CHAPTER VI

Shin Ryujin woke up from her nap curled up in the bathroom stall, a little more conscious and a dash more sober. Well, considerably more sober. Getting up wasn’t a problem, staying up wasn’t a problem and she felt a little more on her… well, head. Glancing at her watch she smirked that the time was as precise as ever. Just after the last class but a little before the allotted detention. Enough time to wake up and enough time to wander around before detention and just enough time to grab a snack from the vending machine. She wasted no time to wash her face, wash her sore knuckles and go right towards the snack awaiting her, the hallways suddenly a lot more empty than before. More and more students filtered out of school, some enthusiastic and some plain tired.

But with all the passing faces walking away, she saw no signs of Yuna. She wondered where she was.

SLAM!

Shin Yuna kicked the janitor’s closet door open with her hands in her pockets and an accomplished, mischievous smile on her face. Her pockets were full with her earnings after a few games of Moogoo Monkey, all cleverly played. Frolicking, she walked down the empty halls and looked around as if to search for her detention mates, banging on lockers and making her own beat obnoxiously reverberate off the walls. She found no one around her, but she hoped that her abhorrent hollering would alert the sleeping Ryujin, only to find the coolest of the Shin already awake by the vending machine, staring at her with a fond smile and a roll of her eyes. “There’s my girl!” Yuna said happily, wrapping one arm around the dispirited Ryujin and dragging her along towards the dreaded detention room.

Well, dreaded for only Yeji who had gotten it into her head that this was the beginning of her academic downfall.

Or, you know, whatever.

Catastrophizing isn’t something Yeji knew to do well, except for today. Let’s not get into the long list of things she was thinking of, instead let’s focus on how she’s the only one seated at the lonely classroom. Right there, in the middle of the room, obediently seated and quiet. Right on time for her detention at that, just five minutes away. The remnants of the previous class were still fresh. Disheveled chairs, fresh gum stuck under the chair, papers scattered on the floor and paper balls all around the room. No sign of the teacher or other students, however. Which made Yeji wonder if she had the wrong room, for some reason.

Her question was soon to be answered by the entrance of Yuna (too happy for Yeji’s taste) and Ryujin (who looked a little better). 

“Well, hello there!” Yuna said, detaching from Ryujin and grabbing her still wrapped chocolate bar. “Whatcha got cooking?” She asked, not expecting an answer and taking her seat towards the back of the room.

And she didn’t get her answer really, Yeji just shrunk a little in her shoulders, looking down and away from Yuna.

“How’s that feeling?”

Yeji looked up to find Ryujin staring at her intently, albeit neutrally. And of course, words escaped her for a moment. Last time she saw Ryujin face to face was when her own vision was a blurry mess. Now looking at her face to face was nerve-wracking, mostly because she emanated this threatening aura that was both alluring and terrifying. Her reputation precedes her, like a cross stuck to her back visible to everyone.

“It’s fine,” Yeji said simply, looking away and fiddling with the end of her sundress. She didn’t like Ryujin, but somehow…

“Yo, Shin, sit down before you fall over,” Yuna said suddenly, breaking the growing tension. 

Ryujin gave her a quick shortle before she moved on, walking past Yeji who had just exhaled in relief.

Yeji knew that people like Ryujin were dangerous, or at least a beacon for trouble. Like a cursed amulet, bringing trouble and judgement everywhere they went. A couple of boys in her previous school were like this, unapologetically so. She knew this girl was walking trouble, she knew it!

She even heard Chaeryeong talk about it.

But…

Yeji looked behind her, just watching Ryujin settling down in her chair. A mundane action that shouldn’t be so enticing to look at. Ryujin dropped to the hard chair with a soft sound, flipping her blue short hair out of the way cooly and placing her feet against the edge of the table. Head tossed back, eyes closed and resting.

Yeji suddenly felt her golden heart stuck on .

Yuna was quietly watching back and forth between Yeji and Ryujin and couldn’t help but to let that -eating grin grow.

But where were Chaeryeong and Jisu?
 

