3rd Person's POV
(This happened when Chae Rin was 11)
Kang Ae Ri had finally managed to move all of her furniture into her brand-new Apartment, hand in hand with her daughter Chae Rin the two entered their new home.
You see, she is a woman who has just lost her husband 2 months ago, he was a police man who died during a night shift when a robbery occurred in a shopping near their home.
Kang Ae Ri decided for the best to move places, and so she packed all of her stuff and decided to move to a quieter place, having found an apartment not too far from a hospital where she found a job and a school which Chae Rin would attend.
As the two settled in moving boxes around and putting things in place a knock is heard at their front door and Ae Ri goes to open it greeting a man, a little older than her and a little girl with him, introducing themselves Ae Ri finds out the man's name was Nam So Ju whilst his daughter was On Jo, Chae Rin creeped from around the corner hearing the commotion and smiles upon seeing a girl her age introducing herself.
The little girl's mother invites in the father and daughter duo asking them for dinner which they gladly accept and the 4 spent the night talking about themselves and their own lives.
"Dad, me and Chae Rin are the same age!" On Jo excitedly told her father, who chuckled, a smile present in his face.
"Is that so? Then you two can be friends" He said to which the two girls smiled with a nod and linking arms.
"She's my new best friend" Chae Rin claimed, the adults laughed while the girls were happy to have found each other.
As the night came to an end, the parents finally decided to end dinner and go to sleep, the girls were very sad to say the last but excited about a tomorrow promised to be filled with games and a new play date. And so, that night they each went to sleep and when they woke up they both smiled at the memory of a new friend.
The next day the two met after lunch and played outside their building apartment at the local park, funny enough On Jo found the kid who was supposedly her best friend, a boy called Cheong San whom she called for and introduced to Chae Rin.
From that day onwards the 3 became unseparable, always one behind the other as if they were the 3 musketeers.
As the three grew closer and closer, there still seemed to be not a single day when the 3 didn't meet or when they'd be mad at each other, the three often hung out at each other's houses and even more often at Cheong San's parent's restaurant where the friends would study or just simply eat.
Due to both Chae Rin's and On Jo's parents professions, the two were especially close as each of the parents had a routine and would care for the other when needed, having the joke of the two being actual siblings grown.
When the 3 got into high school they were happy to have been placed in the same classroom and although it did cause a little separation as each made their own friends the musketeers were still as close as ever, leaving everyday together, returning together and studying together.
With these new friendships came a few very important ones, for Cheong San came Su Hyeok and Gyeong Su, for On Jo came I-Sak and for Chae Rin, well... there was Nam Ra who she wanted to get close to, although she really wasn't, but she was included in her friend's friend's group, and she was happy with that.
Every day was already a routine for Chae Rin, she would wake up, sometimes, if her mother wasn't at work she'd have breakfast with her and afterwards go out her door and alongside Cheong San would knock at On Jo's door and wait for her outside.
Once outside, the three would play rock paper scissors and decide who had to carry their backpacks, often times Chae Rin just chose to carry her own, whilst in others she enrolled in the game.
Once in school, she would head to her seat which was besides Nam Ra and greet her with a smile on her face, which Nam Ra had never returned, however she did reply, and they did talk at times.
During lunchtime, she often sat with On Jo and I Sak, others she would go and bother Nam Ra who would just be quietly eating alone, and so, Chae Rin would sit with her in a comfortable silence eating, a small smile tugging at her lips as she liked that she was not shooed away.
This would go on until she got home, she then would decide if she was going to Cheong San's parent's restaurant or go home and study, this would include the presence of Cheong San and On Jo, who would mostly go to her house instead and once more there would be a routine, she would get home, put on her normal clothes as the other two changed their own before going to her house and she would make a simple dish to snack on, and they would study.
Well, Chae Rin and Cheong San would study while On Jo would be watching a TV show or reading past notes of Chae Rin.
She was happy this way, nothing could satisfy her more than coming home after school and hang around her friends as they eat, study or watch a random movie on the TV, and she wouldn't want to change it for everything.
~~~~~~~~~~
The beginning of the school year
Somewhat Present day
"Hey! Quiet girl" Yoon Gwi Nam called out, Chae Rin turned around, a confused look on her face as she gripped her school bag tighter. The fact that she was alone, didn't make her feel better, as her friends were already all in the cafeteria.
"Are you talking to me?" she asked pointing a finger at herself, he nodded with an annoyed look clear on his face.
"Nobody else is around, is there?" He says, irony clear in his tone, she bit the inside of her lip, nodding slowly before going closer to him.
"Give me your worksheet answers for the science work" he said, extending his hand and turning his head sideways as if to look for someone coming.
The girl's mouth opened and closed in shock before she sighed and opening her bag gave him her homework, he clicked his tongue mumbling a sarcastic thank you for before leaving.
She exhaled tiredly and closed her backpack, reading to head to the cafeteria, when she noticed Nam Ra looking at her from afar.
The girl was startled and almost dropped her backpack before rapidly walking into the cafeteria as if nothing had happened.
