Chapter Text
A/N:just for clarification; whenever you are speaking English it will look like this: English
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Being an exchange student wasn't something you wanted to do, let alone for a good half of the school year.
When your parents heard that your school was offering students to be sent to South Korea, you begged and pleaded not to be sent, you didn't even know how to speak Korean!
"You have a couple of months to learn it. Whether you actually take the time is your problem but you're going and that's final", those are the words of your parents and it made you more angry as you sat on the plane.
Your headphones had died and you wished the charging would go quicker, you were landing soon but it would still be a while before you even managed to get off the plane.
The plane landed with a thud and you really wish you had fought a bit more to not be sent to a country by yourself with only a little knowledge on how to speak and read Korean.
You looked down at your phone, seeing it had automatically changed time. Turning off airplane mode, you saw many messages from your friends and family from back home. It was mostly you friends wishing you luck and to not stress too much but they're words were doing little to ease your nerves.
You heard the flight attendant say something over the speaker but chose not to listen, too busy worrying about the family you would be living with and the school you would be going to.
Finally, they began letting people leave the plane.
'This is really happening...I'm in fucking Korea".
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Waiting for your luggage took awhile as you had also brought you archery equipment. You were persistent on bringing it as you loved archery and, if you had the guts, you were thinking of joining the schools archery team.
You saw your bag and it was a struggle to try and lift it.
"I definitely packed too much..", in all honesty, you didn't know what you would need. I mean, you didn't want to bring some boring outfits but then what classified as non boring outfits? You might have overpacked in terms of clothes.
Trying to navigate through the airport proved to be easier than you thought but you still felt extremely out of place.
The airport was packed, it was going to be hard finding the family you were supposed to be staying with since you've never seen these people before.
You moved your head to try and see if anyone was holding a sign up with your name or anything. Though, you couldn't see anything.
You felt very nervous but someone tapped your shoulder.
"Hello! Your L/n Y/n right?", a lady with long jet black hair and brown eyes was smiling brightly at you.
You just stared at her for a second as you translated what she said in your head.
"Ah, yes I'm L/n Y/n", you awkwardly smiled back and she seemed to beam at this.
"It's so nice to meet you! My name is Jeong Seoyun, this is my husband Jeong Kwang and our daughter Ha-rin, she's your age", this sentence was much longer and she spoke quicker than you were use to but you managed to get the gist of what she was saying.
"Nice to meet you too, Mrs Jeong", you said politely.
"No need for the formalities Y/n, we're going to be family for the next month or so", you just nodded at her words and Kwang took your suitcase for you.
You all walked out of the airport with Seoyun and Kwang walking ahead. Ha-rin walked beside you after her mother forced her to make conversation with you.
"I'm Ha-rin", she said out of the blue.
You turned to her and gave her a kind smile.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Y/n".
"Your Korean is really good", she complimented.
"Really?! I don't think so.."
"I'm serious! How long did you study it for?".
"Not long since I only knew about coming here a couple of months ago".
"Can you read and write as well?".
You gave her a nod and she seemed super impressed.
"And you speak English?! Wow, you gonna have to help me with my homework then", you giggled at her excitement.
"Then you have to help me with my Korean", you stuck out your pinkie and she accepted it gladly.
"Deal!", Ha-rin smiled.
"Maybe this won't be so bad after all..."
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The trip in the car wasn't as awkward as it seemed, granted, there were some words you had problems translating but you still managed to understand them.
The Jeong's house was two stories and had a beautiful garden. Ha-rin showed you to the room you would be staying in and it had posters of all kinds hung up on the walls. A bookshelf was standing in the corner with books of both English and Korean. A single bed was placed in the middle of the room with flower duvet covers and some teddies placed on the pillows. A wooden wardrobe stood beside the bed on the left side and a bedside locker on the right. It was a cosy room that you already liked.
"Thank you for helping me carry up my bags", you said to Ha-rin as she put your archery bag leaning against a wall.
"It's no problem. Your uniform should be hanging up in the wardrobe there, it should fit, tell me if it doesn't", Ha-rin pointed to the wardrobe. She seemed to be more comfortable talking to you freely now.
