By the time they arrived, they were late.

  They stood at the school gate, watching the PE teachers walking around with rulers, menacingly tapping them against their palms as they looked down at a row of kneeling students.

  “This is his fault,” she said, still fuming. Why does someone like that just have to appear before they can arrive in school? Now they’re late.

  “Maybe if you had let it go and be a kind girl. Befitting of your appearance. This wouldn’t have happened.”

  She looks at him, dumbfounded

  ‘You’re blaming me? The Victim?! What happened to the guy earlier who tried to act all tough???’

  But still, feeling a little guilty, she asked: “Okay, fine. So, how do we get inside?”

  The most important matter right now is to get to class.

  “Follow me.”

  They skirted around the perimeter of the school until they reached a rusted section of the metal fence hidden by bushes.

  “You’re not serious, are you?” she asked, completely out of words.

  “What do you mean? It’s perfect!”

  Ji-Soo: “...” How can kid Ha-Joon be so different from the current Ha-Joon… he’s not seriously telling me to climb over this metal fence with sharp, pointy spikes at the top, will he? On a skirt at that? Is he crazy?

  “I’m a girl, not a ninja!” How she wished she still had her male body.

  “Didn’t you always tell me to call you brother? Why the complaint?”

  Before she could argue further, he tossed his backpack over the fence and extended his hand toward her. "Give me your bag."

  She glared at him.

  He wiggled his fingers expectantly.

  "…I hate you," she said, accepting his hand.

  After a brief, undignified struggle and two near-impalement incidents, she finally made it to the other side.

  They brushed themselves off, checked for witnesses, and began creeping across the back of the campus toward the main building. At the hallway junction, they split up. Ha-Joon headed toward the third-year classrooms, Ji-Soo turning right toward the first-years.

  *******

  Ji-Soo is currently trying to sneak into the classroom. Class 1-A.

  Inside, everyone was diligently taking notes while the teacher was lecturing and writing on the chalkboard.

  It’s the first day of school, and we’re already studying? Don’t they think that’s too much?!

  But anyway, taking a deep breath, she decided to make her move. She slid the door open—quietly, gently—and began to tiptoe inside. She timed her steps perfectly with the teacher’s movements, freezing whenever the woman stopped writing.

  The entire classroom, except for a few sleeping delinquents in the back, turned to stare at her. Their eyes widened as if they were seeing an alien.

  “Shhh! Quiet!” Ji-Soo mouthed aggressively, holding a finger to her lips. Don't blow my cover!

  But then, the chalk stopped clicking, and the teacher turned around slowly.

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  Ji-Soo froze mid-step, one leg hovering in the air like a startled crane.

  This is it! Time to execute the Ultimate Skill I perfected in my past life that I got from watching Tiktoki!

  Without missing a beat, Ji-Soo placed her foot down, spun 180 degrees on her heel, and began walking back toward the door. She moved with such natural, casual confidence that it didn't look like she had just entered the class late; it looked like she was actually leaving it.

  Just keep walking. Don't make eye contact. You were never here.

  “Stop right there,” the teacher said, firm and as sharp as a blade. “Where are you going? Go back to your seat!”

  She gives an awkward smile.

  ‘Success!!’

  But–

  “Is that what you thought I was gonna say?” The female teacher smirked devilishly. “Go and kneel outside for the remainder of the period immediately! Keep your backpack on your head and don’t let it drop. If it drops, I’ll deduct your grade for the entire trimester!”

  Ji-Soo: Seriously? How did she know?! I thought it was gonna work???

  But it’s not like she could voice her complain so she eventually gave up and decided to listen.

  “Tch. Tch. First day and already late. What a clown,” a boy said from the back.

  “You again?!”

  Why does he always keep appearing and pissing her off? And he’s the reason why she’s late too!

  “Out-now!” the teacher interjected. “And you from back there! Do you want to kneel out there too with her?”

  “No, teacher. I preferred to be in here, unlike some foul girl,” he said, still slightly amused. Not even slightly sorry.

  Ji-Soo glared at him one last time before stepping into the hallway, the door clicking shut behind her.

  I’ll remember this. In a man’s revenge, even 10 years is not too late…

  *******

  An hour later…

  Ring! Ring! Ring!

  The bell finally signalled the end of the class period. It was time for lunch.

  Ji-Soo dropped her backpack on the floor immediately.

  “Finally! I’m free! I don’t have to put that heavy thing on my head anymore.”

  Now she can finally stretch however she likes. Her muscles hurt so much…

  “Hey! I saw what you did! You almost had her!”

  A girl with a bright, crescent-eyed smile appeared from inside the classroom and walked next to Ji-Soo.

