“—I knew that back was yours! Glad to know I won’t be all alone who’s going to be suffering in this place and faculty alone.”

Finally recognizing who was talking to him, Siwon lifted his hand to push away the face of a male from leaning so snuggly on his shoulder. “Hello to you too, Kyuhyun. Nice to see you again after a few months.”

Kyuhyun, now resigned on to keep his hands on his sides, made a face at his friend as they followed the steady stream of students going to the freshmen’s entrance to the auditorium. “Yeah, you wouldn’t say that if you and your family stayed put in one place during the vacation.” He grumbles, remembering the times he had contacted the latter only to receive a message that says: ‘in Japan’ or ‘OMW to New York, sorry’ in return. “I was getting bored of going to places by myself, you know!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Siwon chuckles, him and Kyuhyun bowing curtly to the SC officer by the freshmen entrance. “like you hadn’t got used to it by now, we kept asking you to come along, but you always refuse.”

They sat by the middle row of their section, going to the free seats with few other students following behind them, Kyuhyun by the wall and Siwon to his left.

After the program in the main auditorium, they were headed out to the engineering building’s, talking about random things when Kyuhyun seemed to remember something.

“Oh yeah, Siwon. Have you seen the hazing team for our year?” He asked as he washed his hands in the first-floor male bathroom, looking at Siwon through the mirror’s reflection.

Behind him, Siwon raises an eyebrow at the question. “Not really, no.” Siwon knew about the ropes of this university’s faculty, he had a few older friends who had studied the same thing, and their tales about the activities that they will possibly do is all physical. He does not have a problem with that, being physically fit and having a long enough stamina, while his friend, on the other hand… the only physical activity he does is walking. If he must worry about something, it’s about Kyuhyun fainting on him.

Done with drying his hands, Kyuhyun fished out his phone from his pocket and scrolled through something while leading Siwon out of the bathroom, after a few taps, he his phone screen towards Siwon’s face.

“Look, a senior friend of mine sent me this, they’re in charge for our year. And sunbaenim said that they’re the most terrifying team yet.” He glances briefly at his friend, on his screen was a group photo of former second-year students taken last academic year. Kyuhyun then taps on a man in the centre of the photo. “He’s the head hazer for this year, Kim Ryeowook.”

Siwon blinked as they approached the line, mindful to keep his voice low so that they won’t attract fellow freshmen’s attention, he turned to Kyuhyun, the image of the head hazer in his mind.

“That tiny guy? He doesn’t even look like he’s a hazer…” He says, Kyuhyun cackled, he knows his friend doesn’t mean it in a bad way, he laughed because he agrees.

The line for registration is moving at a steady pace, soon they were writing their names and entering the second hall. They sat on the floor, their row not far from the front.

After the introductions of the second years, they all did some ice breakers which consisted of calling out random student numbers and doing stupid things that can come on par with games for kids. Along the way, the duo started to talk with the guy nearest to them, after all of them got called out for being one of the tallest of the bunch, a harmless joke that they’d fit in with the third years.

Dispersing from the circles from their last game, they returned to their earlier spot, taking a drink from their water bottles again as N continued speaking about their upcoming activities. Siwon took note of the reminders and he took it upon himself to get Kyuhyun’s nametag for safekeeping after every meeting.

Then, as if just waiting for N to announce that the third years have arrived, the doors of the auditorium opened.

Some students looked back, one of them being Siwon himself, the first thing he noticed was no other than the man who Kyuhyun specifically pointed out earlier— Kim Ryeowook.

Every member of the hazing team had their special jacket on for the activities, the same navy-blue shade as the year jacket for third years only made up of a lighter fabric, and the broad shoulders of the older looked so nice in it. They all continued to walk, Siwon following them with his eyes as the earlier fun atmosphere around him and his fellow freshies started to dissipate. There was a total of seven people who were walking, all behind Ryeowook. The closest one behind him was a slightly taller but bulkier guy, face set straight as they all walked, two guys were behind him, their hands in their pockets as they observe the students they walked past, a small quirk in the lips of the one on the right. Following them was a thin man with a slight scowl on his face as he blinks every few seconds, and lastly, two tall men were walking, also looking at the students they passed.

Instead of walking to the front of the first years as the second years have done with them, they climbed the stage and fell into line themselves. More than a handful of the first years made eye contact with other hazers which made them nervous, the hazers not reacting and just carrying on scanning the rows and rows of students.

Siwon returned his gaze on the head hazer, the latter’s face is calm, however, there was a serious aura around him, he was intimidating everyone in the room and it’s not because of the bulky guy beside him, or the two giants that were staring them down, or even the serious faces of every other third year with them.

He didn’t even realize he was staring until Kyuhyun sneakily nudges him.