Chapter 170: Joy (7) |
After the intense session of practicing our new track, I glanced at the clock to find that it was already 2:50 AM. I skipped the hassle of drying my hair as I deemed every second too precious to waste. I immediately sprawled out on my bed.
“Ugh!" A groan of sheer exhaustion slipped out as I sank into the mattress.
Goh Yoo-Joon was lying beside me and mirroring my sentiments with a similar groan as he too embraced the comfort of his bed. “This is absolute madness."
“The thought of getting used to sleeping for just three hours terrifies me."
As I shared my fears, Goh Yoo-Joon turned a weary gaze my way. “Maybe getting used to it isn't such a bad thing? I heard that for idols in the midst of promotions, three hours of sleep is practically the norm."
“I know.” I understood the concept in my mind but knowing it did nothing to alleviate the physical exhaustion. Our conversation tapered off as Goh Yoo-Joon eventually fell silent, likely drifting off to sleep.
Driven by a nagging sense of unease, I quietly borrowed Goh Yoo-Joon's laptop to do some digging. Despite the smooth sailing of our Graduating shoot, I couldn't shake off my unease. The filming had gone smoothly, yet I remembered that a controversy had erupted post-airing. If my suspicions about the scandal were correct, it could inevitably drag both Goh Yoo-Joon and me into its wake.
In the volatile world of entertainment, controversies tend to indiscriminately affect everyone involved regardless of their actual involvement. Also, Goh Yoo-Joon's prominent role as the class president added another layer to my concerns.
“..."
However, the information available on portal sites was scant, offering only a page or two of generic praises about his character. It said he was kind, well-mannered, and good-looking, which were hardly the signs I was seeking.
I got frustrated by the lack of substantial information and closed the laptop. “Ah, I'm exhausted."
It was now 3:30 AM. As I lay back and gazed at the ceiling, drowsiness quickly enveloped me and pulled me into its depths.
***
Jaaaaaar!!!
The alarm’s melody shattered the silence.
“..."
“Ugh, damn..." Goh Yoo-Joon was the first to wake up, silencing the alarm before gently nudging me with his foot. “Hey, time to rise."
“...Mmh..." I pretended to be oblivious and yearned for just a few more minutes of rest, but Goh Yoo-Joon's exasperated sigh filled the room.
“...Ugh, you better wake up when I tell you later," he grumbled, his voice hoarse yet impressively resilient. Despite the evident fatigue, he managed to gather himself and stand. It made me reflect on our friends Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan, who consistently attended school almost every day. They were in a league of their own.
After I slept for a brief moment, Goh Yoo-Joon, fresh out of the bath, returned to annoy me out of bed.
“We are cutting it close, dude."
“Mmm... I'm seriously dying..."
“You won't die. But we will be late if you don't get up now."
My attempts to linger in bed were thwarted as Goh Yoo-Joon pulled me to my feet with determined resolve. I then reluctantly made my way to the shower, which thankfully, did help to dispel some of the grogginess.
As I walked out into the living room, I found Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan in their uniforms, sprawled out on the couch in a heap of exhaustion. Jin-Sung somehow ended up lying on top of Yoon-Chan, who seemed slightly uncomfortable under the weight.
“Where is Joo-Han hyung?"
“Jin-Sung, get off! Joo-Han hyung crashed early this morning after working on a song for the opening ceremony.”
The absence of cameras in our dormitory last night must have granted us a rare break from the relentless filming schedule.
“Hey, Jin-Sung, stop tormenting Yoon-Chan and get up." As I nudged Jin-Sung off Yoon-Chan and helped him to his feet, our manager appeared and signaled that it was time to depart.
“Let’s get moving."
True to form, cameras were already installed in the car.
“Good morning, everyone." With a cheerful greeting to the camera, Goh Yoo-Joon and I climbed into the car. It marked the beginning of our second day of Graduating filming session.
***
The classroom was alive with a vibrant buzz today, which was a sharp contrast to yesterday's tense silence. The overwhelming stares had given way to casual greetings and lively chats among friends.
“Yo, you guys look even more exhausted today, huh?" Hee-Su commented, and his concern was evident as I dropped my bag and slumped into my seat. I could only nod wearily in response.