You gave her your thanks and she left so you could unpack. You started school in a couple of days and that's what you would be dreading the most.
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"So, school is tomorrow. How are you feeling about it Y/n?", Seoyun asked you from across the dining room table.
You paused to think before answering.
"To be honest, I'm a bit worried. After all, I'm not great with change and I never liked school, even back home", you let out a laugh and everyone did the same.
"Don't worry", Seoyun began. "Ha-rin will be there with you, follow her around if you feel nervous".
You felt very grateful and lucky that you managed to be staying with someone who had a child your age. It made life easier.
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You had been staring at the roof of the bedroom you were staying in for a while now. Your light was turned off but your mind wouldn't relax, even when the bed was so comfortable.
You let out a groan as you turned on your side and reached for your phone.
It read: 01:21.
It wasn't too late but you really didn't want to be recked tired on your first day but your nerves wouldn't let you go to sleep.
'I'll just day dream for a while or something'.
Thankfully, you did eventually get to sleep, even if it was only a couple of hours.
Your nerves were worse now than they were last night as your leg kept bouncing when you were having your breakfast.
"The walk to school is about 15 minutes, I apologise that I can't drop you", Kwang stated as he fixed his tie.
"It's fine, 15 minutes isn't long", you've definitely walked longer.
You thanked him for the offer and turned to where Ha-rin was putting her shoes on at the entrance of the house.
You put on the school shoes they had for you; which were spares of Ha-rin. They didn't fit you exactly but you weren't one to complain.
Grabbing your school bag, you followed Ha-rin out the door.
"Have a good first day at school, Y/n!", Soyeon said from behind you.
You smiled but Ha-rin yelled back a 'what about me!', as you grabbed her arm.
You both made the trip to school in a cheerful manner. Your nerves weren't gone but you did feel a bit at ease that Ha-rin was by your side.
You admired the view on your walk to school, the scenery was lovely and you both soon joined many others that were walking.
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The school was big, much bigger than you expected it to be.
You noticed you got some glances from the other students but you tried your best to ignore them.
"I really wish I was in my bed at home right now..", you mutter but Ha-rin managed to hear you.
"What did you say?", she asked.
"Ah, I was just saying how I'd rather be at home in bed", Ha-rin let out a laugh and linked your arm with hers.
"Don't be stressed Y/n, I'll be here to help you and so will my friend!", you forgot that you would also have to meet Ha-rin's friend which you were nervous as well for.
You took a deep breathe and let Ha-rin pull you in the door.
You followed Ha-rin to where your base class would be and your nerves felt like there were going to jump out of your body.
"We're here Y/n", she said cheerfully as you gripped your bag strap tighter and followed behind her, like a shadow.
The people already in there said their hello's to Ha-rin but once they saw you, they stared.
"Just kill me right now..".
"Y/n, your seat's here at the back, sorry you're not beside me", Ha-rin sent you a pitiful gaze but you assured her you would be okay beside the window.
You put your bag on your desk and sat down, Ha-rin still stayed beside your desk until another girl with short brown hair came up to her.
"Hey Ha-rin", her gazed move to you. "Is this the new exchange student?", like Soyeon, she too spoke quickly and you almost missed what she said.
"Yeah, this is Y/n. She's gonna be living with me for the next while", the girl sent you a bright smile and introduced herself.
"Hello, my name is Jeongyun", you gave her a smile back, seeing that she was nice too like Ha-rin.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Y/n".
"So", Jeongyun took a seat in the desk in front of you.
"How many languages do you speak?", she already seemed very interested with you.
"Just two, English and a little bit of Korean".
"Wow, you're Korean's really good, do you know how to read it? I can help since I'll be in front of you", you were very glad that Jeongyun was in front of you and you wouldn't have to start a conversation with a stranger.
"Thanks".
"In exchange, please help me with my English", Ha-rin seemed to shout at this, complaining that she said that first.
You laughed, feeling less nervous.
The presence of someone coming in caught your attention.
It was a boy. He had a big smile and very bright eyes. He was tall, very tall and had dark short hair.
He made eye contact with you but you immediately turned your head back to the two girls, feeling embarrassed that he caught you staring.
Nothing more happened as the teacher came in, saying how you were the exchange student and then the classes began.
