1 [Nice To Meet Me]

//Reposted and edited from Wattpad, this was originally supposed to be Zoe and Mary x OC but now it's just Mary Kim. Best girl, love her. The chapters will be released periodically, one chapter a day until I run out of finished chapters. Keep in mind, that these chapters are MUCH longer than my usual ones because I prioritized word count over chapter count in the old days.

Also, there are two OCs here, originally, Myul Mang was supposed to connect to my Eleceed book as an Awakener and was also prominently featured in this book as a supporting character, but I've removed all of his supernatural abilities and just left him with amazing physical might, for obvious reasons.//

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Jae Won High School is a school that is widely known across South Korea for nurturing future celebrities and stars. A prep school that focuses on vocational education and employment rather than sending students to college. It also has more practical training and work experience programs compared to a normal high school. J High is famously known for creating many K-pop artist trainees, models, and popular idols. It's a school where only those with good looks and talent can prosper while those that are either ugly or don't have much talent are treated as nothing more than garbage. The very privilege of going to this school is enough to brag to your friends about.

"..."

A rather lonesome figure approaches the school gates, it's most certainly male judging by the broad shoulders and tall body. The guy in question is not wearing the traditional school uniform or even a modified version of it. He's wearing his own style of clothes which certainly helps attract the attention of any passerby students. A pair of red-tinted circular glasses comfortably hide his seemingly tired eyes from view, a black backpack is slung over his left shoulder. The man is wearing a half-zipped up and baggy black jacket, dark blue jeans and black sneakers. Certainly not the most fashionable style of clothing out there but he somehow manages to make it look at least acceptable. His skin is pale and he has a couple of piercings in both of his ears and at the left side of his lips. While the boy's fashion sense leaves much to be desired, his face certainly has characteristics many would classify as "handsome".

The protagonist of this story, Jack Ho, an 18 years old student who has only recently transferred to J High due to reasons he is not willing to disclose with anyone as of now. A pair of earplug headphones is suddenly pulled from his ears as a sigh escapes past his lips, he was a little bummed that he could no longer listen to his almost endless album of diverse music but he had to attend class at least on his first day.

'...I should've better prepared myself mentally since I'm going to see those two again... Life just can't be easy, can it...?' the answer to Jack's mental question was quite obvious, alas he asked it himself for what felt like a hundredth time today.

He slowly walked to his new classes, judging by his choice of clothes it was quite obvious he was NOT in the fashion department. No, you see, Jack loves to listen to music but can't sing for shit, so instead, he expresses his passion through dancing. Be it breakdancing or electro-swing, he is almost unrivalled in his age category. Knowing all this it shouldn't come as a surprise that he is in the Vocal and Dance Department as their newest addition. Jack started to walk a little faster when he felt the stares of girls and boys alike on his person, looks like everyone knows everyone in this school if they can tell that he's new. Although he could probably blame his unique appearance for that.

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"Hey, you know we are getting a new transfer, right?" the voice of a beautiful blonde girl cut through the loud chatter of her classmates all talking and messing around.

She was wearing a modified version of her uniform with a black hoodie over the white button-up t-shirt with a blue tie and a short brown skirt. The blonde was also wearing a white well-decorated cloth on her head with a black cap over it pointed backwards. She was one of the girls in the class while also being the most attractive out of all of them, naturally, this meant she was quite well-known among the male audience.

Her name is Mary Kim, a member of the Vocal and Dance Department. She was currently speaking to a guy who was sitting down on his seat with his legs on his school desk. A white cap adorned the male's head while his eyes were hidden behind a pair of shades that he never took off. He too wore a modified version of the school uniform with a black hoodie over the bland button-up t-shirt. His name is Vin Jin, and he, just like his childhood friend currently bothering him, is a member of the Vocal and Dance Department.

"Okay... and?" Vin appeared and sounded quite uninterested in the conversation, especially so since it wasn't about him but some nobody who only recently transferred to their class.

Mary could only sigh at her friend's lack of care in the subject, she quickly adopted the longer of slight anger, "I'm just saying this as a warning, don't fuck around this time! Last time someone transferred you beat the shit out of him and a week later he stopped attending classes!"

Vin only sighed in mild annoyance and completely shrugged off Mary's annoyance just like he has for quite a few years now. He's known Mary since he was little and it was quite obvious he knew also how to get on her nerves, yet he never changed which seemingly annoyed Mary quite well. Nevertheless, the two managed to maintain a strong friendship, some would even call it a bond between siblings rather than friends.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mary grit her teeth in irritation at Vin's dismissing tone before sighing.

Then the bell rang signalling the start of the class as their teacher walked inside not long after, carrying a thin book that he used to record absences and list grades his students received. He stood behind his tall wooden task for a second before clearing his throat, gathering the attention of the entire class.

