Whispers of the heart

Chapter one :Kim Hyunjin

It's eight a.m., and I'm already running late for class. Rushing through the hallway, I suddenly bump into someone, scattering all my documents across the floor. Bending down to pick them up, the unfamiliar boy I collided with helps me gather them. I hear whispers from other students passing by, but I'm too focused on how late I am to pay attention. Without looking at the boy's face, I bow my head, apologize, thank him, and hurry to class. Luckily, the lecturer hasn't entered the classroom yet.

I take a seat next to Jessie, my new roommate. Jessie, like me, is a scholarship student, but she's been here for three years and is more familiar with the place and the people than I am. She's a tall, pretty brunette with fair skin, and we've quickly become fond of each other. Jessie majors in Food Science, while I major in Sports Science, and we happen to meet in Korean class. After class, Jessie and I head to the cafeteria for lunch. I'm surprised at how good the food is here, much better than what universities back home would serve.

While we're enjoying our breakfast, we hear whispers and screams of excitement as students, mostly girls, stare at two boys entering the cafeteria. I look at one of them and find myself subconsciously saying, "Wow! He is prettier than my whole existence." Jessie lets out a loud laugh. "I know, right? That's Kim Hyunjin and his friend Lee Minho, the most popular boys here. Hyunjin is the son of a business tycoon who owns one of South Korea's biggest cosmetics companies, and his mother is a very famous actress, Kim Yeji. Hyunjin himself is making a name as a top-notch fashion and sports model, and he's also a big shot in basketball. Minho is also of high status; his father owns one of the biggest fashion brands here."

"Well, that explains all the excitement. I'm heading to my next lecture; I'll catch you later," I say to Jessie. As I walk past the boys, I accidentally lock eyes with Hyunjin for a split second before quickly looking away and heading to my next lecture, which is my major. Here, the lecturer informs us that we'll be assigned to different projects in pairs, which he will randomly select and display on the notice board by the end of the day. I'm a little scared because I don't know anyone here and have no idea who I'll be paired with. At this moment, I wish Jessie were in the same major as me.

Later that day, the list is displayed on the notice board. I wait for everyone to finish checking their pairings before going to check mine. When there are only a few people left, I finally approach the board. I search for my name and find that I've been paired with Kim Hyunjin. "The name sounds very familiar," I think to myself. As I take a step back from the notice board, I bump into someone behind me and look up to see a tall figure with the prettiest brown eyes and long silky hair. He looks like a prince straight out of a Disney movie. "Are you always this clumsy?" he says jokingly, flashing the prettiest smile ever.

I can't stop staring at him, wondering what he means by that. It turns out he's the same guy I bumped into this morning. He moves towards the notice board to check his partner's name. "Wendy," he says in a soft tone.

"Yeah," I reply, wondering how he knows my name. As he looks back at me, I realize he's my partner! He is Kim Hyunjin, the pretty boy from the cafeteria. I can't believe he is going to be my project partner.

Hyunjin stands in front of me, and I just stare at him. He extends his hand towards me. "Nice to meet you, Wendy. I'm Hyunjin, your new partner. I'm looking forward to working with you," he says. I shake his hand, smiling like an idiot. "Yeah, likewise," I say.

I don't realize the attention we're drawing until I feel everyone's eyes on us, and the hallway falls silent. I start to feel awkward because I absolutely hate being the center of attention. I always try to avoid the spotlight, but I can't really do that now since Kim Hyunjin is my project partner.

I hear someone calling out to me and turn to see Jessie. She waves at me with the brightest smile, and for a minute, I forget about the attention on me. "Let's go," she says. I smile back at her and nod in agreement. I look back at Hyunjin, who hands me his phone. Surprised, I take it, and he asks me to put in my phone number. Without questioning why, I type in my number and hand his phone back. He waves goodbye and walks away to join his friends across the hallway.

"What was that about? What did I miss?" Jessie asks, excitement written all over her face. I tell her the entire story on our way to the dormitory, and she's happy that I got partnered with Hyunjin. She tells me how great he is at everything he does but warns me that being partnered with him might put me on the bad side of a lot of people, especially his childhood friend.