𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 || 𝐊𝐓𝐇 [𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝] ✔

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Four Weeks Later...

6:00 AM

The alarm blares, jolting me awake. Today is the first day of college, and I feel a mix of nerves, fear, and excitement. I hurry through my morning routine, quickly finishing my house chores before getting ready. I skip breakfast; I just don't have the appetite today.

I slip into a plain white shirt and some pants, topped off with a satin jacket. It's nothing special, but it's comfortable.

I lock my apartment and decide to walk the 40 minutes to college rather than take the bus. It's a way to save on bus fare, and maybe the walk will help calm my nerves.

---

At College

I arrive at the college gate at 9:20 AM, and it's quiet with only a few students around. I can feel their eyes on me as I make my way inside. The stares make me uncomfortable, and I keep my head down as I head towards the receptionist.

She looks at me intently as I approach.

"Yes, how can I help you?" she asks.

"Um, I'm a new here. I need my class schedule," I reply.

"Okay, your name?" she inquires.

"Lee Y/N."

She types on her computer for a moment, then hands me my schedule. My first class is English.

I look around, trying to find my classroom while feeling increasingly self-conscious under the gaze of my peers. I hear snippets of whispers around me.

Girl 1: "Look at her, she looks so poor. No fashion sense at all."

Girl 2: "Yeah, she's ugly and smells like a pig."

Boy 3: "Do you think she'll even last here?"

Boy 2: "I don't think so."

Just as I'm about to leave, the chatter intensifies. I turn to see a group of five boys entering the building. One of them waves to the crowd, another looks disinterested, another smiles, and one sends a flying kiss to the girls. The fifth, who's in the middle, scrolls through his phone with his hand in his pocket.

Suddenly, a girl bumps into him, causing his phone to fall. He glares at her. "Sorry," she stammers, but then smirks. He leans in and whispers something in her ear before walking off with his friends.

I recognize the girl as Yuna, a high school classmate. She smirks at me before leaving as well.

---

In the Classroom

After a few minutes of searching, I finally locate my classroom, but the door is closed. I open it and my eyes widen in shock. Inside, the guy who I meet in hall is buckling his belt, pausing mid-action to look at me. On the other side of the room, Yuna has messy hair, teary eyes, and mascara smeared all over her face. She looks at me and starts smirking.

I quickly bow and leave the room, my heart racing.

---

A Few Minutes Later.

Students start to trickle in, but I'm still standing in front of the door, replaying the earlier incidents in my mind. I suddenly feel someone behind me. I turn to see a man in his late 40s. He looks at me and says, "You must be Y/N, the new student. I'm Oh Sukjan, your English professor."

I bow to him.

"Come in," he says, gesturing towards the classroom.

We enter together. As we walk in, everyone turns to look at us, greeting Mr. Oh. He clears his throat and announces, "Class, we have a new student who has received a special scholarship."