Author's Notes: I think the progression of the introduction of the characters and the plot in the last chapters went on too quickly and slowly. Slow development, quick and sudden information overload. Did it? I think it did. Nevertheless, I hope you keep reading. Here's episode seven.
Episode 6
The Lone Wolf and the Glass Rose
The first day of classes, March 2, 6:54 PM
Natalie was battling against a great enemy – sleep. Every single second, she bravely fought to keep her eyelids open. Every student in the school had gone home – except the four of them.
"...One square perch is equal to twenty-five point two nine two nine meters squared..."
Blink. Blink. Blink.
"...One square mile is equal to two-"
Her heavy eyelids slid close and her head nodded against her palm.
"Ms. Song!" Sir Taiga shouted. Natalie woke up, feeling her eardrums burst. "No sleeping!"
She strained a reply. "Yes sir!"
Seconds later, Natalie was back to her drowsy wonderland. She tried to keep her eyes open.
"...One square foot is equal to zero point zero nine two nine meters squar..."
THUD.
Knock out. Information overload. Natalie fell asleep face first on her desk.
On her left was Leon, quietly sighing and yawning alternately. Yun-Hee was on the last seat on the left, her chin propped on her hand, elbows on her desk. Among the four, Mi-Young was the only one who was still intently listening. The rest of them were forced to pseudo-listen. The rest of them who were still awake, that is. They had been also forced into overtime – the official dismissal time was 4:00 PM. That was only a taste of what was to come, as said to them by Sir Taiga.
An eternity of suffering ended as the Principal entered the classroom. "Hello everybo-"
"THAAAAANK GOD," Yun-Hee couldn't help but shout.
Everyone stared at her.
Dot.
Dot.
Dot.
Yun-Hee coughed.
"Class dismissed," Sir Taiga announced as he put his chalk down.
All at the same time, the three students seated at the back expressed their relief through a heavy sigh. They packed their bags and rose from their seats to depart from the classroom.
Before they could leave, the Principal gave them one last piece of information. The news shocked them.
"Be back here at eight o'clock."
"What?" the three asked in bewilderment. Mi-Young had no response.
"You still have one session to go."
Yun-Hee scratched the back of her head. "But, we have to-"
Principal Matthew interrupted Yun-Hee. "We have informed your parents of the situation of the school, your participation in the special five, and your special school schedules." He distributed folders containing the students' weekly schedules.
"...Night classes?" Natalie thought aloud as she flipped through the pages.
"With the consent of your parents, we have decided to provide each one of you a room to stay in for the rest of the year." Principal Matthew fixed his eyes at Leon, who was sending him a fierce stare.
"Parents? What parents?" Leon spat out with spite and hatred.
"Except yours, that is," the Principal corrected. The others grew silent after hearing that. "All of you are allowed to leave and return to your homes whenever you wish to, but it is highly recommended that you use the campus' dormitory. It is easily accessible from the academy building and will not hinder with your daily schedules. Never will you be late for class again. We ensure that you will-"
"You don't need to explain that far. I'm not staying anyway," Mi-Young broke in, adjusting her glasses. She disrespectfully withdrew in the middle of the Principal's speech and walked out the classroom. Principal Matthew coughed and continued, "Will the three of you abide with our proposal?"
Yun-Hee and Natalie were silent for a moment but they eventually nodded. Staying at the luxurious school dorm was a privilege. Meanwhile, Leon was staring outside the window. Everyone looked at him after he gave no prompt response. "Leon, are you-"
"No," he rejected bluntly, waving his hand.
"Is there a problem?" The Principal wanted to know the reason behind his answer.
"I have more important matters to attend to."
Principal Matthew nodded disappointedly, both at himself and at Leon. "I'm sorry. I have forgotten." He produced two cards from his pocket and handed one to each of the two girls. "These are your room keys."
Her eyes never leaving Leon for more than a second, Natalie flipped it from one side to another. "Room 1004."
Yun-Hee glanced at her. "Room 1005. We're neighbors."
"Your rooms are located on the tenth floor. Everything is included. The bed sheets are replaced every Wednesdays and Sundays, as well as the toiletries. Cold and hot water are ready and available. Quick dial options are available for room service, emergency situations and direct access to other rooms. There are already ten sets of standard uniform with your name patch inside the closet. Please contact me if you have any problem with the size. A small basket is placed outside of each room for your used clothes for the laundry service. The baskets are collected everyday and are returned three days after at maximum. Now, let me-" The Principal took a halt from his blabbering, er, talking when he sighted Natalie looking over his shoulder. He turned around and saw Leon leaving through the door. He sighed and spun back. Yun-Hee suddenly bowed before him and ran after Leon.
