Living in a relatively safe and small suburb of a big city, Hana never once thought she'd ever receive a notice in the mail from her school warning the students to be safe and cautious even during the day.
Of course, it didn't sound that bad at first. It was simply a timely reminder that the school was sending out, asking its student body to be aware of possible dangers and to be smart whether one was commuting alone or with a group.
But this time it was different, because along with the notice comes a flyer with a picture of Hana's classmate, Jung Eunbi, and across the top, written in big, bold letters is the word MISSING.
Hana rereads the police reports over and over again, trying to make sense of what happened.
According to the reports that have been released so far, there were no traces of Eunbi after the last CCTV footage that captured her at a corner of the last school block. She didn't have her phone on her, but it was nowhere to be found. The police suspect it to be a kidnapping, so they up the patrols around the school and surrounding neighborhoods to prevent any more attempts.. Hana's never felt so confined before in her life with so many officers walking the streets, even though they weren't there to do anything but keep the people safe.
The investigation crawls onward as school begins. Hana knows the atmosphere is going to be gloomy at first. Everyone will be quiet, unsure of what emotion to show, what to say, what to do. She wasn't so sure of how to digest this herself. Hana wasn't close with Eunbi, but they knew each other. They've worked together on projects, were deskmates once, and were both on the cross country team last year. Hana swore if she had the power to turn back time, she'd do it indefinitely in order to find and save Eunbi because even though they weren't close friends, Eunbi was deserving of the life she was working toward.
But with the news of Eunbi's disappearance comes the arrival of four new students, transferring in on the second day of school. In a private school with a senior class of only 103 students, it was rare to have new classmates, and whether the thought was liked it or not, they more or less served as a distraction.
Luckily for Hana, or maybe not so luckily, two of the four new students are put into her class: Kim Donghyun and Park Woojin. Donghyun is assigned to the seat beside Hana, and by default, Hana's teacher selects her to become their guide till they've accommodated to the school.
"This is the music hallway here. The athletic hall is right beneath here on the first floor. You already know the cafeteria's right there from lunch, and across the atrium is the media center." Hana points this way and that way, occasionally glancing at the boys to make sure they didn't look lost. "It's only the first day, so don't worry if you don't remember where everything is. That's what I'm here for." She grins.
"Thanks, Hana. It means a lot." Donghyun thanks her, reaching up to pat her head. Though it has only been a few hours since they've met, Hana learns that Donghyun is an extremely affectionate person.
Really, Donghyun was the light that her school needed after Eunbi's disappearance. He easily lightens up the mood by simply smiling because he had this sparkle in his eyes, and there's a sense of genuinity in his voice no matter what he talks about. If one looks close enough, one can see there's eagerness in his body language with the way he always has to slow down his pace because he starts to walk too fast, or how he sits straight up in class, never distracted to show his utmost respect and interest toward his teacher and the subject being taught.
"Our old school was shaped like a ladder, so it was easy to remember where places were, but sometimes it would be so tedious to walk down the long hallways." Donghyun laughs, leaning on the third-floor railing of the atrium. He tilts his head up to look through the clear ceiling, and smiles. "It feels so open here."
Hana nods, moving to stand beside him. "It sucks during the winter though when there's a lot of snow. It blocks all the sunlight from coming in."
Donghyun laughs, agreeing with her. "I could only imagine so."
As they continue to converse, the bell rings, and students begin to pour out of their classes. Hana stands straight and jabs a thumb in the direction behind her. "Shall I show you guys to the boys' locker room? P.E. is our last class of the day."
Donghyun wrinkles his nose. "Physical activity. Gross."
"It's only the first day." Woojin quietly comments.
Shocked, Hana looks at Woojin with a slightly open mouth. It's the first time she heard him say anything all day. He speaks fast with a deep voice but enunciates his words softly. She almost didn't catch what he was saying over the chatter of the students in the halls. Hana smiles at him, but drops it when he looks at her with what, at least, to her, seems like slight annoyance.
During warmups before P.E. officially begins, Hana sees Woojin pull Donghyun aside. She can't help but continue to watch them, wondering what it was that made Woojin so heated. He looks frustrated, angry almost. Donghyun seems to be arguing back, talking animatedly with his hands and shaking his head. Eventually, Woojin looks up, making eye contact with Hana. Her eyes go wide, and she turns to her friends, focusing on stretching with them to distract herself. She had no right to try and pry into their conversation and to be staring at them so blatantly anyway.
However, she can't help but look up again for one last glance, only to see Woojin walking away from a sighing Donghyun. Woojin's fists are clenched, his mouth set in a firm line.
For the rest of class, Hana avoids Woojin. When he's already picked to be on a team, she volunteers to join the other side. When he's standing near her, she briskly moves away. She feels extremely conscious of her actions and behavior, because she feels like she's the reason he's angry. Why else would he have looked at her with such fiery eyes? Was it because of the smile earlier?
It's only day one and Hana thinks she's done something to make one of the new students hate her.
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hello! just a heads up now that the beginning is going to be fillers to help understand the plot and to also help build the characters in the story, but it will get interesting, i promise. with that being said, please support by voting, commenting, and sharing! <3
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disclosure | park woojin
FanfictionThe disappearance of Hana's classmate unravels a world she never thought could be real, nonetheless be a part of it. started: 071117 ended: ------