There comes a moment in everyone’s life when he or she must decide whether to go with the herd or break away and face the consequences. For Hyung-in, everything she used to care about has become unimportant. She used to work toward the academic goals her parents set for her, and she kept her head down at school to avoid the casual cruelty of her peers. She had only one friend, sort of --- they didn’t speak at school, as Hyung-in feared that association with an even bigger oddball would make her even more of an outcast. Then that acquaintance kills herself, and Hyung-in is jolted off her path. How can she continue on as if nothing has happened? How can she live with herself when her only friend chose death rather than accept her private friendship and public coldness?

Hyung-in departs school with a sudden act of violence, but once she lets go, she doesn’t miss her old life. What she doesn’t know is where to go from here. Then she crosses paths with a kind stranger who just might provide her with a reason to keep moving forward.

Ah-in, on the other hand, is the perfect best friend. He’ll be there when the girl you like rejects you, and he’ll clean up your messes without complaint. For bad boy Ji-jun, he’s the one constant, the anchor for all his reckless outbursts. Ah-in has just one closely guarded secret. He gladly suffers through Ji-jun’s perpetual quest for the right girl, armed with pointed comments and steady support, but he can’t help wanting more from Ji-jun. When Ah-in’s older sister, Ah-rip, disrupts their bond in attracting Ji-jun’s interest, she may be the force that destroys Ah-in’s carefully maintained façade.

Bursts of humor and camaraderie lighten up the darker moments, and Hee Jung Park’s characters feel refreshingly true to life, rather than amped up to melodrama levels common in teen-centric manhwa. As their paths cross, you know that Hyung-in, Ji-jun and Ah-in all will have a significant impact on each other’s lives, though we’re only just seeing the beginning in this volume. Park has a keen sense of what is not said, from Hyung-in’s shame over not defending her friend to Ah-in’s subtle but ever-present longing for Ji-jun. This first volume reminds me a bit of Ai Yazawa’s masterful Paradise Kiss. The story zeroes in on outsiders who find solace with each other but who, because they show each other their vulnerabilities, could hurt each other despite the best of intentions.

If you’re looking for a bubbly high school dramedy, this is not it. But if you’re hungry for a character-driven journey along the edges of ordinary life, this title is for you.

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