#oncloudnine: Gathering Clouds

---

 

To move away, when you are a sophomore with good friends, good boyfriend, good status quo, and good fairytale future dreams, was definitely out of options. Nobody would ever trade those, but sadly it was actuality when her father came back from work in Seoul and informed the household about his transfer.

                                           

Jung Eunji was the only one that screaming in despair, when his younger brother, Jung Minki, and their mother were cheering in happiness.

 

“Come on Dad! You can’t be serious! Seoul?” She sounded so desperate that everyone was staring confusedly at her. “I mean, do you know that Barack Obama stays with his wife in Washington to make sure Sasha graduates happily? They don’t move away because they love their daughter! They don’t want to piss her off!” Eunji knew she sounded so foolishly no make-sense, but for a desperate measure, she thought her trash talk made sense.

 

“It’s not like we moved to another country hun,” Her mother tried to cheer her up. “It’s just Seoul. You can come back once in awhile.”

 

“Yeah right,” She rolled her eyes. “I can’t leave Busan without feeling bad to everyone; my best friends, Mom, Dad, what if I can’t get best friends there because of my accent? They think funnily about us because our strong accent... And Seungyoon! I can’t just breakup with him! We’ve been dating for a while—”

 

She was cut off by her younger brother, “—the hell Sis. You just date him for a month and you’re acting like you can’t live without him.” The youngest Jung shook his head in annoyance.

 

“Can’t I just stay behind?” Eunji offered out of blue, bright eyes.

 

“You can’t.” Her mother replied curtly, looking away.

 

“Why?” She whined like a little spoiled child and she was lucky her mother didn’t have anything hard on her hand because she might hit Eunji.

 

“Because we sold this place already. We’ll be living in an apartment in Seoul and I already applied your transfer applications to your new schools. So we have to move.” Her mother of course expected Eunji’s reaction, from the way she stood up and started to scream and pace.

 

“OH MY GOD, MOM, DAD, YOU RUIN MY LIFE!”

 

 

A week after the dramatic moving away; crying goodbyes and promises to be best friends forever with her best friends, saddening breakup with Seungyoon (because he was a jerk and just not a man enough to have long distance relationship), and dilligent practice to take away her accent - Jung Eunji finally was ready to attend her new school in Seoul, Seoul High School.

 

The school was an elite one, she thought, much bigger than her old school and the uniform itself screamed rich people only. She walked around before she tried to find the teacher’s longue which she had no idea where it was.

 

She decided to ask, but how could she ask those girls when they were in a bunch, and it would be more troublesome if they knew she moved from Busan and tried hard to cover her accent. She knew she would be teased a lot about it.

 

So she decided to find a young male, alone, and possibly wouldn’t find out about she tried to hide her accent.

 

And there he found one; standing lean, looking down on the papers with frown over his forehead, his uniform and shoes were pristine clean and ironed carefully seemingly, and his hair was tidied so perfectly that Eunji believed he must be someone elite in organization or popular in this school.

 

“Hi,” She greeted him and it seemed to startle the other but in swift second he returned to be aware. “I’m new here and I’m looking for teacher’s longue. Can you show me?”

 

Eunji read his name-tag, Do Kyungsoo, and looked up because he nodded at her. “Sure, come this way.”

 

He led her without saying a word and Eunji was torn between feeling relief because she didn’t need to talk or feeling bad because seemingly she wasn’t interesting enough to get him to talk.

 

“Who do you need to meet?” He asked, and Eunji realized he got something in the way he talked, smooth bass tone, that definitely not fitted his amusingly youthful face.

 

“Umm,” She opened her file folder and looked for her teacher’s name. “Hwang Jungeum?” She tried and then a telltale smirk appeared on his face.

 

“Alright, let me get you to her.” He walked by and bowed to several teacher that happily called out to him until he reached the table and greeted her in another, amusingly cheerful tone.

 

That teacher looked up and greeted him warmly before he notified about her presence. Hwang Seonsaengnim then beamed amusedly before she said, “So you already met your Class President!”

 

Eunji turned to see her Class President that was smiling at her formally, before he excused himself to leave.

 

Hwang Seonsaengnim explained thoroughly about her school information and then she reached down for an application form and a pamflet, “Each student in this school must attend at least one extra activity outside school. Here are the extra activities you can join. You just need to apply this form and hand this to the club’s member you prefer. And oh, my advice; take anything but Book Club. I heard from most students it’s super boring and nothing fun.”