Yun-Hee caught up with him on the campus grounds. "Ya! Chingu!" She stopped and panted after calling her friend.
Leon glanced behind his back, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder.
"Where are you going?"
He raised his hand at her before he paced at the gate's general direction.
Natalie walked out of the school building and stopped beside Yun-Hee. "Where is he going?"
"He didn't say."
"Don't worry about him. He's always like that." Yun-Hee turned to her side and smiled at Natalie. "My name's Yun-Hee. You're Natalie, right?"
Natalie nodded.
"Let's go to our rooms, shall we?"
She nodded again. "N-Ne."
They headed to South Concord Academy's first dormitory building. They pushed on the thick bars to open the glass doors and enter the lavish lobby. The first floor was brought to life by a massive gold chandelier mounted on the high ceiling, providing refracted light through an arrangement of glass prisms. On the right was a curved staircase, which consisted of varnished mahogany railings and a unique design of seemingly floating glass platforms as steps, leading to the second floor. In front of the staircase was a multi-layered marble fountain, attracting attention with crystalline running water. Covering the middle aisle of the floor was a gold-bordered crimson carpet made from the finest quality of textile, adding depth to the perfectly white tiled floor. Yun-Hee and Natalie walked across the carpet to the elevator, turning their heads around to have a complete view of the hall. The elevator took them to the tenth floor in a fast but comfortable ride. They took a right turn as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.
"Here they are." Yun-Hee pointed at the silver plate beside two opposite doors with a finger as soon as she saw them.
Natalie swiped her card on the mechanism attached to the doorknob. A red led light flashed and the door clicked open. Yun-Hee did the same. Natalie went inside her room and placed her bag down. It was a one bedroom type, enough to fit at least two students. It was no ordinary dormitory, as expected from a reputable international school. Like their Principal said, everything was complete - there even was a small kitchen inside. From the door, the path branched off into two – one leading to the bedroom and the other main one leading to the largely-spaced living room and the dining room. Cream laminated wooden flooring gave the room a modern, opulent feel, complementing the various vases artistically spread across the room. The lights were hidden behind frames and borders on the ceiling, making an elegant melody of illumination at night. Most of the walls and framings were painted in spotless white. Placed in the northern part of the room was a large wall-to-wall glass window which provided a breathtaking view of Seoul brightly lit up by the vast array of colorful lighted skyscrapers, brilliantly designed structures and flaring streetlights.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Yun-Hee caught Natalie staring outside the window. She joined her and marveled at the sheer beauty of Gangnam district's architecture, technology and culture combined.
"Yes, it is."
"The view in your room is far better than mine."
Natalie raised her eyebrows. "Really?"
Yun-Hee gave a disappointed nod. "Hey, do you want to have dinner outside before we go back to class?"
"A-Are we allowed to do that?"
"Of course. Why not? C'mon!" Yun-Hee took Natalie's arm and dragged her back to the lobby, making sure they locked their rooms before leaving the floor. They exited the campus through the massive steel gates and made their way to a small shop that served purely Korean cuisine. Both of them shared one table, barely distinguishable as students from the large number of people eating at the place. Yun-Hee ordered a Bulgogi for herself and a Bibimbap for her new friend, also paying for both.
"I-I have money," Natalie quickly told.
"Don't worry about it. It's on me."
"...Kamsahamnida," she said, bowing her head inches down.
The dishes were served not more than ten minutes later. As a courtesy and a wish that the customers would enjoy their meal, the waiter garnered a smile and said, "Mani duseyo!" Both girls gave a grateful nod at the waiter before praying. Once done, they took a pair of chopsticks and enjoyed their meal. Accompanying their ordered dishes were nice hot cups of tea for the cold climate. It was already Spring time, but Winter seemed to hang over.
Taking a spoonful of vegetables, Natalie looked outside the window. A few cars passed, their headlights flashing into the blinding darkness. She also saw a suspicious man with heavy clothing walk by. The man barged into the restaurant and directly headed to the cashier. He took out a gun and aimed it at the cashier's head.
"This is a holdup!"
