“Okay class, let’s play some games to break the ice! Get to know each other!” your new teacher gave a sappy smile to the sullen, half-asleep class.

You grimaced. Seriously? From a break-every-bone-in-your-body boot camp to class with a immature teacher?  What’s with my life?  You could see some of your fellow students staring at your half-wet hair.

Earlier on (fifteen minutes ago) you decided to be the first to have a shower in the clean bathroom. You needed one anyway, after the training this morning. Why should I stress over school? If I’m going to be late, I’m going to smell nice!

It was the fastest shower you had ever had. You had brushed your teeth in the shower to save time. Then struggled with the new uniform, trying to rip the tags off and failing. You found your nail clippers, cut them off and then threw on the clothes.

“Good enough.” You muttered to yourself as you examined how you looked. Then you cursed yourself as you looked in the mirror. You still had soap in your ears and your hair was wet.

“Eh~ I'll survive.” You continued talking to yourself as you walked out of the cabin.

A small thicket against the fence, about 200 metres from your cabin led to a gate where a path winded around a dark garden. All at once you found yourself beside the school gates, with 2 minutes to spare.

And now... here I am. You returned back to the present.

The teacher, Mr Kim, ordered everyone to clear the room of desks and gather the chairs in a large circle. You didn’t even attempt to move a desk and merely grabbed a chair and plonked onto it, still tired from this morning’s training. Other’s followed suite and the next few minutes was filled with moving all the chairs backwards to let someone ‘join the circle of new friends’ as your already-annoying teacher put it.

You stared lazily at your classmates one at a time, not even trying to be subtle. It was creepier when someone would watch you from the corner of his or her eyes.

You recognized three faces: Jongup’s, Daehyun’s and Himchan’s. Oh crap... kill me... just kill me NOW!

24 hours cinched it. For 24 HOURS you were going to be stuck with these three. So far, two of them had been annoying and the other, Daehyun, you weren’t sure of his intentions but you didn’t trust him.

The ramen!! Your eyes opened wide when you remembered the fixed bed. Someone had found the ramen and the cooking-set in your broken drawers!! He’s going to kill me whe- if he find out. You prayed for mercy and hoped that Himchan hadn’t been the one to find it.

“Here we go!” the teacher’s saccharine voice broke your thoughts as he produced a tennis ball. “We’ll throw it to each other, right? When you catch it you have to say your name and answer a question -which the person who throws it to you will ask- and then ask the next person a question and throw! Get it?”

Everyone nodded at the vague, confusing instructions. You rolled your eyes and dropped your head. Of all the most horrific things created on earth ice-breaking games is definitely within the top ten. And in the top three of things I hate the most too. Right after: Everything and Everyone.

You watched with half-interest as the ball was thrown randomly around the circle, listening to the questions, while you were thinking of what question was going to be directed at you. You knew that if anyone asks if you have a favorite something you’d going to blank out and forget everything about myself, as usual. 

As the game went on and you were ignored your hope began to rise Maybe they’ll forget about me! When Daehyun caught it you perked up. I’ll probably learn something about this guy, one of my roommates. However it was just about his favorite food. But his reaction startled you.

“Food.” Daehyun’s eyes gleamed “I love ALL THE FOOD!! But cheesecake is definitely my favorite.” He his lips nervously at his outburst. A few girls giggled, you rolled your eyes. Please be nearly over, please be nearly over.

You thought back to when you were eating ramen. You remembered how fast Daehyun had eaten his share. Even faster than you had! A small smile tugged at your lips at the recent memory.

But suddenly a small thump in the lap of your uncomfortable, thick skirt. You saw the tennis ball. You looked back at Daehyun, confused. He gave a small smirk then said “So... why are you here?”

You froze. What kind of question is that? All comebacks and snide remarks vanished from your mind as thirty pairs of eyes stared at you. You felt like shrinking into the back of your chair, but instead stood up and announced yourself in a cold voice “Annyeonghaseyo. My name is Lee Jung. I’m here to learn.”

Daehyun’s smirk faded. You knew that he meant about the hell that you had left behind that morning. Like I’m going to tell him that I was forced to come because I ‘can’t behave’. He can work it out for himself.

You looked down at the ball of fluro-green fluff in your hands and quickly threw it to the first person you saw, the person who sat directly across from you. Himchan.

You kicked yourself at your stupid reactions and, as everyone was still staring at you, you asked the dullest question ever: “So... uh... What your favorite color?”

This seemed to catch Himchan off guard and he blinked a couple of times before stuttering “Uhhm, my name is Kim Himchan. My favorite colour is g-gold? Red and black too, I supposed.”

The game went on, your moment of humiliation passed. You stared intently at your hands, wishing that the day were already over. But your overly happy teacher was bent on playing “fun games” for every small task. Even for choosing your seat. If you answered the random question he fired at you correctly you were able to choose whatever seat you wanted.

You swore that every question he threw at you was the most ridiculous ones!

“Lee Jang!” he jumped in front of you with unexpected energy.

“Jung.” You corrected him coldly.

“What is the distance from the earth to the sun?”

“……”

“How about this one then: what is the average amount of people unemployed in the Republic of Korea?”

You stared at him, as if he had grown an extra head. Why would I know these things? Why the hell would I need to know the area of Australia?? Or where the wasp originated WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?

Then, after raging and cursing at life in your head, you merely shrugged. Only a third of the class were able to answer the ridiculous questions he asked. He decided to assign seats for the rest.