 

She swallowed the information and nodded, right then she was also excused to leave the teacher’s longue.

 

She read the pamflet and sighed, the extra activites were so alike to the ones she had in Busan; basketball, soccer, cheerleading, marching band, cooking class, science club, and so many others, before her eyes landed at the very bottom, the last club included on the pamflet, Book Club, the one that Hwang Seonsaengnim has just mentioned to her earlier.

 

She was a voracious reader and this club was new to her, since in her school before there was no such thing as this book club. None would want to be stamped as nerd, but wow just wow. Seoul people were at another whole new level, they weren’t embarrassed to show their identities through this screaming loud Book Club.

 

Should she just join?

 

But what about keeping her status quo? Wasn’t joining a Book Club would make her look like an exact definition of nerd then? She just moved here and then tried to ruin her academic career? Her best friends in Busan would make fun of her.

 

But again, joining choir was something she didn’t prefer. She joined one in Busan and managed to be the soloist. Why would she do the same activity when she could do something more, right?

 

She then decided to go around and asked about this book club, because that was the only extra activity that caught her attention.

 

 

“Hey Class President!”

 

Do Kyungsoo turned his head at the time Eunji called him. He then asked his friends to go on without him as he waited Eunji to step closer to him.

 

“Yes, can I help you?” he asked, auto-polite mode.

 

“Um,” Eunji hesitated as he waited for her to answer his question with his brow raised. “Can I ask your opinion?” She then reached out the pamflet she received earlier and he took it over to read. He then hummed so Eunji continued, “What do you think about Book Club?”

 

His eyes looked up at her in the speed of light, as if she just said something wrong. “Why, do you want to join that club?” He wondered.

 

She shrugged, “Just considering. I’m torn between Choir or Book Club actually. We can take two extra activities, can’t we?”

 

Kyungsoo nodded. “But I don’t think you want to join Book Club. It’s super boring and I never heard any of us joined that club. It’s about to closed down or something I’ve heard.” Kyungsoo then returned the pamflet and repeated his words, “Join anything else but that club. Nobody wants to join that horrible club.”

 

Eunji frowned and Kyungsoo clearly saw that, it missed from Eunji that Kyungsoo had that light smirk before he cleared his throat.

 

“I’m going to canteen. Want to come together?” He offered kindly, started to step off and Eunji instinctively followed suit.

 

But then she halted. “No I’ll just go and look for my locker. I got books to put. Um Class President—”

 

“—Kyungsoo will do just fine Eunji,” He cut off with a smile and Eunji could tell he definitely knew how to flaunt his charms. “Well, go on.”

 

“Oh right yes, um can you tell me where locker 1288 is?” Eunji blinked at Kyungsoo blankly.

 

“Sure, come this way.” Kyungsoo led the way, just like what he did earlier this morning.

 

 

Locker 1288 was placed somewhere near the door leading to the backyard, student’s favorite spot to skip class because it was perfect; the trees kept them hidden from sunlight and teachers.

 

Do Kyungsoo left her after showing the locker because he was needed by his friends. Eunji had no other reason to stall him, so he let him go with a wave and then again, she was alone.

 

She opened the locker and placed some of the books she got yesterday carefully and started to think to make her locker cuter, maybe alike to lockers she saw from movies or teen west series; pictures of her best friends, cute stuffs, or something else to spice up the mood whenever she opened this boring locker.

 

It was a surprise for her, of course, when someone opened the locker next to her.

 

She took a peek and found a boy with their uniform, unlike Kyungsoo’s pristine one he had rumples everywhere on his white shirt and the knot on his tie was crooked, looking sleepy and yawned right now and then. He seemed not to notice Eunji’s presence for a moment until he unintentionally caught her staring.

 

He widened his eyes and then bloomed into a smile. “Oh so you are the newbie!”

 

Eunji blinked. “Huh?”

 

“Yeah I mean, that locker has been empty for I don’t know... Three or four months? Then I heard someone took the locker and there she is, looking hella fine.” He reached out his hand cheerfully and continued, “Hi my name is Kim Jongdae, the owner of locker 1286, and it’s a pleasure to see you.”

 

Eunji took his outstretched hand and smiled, “Jung Eunji, 1288.”

 

That Jongdae kid chuckled. “Cute.” Then he closed his locker as he stepped off. “I need to run now but let’s be friends. Greet me if you see me alright?” He smiled and was about to step off when Eunji called for him.