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"Alright make sure to have this done for Wednesday", the teacher shut his book and left quickly.
The class burst into chaos as the students began to leave for lunch.
Jeongyun turned around to you immediately and Ha-rin walked over to you two.
"Let's go for lunch Y/n", you nodded and grabbed your water bottle from your bag and followed the two girls out.
"You hungry?", Ha-rin asked.
"Mhm, I'm actually very hungry. Is your lunch free?".
"Yes! Are your lunches back home not?".
"No sadly, and there are so expensive for such ass food", you were jealous they got their food for free.
The two girls let out a laugh at your complaint.
"Well, enjoy the good food then while you can".
"I definitely will".
The lunch was lovely and there was a huge array of food which made your mouth water.
After you all finished eating and had cleaned up, the three of you decided to head back to the classroom for a bit of peace and quiet.
"Hey, where are the bathrooms again?", you interrupted the little 'argument' Jeongyun and Ha-rin were having but you knew it was all in good fun.
"They're just down the hall to the right. Do you need me to go with you?", Ha-rin was about to stand up but you stopped her.
"I want to remember where they are, thanks though", you left and headed out into the hall.
You shook your hands dry, not liking how cold they were after. You fixed your hair, flattening down the top of it and making your way out of the bathroom.
Maybe you were walking too quickly but you managed to bump right into the arm of someone.
You immediately panicked and apologised.
"Oh I'm so sorry", you said and looked up at who it was.
'It's the tall guy from this morning', you thought as you stared at him.
He smiled kindly back at you, causing you to feel more embarrassed and maybe turn a little red.
"It's okay, don't worry. You're the new exchange student right?", you nodded and he gave you his hand to shake.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Cha Hyun-Su", he flashed you his gorgeous smile.
"I'm L/n Y/n but you can just use my first name", you said as it would feel weird to have him call you by your last name.
"Okay Y/n, if you need any help just let-..", Hyun-Su was interrupted as Ha-rin called your name from down the hall.
"I thought you got lost Y/n", she looked up at Hyun-Su and bowed her head slightly.
"See you later Y/n", he gave a wave and one more glance and left.
"He seems nice", you said.
"He is! And very handsome~", Ha-rin wiggled her eyebrows at you but you pushed her away as she laughed.
'She's not wrong though, he is very good looking'.
"Come on, Jeongyun will yell at us if we are gone for too long", Ha-rin locked arms with you and began pulling you back to the classroom.
When you entered back into the classroom though, Hyun-Su was there, chatting with some of his friends. You stared at him as he laughed at something his friends has said. He turned his head slightly and saw you standing, he sent you a wave and a smile and you just had to return it.
"What's going on here~", Ha-rin whispered, but you ignored her and sat down in your seat.
Jeongyun looked confused as you sat down and Ha-rin sent you teasing glances.
"What happened?", Jeongyun asked.
"Oh nothing, just Y/n and Hyun-Su becoming friends~", Jeongyun giggled at Ha-rin.
"He's a really nice dude Y/n and super outgoing, I'm not surprised he's trying to be friends with you", Jeongyun explained. You didn't mind the fact that Hyun-Su wanted to be your friend, it was just you couldn't get his pretty smile and eyes out of your mind.
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The weeks you spent in Korean kept going fast as you started to enjoy your time more and more there.
You began getting very close with Ha-rin and Jeongyun and you three did nearly everything together. You also became somewhat of an English tutor for them both as you would help them a lot with their English work. You even joined the archery club they had here, but, since you weren't staying, you couldn't be in their team.
Your friendship with Hyun-Su kept growing as you both moved from saying good morning to each other when you came into school; to hello's when passing each other in the hall; to eventually going up to him to ask for help and just sparking random conversations if you were beside each other or saw him sitting by himself, waiting for his friends. Granted, his smile and sparkling eyes still made you a bit nervous but you felt calmer as you got to know him.
He could say the same about you.
He first said hello to you out of his kindness and his personality, but, he later started doing it as he liked your personality and especially liked your company. You were a nice person to be around; always very helpful and friendly and you even got more energetic and outgoing the more you two talked.
But, something happened.
