II: A Loud Life

Life was always so damn loud for me. It starts with a stupid alarm that goes off too early. Freaking thing is incompetent. It has only one purpose in life: To annoy the hell out of me at six in the morning every day. And when life started off with an incessant ringing in your ears, you know the rest of the day is going to be hell as well.

“Oh, yes, oh my god!” And the next noise that ruins my day and taints my morning comes from the room on my right. And it so happens that I get to hear it along with my insolent alarm clock, which makes me even grumpier. Did I ever mention that our walls were as thin as a sheet of paper?

To make it even more convenient, even when she could hear the annoying alarm clock from her room, she continued on with her rendezvous on top of another man and she screams and moans louder. Inconsideration is a thing that I didn’t inherit luckily.

Waking up to these noises, my mornings were terrible.

I passed by her bedroom, after taking my own sweet time in the bathroom just washing up and doing my business, trying to pass the time in the early hours of the day. It seemed that they had finished and she left her room in a bathrobe, slippers and brushed hair. I didn’t spare her a single glance and strolled past her, not even acknowledging her. She didn’t deserve my respect.

“Jun Hong.” She called in a melodious voice. She sounded and looked like she did no lustful act in bed with a man (which is different almost every week might I add). But even if I didn’t have any respect for her, I knew I had to stop. It was routine. It was just another morning.

“Good morning.” She walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder which I shrugged away. I didn’t miss the hurt in her eyes as I continued dragging my backpack down the stairs. Like I said, she didn’t deserve my respect and not even a simple ‘Good morning’ could change that. I had given her ten years for that and I was tired of giving her chances.

I entered the kitchen because I always took my meals there. It was the only way to avoid her and her man of the week. As always, there was a nice, scrumptious breakfast prepared for me on the island of the kitchen. And this was the third noise of the day.

While I ate, I observed the chefs who busied themselves around the kitchen. It amazed me how much work they put in for one simple meal like breakfast. Something as simple as scrambled eggs had to be made a certain way and presented a certain way. It was definitely intriguing but I never dared to try my hand at cooking. Little details weren’t my thing.

And I guess the sounds of the kitchen were pleasant ones and sometimes slightly amusing. There are times where the chefs –the new ones especially- would slip up and get an earful by the executive chef. Those were interesting and fun to watch. It was especially humorous since they were so exaggerated about their actions and words.

“I’m done.” I hollered out and immediately, a maid fished the plate and cutlery out of my hands, handing me a glass of milk. The fresh liquid poured down my throat, clearing the greasy taste of the bacon. I downed the glass and handed it to the maid who bowed and scurried away to the sink.

It was time to leave.

I grabbed my backpack and threw it over my shoulder, taking the long way and entering the garage where a Rolls-Royce awaited me.

“Sir.” The chauffeur addressed me and I nodded once. He opened the door and I climbed into the comfortable leather seats of the silver Rolls-Royce. We immediately began pulling out of the garage and I plugged my ears with my earphones.

This was a noise –or rather sound that I liked. Once I had my earphones in, I was cut off from the rest of the world. What school? What wealth? What mother? What life? None of these mattered anymore. All that mattered was the music that pumped through my ears, filling my system with familiar and unfamiliar tunes and rhythms that shook my body and made my feet tap against the carpeted floor.

Music was my getaway. Nothing can compare to music. A god must have created this divinity. I’m sure of it. Music has evolved in so many ways throughout history and its purpose has become widespread. Imagine that many centuries ago, the start of music was through the bones of an animal and some innovative men. And then now, we have indie, rock, hip hop, pop, metal, country, classical, jazz, synth, alternative, dance, and so much more.

Music amazed me and I’m glad that it was created. If not, I might have gone crazy and killed myself by now.