Fighting, verbally this time, as they both still sported the scars of war. Food war, which is hilariously less serious when you remember, but also a waste of good spaghetti. It all started in the bathroom, when Jisu, disturbed, found spaghetti in places she shouldn’t be finding. Chaeryeong had just come out of the bathroom stall, having recently cleaned herself as well. These two only laid eyes on each other through the mirror and one petty phrase was thrown out. It went down that way. At least they were civil enough to continuously bicker in a nice volume where the bathroom walls wouldn’t echo their petty screaming. They were also civilized enough to start walking out of the bathroom, Chaeryeong letting the door open for Jisu to walk out, keeping at the same walking speed and walking together -- as if lovers who were just having a small, insignificant quarrel.

When they entered the classroom fighting, it made Ryujin and Yeji stare in surprise and confusion while Yuna chewed on her fingernails with excitement. A cheerleader fight, as petty as this one, doesn’t always blossom before her eyes! Might as well get the information, get the juicy bits and lavish in the absurdity of it all for a moment before detention. Besides, they have plenty more time to fight when detention takes its course and the teacher inevitably leaves the room to get away from the teenagers they despised.

The bickering was fading, dying off with pathetic little insults that made Yeji uncomfortably shift in her seat. Just her though, considering Ryujin started to tune out uninterested and Yuna internally thought that they could throw better insults than that.

Then, when both of their butts settled down on their chairs -- tactfully and respectfully keeping a distance of six seats -- the silence settled and the tension wafted through the air. No one said a thing for a while, Yeji didn’t even make a sound. Yuna pouted and drummed her coarse fingertips against the wooden table while Ryujin lounged like this was her home, Chaeryeong and Jisu kept their eyes away from each other, still visibly tense and angry. These would be her detention mates for two weeks, Yeji thought while internally cringing.

Outside, in the hallways, echoed the fine shoes of Mr. Lee, the man who walked with light feet like he was sliding on clouds. Dressed casually but looking slightly disheveled at the stress of the day weighed him down.

Yeji straightened up, Chaeryeong and Jisu forgot their differences and Ryujin looked at the man entering the office and instantly put down her feet on the ground.

“Oh, this is gonna be fun,” Yuna mumbled to herself and Ryujin.

It was not that this man commanded leadership when he walked in, it was that he looked and spoke like a man too elegant to be just a simple teacher like he had been someone in the past -- and even in lives before this one. Like a fallen king of the early ages now reincarnated to a mere peasant. He commanded respect, like he had been a war veteran. His way of treating everyone had Ryujin, the most chaotic student he’s dealt with, putting her foot down as a sign of said respect, as a sign that perhaps she will not misbehave this time around. But also, there was tension in his eyes, in the way he looked at each student sitting here -- innocent or otherwise. He had a quiet rage flaring up. Maybe today wasn’t his day.

That made Ryujin a little nervous, which was quite odd in her.

“Everyone,” Mr. Lee Taemin said with his voice loud and clear. “Welcome to detention. I will be the one supervising you today and make sure you learn your lesson -- whatever that lesson may be.”

Silence.

He sighed. “Unfortunately for you, we’ll be heading to the cafeteria for that lesson.”

The laments could be heard in the way they groaned, whined, sighed and tried to speak. But none of that would peel them away from the disaster that became of the cafeteria after the fight. A good part of it had been cleaned briefly by the janitors that shined with their absence. Clearly, their punishment was decided last minute and they were to leave this place squeaky clean before the sun got cozy below the horizon.

Rubber gloves were put in, Yeji tried to wiggle out of everything but the stern Mr. Lee didn’t budge, Yuna was tantalizingly close to the broom and eyeing it suspiciously which made Ryujin scold her (preemptively, just in case she was thinking of something dangerous… or stupid) and Chaeryeong picked the spot the furthest away from Jisu as possible. Quietly, Mr. Lee sat by the double doors and observed the youth work the dirty tables and the tainted walls. Rather than watching to call out any misconduct, he watched inquisitively.