You noticed slowly that Hyun-Su was getting less and less happier but it was subtle. Less friends hung around him and even spoke to him. His eyes, which were once so full of happiness, seemed to be clouded with something you couldn't put you finger on.
Most people didn't notice the change at first but you were observant enough as you got bored alot in the classroom and would look around.
You picked up that Hyun-Su's attitude began to changed when a new student moved into your class. You never learned his name but you immediately got a bad vibe from him. He was cocky and seemed very full of himself and he soon seemed to hang around with Hyun-Su's so called 'friends'.
You noticed this when you, Jeongyun and Ha-rin were just aimlessly walking around the school. You saw the new student and some of Hyun-Su’s friends chatting and laughing loudly in the hallways. You couldn't hear what they were saying but you knew it was no good. They seemed to be watching and pointing to something on their phones.
When you greeted Hyun-Su in the mornings, his response would be short and his voice wasn't as warm as it use to be. It even got to the point where he wouldn't answer you. You also felt some one staring at you whenever you would go up to Hyun-Su to try and start a conversation with him but that never stopped you from trying to talk to Hyun-Su.
"Do you guys notice Hyun-Su’s change in personality?", you said out of the blue in your empty classroom.
"Yeah, I did", Jeongyun spoke up.
"I've noticed that as well. I wonder what happened to make his personality switch like that", Ha-rin questioned as she frowned slightly.
You let out a hum, not knowing what to say.
You mindlessly gazed at the door to your classroom, just to see the new student and his friends walking back from who knows where. They were laughing and seemed to be patting the new student on the back. He was wiping his hands as well but you managed to see that the tissue had dark stains on them. You didn't like the look of it.
"I'm going to the bathroom", you stood up and didn't wait for an answer as you walked out the door.
To your shock, you saw a small, but subtle, trail of blood on the floor.
You followed it the boys bathroom and paused for a second, but you went in anyways.
You certainly did not expect to see Hyunsu lying on the dirty bathroom floor with one of his shoes covered in water. He also seemed to have some cuts and bruises but it was hard to see his face as he was curled up on the floor.
You immediately rushed down to his aid, afraid he had passed out.
"Hyun-Su", you spoke gently but had urgency laced in your voice as you shook him by the shoulders.
He hadn't passed out; thank god; as he opened his eyes, you could tell he was in deep pain but he held his arm out, almost as if to push you away.
You looked down at his outstretched arm in shock.
"What are you doing?"
He didn't answer straight away, seeming too weak to keep his arm out so you gently moved him into a sitting position, pushing his back up against the wall.
You inspected what had happened to him and his face was in shambles. His lips had been cut open and his nose had blood dripping out of it, some of it even getting into his mouth as he let out short breaths.
"Come on, we need to get you to the nurse", you tried to think of what would be the easiest way to help him up as he wasn't exactly 'small'.
"No...", he spoke in almost a whisper as he tried to push you away again.
"No? Does it hurt to walk?".
"You can't be seen with me...Kim Do-hun...he'll hurt you if he sees you with me".
'Kim Do-hun? Ah, he must be that transfer student', your suspicions were right and you felt awful for Hyun-Su.
"Don't you worry about that. Right now, we need to worry about you and getting you some help", you emphasised that he was the one hurt and needed to be treated.
He didn't seem very reluctant at the start but he saw how persistent your gaze was and he eventually gave in.
You hooked his arm around your shoulders as you tired to steady him but the height difference made it difficult.
It was a trek to the nurse's office as you had to stop a couple of times. Hyun-Su also seemed to be looking around in case Kim Do-hun appeared, he was worried he would start to hurt you as well if he found out you two were close.
You slid open the door and called for the nurse but she wasn't there.
"Just our luck", you were pissed that the one time you need the nurse, she wasn't there. Nevertheless, you dragged Hyun-Su into the small room and laid him on the bed.
"Stay there, I'll get some ointment for your cuts", you made sure Hyun-Su was comfortable as you searched for something to clean and ease the pain he was feeling.
You decided to stay clear of any medicine as you didn't want to give anything that would make him worse but you did manage to find some cream, plasterers and rubbing alcohol.
You did read the instructions on the back but you knew how to use them.
