The Princess's First Greeting
Hello. I'm Ha Pina. I'm sixteen years old and a freshman in high school.
I'm a fresh-faced student who just entered high school.
The age laws changed recently, so it's a bit confusing, but I'm pretty sure that's right.
You say you already know who I am?
So what? When people meet for the first time, introducing yourself and greeting them is basic etiquette.
Don't you even know that? Are you stupid?
Well, enough small talk. I came here today to talk about myself.
I think we'll be seeing each other like this from time to time. I look forward to working with you for the time being.
This might sound sudden, but I don't trust people. What, does that sound like some edgy teenager phase?
Just be quiet and listen. First of all, I'm pretty. I'm probably prettier than most celebrities.
You're telling me to stop being full of myself? It's not self-flattery, it's a fact.
My figure has curves in all the right places, and my hair is sleek enough that people have called it black silk. My skin is on the fairer side, and my face is quite small.
Well? Doesn't it sound pretty just hearing about it? No? Then you just lack imagination.
Anyway, maybe because of how I look, a lot of guys have shown interest in me.
A lot of things happened—guys hitting on me to try and get with me, or even trying to force themselves on me.
Was it only men? No. Women envied, resented, and hated my beauty because they didn't have it.
They claimed I wagged my tail and stole their boyfriends, and I've heard all kinds of nonsense like that.
I'll probably have a chance to talk about this in more detail later.
It's a bit much to get into such heavy topics during our first meeting. And I don't really want to talk about it yet, either.
Maybe that's why I simply cannot trust the existence of humans.
Whenever someone is nice to me, I immediately wonder if they want something from me, or if they're doing it just to get in my pants.
Those are the thoughts that come first. It's the same with women—I immediately suspect them, wondering what they're saying behind my back. That's why I can't trust people.
Oh! There is one person I trust! And that is my mother!
My mother is truly an amazing person. I inherited my looks from her. She is absolutely beautiful. On top of that, unlike me, she is gentle, and unlike me—who gave up on relationships with people—she handles them with grace. And to top it all off, she raised a child all by herself as a single mother.
I can't help but respect her.
Ah, what about my father? I was told my father passed away when I was young.
I heard he died protecting me in a car accident. He sounds like a truly devoted father, but honestly, I have almost no memory of him.
I'm a terrible daughter, aren't I? A daughter whose life was saved at the cost of his own should be endlessly grateful, yet I don't even remember him. But even if I feel guilty, what can I do?
I was too young to remember. Still, I do hold a sense of gratitude in my heart.
Speaking of my childhood, my personality wasn't always like this.
I used to take after my mother, whom I respect so much.
I remember being a confident, energetic child who laughed a lot. I wasn't a person with zero social skills like I am now.
Well, that was also because of what happened when I was young... I'm sorry, a bad memory suddenly came back to me...
Let me take a short break...
I apologize once again. I'm really sorry for making you wait for no reason.
I suddenly felt a wave of nausea. As I said earlier, I'll tell you about my past later—much later. I'm just not ready yet. Not ready to talk about it... I'll definitely tell you when I'm ready. So please wait for me? You can't forget that I promised to tell you, okay?
Back to the main topic... Where was I?
Ah, I was talking about my childhood.
When I was little, I was kind of like the leader of the neighborhood kids.
I got along well with the boys, and I got along well with the girls too.
Of course, as I grew a bit older, the other kids started to exclude me because of the incident I mentioned earlier.
But I didn't let it get to me. Back then, I probably thought, Why should I feel down? It's not like I did anything wrong. They're just pathetic.
And so, I gradually drifted away from my schoolmates.
Once classes were over, I would head straight home. I wanted to help my mother, whom I respected, and I wanted to repay her kindness.
Of course, spending time with my mother was also much more fun than playing with the other kids.
Around the time when I had almost no contact left with the other kids, there was a day when my mother had to work late. I had finished all my chores, and I didn't have any homework.
So, for the first time in a while, I went out for a walk by myself. It must have been a really long time since I had gone out alone.
I just wandered around without a destination. Maybe because I was walking aimlessly, I ended up at a park that was quite far for a child's pace.
I really had been walking without a single thought. Then, I spotted a boy sitting alone on a swing.
He looked about my age. I remember him having black hair, a body that was a bit small for our age, and a rather cute face.
That boy was sitting alone on the swing, crying his eyes out.
As if there was no one else in the world, as if he were the only one left.
So I walked up to him and asked, "Hey, what are you doing there?" But he just stared blankly at me. So I asked again, "Hey, I asked what you're doing sitting on the swing."
But he just kept hesitating, which was so frustrating. I felt a bit annoyed, but I held it in and asked once more. "Why were you crying so sadly all by yourself on the swing? Like a child who lost their parents."
But then he started crying even harder. I was so flustered back then. I stood there panicking, wondering what to do, when I remembered what my mother did whenever I cried. I patted his head and comforted him, saying, "It's okay." Fortunately, he stopped crying. What a relief.
Once he stopped crying, he told me his story.
The sudden death of his parents... He said his friends and teachers comforted him at first, but as time passed, they began to ignore and tease him. When I heard that, well, I don't know why, but I felt angry.
I wasn't the type of person to care so much about others.
Maybe it was because he seemed similar to me. Maybe I saw myself in that boy, who had been betrayed by everyone around him.
At least I had my mother, whom I could trust, but he had no one. I think that's why I felt even angrier.
After that, I talked a lot with him and we played together. We completely lost track of time.
Then I checked the time and realized it was almost time for my mother to get off work, so I said I had to go home.
He looked disappointed, but he said he had to go home too.
So, on our way back, I was the first to say, "Let's be friends." That was how well we got along.
I didn't feel any creepy stares from him, nor did he treat me like I was anything particularly special.
That's why I wanted to be friends with him. He must have felt the same way, because he agreed.
I'm sure I heard his name back then, but I can't remember it now. It's probably because so much time has passed.
How many years ago was it?
It was probably five or six years ago. I was in either the third or fourth grade of elementary school.
Right before we parted ways, I taught him a magic spell I had learned from my mother.
Though calling it magic is a stretch—it was more like a trick to fool kids.
Still, back then, I genuinely believed in it, which is why I did it.
What? You want to know what the spell is? You just hold the other person's hands tightly and say what you want to say with all your heart. That's really all it is. It was closer to a prayer, really.
And that was how we parted. I didn't have any reason to go back to that park after that. I did go a few times later when he crossed my mind, but I never ran into him.
Our middle schools must have been different too. How do I know?
When we were kids, we asked each other which middle school we were going to. I said I was going to an all-girls school, and he said he was going to a co-ed one. And I did end up going to an all-girls middle school.
I wonder how he's doing. It would be nice if my magic actually worked.
There isn't much to say about my middle school years.
That was when I really started keeping my distance from people. The incident that shaped my current personality happened in middle school, but...
After living like that—caring about no one, completely alone, and distrusting people entirely—someone has caught my attention. And by "caught my attention," I don't mean it in a weird way.
Seriously, I don't. It's really not like that, so don't look at me like that. I told you not to look!
He was just a bit unusual, so my eyes naturally followed him.
The name of that unusual person is...
Lee Hanbyul.