The Comfort in you//Haobin

Hidden Stairs

Before I start with the Story, I'd like to admit that I have no knowledge of the Korean or other Asian school systems. I'll be using the German system instead, as it's the only one I'm familiar with.
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I felt a faint ray of sunshine warming my skin. I scrunched my nose, trying to make sense of the world. The fog in my mind started to clear as I slowly opened my eyes. My eyes widened when I realized it was MONDAY. Whoever invented Mondays, I hope both sides of your pillow arr warm. I reached for the corner of my blanket and pouted as I pulled it over my head, desperately trying to fall back asleep. But no matter how hard I tried, it wasn't working. After a few minutes of lying in bed, torn between getting up and staying put, I finally accepted the inevitable: sleep wasn't coming back. At least, not right now.

I reached for my phone, but it wasn't where I expected it to be. Confused, I searched the entire room before finally finding it hidden under my pillow. Just as I was about to turn it on, my door swung open with a loud "swoosh." Startled, I looked toward the doorway.

"Hao, time to wake up!" a rough female voice called out. It was way too early for this. "Good morning to you too, Mother," I replied sarcastically. My mom gave me a look and told me to get ready, warning that I'd be late if I didn't hurry.

I opened my closet, trying to piece together an outfit that didn't look too shabby. I settled on light grey, baggy cargo pants, a white oversized shirt, my black glasses and a burgundy baseball jacket.

In the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face, hoping to wake up a bit more. I applied a touch of color-correcting concealer to my dark purple eye bags, though I wasn't entirely sure it made a difference. Quickly, I got dressed and headed downstairs.

The smell of freshly baked bread hit me the moment I entered the kitchen, making my mouth water. My mom was watching me with a soft smile. "Are you excited for your first day?" she asked gently, trying not to push. I nodded and returned her smile. She watched me as I sat at the kitchen table, grabbing a slice of bread. I spread butter on it and sprinkled a little salt on top. (Wow, I'm so creative, it's almost unbelievable.) Feeling her gaze, I grinned.

"Seems like you're more excited than I am," I teased.
"Of course I am! My baby is growing up," she replied, grinning widely.

On the bus, I decided to listen to some music. I put on a random playlist, and "Love" by Kendrick Lamar started playing:

"Give me a run for my money
There is nobody, no one to outrun me
(Another world premiere)
So give me a run for my money..."

Today was the first day for everyone, so we were all staying in our assigned classrooms. Mine was 206, which should have been on the second floor, right? Well, technically, yes—but it turned out that the second floor had two additional hidden staircases tucked away in a corner no one would easily find. Eventually, I made it to my classroom. I pushed open the glass door, and instantly, I felt dozens of eyes piercing into me. My throat tightened, my hands started to sweat, but I ignored it and I scanned the room, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. Then I noticed a group of four guys looking in my direction. They seemed friendly enough, so I gathered what little confidence I had left in me and walked over to them.

"Hey, I'm Zhang Hao. Nice to meet you," I said, doing my best to sound confident.
"Nice to meet you too, I'm Seok Matthew," replied a short, black-haired guy. "You must be one of the new students, right?" I hesitated, then nodded, offering an awkward smile. "Let me introduce you to my friends. This is Ricky, Taerae, and Gyuvin."

They all turned to look at me, and I felt a surge of panic, but I forced myself to stay calm and waved.
"Where are you from?" suddently asked a red-haired guy with big, curious eyes.
"I-I'm from China, but I moved here when I was little," I answered, my voice unsteady. A smirk slowly spread across his sharp looking face. Suddenly, someone else joined the conversation.

"Sorry about Ricky's behavior," said a brown-haired guy, apologizing on his friend's behalf. "He might seem intimidating, but I promise he's just like a big cat." I laughed nervously, trying to reassure him that it was fine, but he kept apologizing.

Just as I was beginning to feel more at ease, the classroom door opened again. Everyone turned to see a blond-haired boy standing in the doorway, looking as nervous as I had a few minutes ago. His eyes scanned the classroom and, for a second, our gazes locked. Embarrassed, I looked away, but I could still feel his eyes lingering tightly on me.

The bell rang, signaling that class was about to start. Suddenly, I realized that I had no idea where to sit—every seat next to Matthew and his friends was already taken. Shit, I thought to myself, panic starting to rise. Then I felt a light tap on my shoulder, pulling me back to reality.

"Sorry if this seems forward, but would you like to sit next to me? I don't know anyone here, and you seemed really nice," said the blond boy, his voice nervous but hopeful.

"Uh—yeah, sure. I don't know anyone else either," I replied, hesitantly. Relief washed over me as a big smile spread across his face.

As we sat down together, he turned to me with a friendly grin.
"So, what's your name? I forgot to ask earlier."
"I'm Zhang Hao," I said, finally feeling a bit more relaxed. "What about you?"
"Sung Hanbin," he replied, his tone warm and open.

A/N

Can I call this a cliffhanger? I genuinely don't know. Anygays, I hope the chapter was not too shabby and bearable too read. I feel like it's way to short and I should've written it more detailed, but who cares? Okay, that's it I hope you have a good day/night

~see ya ;)