Just a few moments before the teachers expressed their own theories (without being prompted to do so) about the whole laboratory incident. Surprisingly no one really had any proper idea of who could’ve been besides the drop-outs that meandered around the streets and sneaked inside the school during summer. Of course, the most popular name thrown around from THIS school was the very Shin Ryujin. The misfit, the rebellious, the face of the outcasts in school, yet not their leader, for they were all never subjected to be controlled nor taken advantage of.

“Oh yes, that Shin Ryujin is a handful, I don’t want to make an accusation but--.”

Said the secretary, then proceeding to make an accusation. 

“Forgive me,” began Lee Taemin. “I am not an expert, but that sounded like an accusation.”

And somehow Mr. Lee made it out of that conversation alive.

So, instead of believing everything that was told to him (without him asking, as well), he sat quietly and took the time to observe this monster-child in the works. The children of today and the future of tomorrow, as redundant as that is. They were just children, he mused, but he found himself fascinated in the way they were interacting quietly with one another, with some hefty distance or close range.

What fascinated him the most was the strange way Ryujin and Yeji (poor girl, her nose looks terrible) gravitated towards each other yet didn’t look at one another. Another fascinating thing was how far apart Chaeryeong and Jisu were, yet they exchanged glances here and there. And… amusing, but a little weird, was Yuna who looked very tempted to taste whatever was stuck on the wall. 

“Maybe don’t do that?” Mr. Lee said, his voice like a sharp spear across the room. Yuna turned around to see him immediately and bowed, moving on with her work.

Yeji looked up as well and found herself speaking aloud as she wiped the table clean. “Did she really want to eat that?”

Ryujin, who thought it was directed to her, laughed and shook her head. “If Yuna wants it, she does it.”

Yeji, slightly surprised, stammered. “Even if it… will make her sick?”

“Especially then,” Ryujin chuckled.

Yeji turned around, seeing the way Ryujin wiped the table next to her and left it squeaky clean masterfully. Her hand worked just as hard, maybe even harder than Ryujin, but these damned stains and dried food wouldn’t go away!

Ryujin looked over and had a soft smirk before it went away. Grabbing her sponge, she walked on over and decided to help the struggling new girl. No words spoken, barely even a glance, perhaps just a small smirk that faded and left no trace. Yeji knew nothing of this girl, if anything she knew that -- perhaps -- this girl was bad news. But her helpful nature was… muddying the once clear azure lake. Suddenly, no assumptions could be made, at least not confidently. Yeji was frozen for a second and visible confusion was in her face, but she continued on.

Mr. Lee noted this. A peculiar duo, these two.

“I still can’t believe I’m here because of you guys,” Choi Jisu mumbled mostly to herself, not caring if Chaeryeong listened.

And she did. “Oh, I’m sorry you’re not here with your dumb friends,” Chaeryeong mumbled in return.

“Those dumb friends are your teammates,” Jisu said -- iconic as ever -- in a matter-of-factly voice that she knows pisses of Chaeryeong.

And so that’s how they started to bicker in between mumbles and hisses.

Mr. Lee noted this too, unfortunately. He was probably given the weirdest handful of girls to deal with. Tension rising, glares intensifying and the odd mixture of… well, bravado? Enthusiasm? Passion, perhaps. He could not describe it.

But… in between all this chaos, there were the tender moments that couldn’t go unnoticed. In between the tense silence, Jisu nearly slipped and Chaeryeong was there to catch her and put her back on her feet before they parted ways to continue their detention; Ryujin herself seemed to be a bit too tired at one point and Yeji -- despite not feeling Ryujin’s vibes -- made sure she sat down and rested a bit, scolding her almost in a motherly manner. What brought the most attention to Mr. Lee was near the end, when they all quietly gathered their belongings and walked side by side. The cleaning soldiers were exhausted, with no energy left in their bodies to fight or bicker. Instead, they just walked and said nothing -- like a strange bond was forming out of the arduous task of cleansing.

Or perhaps it was the situation that had brought them together.

For some reason, Lee Taemin had his suspicions confirmed.

It was never Ryujin, but he couldn’t prove it.