“These days, comeback preparations have us burning the candle at both ends. We are barely getting any sleep."
“We managed to catch a mere three hours of sleep. Waking up was the hardest thing ever," Goh Yoo-Joon chimed in and elicited gasps of shock from the others.
“Yikes! 3 AM? Isn't that pushing it too far?"
“That’s insane. They should at least let you rest. 3 AM is just overkill, especially with today's schedule as well."
‘It's surreal, isn't it? How our reality seems so unfathomable to others. Well, it was our own decision to practice till the wee hours, but still!’
Drrr-
The brief banter did wonders in dispelling the remnants of sleepiness. The door swung open, and Kun-Ho’s presence instantly silenced the chatter as all eyes turned to him.
“Good morning, everyone. It looks like you've all grown quite close overnight." His observation prompted a chorus of chuckles around the room.
“I hope you are all ready for another engaging day of lessons. Oh, and there's a bit of news. We have a new student joining us today."
A new student?
“He is actually an international student."
“Really?"
Murmurs of curiosity filled the room at Kun-Ho's announcement. He simply put on a mysterious smile but didn’t say anything further. He then gestured toward the door with a gentle smile. “Please, come in."
As the new student made his entrance, it wasn't just his face that caught our attention but his towering stature and arms that could rival Jin-Sung's in their muscularity. With his jet-black hair, pronounced features, and a disarmingly gentle smile, he exuded a sense of maturity beyond his years.
If we didn't know any better, we'd picture him as a sophisticated man, perhaps enjoying a glass of fine wine against a backdrop of twinkling city lights, or maybe as the refined face of a coffee brand.
“Would you mind introducing yourself?"
“Hello, everyone. My name is Daniele Rossi, and I came all the way from Italy. Please, just call me Daniele. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Daniele’s gaze briefly swept the room before settling on an empty seat next to Hee-Su at the back. His hand gestured toward it as if asking permission. “May I sit there, please?"
His command of Korean language was impeccable, complete with a touch of the local dialect.
“Sure, go ahead. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask your classmates for help."
Daniele nodded in understanding and then took a respectful step back. After bowing to Kun-Ho, he made his way to his seat. His manners were perfectly polite, probably even surpassing those of many locals.
As I watched Daniele navigate his way to his seat, our eyes briefly met. “Oh, hey there, Brown Hair! Love the color, it suits you well!" Despite his chic and polished demeanor, there was an unmistakable warmth to him. It was such a down-to-earth charm that felt unexpectedly familiar.
I was caught slightly off-guard by his compliment and quickly mustered a smile in response. “Uh? Oh, thanks a lot."
“I've seen you before. You are the one in the boy band, right? I recognize you guys."
“Yeah, that's us. We are looking forward to getting to know you."
Instead of a verbal response, Daniele offered a cheeky wink before settling into his seat, leaving a lasting impression. That wink was surprisingly intense.
Daniele had certainly made quite an entrance and captured the attention of the entire class. As the students continued to steal glances at him, Kun-Ho tapped the attendance book on the desk multiple times.
Tap, tap!
“Alright, let's shift our focus away from the new student now/" Kun-Ho gently redirected the students' attention back to himself. “We will wrap up the assembly now. The first period is English, right? Make sure you are prepared for the lesson. And Hee-Su?"
“Yes?" Hee-Su, who had been exchanging glances with Daniele, turned toward Kun-Ho with widened eyes.
“Hee-Su and the class president, please come with me for a moment."
“Me? Okay," said Goh Yoo-Joon.
“Alright." Hee-Su and Goh Yoo-Joon rose to follow Kun-Ho out of the classroom, leaving behind a buzz of whispers as the momentarily hushed room came alive once more.
***
“I heard Hee-Su's got a mission." Fresh from a visit to the staff room, Goh Yoo-Joon addressed the class from the podium with a hint of intrigue in his tone.
“A mission?"
Goh Yoo-Joon then confirmed with a nod.
“Yep, you know, the thing our teacher mentioned yesterday? About jotting down what we'd love to do if we were back in school."
“Really? Are we doing that now?" The buzz of excitement grew amongst the students.
“And what's this mission all about?"
Goh Yoo-Joon couldn't help but flash a playful grin. “It's a little secret for now. You will all find out soon enough, but let's play along and act surprised, okay?"
