Chapter 1

Chapter 1 — A New Beginning

It had been a while since I could remember the last time I had truly felt happy.

I stood in front of my mirror that morning, brushing my hair while looking at my reflection.

For a few seconds, I simply stared.

Sometimes, I wondered when I had changed so much.

There was a time when I was a chubby little girl who could never walk past the kitchen without checking what Mom was cooking. I loved food more than almost anything else. Breakfast, lunch, dinner—it didn't matter. Every meal was something I looked forward to.

But that girl seemed very different from the person standing in front of the mirror now.

My midterm results hadn't been as good as I had expected. Still, everyone around me believed I was academically gifted. They called me a prodigy.

It was strange.

I had never thought of myself that way.

When I was younger, I was actually quite weak in my studies. My report cards were often followed by long lectures from Mom and Dad.

“Yuri, how many times do we have to tell you to study properly?”

“Your brother can do it. Why can't you?”

“You spend all your time eating and playing. When are you going to take your studies seriously?”

I had heard those words so many times that they eventually became part of my childhood.

Back then, I didn't care much.

I would simply sit there with my head lowered, pretending to listen while secretly thinking about what Mom had prepared for dinner.

I was a terrible student.

And an even bigger foodie.

My mornings were completely different in those days.

“Yuri! Are you still in bed?”

I heard Mom's voice from outside my room.

Before I could answer, the door suddenly opened.

“Go freshen up quickly. Breakfast is ready.”

The moment she said breakfast, my eyes immediately lit up.

Those were the days when pancakes, bacon, stir-fried pork, and mac and cheese could make me forget about everything else.

My siblings, Nua and Eric, were just as excited about food as I was.

We would sit around the dining table together, talking about school and arguing over the smallest things. Dad would occasionally scold me for eating too much.

“Yuri, slow down. You're going to finish everything before your brother even gets his share.”

I would simply smile.

I didn't care.

I loved eating.

After breakfast, Dad would drop us off at school.

Everything felt simple back then.

But things changed.

Somewhere along the way, I started taking my studies seriously.

At first, it was because I was tired of being scolded.

Then it became a habit.

And eventually, studying became the one thing I could control.

I started spending more time with my books.

While everyone else was talking, I was studying.

While my friends were playing after school, I was finishing assignments.

I began staying up late to revise chapters that I hadn't understood during class.

Slowly, my grades improved.

Then they improved again.

And eventually, the same family that once complained about my studies started calling me a prodigy.

I had also changed physically.

I had lost a lot of weight.

The chubby girl who used to eat two plates of dinner without hesitation was gone.

Now, I barely felt excited about food.

I ate because I had to.

Breakfast was something I needed to get through before lunch.

Lunch was something I needed to get through before dinner.

My family noticed the change.

But strangely, nobody complained about my studies anymore.

That morning, after getting ready, I walked toward school.

The school was located on top of a mountain, so reaching the classroom every morning meant climbing a long uphill road.

By the time I entered the classroom, I was already a little tired.

I looked around.

There were many new students this year—around twenty or thirty of them.

I had already made a few friends, so I didn't feel completely alone.

Still, I wanted to make more.

Maybe I had spent too much time with my books.

Maybe I had forgotten how to approach people.

I sat down at my desk and opened my notebook.

A few minutes later, I heard a familiar voice.

“Yuriiii!”

I looked up.

Jack came running toward me, breathing heavily.

He looked as if he had just run all the way from the bottom of the mountain.

“You're finally here,” I said.

“Of course I'm here,” he replied between breaths. “I came to return your physics notes.”

He handed them to me.

“Oh. I completely forgot you had them.”

Jack smiled.

He had been my childhood friend for years. I knew him well enough to understand the way he looked at me whenever we talked.

I suspected he liked me.

But I had never felt the same way.

Before I could say anything else, two other boys approached our desks.

Nick and James.

They were among the new students.

James was probably the most handsome boy in our class.

His pale, flawless skin seemed to glow whenever sunlight touched his face. His hair was smooth and shiny, almost like silk.

I didn't understand why so many girls surrounded him and Nick every morning.

Whenever I looked in their direction, there were always girls laughing and talking with them.

It was almost as if James were some kind of Hollywood actor who had accidentally enrolled in our school.

Personally, I didn't see the attraction.

The first few times James tried to talk to me, I thought he was annoying.

He always teased me.

“Yuri, did you understand today's physics lecture?”

“Of course.”

“You looked completely lost.”

“I wasn't lost.”

“You were staring at the board for ten minutes without writing anything.”

“I was thinking.”

He laughed.

“Thinking?”

“Yes.”

“With your eyes closed?”

I frowned.

He laughed even louder.

“You're annoying.”

“I know.”

For some reason, that answer made me even more irritated.

Still, I found myself talking to him more often.

Maybe that was how friendships began.

Not with some dramatic moment.

Sometimes it was simply two people repeatedly annoying each other until one day they realized they had become comfortable around each other.

I wasn't sure if James and I would ever become friends.

But I was trying.

I wanted to make new friends.

I wanted to talk to people without constantly thinking about grades, exams, and assignments.

For the first time in a long while, I wondered what it would be like to have a normal high-school life.

I looked around the classroom.

Jack was talking to someone near the window.

Nick was laughing with a group of students.

James was, as usual, surrounded by girls.

And I...

I smiled quietly.

Maybe this year would be different.

Maybe I could study hard and still have friends.

Maybe I could become someone who wasn't defined only by her grades.

I closed my notebook and looked toward the window.

The morning sunlight poured into the classroom, making everything look warmer than it really was.

For a moment, I felt strangely hopeful.

Then—

Ringgggg!

The school bell rang.

Everyone hurried back to their seats as the teacher walked into the classroom.

I straightened my books, picked up my pen, and looked toward the blackboard.

Another school day had begun.