prologue
「Love Story」━ unfolding。PROLOGUE
DECEMBER 2011
Chatters filled the hallways of Jeguk High as the rumored collaboration between the school's best and worst club made its way towards the ears of the students. The opposition for combining the two clubs far outweighed the ones favoring it, if there was even anyone besides Oh Sehun. Darim didn't pay attention to any of it though and even threatened to fire the assistant principle when he tried to persuade her that it was also a bad idea. Jeguk had to make it as the top highschool nationwide before she retired. And it was better to start early as a trial and error. She had a few years left so if it didn't work this year, she'd come up with other plans to make it work the next.
Earlier that day...
The first one to have caught news of this was none other than Han Taekyung, being the principle's son. While they're not on talking terms, there are times that prove there were minor perks to having Yoo Darim as his mother. Such was the case in this situation. Taekyung readily told the star members about the whole ordeal, lying that he had overheard the principle when he passed by her office earlier. He wanted to keep the relationship between him and Darim a secret from the students, especially Star members considering Darim wasn't on anyone's likeable list. He later relayed the same message towards his best friend in Baekho, Sophia Lee. Sophia was part of Baekho but she was the outcast so she didn't bother trying to let the other club members know what she was told. Nobody would listen to her anyways.
Star Club turned into a wild mess at the notifcation. Shouts, violence, and profanities echoed through the room. Even the doors of the club room couldn't keep the ruckus within. One mouth ran, ears listened, more mouths ran, and more ears listened. Tae Junyoung was one of the few in the room trying to keep the room from being torn apart by the members. He caught books that went flying, picked up the utensils that were lying around so no one accidentally slips on them, and even constantly double checked the clock on the wall wasn't about to fall off due to the zoo like behavior happening around.
"Guys this is a good chance to make some new friends!" Leave it up to Taekyung to be optimistic in this situation. Everyone froze at the boy's words, shooting him a glare before Taekyung had to dodge objects being thrown at him ranging from cushions to textbooks. One particular fellow club member, Song Mijeong, nodded in agreement with Taekyung's words though. Mijeong wasn't being optimistic but more that she was open minded and wouldn't mind making friends with anyone who shared the same sentiments as her. And Sophia will prove to fit that expectation to a perfect T. Sophia will also become just as fond of Mijeong, the two being labeled the shakespeare spawns.
On the other hand, another optimistic club member was shouting at the top of her lungs towards no one in particular. Han Heera tends to be optimistic but her strong willed nature comes before that. And she has an extremely strong dislike for the Baekho members so getting along with them was the last thing on her mind. For now, she'll just imagine horrible deaths for Baekho if they even dare step into this room, to ease her temper. Leaving thumbtacks on the floor as welcoming gifts for Baekho seems like a good idea. As for Yeon Seulhee, the girl honestly could not be bothered with any of this right now. With so many smartalics making their way into Star later on, the girl had to prepare herself for all the debates she would definitely drag herself into. And when Seulhee fights, she has to win. Or the argument would continue until she does.
The Baekho members proved to have taken the news much better than Star Club. At least they weren't throwing a fit. The members did not fail to hear the disruptions going on nor did they let the profanities and death threats thrown at them go unheard. They did however, decide to be the mature students by ignoring it. All of this could all just be a joke and Baekho refuses to let stupidity overrun them before the principle even says anything. How stupid would Star Club look when they throw such a fuss and it's not even true. That was until, Darim walked into Baekho, the assistant principle right behind her. Her eyes twitched hearing the commotion next door but seeing as the Star Club Members already knew what was happening, it's only right for her to tell the Baekho members first. They were more important anyways.
"I'm sure you guys have all heard the rumors going around. And it's true."
Though the members made much less of a reaction than that of Star Club, there were still groans and annoyance exhibited. Ji Kangchi was simply reading his chinese novel, disregarding the words of the principle. She could do what she wants to do. And he'll continue losing himself in the love stories. As long as Star doesn't mess that up, Kangchi could care less about the unification of the two clubs.
Darim continued, "This is the easiest and quickest way for you all to earn specs. Star is a versatile club that actively participates in contests and championships. I won't expect you guys to win at everything the star club will participate in but having marathons and contests under your belts will make you a more favorable applicant. The most important aspect is still your grades. In exchange for giving you guys this opportunity, it will be in your duties to help raise the grades of the Star members."
