New College, New Me [M reader Kpop AU]

First Day 1 - Zoa (Weeekly)

(A/N: This update is an extra special one to me: "First Day" was the very first draft I ever wrote almost a year ago when I decided to try my hand at writing.  I've made plenty of tweaks to fit what was originally a one-shot as now two chapters of a larger story, but I'm excited to revisit one of my earliest pieces of inspiration, one that eventually led to the premise of this whole book.  Enjoy!)

Monday, Week 1

"Whose bright idea was it to start classes in August?" you wonder to yourself as you hike across campus on a sweltering summer Monday. A trickle of sweat drips down your face as an impossibly heavy backpack weighs down on your shoulders. The line of trees along the sidewalk gives you a moment of merciful shade, but you are soon forced to venture back out into the scorching sun as one last lawn stands between you and your destination. Glancing up at the iconic old tower and out across the main lawn, you try to appreciate how pretty campus is in the sunlight rather than dwell on your own discomfort. "After all," you think to yourself, "before I know it I'll be complaining about the snow instead." The thought of future weather-induced discomfort does little to quell your current suffering, but at least it passes a few more seconds until you finally reach the building that will host your next class.

The joy of making your way indoors at last is short-lived upon quickly realizing that the pitifully limited a/c does very little to improve the situation inside this ancient building, but at least you made it here early enough to get a good seat for class. Locating room 0620, you head inside to find just a few students already here and no sign of the professor yet. While the other students have mostly scattered themselves around the back rows, you head right up to sit in the front. This particular class is very important your new major, and you've heard that the professor can be quite tough, so best to make a good impression early on. You'd even considered trying to dress a little nicer, but the intense heat wave has left you in the same basketball shorts and t-shirt combo as 95% of other guys on the campus. Still, you are determined to start your new major on a strong footing, and having already managed to stay focused for both 8am chemistry and 9am calculus, you have no intention of letting a toasty classroom or anything else distract you this time.

Almost at the very moment that you mentally affirm your intention to remain absolutely focused on this class no matter the distraction, the classroom door swings open again and your resolve is immediately put to the test. Striding confidently into the room is a woman with a skateboard under her arm, which is unusual on campus, but that's hardly the most remarkable thing about her She has a strikingly perfect face, with long dark hair hanging freely that draws your eyes downwards to her relatively short skirt and sporty top that leave plenty of skin to be seen - not that you can judge her for that in this weather. You can clearly see the muscle in her legs and even a few of her decently toned abs, but the charm with which she carries herself makes you think she wouldn't even need the exposed skin to make an impression. In short, she is stunningly attractive, but you force yourself to tear your eyes away and turn back to setting up your desk. After already managing to avoid getting too distracted by the one remarkably beautiful woman sitting behind you at the 8am lecture, you're sure you can maintain your resolve for another class if you must.

Determined to stay focused, you bury your head downward towards your desk, realizing belatedly that it's the first day of class and so the notebook you are fervently focusing your attention on is entirely blank. You can only hope no one is paying close enough attention to you to have noticed your brief embarrassment, but the sound of footsteps approaching you forces you to turn around, and with surprise you see that the source of your distraction has made her way directly towards you. She politely inclines her head towards the seat next to you, and with a voice a bit deeper than you'd have expected asks "Do you mind?"