Daehyun met Tats on the way out, “Thanks oppa.” She squealed. “Haha yeah, no problem. I’m gonna go now.” He smiled and squeezed Tats’ hand before walking away.

“What are you doing?” Youngjae stared in bewilderment.  “Oh you know taking a picture of my coffee before I start drinking it! Hehe!!” Krystal giggled. “Why? Why don’t you just drink it.” “Hashtag, coffee with friends, NO FILTER @GreatHall, PICTURES. HEHE!! Done!” Krystal smiled to her phone and began drinking her coffee. “The hell ._.”

 “Ooo already 600 hearts! Hehe!” “What?! For a picture of coffee?” Youngjae grabbed Krystal’s phone and stared at it “Look at this guys!” He showed it to Yongguk and the rest of Project Failure. “Hey Youngjae, this is the new way to pray before you eat.” “Everyone’s doing it.” Shishi sighed and shook her head.

 “Done drinking!” “Did you just take another picture of your finished coffee?” Tats gave Krystal a side glance. “Of course unnie! Haha you’re so funny! Come take a picture with me!” “Uhh no thanks.” She smiled, “Take it with your empty cup. Yeeahh…” Tats shifted herself closer to Himchan to get out of the frame.

After dinner, all the students were leaving the great hall after eating like kings. “Keke, I require you to be in my office.” Headmaster Ziaco’s voiced out. It was like speakers surrounded the great hall and amplified his voice. Students flitted their glazes here and there. Keke froze up and swallowed nervously. Students filed out of the great hall. Some older students whispered to their peers “Who’s Keke? What a cute name.”  Laughter and noise filled the air as Keke sat in glum silence. She thought of things she had done recently that could’ve gotten her in trouble. *What did I do wrong? Holy crap Keke could you stop getting yourself in trouble?* She chided herself. *I wonder if I was accused of something and am oblivious to it till now.*

“OOOOO!!!” Some first years chimed. “I wonder what she did this time.” Ashlee scrunched up her face. “Tch. She probably nearly got us killed somehow.” “What? That’s absurd.” Kris raised his eyebrows at Krystal. “Well she just has the ability to do stuff like this on her-“ “Hey that’s enough Krystal.” Youngjae warned Krystal before she could make another comment. Her arms now crossed angrily. Keke stood up from the table. The whispers became louder as she walked down the hall towards the exit door.

As she walked, a sickening feeling begins to gnaw her conscience. She felt a thousand pair of eyes staring at the back of her head as if trying to burn a hole in her head with their eyes. “It’s just her first year and she had already caused so many disruptions. I don’t know why she’s worthy of being in this school.” Someone uttered behind her back.

Just that sentence itself, that question, reduced her confidence to shreds. She didn’t want to cry. She didn’t want anyone to think she could be easily be affected by these comments. But it did affect her. She couldn’t help but question herself. *Why exactly am I here?* She thought of what her brother often said “Everything happens for a reason, you are here for a reason.” But still she couldn’t help but want to cower away, to run away from all these watchful and judgmental eyes. *I don’t even know why I’m getting so worked up with being called to the headmaster’s office. What if I did a good thing? So I was called to the Headmaster’s office.* She reasoned with herself.

 She felt so embarrassed for some apparent reason. She wanted to be zipped up in her hoodie to hide herself from the unnecessary attention she was currently drawing. She was so focused on ways to escape this big mess till she didn’t realise she walked into something hard. She took her step back and looked up, it was Daehyun smiling at her.

He placed something soft over her ears. The noise around her now muffled thanks to the object. She could hardly hear anyone. Daehyun grabbed her hand and she shivered at his touch. “You cold?” He stared straight into her eyes. “N-nope. I’m fine.” She stuttered. She felt a strange feeling in her heart, as if it was being tugged. “Come here, let’s go.” Keke looked around the room, so many people stared at her. She felt like she had just sabotaged the entire class and they were to be punished because of her. She stared at her hand; Daehyun’s fingers were still intertwined with hers, not planning to let go. While being led out, Keke pulled the object over her head. They were yellow headphones that Youngjae often wore. And smiled, *I do have people that care for me. They’re my friends. Nah, more like family.* She chuckled to herself and saw her friends outside the great hall waiting for her.

“Come on let’s go up together.”

They climbed up to the highest floor of the castle, Headmaster Ziaco’s office was also known as SkyTower. It was at the very end of the left corridor. They soon arrived outside the door.

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“Zico ahh!! They’re here!” A man from the other side of the door chirped. “Eyy was just about to start nillili mambo.” “Sir! Sir! We seem to have some unauthorised guests!” A woman said in a high and cold tone. “Let them in.” “But sir! They are unauthorised! You called Keke only have you not?” “Here we go again…”

Soon, a man with orange curly hair and big glassy eyes opened the door. He gave them a wide smile and invited them in. “No no no! You all are not allowed to come in! Only Keke.” A woman with her black hair tied in a tight bun with a stick stabbed in the middle of it appeared from behind the wooden door and made a ‘stop’ sign with her left hand. She adjusted her frameless spectacles and stared sternly at Yongguk and the rest. She then tugged at Keke’s sleeve and dragged her in, attempting to slam the door in the rest of their faces. “Hey hey! Take a chill pill you crazy woman!” Zico tossed the woman a pale blue oval pill. “Huh a chill pill actually exists? I thought it was just a phrase used by Norms.” Shishi commented.

The woman slapped away the pill with her wand, “I. Do not need a chill pill. Can’t you see I’m extremely calm? Huh!” She glared at Headmaster Ziaco with ginormous eyes, “And do not speak you unauthorised guest!” She sharply pointed her wand at Shishi; not facing at her. “Get out of my office you crazy lady.” Headmaster Ziaco knitted his eyebrows together in frustration. The woman pushed her way out of the office, making Tats fall over. “YAH!” Himchan screamed at the woman while he helped her up. “I’m fine.” She softly reassured him.

The man still stood by the wooden door which was now left wide open and invited them in. “But headmaster, didn’t you call Keke?” “Nah, it’s a good thing you guys all came. See kids I’m getting really old.” “You kidding? You look freaking young. In fact too young to be a headmaster of a school.” Yongguk chuckled. “Well what can I say?” He laughed, “I forgot your names and only remembered Keke’s name. Doesn’t it have a nice ring to it? Keke keke.” He repeated her name and bobbed his head. “Kinda like how Jaehyo laughs in his messages.” The other man snapped his fingers. “Haha yeah! Right so I’ve called you all here to tell you that you guys won’t be going to classes tomorrow.”

Headmaster Ziaco paused. They stayed silent. “I was expecting some celebration but well I guess not.” He cleared his throat while smiles appeared on their faces. “You guys are taking your COMB mid years tomorrow.” The man with curly hair completed Headmaster Ziaco’s sentence. “Yah cucumber, I was getting to that.” “Aigoo Zico yaahh~~” The man said in a tone that made the rest of their hair stand on end. “And that’s carrot mind you.” He gave a grin to Headmaster Ziaco. “Ahh so we’re helping Jaehyo hyung then?” Jongup spoke up. “Ahh you know that orange? Don’t you just wanna peel him?” The man replied. “What did you just say?” Headmaster Ziaco pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. The man with curly hair gave Headmaster Ziaco a side grin and Headmaster Ziaco just shook his head letting out a sigh. “Just tell them their groups for the COMB exams.”