"Why do we need to do anything for those brainless animals?" Baek Nora was the first to speak up. While she's usually more expressive in actions, there were also times when the girl couldn't hold her tongue. She just needed to understand why this whole situation was happening to let it happen. And to be honest, she's probably one of the Baekho members who disliked the Star Club the most. It wasn't hate, but it was pretty damn near considering all the foolish she's seen those idiots do. Bae Eura had a similar reaction to Nora. She was going to say something but Nora beat her to it so she just remained still instead. All Eura wanted was to graduate Jeguk without being affiliated with the people as much as she can. She missed the life in France and knew damn well that if there was something she wouldn't miss in Korea, the Jeguk students had to be first place. Bang Eunrin was one of the quiet members, being named the shadow of Jeguk and had similar sentiments as Eura. At least in the beginning she did but once she started to make friends in Baekho, Eunrin grew protective of their club. Eunrin for the most part wanted to be left alone which the other Baekho members respected fully so mixing with Star seemed like the unfolding of a personal nightmare.
"Because if I blatantly tell them the two clubs will combine just so one group could gain an advantage would lead to a bigger outburst than the ongoing one now."
"It's amazing how you can manage to make this whole thing sound like we're the biggest benefactors when you just want Jeguk's ranks to soar." Yoo Haena had her usual domineering look on her face and if it wasn't because Darim was the principle and had a huge pride to protect, the latter would have quivered a bit from the intimidating stare. Haena was one of the Jeguk students who didn't mind using underhanded methods to achieve the best. And because of that, her and Kim Soojin, formerly known as Lau Yitian, are on the worst terms possible. Soojin may be cunning in her own way but the girl still had her morals. When she sees anyone doing anything too unethical, the girl would not think twice to report them to the principle or even shaming them in public.
Darim decided to ignore Haena's words though. She knew it was true, and there was no reason to try and lie to the smartest bunch in Jeguk.
Next to Haena was Hwan Miyu. She was one of the quieter Baekho members and did not understand when people were beating around the bush. Hearing Haena's words confused the girl since she would've never interpretted Darim's words as such. Or the girl was just too lost in her own world this whole time to realize that Jeguk's principle was well known for being greedy for fame and recognition.
The others of Baekho didn't have any strong feelings regarding the merge. Jang Aejin for example was the optimistic one in Baekho so she didn't mind making friends with Star as long as they were nice to her. And honestly, her most important worries lie with what she should talk about with Jackson when they have class tomorrow, not the merge of the clubs. Baek Sora even liked the idea since she knew how much Jiho wanted to be apart of Star club. She was glad he had this chance since she was the only reason he stayed in Baekho to begin with. Sora has always been tolerant and patient so she's willing to put up with Star's shenanigans if it means her boyfriend could be happy for even a while.
A very minor population of Baekho could not be more excited about it. Jang Yerin was one of them as she's more compatible with Star anyways. If not for her parents persuading or threatening her really to join Baekho, the girl wouldn't have done such a thing. Kim Ian was as excited as Sehun, with both their minds around the same idea of being able to spend more time with a certain someone so he just let out a smile. He turned to his left to see Sehun still with that evil smirk on his face and shook his head lightly. Oh the amount of times he'll need to play the mediator now.
Besides the squealing that Kae Inyoung couldn't hold back, the club was quiet. The others rolled their eyes at his reaction. If they couldn't even handle one Inyoung, how can they put up with the whole Star club. Inyoung was the overly talkative one with studying being the last thing on his mind. When he first stepped into the club with that big smile on his face, the members had even outright pointed that Star Club was next door. But Inyoung had joined Baekho and even took it upon himself to welcome new club members. Which usually resulted in negative feelings though that didn't deter the boy from continuing. Yang Woohee was the most conflicted and stayed quiet as well. She could take this chance to rekindle her bond with her best friend, Hyun Yoomi but at the same time, Woohee felt like things wouldn't be so easy. She was never one to make friends easily so Yoomi was precious to her. But she has seen how much her best friend had changed and now she's wondering if Yoomi even still considered her as a best friend. What if Yoomi wouldn't like the idea of rekindling their lost bond?
