Hidden Through Her Eyes

Episode 1: A Whisper in the Wind

The morning sun shone gently over Haneul Academy, casting golden light on the rooftops and schoolyard. A soft breeze moved through the trees, making cherry blossom petals fall like pink snow. It was peaceful… almost too peaceful.

Students were arriving for the day. Laughter filled the air, along with the sound of shoes on pavement and classroom windows opening. Everything seemed normal.

But today… someone new had arrived.

No one knew.

No announcement was made.

No one was waiting.

A quiet black car stopped in front of the school gate. It didn’t make a sound—just stood there, still like a shadow. Then the back door opened.

Out stepped a girl.

She wore the school uniform perfectly. Her black hair was neatly brushed, and her round glasses covered most of her face. Her eyes looked down, avoiding everyone. Her hands clutched her schoolbag tightly.

Her name was Kim Sojin.

She stood at the gate for a moment, as if thinking whether to walk in or run away.

She took a deep breath… and stepped inside.

No one noticed her.

Just another quiet girl, lost in the crowd.

But something was strange about her.

The wind seemed to change when she walked by.

The sunlight felt… colder.

Inside her heart, Sojin was scared.

But deep, deep inside, something was sleeping.

Something powerful.

Something that didn’t want to stay hidden forever.

And far away, on the school rooftop, a tall boy stood with his hands in his pockets. He looked down at the students below… and saw her.

Even though she hadn’t said a word, something about her caught his eye.

He didn’t know her name.

No one did.

But he felt it.

> “Who’s that girl…?”

The story of Kim Sojin had just begun.

The classroom of 2-B was noisy as always. Students were chatting loudly, throwing paper balls, and gossiping about idols and games. No one noticed when the door opened.

A teacher stepped in.

> “Settle down, everyone.”

The noise lowered a little—but not much.

The teacher sighed, then continued.

> “We have a new student joining us today. Her name is Kim Sojin. She just transferred here. I hope you all treat her kindly.”

He turned toward the door.

> “You may come in.”

Sojin stepped in slowly.

Her shoes made soft sounds on the floor. Her head was low, her glasses shining under the classroom light. Her heart was beating fast. She could feel their eyes—cold, uninterested, judging.

Nobody clapped.

Nobody smiled.

Some students looked at their phones. Others yawned.

To them, she was just another boring, quiet girl.

> “Introduce yourself,” the teacher said gently.

Sojin nodded slowly.

> “I-I’m… Kim Sojin…” she said in a whisper.

“I hope we can… get along…”

Silence.

A few students giggled.

> “What did she say?” someone whispered.

“She’s like a mouse!” another joked.

The teacher sighed again and pointed to an empty seat near the back.

> “You may sit next to Minji.”

Sojin nodded and quietly walked toward her seat.

But as she passed one of the desks, something happened.

A girl sitting nearby, with dyed brown hair and chewing gum—Lee Minji, the class’s troublemaker—stuck out her leg with a sly smirk.

Sojin didn’t see it.

Her foot caught—

Her balance broke—

And she fell, hard, onto the floor.

Her bag hit the ground. Her glasses slipped down her nose. The classroom went silent for a second… and then—

Everyone laughed.

> “Hahaha! Did you see that?”

“She tripped like a cartoon character!”

“What a loser!”

Sojin sat on the floor, frozen. Her face burned red. Her fingers shook as she picked up her bag. She didn’t say a word.

The teacher looked angry but said nothing. Even he seemed tired of this class.

Sojin got up slowly, quietly fixed her glasses, and went to her seat.

She didn’t look at anyone.

No one helped her.

No one cared.

But behind those glasses… a tiny spark lit up inside her.

Something not so quiet.

The rest of the class passed like a bad dream.

Sojin sat quietly at her desk, her eyes fixed on her notebook, but she wasn’t writing. Her hands trembled slightly. She could still hear the laughter from earlier. The moment she tripped… the way everyone stared… the way no one cared.

Her chest felt tight.

She wasn’t angry.

She was just scared.

Too scared to speak.

Too scared to cry.

When the lunch bell rang, the classroom burst into noise again. Everyone rushed out—laughing, chatting, and heading toward the cafeteria.

Sojin stood up slowly.

She didn’t look at anyone.

She just followed the crowd.

The cafeteria was filled with voices and the smell of hot food. Sojin quietly stepped into the lunch line. She was standing behind a girl who was talking to her friend. Sojin waited patiently—quiet, small, unnoticed.

Suddenly—bam!

Someone pushed her hard from behind.

> “Move!” a rude voice said.

It was Minji, again.

Sojin stumbled to the side and dropped her tray with a loud clatter. Some rice spilled on the floor. A few students turned and laughed.

Minji smirked.

> “Oops~ Didn’t see you there, ghost girl.”

Sojin’s lips parted, but no words came out.

She looked down, her hands shaking.

She didn’t say anything.

Not because she didn’t want to…

But because she couldn’t.

Her throat felt blocked. Her heart was racing.

Then—

> “That’s enough.”

A new voice spoke. Calm, clear, and kind.

Sojin turned slowly.

Standing beside her was a girl with a gentle smile and warm eyes. Her hair was tied back neatly, and she looked friendly—even peaceful.

> “You okay?” the girl asked Sojin softly.

Sojin nodded slightly, not speaking.

The girl bent down and picked up Sojin’s tray.

> “Here. Let’s go get lunch together. I’ll stand with you.”

