Chapter 4

Grouped Up

"Myungsoo oppa! Where are you going to sit?" a girl asked one of the boys.

He ignored her as he made his way past the desks, his hands in his pockets the whole way. Krystal locked eyes with him as he walked over. His face was emotionless, but she couldn't help but feel her heart beating faster, thinking that he would yell at her.

But instead, he plopped down in the seat behind Sulli who was sitting next to Krystal. The other boy followed him and sat down next to him, right behind Krystal.

"Awww, oppa! I saved you a seat though!" another exclaimed.

He didn't even spare her a glance or any acknowledgement.

"Settle down, class!" Ms. Yang commanded from the front of the class.

The girls pouted and dejectedly found their own seats.

"Now, did you all survive your first class?" she asked.

"Ne, sonsaengnim," the class answered.

"Good!" she grinned, "Because we're going to get right to work!"

The class groaned in response and she laughed. "No whining. Now, Ahn Kyungmi?"

"Here," a girl raised her hand.

After attendance, Ms. Yang got straight to business. Picking up a blue marker, she proceeded to the whiteboard and stood there. "For starters, can anyone tell me the seven basic elements of music?"

Sulli raised her hand and Ms. Yang nodded. "Form, dynamics, tone, melody, harmony, tempo, and rhythm," Sulli smiled.

"That's correct," Ms. Yang smiled kindly and wrote down the 7 things on the board.

Whispers sounded, and some girls rolled their eyes.

"Now, what are the 3 main elements out of these 7?" she asked.

Krystal rose her hand. "Krystal," Ms. Yang nodded.

"Melody, harmony, and rhythm," she answered.

"Perfect," she grinned and took a red marker, circling those three words.

The class went on as she explained each element and their importance and the students scribbled everything down into their notebooks.

"Alright, now I'm going to play you something and you must tell me what it is," Ms. Yang went over to her computer and clicked something.

The sound of saxophones, trumpets, and trombones filled the room, and the quiet sound of a string bass, keyboard, and drums were also apparent.

Once it was over, Ms. Yang stood at the front of her desk. "Now," she crossed her arms, "what was that?"

"A song?" a male student answered meekly, confused at such a 'simple' question.