You walk quickly over to Hyun-Su who was watching your every move.
You pulled a chair over to the bed he was still sitting on.
"I'm gonna put the rubbing alcohol on now, tell me if it hurts", you said quietly as you put some of the rubbing alcohol on his face.
You made sure you weren't putting much pressure on it as he flinched slightly.
You were already nervous about hurting him but Hyun-Su made it worse but staring at you.
You didn't know what he was looking at, did you have something on your face?
"How long has it been going on?", you knocked Hyun-Su out of the trance of staring at you.
"A while", he kept his answers short and lowered his gaze, not wanting you to see him in this state.
You stop to look at him for a minute before you asked your next question.
"Why did you stop talking to me?", this caused Hyun-Su to not answer you so you stopped cleaning his wounds to stare at him.
He noticed your gaze and soon realised that you wouldn't take his silence as an answer.
"Kim Do-hun threatened many people who were once close to me that he would beat them too. I didn't want that to happen to you", he lifted his eyes cautiously, trying to read your face.
"You should have just told me, he doesn't scare me and that's not enough for me to stop being friends while you. So please, stop ignoring me", you gave him a smile and hoped he would listen to you.
"You're right, I'm sorry I avoided you", he looked very ashamed while you comforted him.
"It's alright".
"I won't avoid you from now on, I promise", Hyunsu said with some determination in his eye.
You stared at him before giving him a smile but you wished you could feel more excited but you couldn't. After all, this was your last time seeing Hyun-Su.
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The goodbye you shared with the Jeong family and Jeongyun was sad. You never realised you would be wishing you could stay just a bit longer.
You hugged Jeongyun for so long as she wouldn't let go.
"We will miss you a lot Y/n", Seoyun said as she hugged you two.
"If you ever plan to come back, just know you are free to stay with us", Kwang said as you two shared a brief hug.
"Thank you so much for looking after me and making my trip memorable", you said as you teared up slight at the sight of Jeongyun crying.
Ha-rin was the last to hug you, she held you so tight.
"I know you'll be back Y/n", she said hopefully as you nodded.
"Did you tell Cha Hyun-Su?", she asked but you shook your head. You didn't want to accept the fact you would never see him again, it was too painful.
Ha-rin nodded understandingly.
The goodbyes went on for a while until you had to leave for your gate. It was hard as you really didn't want to leave them but you had to.
"I'll be back, I promise", you said to them one last time before you left from their sight.
And you were right.
After you finished school back home and turned eighteen, you decided you wanted to study in Korea.
When Ha-rin heard the news, she was ecstatic and said it was an amazing idea.
You were worried about getting somewhere to live but Ha-rin said she had it sorted. In an apartment complex called 'Green Home'.
When you told your parents they were skeptical about sending you over; even thought they sent you over by yourself when you were still a minor.
So, here you are again, waiting for the plan to land; getting extreme Deja Vu but this time, you were excited.
Ha-rin offered to drive you to Green Home but you stated you wanted to be able to find it yourself.
When arriving, you saw that the apartment complex was large and looked to have many small apartments. The building was a bright green and had many trees surrounding it.
When you entered, the entrance was huge and many people were walking around. It even had a small shop which would come in handy.
You walked over to the receptionist who handed you your keys and asked you to sign a few things.
A man in a police uniform walked up to and introduced himself, saying he takes care of the garden and the residents here. He was a kind man.
"If you ever lose your key, you'll know where to find me", he said kindly as you walked to the lift.
Your excitement grew as your were approaching the floor Ha-rin's apartment was on but another feeling of Deja Vu crossed you as your almost walking right into someones arm when exiting the lift.
"Oh sorry..", you trialed off as you looked up at the person who was coming out of the other lift. He had his head down, making sure not to make eye contact with you. He had a curly, wolf cut type of hair and was tall. He had some sort of familiarity to him.
When he turned the corner you managed to see a bit of his face and you stopped in your tracks, eyes wide.
You rushed to the apartment you would be sharing with Ha-rin and unlocked the door.
"Y/n!!! You're finally here!!", you didn't say anything as she hugged you.
"What's wrong?", she asked as she looked at your face.
"I think I just saw Cha Hyun-Su".