“Sounds like a plan!" The class agreed as their interest was thoroughly piqued by the mystery.
Goh Yoo-Joon was satisfied with the class's reaction and sauntered back to his seat before leaning in to share a snippet with Joon-Hwan and me. “In the staff room just now, there wasn't just Kun-Ho—ehm, our homeroom teacher, but the English teacher too. They were briefing Hee-Su on some mission rules."
“What kind of mission are we talking about?" I couldn't help but ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“To be honest, I am not too sure. They told me it's about creating cherished memories for the students and asked me to spread the word." Goh Yoo-Joon shrugged nonchalantly, as if it were just another day at school.
As the class bell loomed, Hee-Su entered with a hint of anxiety etched on his face. It left us with no time to delve further as the English lesson commenced.
Goh Yoo-Joon fought a losing battle against sleep. He suddenly tore a piece of paper from his notebook and started scribbling.
“What are you up to?" I whispered and leaned in for a closer look.
Goh Yoo-Joon handed me the note without a word.
[What kind of mission did you get?]
Ah, the nostalgic art of note-passing. It took me back to the days when Goh Yoo-Joon and I would settle our disputes silently on paper.
I suppressed a smile and decided not to return the note to Goh Yoo-Joon but instead folded it neatly and passed it to Hee-Su. Hee-Su took the note and let out a deep sigh upon reading it as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.
‘What sort of mission could have made him so flustered?'
It seemed like something he had chosen to do, so it couldn't be that daunting.
Shortly after, Hee-Su tapped my shoulder gently. I reached back, maintained my gaze forward, and discreetly took the note from him. As I passed it to Goh Yoo-Joon, he glanced at it quizzically before showing it to me.
[It's too embarrassing, so please don't ask. You will find out soon.]
[I seriously regret this. Even the English teacher burst into laughter when I shared the mission details.]
Hmm? What on earth did he jot down that could cause him such embarrassment and regret?
Embarrassing and regrettable scenarios flitted through my mind, but none seemed to fit the situation. Nevertheless, I had to respect him since he had asked us not to ask further…
We reluctantly tucked the note into the drawer and redirected our attention to the ongoing lesson. Minutes dragged on, each tick of the clock seemingly louder than the last.
"..."
I straightened up to fight the overwhelming urge to drift off, but then I noticed that Goh Yoo-Joon had already succumbed to the lure of sleep.
“Hey, time to wake up," I murmured, nudging him gently.
When he remained unresponsive, I gave his shoulder a firmer shake. I finally got a chance to annoy him like this, not the other way around. Goh Yoo-Joon leaned back on his chair, his eyes still clouded with drowsiness. But at least, he would stay awake for a while longer.
Just then… “Pfft!” A muffled chuckle escaped from somewhere behind us.
“Who was that?" The unexpected sound caught the English teacher's attention, prompting him to pause the lesson and cast a questioning glance our way.
I turned around and saw Joon-Hwan, his hand clamped over his mouth, shaking his head in an apology. “Sorry.”
“Tut, tut, we can't have disruptions during class," the teacher admonished, though his lips twitched with an amused smile before he resumed the lesson.
As I turned back to face the front, a faint, no… rather unmistakable aroma of food started to permeate the air.
‘Hmm? What smell is this?’
It was only the first period, so lunch couldn't have arrived already.
That was when Goh Yoo-Joon glanced back absentmindedly and suddenly stifled a laugh. After that, he clenched his teeth as if holding back a chuckle.
“Why?" I asked by following his gaze, only to find Hee-Su's textbook propped up in an odd manner. Behind the textbook, there seemed to be some suspicious movement.
I curiously peeked over Hee-Su's textbook. “Whoa, seriously?" I nearly burst out laughing but managed to control myself and then turned back to face Hee-Su. I couldn’t believe this.
“What are you doing?” I mouthed the question, and Hee-Su responded with a face full of unjustified misery. There he was, sneakily eating from a lunchbox hidden behind his textbook.
[Name: Jeong Hee-Su
Q: If you were to go back to school, what is something you'd definitely want to try? (And why?)
A: Bring lunch and sneakily eat it during class. I just saw it on TV once and wanted to try it.]