PWAEEEEET! The bell for the first period rang, the sharp, melodic chime making me jump.
Jun-seo's "president" mask shattered. He was staring at the new kid as if he'd just seen a ghost. "...Leo?" Jun-seo breathed, his voice stripped of all its formal polish. "Han Leo... is that you?"
The defiant, slouching kid, who had looked at me with such disdain, suddenly stood up straighter. "Jun-seo?" he whispered.
San, the awkward third wheel, just stood there, his new Samsung in his hand. "Uh... so... you two know each other?"
"Know him?" Jun-seo said, his eyes still locked on Leo. He switched to fluent, natural English. "We went to junior high together. Before he moved to the States." He looked back at Leo, a real, warm, unguarded smile spreading across his face, making his cut lip pull. "What are you doing here? Your dad said you were staying in L.A.!"
Leo scoffed, but his own surprise was obvious. "Mom's idea," he muttered in English. "'Find my roots' or whatever. I'm... I'm at Kirin now. Class 1-C."
"A student? Here?" Jun-seo looked like he'd been hit by a bus, but in a good way. "So that's why Mrs. Choi suddenly asked San… Wow. It's... it's good to see you, man."
"Yeah," Leo said, a small, reluctant smile breaking through his 'too-cool' facade. "You too, hyung."
Jun-seo held up a hand.
The "president" clicked back into place, but it was a different version—less politician, more big brother.
"Don't worry about the bell," he said. "You're with me."
"What?" I asked.
"You're the 'Representative of Foreign Students,' right?" Jun-seo said, his logic quick and decisive. "And I'm the Student President. It's our duty to give our new student a proper orientation, especially one who missed the assembly. Ms. Choi will understand."
"But... Mrs. Smith?" I remembered out math teacher name that I saw on the paper with schedule Jun-seo gave me yesterday.
"I'll handle them," he said, with a confidence I was starting to realize was 100% genuine. "Let's go." He didn't walk toward a classroom. He turned and pushed open the main doors, leading us out into the bright, sunny September morning, toward the main garden.
We were skipping. We were officially skipping.
"You never got your real tour yesterday, San," Jun-seo said as we walked. "Let's do this right."
We walked past the main hall, Jun-seo pointing out the arts wing, the sports complex, the library.
"So," Leo said, his hands shoved in his hoodie pockets. "You still hanging out with the same crowd?" Jun-seo's smile tightened, just a fraction.
"Pretty much. Not much has changed."
"How's Ha-neul?"
"She's... Ha-neul," Jun-seo said, a small, fond laugh in his voice. "She's vice president of our class. You'll see her."
"And... Myung-Dae?" Jun-seo stopped walking for a split second. His hand unconsciously touched his cut lip.
"...He's here," Jun-seo said, his voice flat.
"Here? At Kirin?" Leo sounded genuinely shocked. "Seriously? I thought he'd be... I don't know, in a punk band in Hongdae by now.
"He's in our class," Jun-seo said.
"Wow." Leo whistled, a low, impressed sound. "So, you two are still best friends?"
"We manage," Jun-seo said curtly, clearly changing the subject. "Look, that's the recital hall over there."
"What about Yoo Chae-rin?" Leo asked, ignoring the tour. "Is she still the 'princess'?"
The tension in Jun-seo's shoulders broke, and he laughed.
"You have no idea. She's exactly the same, but with more expensive clothes."
"Is she still with Min-gyu?" Jun-seo looked surprised.
"Han Min-gyu? Yeah. How did you know that? He's a first-year here, in her wing."
"She told me last time I visited," Leo said with a shrug. "Called me to complain about him for an hour. Said he was too 'immature.' But she's still dating him?"
"Looks like it," Jun-seo said. "You missed the event of the semester yesterday. Our new friend here..." He proceeded to recount, in vivid detail, the kimchi-jjigae incident . Leo stared at me, his eyes wide.
"You... you dumped kimchi stew on Yoo Chae-rin?"
"It was an accident!" I protested.
"And then," Jun-seo added, his voice full of mock-seriousness, "he called her 'deoreowo'."
Leo's face, which had been sullen and cool, cracked. He snorted. Then he burst out laughing—a real, loud, barking laugh that echoed in the quiet garden.
"Dude!" Leo gasped, wiping his eye. "You called her filthy? I... wow. I think I'm gonna like this guy."
I felt a ridiculous, stupid surge of pride.
"Come on," Jun-seo said, smiling, the tension of the morning finally gone. "Let me show you the music wing. Since you're both... guitarists."