First Impression
413 Words
By lunchtime, the entire school already knew her name.
"The scholarship girl."
"The poor transfer student."
"The one who doesn't belong here."
Seo-yeon sat quietly in the cafeteria, eating the simple lunch she had packed from home.
Suddenly, a tray landed on her table.
Three girls stood before her.
The girl from yesterday folded her arms.
Her name was Yoo Na-ri.
One of the most popular girls in school.
"So this is where you're hiding."
Seo-yeon slowly looked up.
The cafeteria became quiet.
Everyone was watching.
Na-ri glanced at Seo-yeon's lunch and laughed.
"You actually bring food from home?"
The girls beside her giggled.
"That's cute."
Seo-yeon remained silent.
Na-ri's smile slowly faded.
She hated being ignored.
"You know," she said, leaning closer, "you should remember your place."
Still no response.
Na-ri suddenly grabbed Seo-yeon's lunch box.
The food spilled onto the table.
Gasps filled the cafeteria.
Seo-yeon stared at the mess.
For a few seconds, she said nothing.
Then slowly...
she stood up.
Everyone held their breath.
Na-ri smirked.
"What? Are you angry?"
Seo-yeon finally spoke.
Her voice was soft.
But her eyes were steady.
"Are you done?"
The smile on Na-ri's face disappeared.
"...What?"
"I asked if you're done."
Nobody had ever spoken to Na-ri like that.
"You think being rich gives you the right to treat people badly?"
The entire cafeteria went silent.
Seo-yeon picked up her lunch box.
"You can laugh at my clothes."
She looked directly into Na-ri's eyes.
"You can laugh at my background."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"But don't mistake my silence for weakness."
For the first time...
Na-ri felt strangely intimidated.
Seo-yeon continued.
"I came here to study."
"Not to fight."
"But if you want to make my life difficult..."
She paused.
"I won't run away."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The students stared at her in shock.
Even Na-ri herself was speechless.
Then—
A chair moved.
Everyone turned.
Near the window sat Kang Min-jun.
No one had noticed him before.
One hand resting against his cheek, he looked completely uninterested.
Yet...
his eyes remained on Seo-yeon.
For a brief moment, something unreadable flashed across his face.
Interest.
Then he looked away.
As if none of this concerned him.
Seo-yeon picked up her bag and quietly left the cafeteria.
The room remained silent.
A few seconds later—
Na-ri clenched her fists.
For the first time in her life...
someone had embarrassed her in front of everyone.
And she had no intention of letting it go.
- Writer
