"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Your mother asked for the hundredth time.
"Yes, umma."
"Your vitamins?"
"Yes."
"Your national ID?"
"Yes."
"Your phone? It's the only way we can communicate."
"Yes, umma, I got it."
"Your underwear?"
"UMMA~!" You turned around to check if Doctor Jung heard it. He was the monster doctor who checked on you before.
"I was just kidding," your mother laughed. "But who knows, you're very forgetful."
"That's an exaggeration! Aish!" You answered, annoyed.
"Aigoo. Stop being grumpy now. Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off?"
"No, it's okay. It's very far anyway. I'll be fine. And Doctor Jung is with me. Besides...."
If you come with me, I'll only want to back out and return home with you, you thought but you didn't say it out loud.
It was a warm Saturday morning. It has been more than a week since your 'monster' incident happened. Your most dreaded day finally came. You're finally kissing your normal high school life goodbye. Today, you're going to your new school, Monster Academy.
Doctor Jung came around lunch time to pick you up. According to what he told you and your mother before, the school was located on a mountainous area in the outskirts of Seoul, 'to minimize the risk of human intrusion,' he said. Since the school is far from any town, students are required to stay in and are allowed only a once a month weekend trip to the city. Staying in is also part of the training. In order to not arouse suspicion from humans, the school had an alternative name, M Academy. What outsiders know about M Academy is that it is a prestigious school only for a few well-selected students who either have high intellectual abilities or who belong to the richest families in the country. You laughed to yourself when you realized you belong to neither category.
No wonder Hye Bin refused to believe me.
You have told her about it over the phone a few days ago. She just laughed and thought you were joking. You didn't pursue the topic since you also can't give her a convincing reason how you got accepted at such a school.
"Is that the last one?" Doctor Jung asked, as you handed the last of your luggage to the driver who placed it at the trunk of the school van.
"Yes," you answered as you stepped out of the house.
The driver reached for Totoro, which you were carrying in your arms.
"Oh, it's okay. He goes with me," you told him.
Some of your neighbors were standing at a corner, whispering among themselves.
"Who would have thought that kid's got something," you heard one of them remark. You shook your head and gave a sigh.
Now they think I'm some kind of genius.
"Umma, I'm going," you said and kissed your mother goodbye.
"Be good Joo Ri-ya. Don't hesitate to call if you have trouble," you mother said in a cracked voice.
"Umma, don't start crying. The neighbors are watching. I'll see you soon," you said.
"We're going now Mrs. Song," the doctor bowed.
"Take good care of my Joo Ri for me," your mother told him.
"I will," he smiled.
You rolled your eyes. "Umma I can take care of myself."
You were about to get in the van when you heard someone calling you.
"JOO RI-YA~! Wait!" It was Hye Bin. She was running towards you while waving her hands frantically in the air.
"Hye Bin-ah!"
"Thank God I made it!" She panted as she stopped in front of you to catch her breath. She saw the van with large 'M ACADEMY' painted across its body. "So you did make it. How'd you do it?"
You just shrugged and gave an uneasily smile. She suddenly slapped your arm hard. "Ow!"
"You unfaithful friend! Why didn't you tell me you had plans to transfer to another school?" She yelled.
"It just happened," you reasoned.
"Well, since today is the day you're leaving, I'll forgive you. Aish! And I actually thought you were only joking. Anyway, are you allowed to use your phone there?"
"Yeah."
"Good. We can still call each other. Call me from time to time araso?"
"Araso."
"Don't skip meals when you're busy."
"Ne umma," you teased. She slapped your arm again.
"And stop being too clumsy. I won't be there to help you anymore," she added and laughed.
"I'll try," you laughed along. The two of you had been together since you were kids. You were the one who would always get into trouble while she was the mature one who always helped you out of it. Going to another school is quite a tough change for her as much as it is for you.
"Ugh! And stop being attached to that," she said, referring to Totoro.
