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Chapter 7: Who’s That

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After signing in near the front entrance, I followed several arrows plastered on signs throughout the campus, directing new students to their departments for tours.

The signs led me to a greensward with two large buildings that loomed like mirror-image castles, reflecting each other across a sea of green grass.

I stood between them in awe for a few minutes until a tap on my shoulder shook me from my daze.

“Are you here for new student orientation?” a girl with a low, warm voice smiled as she spoke.

I just nodded. She looked older than me, and she also looked like the kind of pretty, intimidating girl who could also kick my despite how nice she seemed.

“Are you going into the graphic design program or the music program?”

“Graphic design,” I smiled as I showed her the brochure I’d been handed at check-in.

“Ooo, yay, that means you’re with me today. I’m a junior in the graphic design department,” she pointed to the building on the left, “and I’m leading the tour today. Are you-.” She looked down at the clipboard in her hands, “Alice?” Seeing me nod, she smiled wide, “Awesome! It looks like that’s everyone then. The others are waiting inside. Oh, by the way, my name’s Hwasa.”

That name sounds familiar, something about hangover cures and Jackson’s weird obsession with health articles.

“Uhm, do you mind me asking? This may sound really weird, but do you run an underground newspaper?”

The girl’s eyes lit up like fireflies, and she grabbed my arm, jumping up and down like an excited puppy. “HOLY ! Hell yes, I made it. I’m famous. Even the freshman babies know about me! Oh, but if any of the administrators were to ask we never had this conversation. They have some sticks up their butts because of a few interesting yet informative articles I’ve written about them, but, luckily for me, we keep the newspaper staff completely classified,” she winked and made a lip-zipping gesture with her fingers.

Linking her arm with mine, Hwasa lead me into the school where a crowd of excited freshmen gathered, buzzing with energy. Once she left my side, I lingered a bit awkwardly on the outskirts of the crowd. So many of the kids seemed to already know each other that I felt uncomfortable with intruding in their conversations.

Hwasa strutted up to the front of the crowd, hopped up onto a chair, and cleared .

“Okay, babies, we are going to start this tour with a walk around the exterior of this building, so I can point out some of the weird things I know about this place. If you have any questions, feel free to raise your hand and ask. Also, if you haven’t learned to raise your hand by now, you are going to have a really hard time here,” she smiled a fatal smile, “My name’s Hwasa by the way.”

Hwasa lead us around the outside of the castle-like building, intermittently pointing out her favorite places, like a nook in one of the walls where students famously hide letters to each other or a pond near the greensward that students build igloos on every year when it snows, but about halfway through I started to get distracted by the tour of the music department happening right across the field. I couldn’t help being slightly more interested by the description of the practice halls with their sound tiles and weird non-ninety-degree angles than Hwasa’s attempt to make the computer lab sound like a paradise on Earth. Don’t get me wrong. Hwasa was very entertaining. The way she spun things with her words was impressive, but something in me was far more drawn to music than to graphic design. If it hadn’t been for my intense fear of playing, I might’ve been in their tour group instead of hers.

That wasn’t the only thing distracting me, though.

I wonder what will happen if the vote tonight isn’t unanimous. I could try checking back with the hotels. Maybe Bam can talk to Lisa again?

I went through the voters in my mind. From what I could tell everyone except Jinyoung and Youngjae were voting for me, but it’s not like I had all the time in the world to change their minds, and, like JB said, the vote had to be unanimous to pass. At this rate there was no way it would be.

“Okay, everyone, that concludes the outside part of our tour. We’re going to break for lunch now. Feel free to check out the restaurants around campus. We’ll meet back in an hour to tour the inside. Also, I think some students from the photography, cinematography, and music departments are at the school today to hear from some speakers, so don’t be surprised if you run into some upperclassmen while you’re out.”

I wonder if Youngjae is here. Didn’t BamBam say he was a photography major? I’m sure if I could find him and talk to him and get to know him a little better I could change his mind about voting against me staying tonight. Even if he is here, this is a big school. There’s no way I’ll be able to find him and convince him in that amount of time.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind,” Hwasa tapped my shoulder again. It scared the out of me the second time too.

“Oh, I was just wondering if a friend of mine might be here. He’s a photography student named Youngjae. You wouldn’t happen to know him, would you?”

“Are you freaking kidding me? I know everyone who is anyone at this school. It’s kind of part of my job, and Choi Youngjae is definitely someone.”

I guess it makes sense. If the Air Castle is really as big of a deal as Youngjae made it out to be earlier, then those guys must be pretty well known around here.

“Hmmm, which means if you’re friends with Youngjae, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re someone worth knowing too.”

“What? Me? No way. I wouldn’t say we’re close friends or anything. I just-”

“You’re just close enough to want to meet him for lunch,” she winked and elbowed me again, “I get it, but, you know, you seem pretty cool to me, which is why I’m going to help you out.” The girl reached in