⇉ the one with an assembly.
part thirty
"So, what exactly goes down at these things?"
"Depends," Mark whispers back to the girl sat by his side. "Anything, really. Usually they're just explaining like, how semesters and classes work and stuff, or giving instruction about flairs and whatever. But maybe they finally want to talk about everything that's been going on."
Juno nods in understanding. "Ah." The auditorium is filling up. When she'd been told that an assembly would be held during the first week of December, Juno hadn't really thought much of it. But perhaps it was a bigger deal than she'd thought, as they were expected to arrive right on time dressed in impeccable uniform even though today is a Sunday. And Juno can't help wondering: if Mark is right and the school does want to speak to them about the recent murders, why have they waited this long? It's been almost four months since Jihyi was killed.
Someone slides into the chair on her other side, pulling Juno from her thoughts. She turns to see Jeno, smile bright as he nudges her playfully. She returns it with gusto. Juno is pleased to report that her heart no longer does that "!" thing when she sees him like it used to, which means that her once hopeless crush on him is dissolving. And it's just as well, because she's been given no indication so far that he might feel the same way, and she doesn't feel like signing up for that kind of heartbreak. Avoiding being any closer with him than she has to seems to be working.
But he's also been making that quite difficult.
"Hey," Jeno says into her ear, and the feeling of his breath against her skin makes her heart stutter.
Ah, shit. But that's okay; slow progress is still progress.
His eyes catch on her mouth, and all rational sense flies out of her brain as certain less-than-appropriate thoughts cloud her mind due to his gaze. "New ring today."
"I was curious about how gold would look," she says instead.
"Well, I think it looks good."
"Thanks."
Mark watches their exchange carefully, but immediately looks away when Juno glances in his direction. The dull murmur of the crowd dies down as Ms. Yang takes the podium, holding up a hand to call for attention.
"Good morning, students. I hope you are all feeling well-rested and eager to begin the day," she begins.
Juno scoffs at that, thinking about the three hours of sleep she got last night.
The assembly starts as nothing she hasn't seen before. The various teachers yammer on about academics and work ethic and why you should choose to take their class in the upcoming second semester, mention some stuff about flair management and physicals and the like, etc. Juno's eyelids are already growing heavier, and she's been nodding off periodically. Jeno sneaks a glance at her, pursing his lips to hide his smile as he watches her and try and fail to stay awake. He shifts closer then, nudging her and patting his shoulder expectantly.
She's confused. "What?" she mouths.
"Just sleep," he replies lowly. "My shoulder is better than snapping your neck." Juno looks like she's about to refuse, but then she decides against overthinking and scooches closer to put her head on his shoulder, shutting her eyes. She can feel the jealous glares from the group of girls seated behind them - "What is she? A toddler?" - she hears one mutter, but she's too sleepy to care.
Mark watches Jeno watch Juno before turning back to the front.
Juno drifts in and out of consciousness at the assembly continues. Luckily, they are sitting in a row right in the middle, so the teachers sitting at the perimeter of the room don't notice that her eyes are closed.
"We are well aware that the beginning of this school year hasn't been easy," Ms. Yang is saying. Juno doesn't even remember her stepping up there. "But we are all very satisfied with how each of you has risen to the challenge and continued to uphold the highest standard of excellence as is our custom here at Tangiso. You all should be very proud of yourselves."
Mark and Jeno exchange an eye roll over the top of Juno's head.
"Unfortunately, we have recently lost three of our most promising students: Song Jihyi, Yoon Jaesu, and Seo Chaewon were a wonderful addition to our community here and are very dearly missed." The teacher pauses. "Which is why I am announcing a joint funeral held two weeks from now to remember these three students. Further details are on the school website, including when to attend and how to sign up to give a eulogy. I trust you will all treat this event with the seriousness and solemnity it deserves."
She need not worry. Even now, the hall is dead silent as students shift uncomfortably in their chairs. Juno is roused back to consciousness even as she keeps her head on Jeno's shoulder. She can't help but resent the fact that the school is holding a group funeral for all three, as opposed to giving them each their own after they died. It's rushed. The bodies shouldn't even be here; the students' families should have gotten the chance to have proper funerals for them.
It's all so ridiculous. Juno wonders how those families must be feeling right now. Confused? Devastated? When was the last time they got to speak to their loved one? None of them had a chance to say goodbye. It all just pisses Juno off.
"Remember, if you think you might have any information whatsoever related to these deaths, let the faculty know immediately. We are working hard to prevent these horrifying events from ever taking place again, ensuring that nobody else will get hurt and that the year will continue much more smoothly than it began."
"Bullshit," Jeno coughs into his sleeve, and those within earshot stifle snickers.
"Much of what has been going around concerning these recent deaths have been mere speculation; baseless rumors. So I have been instructed to brief you on what exactly the situation is and how to keep yourselves safe in the meantime." Ms. Yang's hands are clutching the sides of the podium, knuckles white. It assures Juno that at least she isn't a robot - this is the first sign of emotion she's ever seen the woman display.
Needless to say, Juno is fully alert now.
"Song Jihyi's, Yoon Jaesu's, and Seo Chaewon's bodies were discovered on September nineteenth, October fifth, and November twenty-first respectively. Stab wounds found on each of the victims' bodies are believed to be evidence of murder."
The hall erupts into murmurs. The students had figured as much, but there's something even more harrowing about hearing the words spoken aloud.
Yang holds up a hand to silence them. "It is simple enough to understand. Someone, generally assumed to be a member of the student body, is most likely responsible for killing these three students." She pauses again. "In addition, there is evidence to suggest that the culprit might suffer from some deep mental issues."