 

“Random question; if you were me, would you join the Book Club?” Eunji asked as she held the pamflet.

 

There was something flickered on Jongdae’s eyes but then he shook his head eagerly. “Naaah, I’m too hyperactive for something so boring like that.”

 

Eunji nodded and sighed. “Alright then,”

 

Jongdae also nodded, “Just join something else, like Choir or Basketball? Book Club is so boring. You won’t have fun there.” Then he waved as he stepped away.

 

Three different persons said this club was boring, was it really a sign for her to join other, nothing new club?

 

 

The school finished at 4pm and it was raining heavily. Thank goodness for having a mom that was a super freak perfectionist, which meant she would make sure her kids brought umbrella every day because the weather sometimes was so unpredictable.

 

She stood at the lobby, staring at people that was running off quickly with their backpacks, some others were walking slowly because they brought umbrellas with them, but none of them stood and waited like what she did right now.

 

Or so she thought.

 

Stopping few steps away from her, a young boy that clicked his tongue, somehow a dimple appeared on his cheek, that made him look cute although he seemed to be annoyed with the rain.

 

He sensed her staring as he turned his head at her and nodded, enough to acknowledge her. He then looked over the heavy rain and sighed.

 

Eunji’s grip over her umbrella went stronger. She wanted to make friends and so far Day 1 brought nothing good to her. Well she made somehow-friends with her Class President and locker neighbor, but she hasn’t yet made friends for real.

 

So she stepped closer to him, “I’m heading to bus shelter. Are you too?” She didn’t hide her strong accent now.

 

He nodded. “Is it alright?” Eunji was stunned because there was something in the way he talked, like an accent but she didn’t now which from.

 

She smiled. “Of course. Let’s go.”

 

He held the umbrella for both of them as they walked to the shelter, which amused Eunji because he was such a soft, sweet-hearted gentleman. And now they were already talking about school and Eunji received information about him.

 

“So you’re from China? Wow that’s cool. I’ve never met a Chinese before in my life. Super cool. And your name too, that is cool. So does your name have a meaning?” She wondered curiously and he nodded.

 

“Zhang Yixing,” he named himself, “means prospering in arts.” He let out that smile again and Eunji gaped in pure amazement. “I don’t really do much art, but if you call dancing as art then I’m living up to my name.”

 

“Shoot, you can dance?” Eunji seemed super amused. “That is so cool. I at dancing, my friends back in Busan said I’m the Queen of Disastrous Dancing.” She exhaled, “Gosh I miss them.”

 

“It’s just one day. You will get used to it and maybe find friends, good ones. I also thought no one woul want me but then I proved myself wrong. I met good bunch of friends in my club I joined.” Yixing cheered with a wide smile.

 

“What club do you join though?” Eunji wondered and cat got Yixing’s tongue.

 

“Huh, just some random club...” Yixing muttered quietly and looked away.

 

“Talking about club..., actually there is this club that I wanted to join but everyone told me that it is boring and I supposed to join something else, something better, something more fun. But I really, really want to join this one.” Eunji sounded so desperate. “What do you think I should do?”

 

Yixing put that for a moment of thoughtful consideration before he replied  “Just do anything that seems good to you. My mom said before I moved here that there are people that will try to knock you down with their words, and somehow words are stronger and able to kill you, but you just need to cover your ears and keep pursuing what you really wanted.” Yixing read her facial expression and wetted his pinkish lips. “You’re considering to join the book club, aren’t you?”

 

Eunji looked up at Yixing and it took a minute before Eunji broke into a smile, “You’re a member...” She said just to state the fact.

 

Yixing nodded weakly. “That’s where my good friends are at.”

 

 

According to Yixing, the book club room was right at the back, few meters away from lockers and the door to the backyard, right in front of the storage room.

 

She found the door and somehow felt sorry for the crooked, yellowish, fragile door with a faded sticker written #oncloudnine - so this book club had a name.

 

She knew there was no turnbacks, once she was in she couldn’t get out until she finished school. But joining something new, something fun, something she never had before in her old school seemed like the only way to be herself. status quo, she didn’t even care anymore. Eunji just hoped joining this club would get her good friends, like what Yixing thought of his friends here.

 

Jung Eunji exhaled as she tried to get nervous state down of her system, she braced herself to be ready for this and nodded to herself. “Eunji fighting!”

 

So she knocked.

 

---

have you signed up for #oncloudnine club yet?❤