Desire

1. Not so new school

Eunwoo sighed, staring at her reflection, fidgeting with the collar of her new school uniform. "I can't do this," she muttered, pressing her hands against her face.

Yechan rolled his eyes, lounging on the bed. "Yes, you can!" he replied, trying to sound enthusiastic but clearly half-asleep.

"Dude, I can't! You don't get it. This is literally my nightmare," she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Shut up; it's not that hard," he argued, finally sitting up and fixing her with a look of mild annoyance.

"I hate you so much, you know that?" Eunwoo sighed, crossing her arms. "I could've stayed back in Australia with Dad. But no, your stubborn butt just had to come back to Korea."

Yechan raised his hands in defense, chuckling. "Okay, well, not my fault that Mom and Dad decided to send you with me. I told them I'd be fine on my own."

Eunwoo glared at him. "You know exactly why I left. The last thing I want is to go back to a place that's full of... memories," she muttered. "And now, I have to see all those people again. It's like walking into a horror movie where I'm the main character."

Yechan gave her a sympathetic look, shrugging. "Maybe they changed schools. People move on, right? You might get lucky."

Eunwoo scoffed, shaking her head. "Trust me, I know for a fact they're still there. You don't just forget people like that."

"Fine, then ignore them. Easy fix," he said, shrugging again as they left their apartment.

The two walked down the stairs and out into the street, the crisp morning air hitting Eunwoo, who took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. It feels like a setup," she mumbled under her breath.

"Shut up, it's not that deep," Yechan said, trying to nudge her lightly with his shoulder. "Besides, if you need backup, I'm just in the sophomore building. I'm only a year behind you. Just come find me if it gets rough."

She shot him a playful glare. "Yeah, sure. I'll see."

They walked in silence for a few minutes before the high school building loomed into view. Eunwoo stopped dead in her tracks, staring at it.

"I really, really can't do this," she whispered, taking a step back.

"Nope, not happening. You're doing this!" Yechan said, grabbing her by the arm and tugging her forward. "Come on, all you have to do is go to reception and pick up your schedule. The sophomore and freshmen buildings are separate, so if you ever need me I'm in the other building"

"Sure" she muttered as he let go of her and started walking towards his building. "You better answer if I text you, or I'm showing up and dragging you out of class."

Yechan waved her off, already half-jogging away. "Good luck, Eunwoo! Don't get expelled!"

She glared at his retreating back, muttering, "I hate you so much."

With a reluctant sigh, Eunwoo made her way inside, heading for the reception desk. She approached the counter, trying to steady herself.

"Hwang Eunwoo," she said, forcing herself to speak with confidence. "I'm new here... I need my schedule."

The receptionist looked up, her eyes widening slightly. "Hwang Eunwoo?" she echoed. "As in... the one who left after freshman year?"

Eunwoo's face hardened, staring back at the receptionist. "Does it really matter?" she said coldly.

"Just hand me my schedule, please."

She could feel the weight of the whispers around her, the receptionist's curious gaze lingering longer than necessary. She'd left so suddenly, right in the middle of everything, and of course, people hadn't forgotten. Coming back here meant facing all of it, again. She wasn't sure if she'd have to explain herself or if people would still hold onto their assumptions.