Chapter 1

"A new professor"

Notebooks? Check!

Candy bars? Check!

Hand sanitizer? Check!

Na Ri went over the content of her schoolbag for the fifth time already, and just before she closed it with the zipper, she grabbed the hand sanitizer one last time and looked at it, making sure it was printed in her brain that she didn't forget it.

Her bag was a boring grey backpack, nothing special and no cute key chains or stickers, but it was practical and gave good support to your back. After putting on her long light brown coat, Na Ri swung the backpack over her shoulder and then walked toward the door of her small studio apartment. She grabbed the handle on the door and was just about to turn it when she felt a sudden pain in her chest and had to reach for her chest while she curved up on the floor in pain.

Focus on the breathing, Na Ri reminded herself and started slowly breathing in and out in long, deep breaths. It took a minute but soon the pain disappeared and she was able to stand again. Before opening the door, she took a quick look in the mirror, making sure she didn't look like a complete mess. She hadn't bothered putting on makeup and her short boyish hair was just combed through so it didn't look like a complete haystack.

Alright, let's do this, Na Ri internally said and then opened the door and stepped out in the external gallery. Her apartment was the one furthest away from the elevator and the staircase, but she didn't even think about that anymore.

After locking her door and taking a few steps forward, she suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she quickly stopped, a smile appearing on her face, until she saw the sender and immediately felt a little disappointed.

Na Ri let out a small sigh when she looked at the screen and then quickly put it back in her pocket, but before she could even take one step forward, she felt a sharp and brutal pain against her forehead before she fell backwards and landed directly on her butt.

While groaning in pain and trying to figure out what had just happened, she suddenly took notice of a tall figure in front of her, and when she was able to see more clearly, she realized it was a tall man hovering over her. He looked unfamiliar but she wasn't sure if that was because he had just moved in or because she simply didn't knew her neighbors at all, being the anti social person she was.

"Oh no, are you alright miss? I'm terribly sorry," said the man and closed the door behind him, the door that seemed to be the cause of this remaining pain in Na Ri's head.

"I shouldn't have opened my door quickly like that, I'm really sorry," the man continued apologizing while Na Ri just stared at him through her round spectacles, "here, let me help you get up-" The man didn't get that far as Na Ri had already started getting up on her own, but when he noticed her wavering eyes and saw how she had trouble regaining her balance, he rushed to her side.

"Are you dizzy? Here why don't I- Wait! Your bleeding from your forehead!" The man raised his voice even more and looked like the world was about to go under while Na Ri just kept an expressionless face.

"Wait here, hold on to the railing so you don't fall over, I'll be right back!" Na Ri wanted to stop the man but when she opened her mouth, no voice came out and before she could force herself to speak, the man had already disappeared inside his apartment and quickly returned with a bandage in his hand.

"Alright let me help you with this," he said and Na Ri felt her heart pounding in her chest when he walked closer to her. As her vision became blurry and every alarm clock inside her head went off, she froze on the spot, becoming a prisoner in her own body, unable to anything but watch. The man gently brushed aside her bangs and used a handkerchief to wipe away most of the blood. When he was done, he quickly applied the bandage.

"There you go," he said and stepped away but then noticed how all color had left Na Ri's face and how her eyes were flickering, "you don't look too good, let me get you something to drink real quick." And once again the man disappeared inside his apartment and returned, this time with a small water bottle that he opened and handed to Na Ri. At first she shook her head but when he insisted and kept holding the bottle in front of her, she eventually took it and emptied the entire bottle in one go.

"Should I take you to a hospital?" the man asked but Na Ri again shook her head, "normally I would insist on going, but your color seems to have returned so if you don't want to go then I won't make you." Na Ri looked at the man and he looked back at her with a smile that seemed both friendly but also a bit uneasy. After standing like that for a while Na Ri seemed to get back to her senses and looked at her phone. She almost lost her breath when she noticed the time, she had to hurry if she wanted to catch the first train.

She quickly bowed to the man and then walked towards the elevator. While waiting for the elevator to arrive, the man also walked up to the elevator and stood next to her in silence while he waited. Once they got on and the man pressed the "ground floor" button, he turned around and looked at Na Ri.

"I really am sorry for before," he said and looked a bit nervous, "it's just so like me, I just move in and the first thing I do is knock down my new neighbor with my door." Na Ri didn't know what to say and simply listened as the man rambled on about how sorry he was and about how he was a clumsy man in general. While he kept talking and the elevator kept moving, Na Ri for the first time took a closer look at the man. 

He was tall, at least 180cm when compared to her own height which was around 170, considered quite on the tall end for a girl. He had a round face and hazel brown eyes which looked so gentle and kind. Whenever he smiled, two dimples appeared and that only made him look even kinder. She overall felt a very gentle vibe coming from the man whenever he spoke and the more she looked at him, the more calm she became. But once the elevator came to a halt, Na Ri returned to herself and quickly ran out of the elevator, remembering that she was in a rush.

"Wait," the man yelled and Na Ri turned around, "are you sure you're okay? I can still take you to a hospital if you want." Na Ri just shook her head and then turned around, but just as she was about to take another step forward, she felt her foot being tangled in something, stumbled and fell, this time directly on her face.