Darim's eyes scanned the rest of the Baekho room before landing on one of her favorite students, Nam Seungwon. Seungwon was always first in her class as well as always being well mannered. It was nice having that when Darim was accustomed to students arguing with her. She just told herself that these kids didn't understand the adult world though. Kang Taegun sat next to Seungwon and being a freshmen, Darim didn't know him yet so he could feel Darim stare in his direction for a while longer. For Darim, if she didn't know him, Darim knew Taegun wasn't from a well off enough family for her to deem him important to know. Taegun caught the condescending look Darim flashed him but he ignored it. These moments were the moments that fuel his determination to work hard and do better. He needed some people like that so that he can better himself.
"If there are no more useless comments, the clubs will be combined starting after the winter break. And anyone who disobeys this arrangement can answer to their parents." With that, Darim strode out of Baekho and headed for Star. She stood at the door of Star club for a good minute, fuming to herself silently at the amount of noise these idiots were making and mentally prepared herself for the worst to come. She knew Star wouldn't be as understandable as Baekho since they basically lacked the capability to even use their brains. She then motioned at the assistant principle to open the door before she stormed inside the room.
At the sudden appearance of Darim, everyone in Star froze. Darim's patience continued to be tested as she scanned the room to see the huge mess it was currently in. To think these students made it into her sacred school. And that her son was one of them.
"I'll make this as simple as I can. You guys have been damaging the school's reputation and being in a prestigious school as such, you need to prove your worth to stay. So if you guys would like Star to remain standing, I expect to see a rise in your grades or I will close this club down due to it being a distraction from your studies. The Baekho members will be helping you with your studies from tomorrow onwards." Darim could see all the anger and hate for the idea about to explode but she held up a finger to her lips. "One word and I will take away this chance for you guys to better yourself and automatically close Star from this moment onwards."
Star remained silent, for the most part since most of the members have already let out their frustrations for the past hour. Some reckless members had their mouths covered though like what Jung Haeun was currently doing to Kang Dahyun. Haeun is a virtuous and gentle girl who'd never do anything to act out of line. Dahyun was her polar opposite with a rockstar father who encouraged her to do and say whatever she liked. Dahyun became reckless due to this so Haeun would look out for the girl when she can as to not let the girl drag more unwanted trouble toward herself.
Another of the more rowdy members, Park Minhi specifically was seething through her teeth. She was red with anger, throwing her arms and legs around a bit as if she was having a spasm. The girl was reckless and short tempered but she did her best to hold herself back as to not bring Star down. Lee Jaejoon was on her left, trying to calm the girl down by fanning her face though Minhi just swat them away. If Eunrin was Baekho's shadow, Jaejoon was Star's ghost. He's there but generally unnoticed by everyone due to his lack of presence. So Minhi made sure to always look out for the boy and Jaejoon has stuck by her since. Ji Taehee on Minhi's right was having a fun time just watching the girl. Sehun had put his cousin in charge of taking care of shortie while she was in Star Club and Taehee had taken a liking towards this task. Especially when she now has a personal arm rest. Taehee had blossomed prettily, shedding her weight and 'ugly attributes', becoming Star Club's most popular member. Confessions every few weeks or so was common that the girl was starting to get sick of having to reject these people.
The Star members can agree they hated Darim, they hated Jeguk, they hated Baekho. But if there was one thing that kept them going in this hellhole, it was Star and none of the club members would do something to put this place at risk. So even though most can agree that jumping into a pit of fire would sound more ideal than working with Baekho, most of them also knew they didn't have the power to change anything. Some of them got in through scholarships and none was so filthy rich they'll be able to bribe Darim into changing her mind. So they stayed quiet until Darim made her way out. And tried to plan ways to sabatoge Baekho the minute they enter this room.
"Well this was easier than I expected," Darim noted to the assistant principle on their way back to her office. The members have quieted down and finally accepted the proposition. After a few more angry animal noises. Though Darim did hear a faint crashing noise in the back but decided to ignore that.
Junyoung looked at the clock on the wall now in pieces on the floor. So much for watching out for it. But the other club members paid the broken clock no mind with smirks on their face. It'll be fun destroying Baekho and they knew exactly how to do just that.
So here it is! The prologue finally and just showing how the clubs reacted to the news. I hope you guys would enjoy it even if its in the slightest! I was going to post the chapters page but that's taking longer than expected lel. Anyways, congratz to the chosen applicants whose names are bolded and colored. For future chapters, "cameos" would have their names bolded and colored. Thank you for waiting patiently guys and the story has officially started! See you in the next update ^^
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