Once in the cafeteria she hurried to the table Cheong San was sitting at with Su Hyeok, Gyeong Su and Joon Young, nervously picking at her plate which the others take notice as she almost never sat with them.
"What's wrong?" Cheong San was the first to speak.
"Huh? Nothing, nothing, the rice is cold today" She mumbled, Gyeong Su snickers.
"Yeah, because you came late" she glares at him, making him now full on laugh as she shakes her head at him.
"What? Did Gwi Nam pick on you?" Su Hyeok now asks, her eyes widen as she looks straight into his eyes.
"What?! No!"
"Can we talk?" Nam Ra's voice sounds from besides her, the poor girl, unknown to her surroundings shrieks almost throwing herself on Gyeong Su who just once again had a fit of laughter.
"YeA... yea" she said, clearing her throat and leaving her seat to go outside with Nam Ra.
" I saw what happened with Gwi Nam...why'd you give him your homework?" She asked her
"I can just do it again, it's no big deal. He needed a favor"
"You do realize that he will not give back the favor, right?"
"Yea, it's fine though, I'd rather give him my homework than be picked on by him and his friends", Nam Ra nodded understandingly.
"If you want, I can give you my homework answers" She suggested, Chae Rin had a shocked expression, but a smile was fully shown on her face as she grabbed Nam Ra's hand.
"Really?" Nam Ra nodded now a bit unsure. "I'll take this as a token of us becoming friends" Chae Rin said beaming with happiness and finally, she smiled, and as one would, Chae Rin stared at her smile until she stopped.
"What?" she asked confused, her Stoic face back into action.
"This was the first time that I've seen you smile. I finally got to see your real face" Nam Ra's face turns a little red as she cleared her throat and handed the cheerful girl her own homework for her to copy.
And from that day forward the two became friends, although it wasn't a normal per se friendship, the two spoke comfortably and made plans together. And that took Nam Ra out of her comfort bubble to discover more than just studying.
From that day on Chae Rin began to grow closer to Nam Ra and as their highschool years continued the two became the closest of friends, although Nam Ra was a bit more shy and conservative on their interactions she still enjoyed the other's company and others could tell that they had become somewhat close.
~~~~~~~~~~~
A few weeks before IT happened
"Ya, Quiet girl", once more the girl heard his voice and turned around with a sigh already having gotten used to Gwi Nam's random calls for her throughout their high school years.
"What do you want?" She calmly asked him.
"See if you had given me your phone number I wouldn't have to bother you during school time. Help me out with the math work" He replied, she sighed but nonetheless gave him a spare page she had made especially for him.
"This" she raises the paper as he tries to grab it "Will be the last time I'm helping you" his face contoured with shock and anger as he ripped the paper off her hands.
"No it won't. Now, will you give me your phone number. I don't want to be seen around someone like you"
"I could say the same" She retorted angrily, now he was losing his temper. Could you really not tell?
"Just give me the number Chae Rin" he rolled his eyes, she went to refuse but his with his temper, she didn't want to push her luck, so she gave him her number and with a call from him, she now had his.
'Annoying Bastard'
"Happy now?" She asked him, a bored look in her face.
"I'd be happier not seeing you at all" He replied, the same look on his face, waving his phone in the air he put a hand in his pant's pocket and went his own way as Chae Rin rolled her eyes heading towards her classroom.
Seeing Cheong San leaning on her table she went to his side as he talked to his friends, she bumped shoulders with him and he gave her a smile putting his arm over your shoulder.
"This was my cheat sheet in the test, since you were all wondering"
"Ya, your not supposed to say that out loud" She hissed at him.
"Relax, the teacher's not here" he laughed, the group continued chatting about when the turn over happened.
As the door opened a voice called out for Cheong San to "catch", Cheong San did not 'catch' it, instead your head did.
"Ow!"
"Oh shit, are you okay? Holy shit, that was a nice headshot though" the male voice said.
You glared up towards the guy who put his hands up as Cheong San tried to hold back his laugh shoving the guy by the shoulder.
"Be come careful Wu Jin, you could've actually hurt her"
"Sorry, sorry, really didn't mean to do that"
"It's fine..." you said rubbing your head with a groan, Wu Jin laughed a bit but softly brushed back your hair as he inspected the area as you stared at him shocked.
What you didnt' notice was Cheong San's eyes on the interaction between you two, this weird feeling as he watched your shocked look and Wu Jin's smile.
"Good morning students, let's all settle down for a change. Class will start now, phones!"
"yes Ms.Park" everyone said settling into their own seats, Chae Rin finally snapping out of it, shooing Cheong San to his seat as she sat besides Nam Ra.
"Ya! Chaerin!" My head snapped to the noise seeing WuJin waving shyly at me, I lifted my head a little as to ask 'what'.
"I'm Sorry about the water bottle" I chuckled giving him a thumbs up mouthing "Buy me lunch then" his concerned look turned into a smile as he nodded giving a thumbs up back.
Who was to guess that, that, would be the last few normal days in Chae Rin's normal life?