Feeling embarrassed after just saying she was fine, Na Ri quickly got up, but the man was already right next to her, ready to help her.

"It seems like you're just as clumsy as me," he said with a chuckle and then got down on his knees. Na Ri looked confused for a while until she took notice of her shoes.

"your shoelaces got tangled," the man said while he untangled the laces and tying them on both her shoes, "alright, now you're ready to go. But be careful!"

Na Ri looked at the man who had helped her not once, but twice and she wanted to express her gratitude, so she opened her mouth to say thank you, but again, no sound came out. She tried again, but it was still no luck and the man began looking at her strangely.

"What's wrong? Are you still unwell? That's it, we're going to a hospital, now!" the man said and grabbed Na Ri's arm, ready to walk off with her.

"No!"

The man widened his eyes in shock when he heard the fragile and weak voice coming from Na Ri. He quickly let go of her hand and then simply looked at her while waiting for her to continue.

"Thank... you... for your help." Na Ri kept her eyes on the ground the whole time and when she finally got the whole sentence out, she was gasping for air, the man simply watching her in utter confusion.

"You're welcome," he said, "well I did cause the first accident so there's no reason to thank me for that and-" the man stopped talking when he noticed that Na Ri had already begun walking.

"I guess I'll just see you later then, neighbor!" Na Ri heard him shout from behind as she kept walking without looking back.

While the sweat was drenching her entire body, she tried focusing on the soothing sounds of Chopin's waltz in c-sharp minor, but it didn't help much as she was crammed together with just too many people on the train. If she had just been on time for the first train, it wouldn't have been half this many people and she would've been able to breathe normally throughout the ride.

Once she reached her stop and finally got outside in the fresh air, she took in a deep breath and tried calming down her racing heart. She quickly opened her bag and took out the hand sanitizer and used it to disinfect both her hands, before she pulled herself together and begun the walk toward her University.

"What does your schedule look like?"

"What did you do over the weekend?"

"Hey, do you want to walk to class together?"

"What's for lunch today?"

"Have you seen my new cellphone?"

"What are you doing after school?"

The many voices of the male and female students hit Na Ri as a wave when she walked through the door of her school building and even though she was wearing headphones, it wasn't enough for her to keep out all the noise. Walking through the crowd without a single pair of eyes landing on her she felt like she was invisible. One person even managed to bump into her while he was running down the hall, not caring enough to turn around and apologize, but Na Ri had more important things to worry about. She had to find her classroom, she had to face the students and she had to get through the day.

Looking at her schedule it seemed like her first class of the day would be the Shakespeare course she signed up for. While walking towards the auditorium, she looked at her schedule again and wondered why it didn't mention the name of the Professor. She already knew it would be Professor Lee, a sweet old man who had been teaching at the University for many years. Na Ri had met him in one of her early years where he taught her about 18th and 19th century English novel. He was a very calm man and his classes were always peaceful. That was also another reason why she had signed up for the Shakespeare course.

Another wave of chatters and noise hit Na Ri when she walked inside the auditorium and she suddenly didn't feel as calm as she did before. But she kept Professor Lee in mind while quietly walking to the back of the auditorium and sat in the in the corner furthest away from the rest of the students. As she noticed it was about time the class would begin, Na Ri turned off her music and put her headphones in her bag.

"Who's that girl," Na Ri heard someone in the same row as her, say.

"It's Song Na Ri, don't you know her? She's a legend around here."

"How so? She looks like a loner."

"She is, she never talks to anyone but she always comes first no matter what class and what subject."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's true."

"That's crazy," the person said, "anyway, did you hear that thing about Professor Lee retiring?"

"What? Is that why it there's no name on the schedule?"

"I guess. I'm curious to see who the new professor will be."

As Na Ri kept unintentionally eavesdropping on the two students' conversation, she took out her schedule again and looked at it. 

She couldn't believe it.

She wouldn't believe it. 

Was the lack of a name not just a simple mistake? Did Professor Lee really retire? Would the new Professor be someone she knew? Would it be someone she got along with? Would it be a newly hired Professor?

A hundred different thoughts flew through her mind while she felt her hands beginning to shake while the sweat was sliding down her forehead. But she didn't have time to keep on worrying, because soon enough the door opened and everyone's eyes turned to see who walked in. Na Ri did the same and her heartbeat increased with the speed of the light when she realized that the man who walked inside was no other than her new neighbor. 

She heard the other students whisper, but she wasn't able to detect or understand anything since both sound and her vision had turned into a complete blur.

"Good morning everyone, my name is Kim Namjoon and I will be in charge of this course, taking over for Professor Lee who retired," Namjoon said as he gazed around in the auditorium and he suddenly took notice of Na Ri who was staring directly at him. When they locked eyes for a minute Namjoon couldn't hold back a silent laugh and he then smiled even brighter as he said:

"I hope to get along well with all of you throughout this semester. Now, let's begin!"

Hello everyone!

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Remember to stay warm and eat healthy and take care of yourself. Stay safe.

Also, don't forget to leave a comment down below.

Love, Annalise~