Why She Matters

First Impressions and Unanswered Questions

Ador Union University was known for its prestige and luxury, a massive campus that catered to the wealthiest students. With sleek, modern buildings and perfectly manicured gardens, it looked more like a city than a school. The campus buzzed with students rushing to their classes, their designer bags slung over their shoulders. Everything at Ador Union screamed wealth and power, from the towering library to the sparkling fountains.

Haerin's POV

Pulling into the campus parking lot, I found an empty spot, killed the engine, and leaned back for a second. It was the first day of our third year at Ador Union, but it didn't feel like anything special. Same school, same routine.

I glanced at my phone no messages from Minji yet, but she was always running late. I looked up, and there she was, weaving through the crowd like she owned the place. Typical Minji.

"Wassup, Haerin" she called out the second she saw me, her voice cutting through the noise of the students around us.

I gave her a small nod, keeping it cool. "Hey."

"You don't seem excited" she teased, bumping my shoulder as we walked toward the entrance.

"It's just another day" I shrugged. Minji was the type to overhype everything, and I... well, I wasn't.

"You heard about the new professor, right? Everyone's talking about her. Professor Marsh or something. They say she's tough" Minji continued, her excitement practically buzzing off her.

"Tough, huh?" I replied, barely interested. Professors were all the same to me just part of the background.

As we made our way inside, I tried to focus on finding Room 722, scanning the signs along the hallway. Meanwhile, Minji kept yapping about who knows what, her words like background noise.

"I heard they changed the cafeteria menu. Finally, right? Like, how many days in a row can you eat the same bland pasta? Oh, and did you see that girl from our biology class last year? She totally dyed her hair pink. Honestly, it looks kinda cool but wait, did you hear about the party this weekend? Everyone's going. You should come this time."

I kept my eyes on the room numbers, ignoring most of what she said. "Uh huh."

Minji barely paused. "And guess what? Hyein said she saw Professor Marsh driving a fancy car, like, top tier rich. I bet she's some kind of genius who doesn't even need this job. Can you imagine? We're probably gonna fail if we even blink wrong in her class."

"Right," I muttered, finally spotting Room 722 ahead.

Minji was still going. "Also, did you know Yuna's back this semester? She was abroad last year, and now everyone's talking about how different she looks..."

I sighed, pushing the door open.

As we strolled into the classroom, Minji and I scanned for seats, eventually sliding into the middle row. The room buzzed with energy, students whispering and glancing at the door, waiting for the famous Professor Marsh to make an appearance.

While I tried to focus on finding Room 722 earlier, Minji had been yapping non-stop. Now, even seated, she didn't slow down.

"Hey, have you seen Hyein around?" Minji asked, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I heard she might be dropping by. She was saying something about how she's not too thrilled about starting classes again."

I shrugged, scanning the room for any sign of Hyein. "Nope, haven't seen her. Maybe she's just running late. You know how she is."

Minji's eyes lit up with curiosity. "I hope she's not skipping out. Oh, and did you hear that Yuna's back this semester? Everyone's buzzing about it."