Juno sits up, back ramrod straight. That's a new development. Jeno and Mark are already looking in her direction, obviously as taken aback as she is by the coincidence that they'd just been talking about this specific possibility days prior.
"Of course, our administration has been expending much time and effort into finding the culprit responsible for these horrifying events. But whoever it is has been covering their tracks perfectly. For example, all the mounted cameras in or around the places these bodies were found were all conveniently down during the times the deaths happened."
Whispers begin.
"How did the culprit manage this? We have no idea, but there is no doubt that we will soon. In order for that to happen sooner than later, however, you students must play an important role." Her eyes narrow at the sea of students. "So. If any of you even think you might have the slightest suspicion of who this culprit could be, you must speak to admin immediately. That goes for any knowledge at all that you may have." And Juno might be imagining it, but it seems like the teacher's piercing gaze settles on her for a moment.
"And if the culprit is you," Yang continues, "Yes, the truth of the matter is that there is quite possibly a murderer sitting among you today-" The students don't allow her to finish. Murmurs have begun again as the teenagers glance around at each other with suspicion.
"If the murderer is you," the teacher repeats once the hall has calmed down, "you still have a chance. A chance to come clean and get the help you quite possibly need if you want any hope of graduating." Her jaw clenches. "Do not waste this opportunity. It will not last forever, especially if these killings do not stop."
"Well, that's scary," Mark mutters under his breath, and the other two nod.
As if she'd heard him, Yang goes on, "This, of course, is not meant to frighten you. We are confident that if all students make sure to go everywhere with at least one other person and take the precautions we have been laying out for you, you'll be able to remain relatively safe for the short while that it will take for us to find out who once and for all is behind these terrible events."
Relatively safe. Juno almost wants to laugh. Is this woman serious? It's like the school is determined not to provide the obvious alternative: send everyone home for the rest of the semester. They're resolute about keeping everyone here, even when it's so obviously unsafe.
Why is that?
"And now, there is one more issue I have been asked to address, one that has come to our attention recently," Yang says, shuffling the papers in front of her. "It is quite simple: bullying is not tolerated and will be severely punished. Holding back your peers from achieving their potential will distract you from yours. And that is not what we stand for here. The Flair Strength List isn't meant to dictate how you treat each other; it is merely supposed to facilitate healthy competition and drive to work harder."
In other words: "We don't care what the hell you guys do to each other as long as it doesn't interfere with your performance." Juno grits her teeth. It's all so half-assed, it's actually offensive.
"And now, I will call on Dr. Oh Si-yong to offer a few words before Headmaster Hak closes our assembly. Thank you all for your attention." Ms. Yang steps down, and an incredibly old man with thin gray hair and an ornate cane in his right hand rises. But despite his obvious age, there is something almost haughty about the way he takes the stage.
"Who's that?" Juno whispers to the boys.
"The guy that owns this place," Mark replies.
Juno's surprised. "Wait, really?"
Jeno nods. "Yeah, he only ever comes to these assemblies to talk to us. I heard he's some kind of tycoon, worth billions of dollars. But apparently he was the one who founded the school."
It's all making sense now. The wealth and lavishness that drips from every corner of this building - of course it's all funded by some old rich guy. "Did Yang just say that he was a doctor?" Juno questions lowly as the old man starts his speech by introducing himself.
"Some kind of scientist, apparently." Mark shrugs. "Seems a little wack in the head though, in my opinion."
"In his defense, he's like two hundred years old," Jeno quips.
Juno smirks at that. "Don't exaggerate." But she turns her attention back to the podium, tuning back in to what the man is saying.
"It pleases me greatly to see that each and every one of you is striving for the highest level of excellence, even with the circumstances. After all, that's why I built this school." The old man looks around at each of them. "Troubled. Problematic. Stupid. That's what all my teachers called me; what they thought I was. Of course, I proved them wrong." He gestures around, like the entire place is enough to speak for itself. "But I didn't have the opportunity you all do. To be able to learn and better myself in an environment that promotes excellence without being written off as another lost cause."
His words bother Juno. None of them are like him, she doesn't think. They aren't "troubled" or "problematic," and his insinuation offends her. It's very likely that the only reason those labels may have slapped onto them in the first place was because of these strange abilities. And from what she's been able to deduce, they couldn't control that.
And it's so bizarre. Despite everything that's happened, and all the questions she has, Juno realizes she hasn't though much about what is quite possibly the root of the problem. Where did our flairs come from? Why do we have them in the first place?
"Granted, I didn't have your gifts," Dr. Oh continues, an indulgent smile upon his lips as he glances around. "But I knew what that felt like. To be cast away, labelled as peculiar and odd. So imagine my surprise when I learned that people with... powers existed. Unbelievable would be an understatement. Imagine if the outside world knew of what you all could do. Would you not be ostracized, even feared or hurt because of your strangeness?" He pauses. "So I constructed this place to be a safe haven for such young people. For them to grow and improve without the judgmental gaze of society."
Hmm. Juno is not really buying it.
"This is weird," Mark whispers, and she has to agree. Nothing about this speech is sitting quite right with her. But she can't pinpoint exactly what it is that she takes issue with.
"And that's not all. Who knows? Perhaps one day, everyone might have superpowers. Or maybe it could be even be select group of people, tasked with keeping our world safe like in the movies. The point is, the possibilities are endless. But the world is your oyster, students, after you are finished here. None of you are weird or strange or peculiar. You are special."
The speech ends not long after that, but Juno's hardly listening anymore. The Headmaster takes the podium, and Mark and Jeno continue their amusing muttered commentary as the assembly continues. But the second it ends, Juno is out of her seat and walking towards the front.
She has questions.
note:
i was so close to deleting this but i decided i've done too much work on it to throw it away
so ik nobody cares but imma be updating often to finish this so i can start something else