Screaming and running ensued. The man blocked the exit, wielding his gun.
"The money, now!" he yelled, waving the lethal weapon at the customers.
The cashier quickly took out the bills from the cashier register and placed them inside a plastic bag. The man perceived that he had an enemy hidden in the crowd of people and took the necessary precautions to ensure his escape.
"I want that girl to give it to me." He pointed at Natalie. She hesitated.
"Hurry or I'll shoot you!" That sentence made her running toward the cashier and take the plastic to the man. She couldn't help but notice that the plastic bag was extremely heavy. There was a lot of money inside, considering the size and weight of it.
The robber grabbed her by the neck and pointed the gun at her head. "Don't even think about it." He was talking to a cop in the mass of customers who was about to call for reinforcements using his phone. "This girl dies if anyone of you report to the police."
He slowly exited the shop, still holding Natalie as hostage, and went inside a black car that immediately throttled out of everybody's sight. Yun-Hee was the first one to run out of the shop. She looked around, trying to spot where the man had gone. Panicking, she took out her cell phone from her pocket and dialed the police hot-line.
"A-Annyeong haseyo..."
The officer on the other end of the line choked on the coffee he was sipping. He immediately called the other officers' attention. They hurriedly wore bullet-proof vests, armed themselves with pistols, and marched off outside, forming four groups of five to divide themselves into separate vehicles. A sixteen year-old with wild, black hair was the last one to enter a police car. His eyes were as determined as a wolf's and as fierce as a lion's.
The alternate flashing of red and blue and the alerting sound of sirens filled the area as police vehicles arrived in front of the Korean restaurant where the holdup took place. An officer stepped out from one of the vehicles and approached Yun-Hee.
"They escaped around ten minutes ago. Here's an artist's sketch of the criminal. He used a black Honda City and went that way." Yun-Hee, gifted with the arts of drawing and painting, had planned in advance and made the sketch of the robber. The police thanked her for her help and information. The group of cars sped towards north. Yun-Hee followed the vehicles disappear into the far void of the night with her eyes, only able to hope for Natalie's wellbeing.
Meanwhile, Natalie was bound with ropes inside the black getaway vehicle. Her hands and feet were tied tightly to her back. A cloth passed through her mouth and was knotted around the back of her neck to silence her. The two criminals were seated in the front. The man who did the actual robbery glanced at Natalie, who was squirming on the back seat. He smiled at his partner.
"Hey, Robert, what are we gonna do with the girl?"
Robert, the man driving, snorted. "Butcher her and sell her?"
Natalie's eyes widened with horror.
"I'm serious."
"Call her parents for ransom. Get her phone."
The other man unfastened his seatbelt and transferred to the back. He tried her pockets but they were empty.
"No phone."
Robert sighed.
Natalie wasn't sure if leaving her phone in her bag in her room was a good idea.
"Hey, she's a hottie. Maybe we could, you know..."
Robert laughed, his voice gurgling. The other man grinned at Natalie as he a made a move on her. She tried to scream for help, but no sound came out.
"Leon!" His name was the first thought, the first thing, the first word that came into her mind.
The man unbuttoned her blazer slowly as to build his own anticipation.
"Help!"
She flailed wildly but because her limbs were tied, she couldn't do anything.
"Please!"
The man aimed for her sweater vest next. She closed her eyes, fear consuming her like wildfire.
Then, the man driving yelled. Suddenly, the vehicle crashed as the strident sound of sirens faded in. The robber was flung back to the front while Natalie tumbled down off the seat.
The door opened.
Natalie couldn't believe what her eyes saw.
Author's Notes: Minor cliffhanger. Really, really minor. Or not even a cliffhanger at all, just a random event.
Side-Notes: To the majority of you who don't know what the Korean words mean, look for context clues. Don't be confused and just ignore them. I know you're better than that. Annyeonghaseyo is hello, hi, whatever. Kamsahamnida is thank you. Ya(!) can mean a lot of things like hey(!), to call the attention of others...I don't know. Heck, I'm not even one percent Korean. How should I know? Chingu means friend, if my sources are correct. All of these are included to make the story feel more realistic. Sometimes I feel ridiculous when I type the lines of the characters outside the English-speaking academy in English. If I only had a friend who could both speak Korean and English, I could put more appropriate lines...but then again, most people wouldn't understand anymore. Bleh. Enough blabbering. On to the next chapter. Turn the page.