Sojin blinked in surprise. No one had ever said something like that to her at school. She followed the girl silently, feeling something warm in her chest.

As they waited again in line, the girl turned to her.

> “I’m Eun-kyung. I sit near the window in your class.”

Sojin looked at her nervously and whispered:

> “I’m… Sojin.”

Eun-kyung gave her a kind smile.

> “I know. I wanted to say sorry earlier. I saw you fall… but I didn’t help. I should have. I’m really sorry.”

Sojin’s eyes widened. No one had said sorry to her before. She shook her head quickly.

> “N-No… it’s okay. It wasn’t your fault…”

Eun-kyung noticed her voice was soft and shy—but full of kindness.

> “You’re really sweet,” she said with a smile. “Let’s eat lunch together, okay? You’re not alone now.”

Sojin couldn’t help it. For the first time that day… she smiled, just a little.

And somewhere inside her heart, the fear became just a little lighter.

After finishing lunch, Sojin and Eun-kyung walked together in the warm afternoon sun. The soft breeze tickled their faces, and the cherry blossom petals danced in the air.

> “This school… it’s kind of big,” Sojin said quietly.

> “Yeah,” Eun-kyung replied with a smile. “And full of loud people.”

Sojin giggled softly. It felt strange… laughing after everything.

> “I’m glad you’re talking more,” Eun-kyung said. “You’re actually really cute when you smile.”

Sojin blushed and quickly looked away.

> “I-I’m not cute…”

> “Yes, you are,” Eun-kyung teased.

They passed the playground, where a group of boys were loudly kicking around a football.

> “Careful, they’re wild,” Eun-kyung warned with a grin.

But it was too late.

WHAM!

A football flew through the air like a missile—straight toward Sojin’s head!

BONK!

It hit her square on the back of the head—not hard enough to injure her, but enough to make her stumble like a sleepy penguin.

> “Aaah—!” Sojin yelped as she lost balance and spun in a slow circle before landing on the grass with a soft thud.

Her glasses stayed on, slightly tilted—but her expression was frozen in shock. Like a confused cartoon character.

Eun-kyung gasped.

> “Oh my gosh, Sojin!! Are you okay?!”

Sojin sat up slowly, holding the back of her head.

> “I-I think I saw five birds and one… banana…”

Eun-kyung couldn’t help it—she burst out laughing.

> “You’re not dying—you’re just dizzy!”

Sojin looked dazed but tried to act calm.

> “I-I’m fine. I’m totally… normal… tree…”

> “She’s talking to trees now.”

Just then, footsteps approached. A tall boy in a neat uniform bent down in front of Sojin.

He had calm, thoughtful eyes, perfect hair, and a quiet, cool aura.

It was Eun-woo—the school’s top student and the boy every girl secretly liked.

> “I’m really sorry,” he said gently. “That ball wasn’t meant to hit anyone.”

Sojin blinked. She knew he was handsome, but from this close, he looked like a movie star.

She tried to speak.

> “I-It’s o-okay, I didn’t… d-die…”

Eun-woo looked confused, then chuckled softly.

> “That’s… good. I guess.”

He turned to Eun-kyung.

> “She should drink water and rest. Do you want help getting her to the nurse?”

> “I got her,” Eun-kyung smiled. “She just needs to reset her brain.”

Sojin stood up slowly, still dizzy.

Eun-woo gave a small polite bow.

> “I’ll be careful next time. Sorry again.”

And just like that, he walked away… cool and calm like a drama hero.

Sojin stared after him.

> “He’s… nice…”

> “And you just embarrassed yourself in front of the smartest guy in school,” Eun-kyung teased.

Sojin blushed bright red.

> “Noooooooo…”

After the football incident, Sojin rested in the nurse’s room for a while. Eun-kyung sat beside her, gently rubbing Sojin’s back.

> “You okay now?” she asked.

Sojin gave a small nod.

> “Yeah… Just embarrassed…”

> “Don’t be. You fell like a cartoon, it was kind of funny.”

Sojin tried not to smile. But her cheeks puffed slightly like a pufferfish.

They both giggled.

The school bell rang for the last period. Students rushed into classrooms—but Sojin stayed back for a few more minutes. Eun-kyung left to get her notebooks.

Sojin sat alone, looking out of the nurse’s window.

Suddenly…

DING… DING… DING…

She heard it.

A faint bell ringing. Not the school bell. A softer, older sound. Like a temple bell echoing in the distance.

Sojin looked around.

> “...Did someone ring a bell?”

But the nurse wasn’t there. No one was around. The school hallway was silent.

She stood up and opened the door—no sound. No bell. No echo.

Sojin’s fingers lightly touched her temple.

> “Am I… hearing things?”

She walked back to class quietly. Her legs still felt light, like floating.

In the classroom, the teacher continued the lesson. Sojin took her seat in the back. Minji, the mean girl from earlier, was whispering something to her friends.

But Sojin ignored her. She just stared at her notebook.

Then… her pen started moving on its own.

Just for a second. A small twitch. Then still.

> “Did I… imagine that?”

She looked around. No one noticed.

Just then, a voice spoke beside her.

> “Are you okay now?”

It was Eun-woo.

He had changed seats—he was now sitting diagonally in front of her.

Sojin blinked, surprised.

> “Y-Yes… I’m fine…”

Eun-woo looked at her for a second. His eyes were gentle, but focused.