» Networked : Part 1 — ❝ Impetus ❞

Impetus : in physics, the force that sets a body in motion or tends to resists changes in a body’s motion.

Tuesday

August 27

15:35

Student Council's Room

The sound of paper being crumpled disrupted the silence that formerly filled the room. Sighing, Hwang Hyelim aimed for the trashcan with what seemed to be a report she wasn’t satisfied with. A week of school and she already had reports to do. Blinking, she got up from her spinning chair and fished the ball of paper from behind the trashcan. She was never very good at basketball. Tossing it in the recycle bin, after suddenly deciding she could do her share to save the world, Hyelim went back to her chair. Swinging around for a second, she brought her limbs closer to her chest and laughed as she accelerated, demonstrating the conservation of angular momentum.

Slamming both hands on her desk, Hyelim came to a stop and took a sheet out of her paper tray to write down the idea she just had. Somehow, spinning allowed Hyelim to get inspiration. She called it “shaking the ideas” and she would never be caught doing it alive.

Just as she finished, the student council room was invaded with Jinah and Hakyeon, the Student Council Secretary and Historian. They had most likely finished their classes of the day, given that it was six and a half in the afternoon.

“What were you two doing?” Hyelim asked, pushing a strand of caramel hair behind her ear.

“I was going around the clubs to get them to hand the forms to get assigned premises. Who should I give them too?” Jinah asked in a calm tone.

“Normally, it would be the vice-president’s duty to handle them…” Hyelim replied as she tidied her desk and made sure the piles of papers where aligned.

Hakyeon looked around curiously, “And where is he?”

“He had club activities. Today seem to be welcoming-the-new-members day. Presidents and vice-presidents have to be present. Why do you think I choose now to do my job?”

Hyelim smiled at her friends reply. One could always count on Jinah to make the rational choices.

At that exact moment, the door opened to reveal Park Sunyoung, Student Council’s Social Chair, who would rather like people to call her Luna. In fact, all of the Student Council’s members preferred to be called by a nickname that sometimes made Hyelim feel like she worked in the secret services. She frequently had to remind them it wasn’t the case.

“Hello everyone!” Luna chirpily greeted her fellow council members.

They all waved at her and waited for her to drop her bag in a corner and join their little circle of chairs.

“You know what we have to talk about, right?” she said as she rolled her chair toward them.

“How you weren’t in time for the meeting I called?” the president bluntly stated with a side smile.

“Oh, sorry about that. But I see we are still missing Byunghun and Jonghyun and…”

“I get it! No one showed up,” Hyelim stated with a sigh, although she had no idea who these new people were. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Homecoming!” Luna announced with a grin.

Hakyeon looked all excited like a child, which prompted Jinah to pat his head like a mother would, while Hyelim inwardly winced. Wasn’t Homecoming an excuse for students to act crazy, build up the social hierarchy and flirt around as they tried some crazy ways to get noticed and invite the object of their affection?

Luna probably noticed her best-friend’s reaction because she gave her a wink. “Chill out, you’ll get to see men in suits.”

And Hyelim blushed, conscious of the fact her friend knew her too well.

“So what do you want to do?” Jinah asked as she took out her computer and opened a blank Word page she titled ‘Homecoming Brainstorming’.

“Well, the first match of the basketball team is Wednesday in five weeks and the soccer game is the next day. I’m not so sure about the other games, but they most likely all start the week after. Should we do some activities on Monday? Maybe some rally or dress-up days?”

And Hyelim nodded, agreeing that they both sounded like good ideas.

“I think I can create the rally,” Jinah said. “Besides, I recently got an assistant so we’ll have time to bond.”

The others approved, knowing Jinah was probably the one who had the most connections to the clubs involved, given that the Sport Chair was absent at this meeting. Jinah stated she would get him to help nonetheless.

“I can take care of dress-up days,” suggested Luna. “I have plenty of ideas to fill the week.”

“What can I do?” Hakyeon asked, eager to help.

“Can you arrange for a lunch activity? Maybe a big pic-nic?” Luna asked him.

“I’m not against, but please try to make something reasonable. We don’t have that much money since it’s a free school…” Hyelim stated.

Hakyeon gave her a thumb up and Jinah typed in the rest of Luna’s crazy ideas.

“What about me?” Hyelim frowned, as the others seemed to get up ready to go home.

“We left you the funniest part: the Dance,” Jinah giggled as she placed her laptop in it’s case and the case, in her bag.

Left with mixed feeling about their meeting Hyelim decided to stay a little longer in the Student Council room. It wasn’t usual for her to take the back seat on meetings, but Luna had good ideas and the energy to see them through. Ever since the elections, last year, she had been convinced Luna was the perfect person for the job and it had been the reason she helped her with her campaign. Hyelim, on the other hand, didn’t need help with hers as her chair was as guaranteed as if it sported her name. Actually a former Vice-President, she had done such a good job last year students were sure to vote for her. At least, that’s what she got from the comments they gave her as she singlehandedly took care of many of their problems.

“Homecoming,” she sighed.

Hyelim took a sheet and began doodling. What was needed for a dance? A little bit of food (she would go and see with the café if they could help), music (maybe she should reach out for the school band), a big room (if it wasn’t raining they could combine the two biggest gymnasiums and make an outdoor access) and more importantly, they needed money. Would students be willing to pay to go to the dance?

Soon enough, after minutes of trying to come up with solutions for their money problems, Hyelim was ready to pull out her hair one by one. Stomping her foot below her desk, a visible sign of how she was beginning to be annoyed, Hyelim pushed her sheet of paper further away from her and laid back in her chair. She stretched her arms above her head, took a deep breath and got up. More than ever, she needed to do something else. Grabbing her bag, she went out the council’s room.

