TENACITY

The Girl Everyone Stared At Alicia Nalubowa stepped out of the taxi and stared at the massive gates of Seoul International University. Everything looked too perfect. Tall glass buildings. Students walking confidently across campus. Conversations in fast Korean she could barely follow. She tightened her grip on her suitcase. “Okay Alicia… you survived Uganda. You can survive this too,” she whispered to herself. But the moment she stepped inside the campus courtyard… The whispers started. “Is she African?” “Why is she here?” “International student?” Alicia pretended not to hear them. Back home in Uganda she had been strong. Independent. But here… she suddenly felt very small. She checked the map on her phone again. International dorms. Left building. Third floor. She was so focused on her phone that she didn’t notice someone standing in front of her. Crash. Her suitcase rolled forward and hit a pair of expensive black shoes. Alicia looked up. The tall boy staring down at her looked like he had stepped out of a magazine. Sharp jawline. Perfect hair. Cold eyes. He didn’t look angry. He looked annoyed. “You should watch where you’re going,” he said calmly. His Korean accent was perfect, but his English was even better. Alicia quickly picked up her suitcase. “I’m sorry,” she said. The boy studied her for a moment, clearly noticing she wasn’t Korean. Then he said something strange. “You’re the new scholarship student.” It wasn’t a question. It sounded like a fact. “How do you know that?” Alicia asked. Before he could answer, another voice interrupted. “Because everyone on campus is talking about you.” A second boy walked toward them with an easy smile. Unlike the first one, this one looked friendly. Too friendly. “I’m Kang Jae-hyun,” he said, extending his hand. Then he pointed to the quiet boy beside her. “And this grumpy guy is Park Min-ho.” Min-ho didn’t react. He just stared at Alicia like she was a puzzle he couldn’t solve. Alicia slowly shook Jae-hyun’s hand. For a moment everything felt normal. Until Jae-hyun leaned closer and whispered: “Just a warning… this university doesn’t like outsiders.” Then he smiled again. Like he hadn’t just said something unsettling. Across from them, Min-ho’s expression darkened. And for the first time, Alicia had the strange feeling that coming to Korea… might have been the beginning of the biggest mistake of her life.