Chapter Four | The Figure

Sehun couldn’t concentrate on Mr. Han’s class. Before he started, he announced that he’ll be giving a short quiz right after his discussion. But Sehun couldn’t tear his eyes away from his seatmate’s empty chair again.

He may not admit it but he liked how strange she’d acted toward him that morning, but where did she go now? Is she that busy? It even appeared their teacher’s not concerned about her absence. He didn’t mention her name when he roll-called their attendance.

Sehun could no longer take it, he asked the person in front of him.

“Hey,” he whispered. The girl turned her head to him.

“Do you know where…” he paused in hesitation, “Do you know where Yukimura is?”

“She has archery practice every Tuesday mornings, why?” the girl answered and waited for his reply, but he shook his head telling her, “Ah, nothing.”

When Mr. Han gave the short quiz, Sehun stared at his blank paper. It was his second day and a clear-cut zero on his first test, what a happy transfer.

After their break, the second period felt so long for him, he kept on yawning and sometimes dozed off while their instructress read some lines from the book. Literature is truly not his field of interest, and every word spoken by Ms. Nam was a lullaby to Sehun’s ears. Not to mention, his only person of interest was not yet present in that class.

When the bell rang, Kai went to him and gave him a paper. He was slouched on his desk when Kai approached.

“Do you still dance?” Kai asked, handing him the paper.

How did this guy know about him dancing?

He read its contents. It was a dance club membership form. He looked up at Kai and was about to ask him if he really has to join, but thought better of it.

“Ms. Yuri told me you’re a member of a dance troop back at your school in Japan,” Kai explained to him, “I also checked out some of your videos. You’re pretty good, actually. So are you willing to join us?”

Something came up into his mind.

“Who’s us?” he asked, hiding the fact that he actually wanted to know if Kimiko is a member.

“In our section, it’s only me, Myung Soo, Jae Bum and Young Ji.”

He internally sighed at his friend’s answer.

“What about Soo Jung-ssi?” he said, then adds, “And Yukimura-ssi.”

“They’re in Music and Theatre Club. But Yukimura’s also in Fine Arts.”

“Do I have to be good in visual arts to join Fine Arts Club?” he stupidly asked.

After realizing his lack of common sense, he changed his question, “I mean, can I join two clubs, too?”

“Of course,” Kai replied, ”Are you by chance interested in music and theatre? I’m also a member of that club; I can squeeze you in if you want.”

Despite his aspiration of joining the Fine Arts Club because he so wanted to see Kimiko’s artworks after hearing so much about those from his fanatic classmates, he knew he was only good for stick man doodles. Music and Theatre is more appropriate for him than that.

“Ah, yeah. And in dance club,” he said.

“Wait, I’ll ask for a form from Soo Jung.” Kai uttered and went to his friend’s seat and talked to her right after.

It was lunch break already, Kai asked him to eat with him and Soo Jung after the three of them went to the Music and Theatre Club Office and gave him the membership form. They ate at the cafeteria and Sehun recalled his lunch break memories back in Japan, where he always spent with his dance troop members at the school building’s rooftop. They would eat then practice their choreography.

The bell rang for the next class, and in the middle of discussion, Sehun’s sleepiness got over him. His notebook was opened and stood on top of his desk as he hid his head in between. He didn’t even notice the seat beside him occupied already by the person he has been waiting for. He just closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

By the time he opened them, there was no one in the room but him. He looked at his watch and realized he slept for an hour and a half. He searched his bag for his schedule and saw it was their free period. He stretched out his hand and stood up. He put his notebook back to his bag and arranged his seat when he saw a familiar figure through their room’s inside window, walking along the hallway, passing their room.

“Yukimura-ssi!” he called but she seemed not attentive when she continued walking straight past the room’s entrance.

He ran after her. She was heading for the dead end when he saw her turned left, to a staircase leading to the fourth floor. He just followed her, until she stopped in front of an entrance. She turned to look at him who didn’t make a move to hide and just quietly stared back at the girl.

She smiled.

“Are you still going to follow me inside?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Sehun’s mouth slightly opened after his late notice of the label hanging above the wall: FEMALE RESTROOM; then shook his head.

“Wait for me then,” she said and walked inside.

Sehun leaned his back to the wall beside the restroom’s door. He looked outside the window and saw some students staying at the field. He saw Kai with a bunch of people surrounding him, and as usual, with Soo Jung. Beside the glass window was a map of their school. Sehun realized how big Lockhart Academy was. It was a private school with wide field in front and five distinct buildings: the five-story main building (the one seen at the entrance and the biggest of all buildings) occupied by the administration office, faculty rooms, and high school classrooms; the annex building (the one connected at the back left end of the main building) for the middle school level; the gymnasium (still at the back of the main building, opposite of the annex building); the greenhouse behind the annex building and near the woods; and the school dormitory. Sehun couldn’t find the old building’s location. Maybe it was a new map but Sehun knew it was located at the back of the dorm, opposite of the greenhouse and a little bit hidden unlike the other structures. At the center stood the monument of the Lockhart-man, probably the founder, and the flag pole, surrounded by beds of grass. There were covered foot-walks connecting all buildings except for the old and unmapped one.

He busied himself looking at the map, tracing the foot-walks, when he sensed a presence beside him. He was startled when he turned to see who it was and saw Kimiko looking at the map with the same expression as his and