiling. He turned to Wooyoung and motioned his finger in a specific direction."Your deskmate is Choi San."

Wooyoung followed his finger's direction, and his gaze fell on the single empty seat in the back of the class. Next to the empty seat, someone had already taken a seat. San flashed a big smile, his dimples clearly visible.