Kyuhyun wandered through the hallways after class had ended. He managed to escape the swarm of screaming girls who would so almost anything just to catch a glimpse of him or talk to him. He did love the attention, but at times it became too stressful. Therefore, he made sure to be the first one out the door after the bell rang. Just as he was about to reach the exit, he felt a firm grip upon his shoulder. He whipped his head around to find himself face to face with an equally tall man dressed in an exquisite navy, blue suit. The man smiled at him and pulled his hands back.

“Ahjussi?” Kyuhyun asked.

The man raised his eyebrows and replied back with a stern voice. “Kyuhyun, I may be your father’s friend but here, I am Principal Yeng.”

“I am sure it is but class ended and I need to go home.”

“Actually, you need to come down to my office.”

Kyuhyun gazed back at him with shock present in his eyes. “Me? What did I do?”

“I’ll explain in more detail in my office. Now, come along.”                          

Kyuhyun sighed and followed the principal up the flight of stairs, past the nurse’s office, the teacher’s lounge and the auditorium until they finally reached his office. The atmosphere was quite dark and dreary. No wonder most of the kids described this place as a death chamber. Principal Yeng gestured towards the chair before his desk, urging Kyuhyun to sit down. As soon as Kyuhyun took his seat, he began with his lecture.

“I called you here Kyuhyun because a few of the teachers have been worried about you.”

“Why on Earth would they do that?”

“They are worried because you might not graduate.”

Kyuhyun scoffed. “That’s impossible. The only reason I agreed to transfer here was because my father told me that I can graduate.”

“You joined the semester late, Kyuhyun. You don’t have the extracurricular credits required to graduate this spring.”

“You are kidding right? You mean like completing 30 hours of community service?”

“Actually it’s 45 hours. The Board decided to change the requirements this year. They are now assigning the kids the type of activity to complete based upon a teacher’s recommendation, their performance in school, etc. They think it’s better for the students.”

Kyuhyun stood up from his chair and sauntered through the room while furiously tugging at his tousled hair. “No way! I remember exactly what my father told me. He said that I could start off with a clean slate here. There would be no one to question me. I would go to school, get a diploma and leave. That was the deal! He never once mentioned anything about having those credits.”

“I’m sorry Kyuhyun. But this is school policy you have to abide by those rules.”

“I am not staying back another year just because I don’t have those credits.”

“Then you better do what it expected of you.”

“What did the Board assign to me?”

Principal Yeng sighed and lowered his gaze to his desk. Judging by his expression, Kyuhyun knew something was wrong. He repeated his question once more, making sure to enunciate every word.

“Jeung Min Music Academy.”

Kyuhyun returned Principal Yeng’s gaze with a glare. “No.”

“It’s not up to you.”

“Well, it should be. My father would not let this happen.”

“Your father may own the school but he has no authority against the Board of Education!” Principal Yeng fought back. He then realized his own temper had flared up and attempted to calm himself down. “Look, I know this is difficult for you ever since . . . well, you know. But I doubt they will even let you perform anyway. There are already students from our school who have been in the academy for years. Since they have more experience they would probably take care of the performances.”

“It’s not about being able to perform,” Kyuhyun said softly, “It’s just the moment I walk into a recording studio or a dance hall, those memories come flooding back. I start hating myself even more. You don’t understand what that feels like.”

“No, I may not understand. But sooner or later, you have to face it,” the principal stated and slid a contact card across the table, “In case you change your mind, here is the address.”

Jeung Min Music Academy, 4:00 PM

The music pounded through the dance studio as the young dancers continued to perform with fluid movements and graceful twists and turns. Your instructor, Hyunseung, was determined to perfect this routine so he had made sure that his dancers continued to practice until it was completely accurate.

“Come on, move your feet,” he shouted across the room. The music finally reached an end as it approached a decrescendo and the dancers ended in a final pose. Hyunseung sighed and gazed at the ceiling.

“Come on guys,” he stated, “How much longer do we have to do this?”