Business Class

Ha-na sauntered among the tiered seating of her university's departmental hall, scanning the room for a suitable seat among the small cluster of students that had colonized the chairs at the front of the auditorium.

Two pairs of hands – waving wildly – flashed at the corner of her eyes, and she scurried towards them, joyful.

"Good thing you came already; it was getting harder to preserve this seat for you." The girl with the pixie haircut, Mi-rae, lightly scolded, removing her bag, which was placed on the empty seat she gestured to.

"The seminar is about to start in three minutes. You're just in time." The glasses-wearing boy, Kwang-jo, also next to the empty seat, informed her, smiling good-humouredly.

Grateful for the gesture, Ha-na plopped down in the seat between them, beaming at each one of her project partners in turn.

"Thanks for preserving a chair for me! You mightn't believe it, but the traffic was unreal."