My arrival at school was not a quiet one. Definitely one would not expect a silent arrival when one showed up in a car this expensive and flashy. Likewise, my arrival was tremendously loud, wild, and crazy. It was normal. It has been that way ever since I was born. Being rich and being way up the social ladder has its benefits and its downsides. The noise is one of them, the downsides, I mean.

The screams grew louder as I stepped out of the car in my usual stance and swagger. Untucked shirt, loose tie, snapback cap, bright high tops, baggy pants, no belt, backpack on one shoulder, and my navy jacket on the other was my usual appearance. I never did much and I never cared. And I was never one for uniforms anyway. But it seemed like my usual attire and fashion gave the girls this ‘bad boy’ vibe.  Har.

“Yo, man, new school year huh?” Chae Jin Seok, a bubbly brunette, flanked my right, cutting in between all the fan girls. He was a regular guy and an average student. The only thing that stood out about him was that he was heir to a corporate company that owned most of the shopping malls in South Korea.

“Yeah, senior year, we ‘gun have some good fun this year.” Han Sang Hyuk, a surreptitious blonde, flanked my left, slinging a casual arm around my shoulder. If there was one thing Han Sang Hyuk was, it was a prankster. This guy had a knack for pranks and jokes that range from either plain crappy or outright perfect. Other than that, his family owned a huge construction business which built most of the major buildings in South Korea and restored most of the historic sites as well.

“Whatever, I just can’t wait ‘til we get out of here. God damn it, this place is like a prison.” I muttered under my breath indignantly. Hell was one word to describe this place. Teachers droned on and on about things I wasn’t interested in knowing, students were so irritatingly bratty, and the females were like cats waiting to sink their claws into me. I’ve never met a female who wouldn’t fawn and drool over me in a minute. If that day comes, I’ll give them my lollipop. And I’m possessive of my lollipops.

“Oh, hey, it’s Se Hun!” Chae Jin jumped up and down in joy as he charged towards the tall, lanky blonde haired male, who was dumping his stuff in his locker. He glanced up just as Chae Jin halted right in front of him with a blinding grin.

“I see you’re here.” Se Hun nodded at me with a knowing smirk. Se Hun was the best looking out of us which would explain why he has such a magnitude of fan girls always tailing him. I guess the girls just liked his mysterious personality. Se Hun was always very laconic and quiet but he was intelligent and witty. Not much was known about him or his family and not even I knew about it. He always carries a certain mysterious aura around him, which attracts females from left to right. And he’s never bothered by it until he’s asked out (which happens quite a lot). And if Hyuk was a true born prankster, Se Hun was a true born gentleman. Chivalrous was an adjective to describe him and he was truly soft-hearted and kind despite his cold hard exterior.

And a lot of people seem to think that this school is like that high school in that stupid drama ‘Boys over Roses’ or flowers or whatever. Correction, Seoul High School is just a normal school. The only rich ones are the very few who attend this school. Life isn’t a drama and reality is reality.

“Of course, wouldn’t want to miss the first day of school right?” I drawled sarcastically and the four of us laughed boisterously as we sauntered down the hallway, chatting and playing around.

The laughter of my friends and I were a noise that I particularly adored. It made me feel less lonely on the inside. I knew that at any time of the day as long as I was with them, a smile would be automatically slapped across my face like a stupid fool. I couldn’t help it. We all just clicked.

The last bell rang and the students hurriedly piled out of class. This was another sound that was music to my ears. It was a ticket out of hell. It was my cue to bolt out of there as soon as possible. As usual, I’m the first ones out of there. I didn’t bother to stay and listen to what the teacher had to say.

“Hey, you want hang out today?” Hyuk managed to catch me before I left. I turned around to stare at him with a cocked eyebrow. He caught my look and stepped backwards with a shrug.

“Alright, alright, I guess someone wants to hit the rink. I’ll go ask Se Hun instead.” He harrumphed and I scoffed, shaking my head.

“Good luck with that. Knowing him, he’ll be stuck in the library.” I left with a simple wave and turned out of th