During the story: Rai is introduced to the class and asked to say a few things about herself. She's very shy and embarrassed, but some how finds the words to say she loves Japan and has high hopes for this school year. The problem is she finds the words in Korean and all of the kids laugh at her and assume she doesn't speak much Japanese. Rai finds herself the butt of a lot of jokes and lacks the courage to stick up for herself. When Haruka really lets into her, Noa steps in and defends Rai. As a result Noa becomes Haruka's new favorite victim. Rai blames herself, for Noa's problems with Haruka, and wants to make it up to Noa but doesn't know how. Noa takes Rai under her wing and when Rumi meets Rai the three are the bests of friends.
Background information: Her father is a well-to-do business man who use to leave his daughter and wife behind while he traveled around the world. But when Rei's seven and her mother dies that all changes. Mr. Kang decides he wants to keep Rai close so he brings her with him on all of his business trips. While they both are grieving over their lost the first year isn't so bad because they are spending so much time together. But than Rai starts falling behind in her school work Mr. Kang decides another change is in order. Instead of her doing homework while they travel, they settle down in the U.S. for a while and Rai attends the finest schools and gets the best education money can buy. Mr.Kang then starts to submerge himself in work to drown out the pain of the loss of his wife. Mean while, Rai is having trouble making friends. Even though she's very bright, she speaks four languages (Korean, English, Japanese, and French) Rai is shy and doesn't know how to make an ice breaker. In all of the other places she's been ( she's lived in five countries and visited nine others ) people recognized her fathers wealth and would use her; either because they wanted her to buy them stuff, to be made popular by being seen hanging out with her, or because they wanted to get their careers launched by her father. Hurt, Rai has become even more reserved and has decided she doesn't want anyone at her new school to know who her father is or anything about how much money she has.