"I'm sure most of you already know by now but our department is getting a new student, so I'd appreciate it if this time some of you, looking at you Vin Jin, didn't bully him," the teacher's stern gaze momentarily diverted towards the still relaxed Vin Jin who only shrugged it off, "Sigh... Well then-"

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'Phew, okay Jack, calm down. It's your first day, everyone's first day is awkward, no need to feel nervous...' Jack desperately tried to mentally calm his social anxiety, albeit he seemed to be failing quite miserably.

His expression was the same bored one it always has been, so he didn't appear particularly nervous to anyone passing by. However, on the inside, the poor guy was VERY anxious. He had social anxiety for as long as he can remember and transferring schools certainly didn't help. The fear of people's opinion didn't scare him as much as a physical confrontation with some of the more... vicious students. He wasn't afraid of them, oh no, far from it. He was afraid of himself not being able to handle his strength and causing an injury that someone couldn't walk off, warranting yet another transfer. Jack didn't want that. At least not yet, all of that depends on how these next few moments are going to play out...

"Well, here goes nothing," with a deep breath Jack grabbed the door by its handle, opened it and hastily walked inside, keeping his head down all the while.

He could immediately feel quite a few pairs of eyes on himself, so he tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible and quietly stood by the teacher's desk before promptly introducing himself, "My name is Jack Ho, please take care of me."

A few moments of silence followed. He was expecting a lot of things to happen on his first day, like him stumbling and falling, making himself a fool in front of everyone. Messing up his introduction, accidentally walking into someone. Hell, he expected someone to attack him in the hallway! What Jack did not expect though was a desk to literally come flying at him the moment he finished speaking.

'...Okay... did not expect that,' the desk however was quickly grabbed before it could impact Jack's face before he swung his arm in a circular motion, stopping the flying desk's momentum without so much as moving from his spot.

The teacher appeared quite shocked as he fell onto his ass from the surprise of seeing a FLYING FUCKING DESK coming in his direction. However, his surprise didn't seem anywhere near as strong as someone else's.

"Oy..." a few classmates gulped as Vin MENACINGLY walked towards Jack who had yet to let go of the desk he caught flying at him, he sighed lightly the moment he recognized Vin coming at him with a look that screamed bloody murder.

"...Hello to you too-" Jack didn't get to even finish his sentence properly before having to lean back slightly in order to narrowly dodge a punch from the irrationally angry Vin, "...It's nice to see you again."

"Oy, oy, oy!" most of the class body was now beyond curious of what set off Vin and why he had a bone to pick with the new guy, although they seemed quite afraid to speak up at the moment so instead they chose to listen, "The fuck are you doing here dipshit?! Who do you think you are disappearing for a few years just to pop up like it's nobody's business?!"

Jack however didn't lose his cool at all and remained calm, then the clang of the desk hitting the ground resounded through the quiet classroom. Most students were ready to see a fight break out between the two, but were quite surprised to see no such thing happen. Instead, Jack took a step back and bowed to Vin.

"I'm sorry," was all Jack said before standing straight up again, giving Vin a ghost of an apologetic smile, "Can this wait for when the class is finished?"

Vin glared daggers at Jack from behind his glasses, veins popped up across the boy's neck as he grit his teeth in sheer fury. Then, surprisingly, he started to take a few very deep breaths before sighing loudly. Leaning down, he picked up his desk and carried it back to his spot before putting it back into place and sitting down on his seat.

"Fine," Vin's tone was not happy, but he seemed to be managing his anger a lot better than a few minutes ago, pretty much the whole class, teacher included, was surprised by his sudden loss of bloodlust.

Jack merely sighed before giving his new teacher an apologetic look and walking to the only free seat he could see in the classroom. Unfortunately for him, that seat was right beside a blonde girl he very much recognized. She too seemed to recognize him by the daggers she was glaring at him. As he silently took a seat beside Mary, a single glance told him not to look again as she shot him the "I'm watching you" gesture. Jack could only sigh again in exasperation, this is not how he imagined his ideal first day going. But... it could still be worse, right? Right... it always gets worse when he thinks like that...

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The same old stoic expression adorned Jack's face as he found himself cornered in the boy's restroom. Vin was pretty much in his face while Mary stood on his side with he hands crossed and an angry look adorning her otherwise beautiful features.

"Now then, you better have a good goddamn excuse," Vin's tone was laced with venom, and Jack couldn't really blame him because he was at fault for their anger, "You just fucked off for three years, didn't answer shit and just popped up like you went for a box of cigarettes!"

Jack remained silent for a few moments before sighing and weaving his hand through his black hair, "It's... a bit complicated."

