When Hwang Soo-min arrives at the Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS) on a scholarship, she brings nothing but two suitcases, a stack of notebooks filled with city sketches, and a shy determination to keep her head down and her grades high. Born and raised in Seoul, Soo-min doesn’t speak a word of English — which quickly marks her as an outsider among the international student body. Her classmates watch her thoughtful stares and quiet smiles but don’t know what to make of her for weeks. Not out of unkindness, but because she rarely offers more than a polite nod. Her voice is soft; her presence is steadier. She isn’t here to shine. She’s here to learn, to exist, to breathe.