✓ sorry, i love you || hwang hyunjin

[02] class 12-7

 As I stood in front of my new homeroom class, I considered the possibilities of what could happen once I walked in— when Ms. Shin gave me the signal, of course.

Option 1: The seniors would laugh at me for being a nerd, I would have nowhere to sit, so I'd sit near Ms. Shin at the lonely desk at the front of the class. Been there, done that.

Option 2: The seniors would be impressed, but only a few girls would approach me and offer to let me sit with them. The rest would keep their distance from me because I was a nerd who would 'contaminate' them. This option was my favorite one, but I bet that the first option would happen.

I didn't have too much time to ponder my betting choices against myself, however, because Ms. Shin walked towards me from inside the class. "Come on in, Nabi," she told me, smiling. Her straightened brown hair flowed gracefully onto her shoulders; she looked so stunning that it made me— with my simple shoulder-length wavy black hair and thick glasses— feel like a peasant.

I nodded as I smiled back at her, although all I wanted to do was run in the opposite direction in fear. A smile was the best guise; it was something I had learned over many years of hiding myself. "Of course," I grinned, before walking into the classroom, showing off more confidence than I had.

"12-7, this is the new student I mentioned earlier. She was in her junior year until the school board realized that she's already completed the courses for the grade, so they decided to boost her up a grade," Ms. Shin announced while I stood beside her. I looked around the classroom; everyone seemed to be sitting in pairs, except for a couple people. It wouldn't do me any good if I became one of them , but that was probably going to happen. The gorgeous women stopped talking, and I realized it was time for me to introduce myself.

"Remember who's best friend you are," Jeongin had told me. That I will do, Innie.

I took a deep breath and smiled at the class— my class. "Hi! I'm Bae Nabi. I hope we all get along," I greeted the class, my smile so wide it hurt my face. I was pretty proud of myself; I had never faked my confidence and smile so well. Inside, I was shaking in fear, ready to run out of there to find Innie. But that wasn't an option, so it was best to keep up my guise.

The class— my class, I kept forgetting— stared at me in a judgey manner before they all smiled at me. Let me correct that— a group of boys sitting near the back smiled at me, and as soon as the older girls saw this, their eyes narrowed at me.

Oh, shit. I don't need anyone hating me on my first day. I knew it was bound to happen, but a small part of me had hoped otherwise. But then again, why would anyone like me?

"Ms. Bae, you can go sit with Mr. Bang over there," the teacher said, pointing to a handsome guy (from the group who was smiling at her earlier) who was sitting alone near the back. He was surrounded by around 6 or 7 guys, and holy shit Jeogin was right. The senior boys were good looking. "He's the class president; he'll guide you through your schedule and the few changes you'll experience as a senior."

I nodded, glad to finally not be the center of attention. "Yeah, sure," I responded before walking through the maze of desks to where my new table mate was sitting.

I dropped my bag onto the ground and sat on the chair, feeling extremely self-conscious. I was sitting next to possibly the most attractive guy I had ever seen; how else was I supposed to react?

"Hey, I'm Nabi," I whispered to him with a shy smile. Ugh, Nabi, where's that confidence?

The guy— why didn't Ms. Shin tell me his first name?— returned my smile (only his seemed genuine) and introduced, "I'm Chan." Shit, he looked even better when he smiled.

I grinned back at him again— feeling a blush on my cheeks— and looked back at Ms. Shin. She seemed happy since me and Chan were getting along. "As you all know, you have an English exam coming up, so I thought I would let you all use this class to study for that, and for Ms. Bae to settle in," Ms. Shin announced. "Please use your time wisely. I'll be in the teacher's lounge if you need me." When no one objected, she smiled again— how much did she smile?— before leaving the room again.

"So, you were a junior up until... now?" Chan asked, curiosity visible on his face.

I nodded proudly. "Yeah, I was."

Chan's eyes widened in awe. "Woah. You must be a genius. Or maybe I just hang out around idiots," he responded, glancing at the boys sitting around him. They must be his friends.

Before I could respond to him, the boy sitting directly behind him with blonde hair lightly punched his shoulder. "Yah, Chan, that's not nice," he said in a deep-ass voice with a cute aussie accent like Chan's.

I gawked at him. He was so good looking, and his deep voice was so—

"Hey, I'm Lee Felix," he introduced. "You must be Nabi, right?"

I blushed and stuttered, "Y-yeah." I mentally facepalmed. I was usually so calm and collected; what the hell was wrong with me? "That's me!" Shit, I sounded like a cringey Dora The Explorer.

Felix grinned, and I swear the room lit up. "I like you," he stated, and I must have looked shocked. Realizing what he had said, he corrected, "N— no, that's not what I meant. I meant you were like a cool person and that I wanted to hang out with you." He looked so embarrassed it was funny.

I laughed before replying, "Yeah, I figured. You seem cool yourself."

"Yah, what about me?" Chan asked, and I laughed again at his childish antics.

"Don't worry, Chan, you're cool, too," I told him, grinning. Sure, these guys were good-looking, but they seemed really nice. He smiled like a five-year-old. "Are you guys from Australia?" I questioned. Their accents were throwing me off; there was no way they naturally had an aussie accent.

Both boys nodded. "Yeah, we are," Felix said. "The accent gave it away, I suppose?"

I gasped, as though what he had said was outrageous. "What? No, never! In fact, I can't even hear your accent!" I exclaimed.

Felix gasped, and in the most aussie way possible, he replied, "No! My accent!" Me and Chan burst out laughing. "Yah, why are you laughing?" He pouted, and I had to admit that he was really cute.

Between laughs, Chan told me, "You'll fit right in, Nabi." I wasn't exactly sure what he meant, but I was glad that I had at least a few friends. I guess I was wrong; neither Option 1 or 2 came true. This time, these two boys made a miraculous Option 3, and I was glad for it.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.