"Well then make it less complicated," this time Mary spoke up, clearly on edge and about ready to explode like an atom bomb.

"...I had a family emergency-"

"BULLSHIT! NO FAMILY EMERGENCY LASTS THREE FUCKING YEARS!" the duo of childhood friends loudly cut off Jack before he could so much as finish his sentence.

"I did!" for the first time in a while Jack raised his voice, but only slightly, it couldn't be called screaming or yelling, but to him, it was enough, "Look, I know I messed up-"

"-Oh you fucked up alright-

"-BUT, it really was a family emergency. I'm sorry but... I can't tell you more than that," the two childhood friends stayed quiet for a moment, clearly processing Jack's dejected tone.

"Why can't you tell us?" Mary's tone was levelled but still laced with trace amounts of fury that very few could match, Vin seemed to share her interest as he nodded along to her question.

But Jack couldn't provide them with the answer they sought, "...I'm sorry, but I just can't."

"Alright fine, then explain why you haven't told us anything and didn't answer any calls or texts?" Vin's question was quite valid, Jack really should have let them know about his situation even if it had to be by the phone.

But he didn't. Jack didn't tell them anything and just left without saying a word, leaving his two closest friends in the dust. He didn't answer their calls. He didn't reply to their texts. One couldn't help but wonder why.

"My phone broke," that sentence made the two childhood friends pause for a good minute before they blinked once, twice, and then their anger returned in full force.

Vin harshly grabbed Jack by his collar before trying, and failing, to lift the glasses-wearing boy into the air, "ARE YOU FUCKING WITH US?!"

But Jack remained calm, albeit a bit regretful and ashamed of himself, "No, it's the truth. It fell into a river... as did I. Not to mention I didn't remember your number so I couldn't call or text even if I wanted to."

Vin took a deep breath, desperately trying to stop himself from pummeling Jack into the ground while Mary facepalmed. That explanation, that excuse, it was so out of this world that it actually aligned quite well with the type of person they knew Jack to be. Falling into a river? Yup, perfectly normal for someone like him. But it still didn't answer the question as to why he left for so long... Unfortunately for them, he didn't appear to be willing to tell them the reason any time soon. What kind of family emergency lasts for three years anyway?

"...Tch!" with a click of his tongue Vin let go of Jack's collar before huffing loudly, "You better not be fucking with us..."

"I'm not. Really. I'm sorry," Vin just regarded Jack with one last glance before slowly walking away.

"Whatever, you're not off the hook yet," Jack wanted to sigh at Vin's headstrong but reasonable attitude towards him, but he was quite surprised by Vin's next few words before he disappeared from the view, "...But I guess I can tolerate you for now..."

Now it was only Jack and Mary in the men's restroom, and they stood there in awkward silence. Neither spoke for what felt like an eternity and just as Jack was preparing to say goodbye, a body slammed into him. It was of great surprise to see and feel Mary tightly wrap her arms around him as if he would disappear at any given time as he has in the past. Jack stood there, frozen for a minute as the reality settled in before he instinctively wrapped his arms around the small of Mary's back. The two of them stood there for what felt to them like an eternity, the hug wasn't a special gesture for some people, but Jack viewed the gesture in high regard. As someone who was socially inept and quite shy, getting to hug a girl and especially his old friend was something very special. He could smell her shampoo, the sweet smell of strawberries assaulted his nose as he discreetly took a whiff of her hair. The blonde in question helped herself to a nice and long breath of Jack's cologne as well. The comfortable embrace lasted for god knows how long, but neither of them appeared to be letting go any time soon.

"...I missed you..." finally, after who knows how long, Mary was the one to break the silence.

Her voice was slightly muffled as she was quite literally snuggling into Jack's chest, a small smile graced his otherwise stoic face, "...Me too... And I'm sorry... for not saying anything, I mean."

"You know... I really should punch you right now for being such an idiot," despite her words though Mary appeared to be enjoying Jack's company, "But... I missed your hugs too much to move right now."

And so the two of them remained standing there until the sound of the school bell rang across the entire building. The sound made both of them sigh, they didn't want to let go of each other but they had no choice unless they wanted to be late for class and start some less than desirable rumours. The two reluctantly let go of each other, albeit their respective odour still remained freshly burned into their brain.

"...We have a lot of catching up to do," Jack was quite happy that Mary didn't actually punch him, he was even happier when Mary appeared to enjoy his company again unlike mere minutes ago when she wanted to show his head into the toilet.

The two then proceeded to walk back into their class, and since the hallways appeared to be devoid of any other students and teachers, Mary decided to be a bit daring. Jack nearly jumped when he felt Mary's hand take a hold of his own, although he quickly calmed down and allowed a small smile to appear on his face.

...

...

...

"It's good to be back."

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Jal-ga~