As she walked the hallways of her school, Hyelim noticed how most students where already gone. Going down on the first floor, as the Student Council room was on the third, she took a left turn and arrived at the Fate’s Café. She ordered a cup of coffee, her favorite drink out of them all, and managed to keep herself from buying a slice of cake. With her warm beverage in her hands, Hyelim finally found herself at peace with the world.

She sat at an empty table near the counter and took out her computer. Logging in to her favorite online chess game, she scanned the list of online users. There was nothing like winning against a random stranger to lift her spirits.

A visual alert appeared on her screen, telling Hyelim someone had challenged her. Sipping her coffee, she accepted the challenge. Inwardly chuckling at the username the guy had created. Wizard101.

Since she was challenged, she had the white pieces and made the first move: e2 to e4. She placed her pieces with confidence and watched him do the same on each of his turns. So far, no one dare make an attack. She watched as he castled from with the queenside rook and immediately went for the stronger pieces. She kept smiling as she tried to corner the Black Queen only to notice, later, that he had planned to get her away from her starting line and that he could now freely promote his pawn. Now facing two queens, Hyelim bit her lip in frustration. Maybe she wouldn’t win, this time.

Tuesday

August 27

17:57

Fate's Café

Sat in a corner of the café, Jonghyun watched his adversary’s face of discontentment. He smiled. Even though he knew he had no chance to be with her for real, he was very happy to be able to make her have these reactions. She had no idea who he was, but he knew her very well. He was one of the many followers she had on Twitter and when she had advertised her Online Chess Username, he had remembered it. Seeing it on her laptop earlier, he had a hunch she was going to play so he sent her a challenge request. And she had accepted, just like he wished she would.

Sometimes Jonghyun wondered if he should grow out of his crush. After all, she had never demonstrated any interest toward him and he drove him to do curious things. After he had applied to become Vice-President of the Student Council, Jaeun had rolled her eyes and told him he was beginning to get stalker tendencies. Was it his fault if he wanted to be near her? He called it a desperate attempt for the moth to touch the flame, even if it meant burning into ashes.

So for now he would content himself with looking at her from afar, laughing at the reactions she made as she lost her favorite game.

Tuesday

August 27

18:10

Fate's Café

Pushing her hair out of her face, Hyelim leaned back in her chair with a pout. How could she lose this easily? Her pout turned into a smile as she fondly looked at her computer. Wizard101 may have beaten her, but she had enjoyed trying to get out of his trap. He had offered her an amazing game and she respected him for that. She contemplated having another match but Wizard101 suddenly disconnected. Blinking in confusion, she quickly sent him a friend request and closed her laptop. Putting it back into her bag, she got up, took her coffee cup and headed for the Student Council’s room. Break time was over and she was back to business.

Tuesday

August 27

18:13

Fate's Café

He smiled as he saw her exit the café. He gathered his own things before thinking of what Secretary Im Jinah had said. Since Jonghyun was part of the computer club, of which he was Vice-President, his presence had been mandatory to their recent meeting after school. As much as he wanted to go, he couldn’t.

“You can introduce yourself tomorrow evening, the other members will be there too,” the blonde had stated. “Don’t worry, many members won’t show up today.”

And it had suffice to comfort him into thinking maybe Hyelim wouldn’t hate him for not being there on time at today’s meeting. 

Tuesday

August 27

19:54

Student Council's Room

Finishing up her work, later that same night, Hyelim still felt a little angry because of her defeat. Oh, she wasn’t angry with her adversary, but more at herself. Taking out her phone, she dialed a very familiar number.

“What would you do if you were very angry about something?” she asked as soon as he answered.

“I don’t know, go on the rooftop and scream to the world?”

“I think that would get me suspended.”

“Then write it down and swallow the piece of paper.”

“Won’t I choke?”

“Does it have anything to do with me?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t care. Have a good night, sis.”

And he hung up on her like that. With a sigh, she put her phone in her back pocket. Calling her brother surely didn’t provide her with answers. Strangely, though, she did feel like screaming it to the world. But then everyone would know it’s about her and how she was disappointed in herself and wouldn’t it endanger her reputation? If only there was a way of anonymously say what was on one’s mind…

Wednesday

August 28

19:54

Student Council's Room

The next day was quite uneventful and Jonghyun took advantage of the fact he had no class after four to go straight to the Student Council’s room.

It was desert when he came in so he took his seat behind the desk labeled as Vice-President and he tried to finish his Prob&Stats homework. As he immerge himself in the calculations of averages, medians and variances, he only noticed Hyelim entering as she stood in front of him to look at him curiously.

“Kim Jonghyun?” she asked.

“Yes?” he blurted out, lifting his head.

Realizing he had the president in front of him, Jonghyun quickly got up and bowed.

Hyelim smiled as his antics.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to. I get you are the new Vice-President? Welcome to the Student Council.”

He thanked her and sat back down.

“I’ve read about you,” she continued without noticing the blush that spread on his cheeks. “You seem to have very good grades and you are the youngest of all the members and you also are part of the Computer Club.”

“Ah, well, I was the only one in the elections,” Jonghyun humbly stated.

And that probably had to do with the fact that when she had left, the shoes had became too big for anyone else to fill, hence why no one applied.

“Don’t think poorly of yourself. I hear you are very smart.”

Jonghyun thanked her once more as she gave a short bow with his head.

“I do have a question for you… Do you perhaps know how to make websites?”

Author's Note :

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