“Lee Jing?”

“It’s Jung, Teacher Kim.” you growled. God, this teacher is annoying.

“Back row, second from the far left.”

Thank you, whoever is in charge of my luck. Finally something is going right for me, being in the back of the class.

You studied the worn surface of your desk, trying to read what someone had carved in earlier. Their handwriting was atrocious and didn’t even make sense.

“We’re seat mates!” a voice beside you exclaimed.

You gave a wry smile to Jongup “Oh goody, this is even better than this morning!”

He titled his head to the side, pouting cutely as he took his seat to your left “What do you mean?”

“Absolutely nothing.” You groaned and lay your head on your desk. You were going to sleep the classes away anyway.

“What do you know?” he spoke again. You cursed your life as Daehyun sat to your right and Himchan right in front of you. Of course it was too good to be true! Why the HELL do we even have to be near each other?

“Now students,” the teacher spoke excitedly “I was able to seat the rest so that you were all in ‘boy, girl, boy, girl’ order! Fantastic!”

“Oh yes, bloody fantastic.” You glared at your desk, refusing to even lift your eyes. Can I just kill myself now?

- - - - - - -

It wasn’t so bad, so far. You managed to doze off pretty quickly, falling into a deep empty dream.

Only to be woken with something poking your shoulder.

“ off.” The words came out before you realized you were in a class. No matter, only Jongup and Daehyun would have heard me…

“Miss Jeng that’s inappropriate language! How dare you speak those colourful words to me!”

Oh crap.

“S-sorry Mr. Kim.” Your words slurred together as you sat up too quickly, blacking out.

“There is no excuse! And sleeping in class too! Go to the principle!” the teacher’s expression was horrified and he dramatically pointed towards the door.

“N-now?” you could feel the whole room watching you.

“Well I’m not waiting until Christmas!”

Grudgingly you stood up and walked out. You had neither bag nor equipment for school so you were able to storm out quickly.

Out in the empty hallway you leaned against the walls, overcome with a sudden fatigue. I shouldn’t move too quickly when I wake up next time.

You decided to wander around and explore. There wasn’t much. All the walls were painted a faded mustard colour and parts of it were decorated with graffiti. The corridors twisted around, confusing the hell out of you and resulting in you getting lost.

Four times you were told off by other teachers for not being in class and sent repeatedly to the principle. A grumpy janitor gave you instructions where to find the office. You managed to finally find it and knock on the door, not really caring anymore.

“Come in.” a voice called.

You walked in chocking on the gagging smell of dying flowers. There were five vases full of them.

“How can I help you?” a female voice spoke. A short, frail lady turned towards you in her chair, adjusting her glasses.

“My name is Lee Jung, Miss.”

“What a sweet girl you are.” The old lady spoke softly.

“Erm, thanks? Anyways I was sent because I fell asleep in class.” You didn’t mention using ‘inappropriate language’.

The old lady peered closely at you “Wait! Are you the young girl at the Military Camp for Juveniles that my husband was talking about?”

You shuffled on your feet, “I, err- go there now, yes.”

She beamed “Ooh~ how can he be so angry over you? You are so cute!”

“Please Miss, my punishment?” you hated being called cute, even by elderly ladies.

“I can’t punish someone for being exhausted.” She winked at you. “My husband, he’s in charge of that facility, he likes to refer himself as a- no The Commander! He’s too harsh I think.”

“H-he is your husband?” What just happened?

The old lady nodded “We both have different schools which are attached to each other. We can’t work together since our styles clash too much.”

“Uh-huh…”

“So you can just run along now.”

“Oka- Wait what?”

“Go on! School time! Shoo shoo!! ”

She’s nuts!  You thought as you were ‘shooed’ from the office. They all are! What is this? Where was I dumped at?? Okay, so I’m in a place where every single person is crazy. What now?

Helplessly you made your way back to class. You apologized to the teacher for your mistakes and trudged back to your seat.

“How was it? Is she a living terror?” Daehyun whispered.

“Uhmm, no actually she’s really sweet! And also she’s the wife of that commander-guy.”

“Seriously?” Jongup chuckled in disbelief.

“SHHHH!” someone whispered.

“I’m going back to sleep now…” you mumbled as you lay your head back on the rough desk.

Almost instantly there was a ‘phzzing’ sound from your pocket. What the f- MY PHONE!

You pulled it from your pocket and looked at the caller. Your heart leaped at the sight of ‘Appa’ flashing. He’s coming for me?

“Teacher alert!” Jongup whispered.

“.” You muttered and threw your phone in your pocket. After over three days of abandoning me he decides to contact me? And in freaking school hours? Oh genius.

“Miss Jang? What are you doing?” the teacher spoke.

“Nothing, Mr. Kim.”

“Exactly!! Where is your bag? Books and pens? Pencils even?”

“They’re non-existent right now.” You wanted to kick the teacher for continuously saying your name wrong.

He pursed his thin lips and huffed “Well ask one of your classmates next to you to borrow one then!”

Suddenly the door opened and a figure strutted in. Your eyes widened slightly as you recognized her as the girl who had a tantrum in the mall. You smiled slightly, amused at how she was able to get away with how short her skirt was and the amount of jewellery that jangled.

What a living miracle. At least she’ll be able to provide endless entertainment to me now, right?

Her eyes stopped at you as she scanned the room. You folded your arms and smiled smugly as her eyes opened wide at the sight of you. She lifted one manicured finger at you and hissed “YOU!”