  “Hana?” Ji-Soo blinked. “You’re in this class too?!”

  “Yeah! I didn’t expect to see you here! Does that mean it’s the third year in a row now?” Hana laughed, grabbing Ji-Soo’s arm and hauling her to her feet.

  Just as Ji-Soo was dusting off her knees, a shadow fell over them.

  “Hey, didn’t expect to see you here, Ji-Soo,” a boy said, smiling among a group of boys.

  Ji-Soo: Are they in her class too?

  “Ji-Soo, do you remember me from middle school?” another added.

  What’s with these guys being so proactive? They were never like this in her past life, she thought. Remembering their faces.

  But still, it’s not like she could just tell it to their face.

  “Haha,” she scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “Sorry, I don’t remember.”

  “Oh, that’s fine! We can get used to each other again,” the leader of the boys said, grinning with crooked teeth.

  Ji-Soo shivered with goosebumps: “...” Bro, aren’t you going too quick?

  Unlike what most people would usually expect of high schoolers, most are simply just decent looking. Not too unpleasant to look at or not too ugly, and that’s it. So guys like this aren’t exactly rare. Even the average Korean pretty girl on Tiktoki who at most might get a 5 or a 6 on the internet can make these guys feel like monkeys in heat, let alone someone of Ji-Soo’s appearance.

  Unlike Ji-Soo, who understood the boy's pain, Hana, on the other hand, frowned.

  “Stop hitting on her just because she’s pretty,” Hana kicked one of the dude on the butt. “Scram!”

  Ji-Soo: Nice one, Hana. I know I can always depend on you.

  The boys, surprised by Hana’s aggressiveness, drop back.

  “Are you her mom or something? Why do you always keep interfering?” one of the boys muttered, rubbing his sore backside.

  At this point, Ji-Soo, whose patience is already thin, finally snapped. But first, she gave them a bright smile.

  “Since you know me from middle school, you must know how I’m like,” she said softly. “Or do I have to remind you instead?”

  The group of boys looked back and forth at each other, unsure of what to do. Why is Ji-Soo kinda scary?

  But–

  “Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!”

  The teacher suddenly came out of the classroom and hit their head with a book.

  “What are you all doing standing in front of my classroom during lunch? Do you all want to get punished?”

  “Ah~ why did you hit us?”

  Bonk.

  “Sorry! Sorry!. We’ll leave, okay?”

  But before they go

  “Ji-Soo, remember me, okay? I hope we meet again,” one of the boys said, giving Ji-Soo an air kiss.

  Ji-Soo: “..” I hope we don’t.

  Finally, it was back between the teacher and her.

  “Tch. Tch. Boys these days… back in my day, they weren’t so proactive,” the teacher said, then turned back to Ji-Soo.

  She took a good look at Ji-Soo’s delicate, pure, and alluring face and realized the reason why.

  “Never knew I had the school beauty in my class,” the teacher joked. “Back in my day, I was beautiful too, and boys would swarm around me just like this~.”

  Hana and Ji-Soo: Yeah, like we would believe you…

  “But–” the teacher continued. “You! First day of the school year, and you’re already late! What will happen for the rest of the year?”

  “Now that it has come to it. I have to tell you this!” Ji-Soo said, beaming like she just remembered something amazing. “Teacher, the reason I’m late is because of that guy!”

  “Who?”

  “That guy,” she pointed again. “The guy over there who’s the only one who’s not wearing a uniform! He’s the reason I am late.”

  The teacher: “...” What do you mean by he’s the reason you’re late? What did you guys do?

  “Haaah~, you’re just in your first year and already…”

  “Wait! No! That’s not what I meant. What I meant is that he almost hit my brother and me with a car while we were on a bike because his driver was driving recklessly,” Ji-Soo explained. “We ended up arguing, and that’s how we’re late.”

  It’s totally not because she woke up late this morning.

  “Are you sure?” the teacher asked, feeling skeptical.

  “Yes!”

  “Really?~~.”

  “Yes!!” Why does she keep acting like that? Does the teacher want to annoyed her to no end?

  "Hm. Fine. I'll have a word with him." She adjusted her glasses. "I need to reprimand him about the uniform violation anyway."

  The teacher then walked away, humming a tune. Acting like she hadn’t just made it incredibly difficult for Ji-Soo just a moment ago.

  Ji-Soo watched the teacher go, feeling the tension drain from her shoulders. Hana patted her on the back and gave a thumbs-up.

  Ji-Soo leaned against the wall and looked up at the blue sky

  She didn't know why, but deep in her gut, she had the unshakable feeling that this school year is going to be a very, very long one.