Hi, my name is Ha Yoon.
Hi, Ha Yoon.
"Just call me Yoon," she said, settling on the staircase with a calm, unreadable expression.
"Okay," I replied, hesitating. "I… I will be going inside."
"Are you sure you would be comfortable in there?" Yoon asked, looking at me steadily, as if she could peer right through my thoughts.
I stopped, caught off guard by the question.
"Sorry, what do you mean by that?" I asked cautiously.
Yoon watched me for a moment, her eyes narrow, unblinking. "I watched the way you ran out of your room, so that's why I asked. You can sit with me here. I'm a transferred student, and trust me, you're the first I'm talking to."
I hesitated for a second, then gently lowered myself onto the stairs beside her. I could feel her gaze on me, steady and almost intense, and my stomach twisted with a strange combination of curiosity and unease.
"Transferred student?" I asked, trying to keep my voice casual as I looked at her. She didn't look young—maybe twenty, maybe a little older—but there was something in her posture that didn't feel like someone just moving in.
"Yes. Transferred. I just came in, and my room is the one before yours," she said, her voice calm but precise.
I noticed the empty room next to mine—locked for as long as I could remember. It made me pause. "And why are you resuming now?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Nothing. I've been busy with… something. I hope we can be friends," she said, extending her hand.
I took her hand, and something in the way she held it made me feel… cautious. Protective, almost. "Friends, sure," I replied, keeping my tone light though my chest felt tight.
Yoon stood up suddenly. "Let's go to the cafe together. I feel like eating something, or do you still want to go into that room?" she asked, her small smile almost disarming.
I hesitated, then nodded. "No, I… yes, I will follow you."
We walked to the cafeteria together. Yoon ordered some food, but I couldn't bring myself to eat. My eyes scanned the room, searching desperately for Jan. My fingers reached for my phone to call her number again—it didn't go through.
"You looking for someone?" Yoon asked, tilting her head slightly.
"No… just my friend. I haven't seen her since after school," I said, keeping my voice low.
"Maybe she decided not to be seen," Yoon said, smiling faintly.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Oh, I—please don't tell me you're the type that's too serious and can't recognize sarcasm," she said, her smile teasing yet controlled, almost rehearsed.
I ignored her comment and turned back to scanning the cafeteria. Jan wasn't anywhere to be found. My fingers itched to try her number again, but I didn't dare.
"Jina, you know you need to calm down," Yoon said, almost casually, her voice dropping a few octaves, carrying a weight I couldn't quite place.
I turned sharply at the sound of my name. "I… I can't remember telling you my name."
Yoon's gaze met mine, emotionless. "I didn't say you did. Before I tapped you at the stairs, a student passed by and called you, but I guess you were too deep in thought to hear it."
I looked at her for a long moment, studying her. She was strange, yes, but… strangely deliberate. Every word, every movement, measured.
"Okay, but I need to go," I said, standing abruptly. "I need to find my friend."
"I can escort you, if you don't mind," Yoon said, rising to stand beside me. Her calm, deliberate presence made my pulse quicken slightly. "Remember, I told you I'm new, and I don't have any friends here."
"You just bought what you wanted to eat," I said, trying to mask the unease rising in my chest.
"If you would wait a little, fine. I can finish, then we can go together. Or, if you insist, I can go with you and leave the food," she said, tilting her head, her expression calm but unsettling.
I hesitated, then nodded. "You won. I'll sit," I said, lowering myself back into the chair.
Yoon sat as well, smiling as she began eating her food. The casual act of chewing made the air around her feel… almost normal, but my instincts screamed otherwise.
"You said you're not hungry?" She asked, her voice quieter now, studying her closely.
"No, I'm okay," i replied,
I tried to convince myself she looked harmless. Cheerful, even. Innocent. Maybe she really was just a new student who needed someone to talk to.
My mind drifted to Jan. I tried her number again. Still no connection. My thoughts ran to the promise I made to always know where my friend was, and how I had failed to track her down today.
"You must be so protective of your friend," Yoon said suddenly, her voice cutting through my racing thoughts. "Is there a reason for that, or is that just how you treat people around you?"
I looked at her, startled by the precision of her observation. "She's not just a friend. She's like a sister," I said quietly, averting my eyes.
Yoon held my gaze for a moment, her expression unreadable, then she dropped her spoon. "Okay… let's go. I think I'm done eating, and you looked worried."
"Are you sure you're done?" I asked, keeping my voice calm though my heart still thudded erratically.
"Yes. Jina, come on. Let's go," she said, standing and offering her hand.
I took it, feeling the odd firmness in her grip. She led the way through the corridors with a certainty that made me uneasy. Her pace was deliberate, almost rehearsed, and every shadow seemed to bend slightly toward her as we passed. At first, I was amazed at how natural she moved through the school's labyrinthine hallways, but the sensation quickly turned into unease.
She looked harmless. Cool. Calm. Friendly.