"Hey, leave him alone. He's my first friend you know," you told her.
"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes.
The driver gave two loud honks. Doctor Jung's head appeared from one of the van windows.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you girls. But we need to go. Please wrap it up," he smiled.
You saw Hye Bin gaping at him with her mouth hanging open. "Who was that?" she mouthed.
"The school doctor," you answered. She stared in awe at him again. "Well,, I need to go now. I'll come visit whenever I can."
"Right," she said, giving the doctor one last look before finally setting her attention back on you. "Good luck. Take good care of yourself."
"Thanks. You too." You gave each other a long, tight hug.
"You'll be fine on your own," she said.
You smiled and moved to step into the van but you bumped your head on the car's roof along the way.
"On second thought, I hope you'll quickly find someone who can look after you," she stated. You gave her a pout and finally got into the van.
"Bye!" You called out from the window one last time at your mother and Hye Bin who were now standing side by side as they watched you go.
"Take care Joo Ri-ya! Find yourself a good boyfriend!" Your mother yelled. You face palmed yourself in embarrassment.
"So, have you prepared yourself well for this?" Doctor Jung asked you a few minutes later.
"I guess," you answered. "At least I think I'm not about to go crazy yet." The doctor gave a short laugh.
"Don't worry. It's not that different from other schools. You'll settle down just fine," he assured.
I hope so.
"Oh, excuse me," Doctor Jung said when his phone rang. "Yoboseyo?......Yes, Soo Ae honey......I'm sorry but I can't make it to our date today. I have important business to attend to......Yup, it's with a girl.....There's no need to be jealous. She's just a new student. I'm helping her transfer to the school...Of course you're the only one for me......you know how much I love you right?......"
Cheesy. YUCK! You shivered in disgust as you can't help but hear the conversation.
"......of course......I love you......I'll see you soon...."
He dares to say mushy stuff even though someone else is listening. How embarrassing.
The call ended and he smiled at you. "So where were we?"
"Err..."
"Oh, excuse me again," he said as his phone rang again. "Yoboseyo?..... Yes Jini-ya, how's my baby doing?......I miss you too babe......No I'm not free today....."
Your eyes widened in disbelief.
HE'S A PLAYBOY! Tsk tsk tsk!.
".......I'll see you soon......I love you......Bye......" He hung the phone and turned to you. "Let's keep this our little secret."
You didn't bother hiding your reaction. He laughed when he saw your expression and noticed that you have unconsciously moved away from him.
"Don't worry. I'm only interested in D cups," he winked.
AND A PERVERT! NEVER-TRUST-GOOD-LOOKING-GUYS!
The ride was a long one. For half the ride, you were reading some of the manhwas you brought. After about two hours, you noticed that the trees were starting to thicken and there were no more houses, buildings, or whatsoever that would suggest human residence along the area.
"We're almost there," Doctor Jung said.
A few minutes later, the car slowed down in front of an iron gate a couple of meters high. The walls surrounding it were made of thick cement and are equally as high. There were only two people guarding the gate. You brows furrowed at the seemingly loose security.
"That's only to keep humans out. There are more guards inside. And you might not see it but the whole area is protected with spells to keep monsters from going in or out without proper consent from the school," Doctor Jung explained as though he had read your mind. "What were you expecting?"
"Well, I was expecting thirty-meter high electric fences or something like that," you admitted. He laughed amused.
"Well, it's still a school, not a prison, so it should still at least look like one," he said.
The van stopped in front of the gate. One of the guards brought some sort of biometrics gadget with a vial-like stuff at the side. The vial was the size of a medicine capsule and is filled with blue liquid. The driver placed his thumb on the hallow area of the gadget. You saw a tinge of red spread through the blue liquid in the vial. You later realized that it was blood. The device lighted green and the guard moved to Doctor Jung.
Doctor Jung saw the look of surprise on your face. "It's a quick DNA check, to make sure everyone who comes in is on the school's record."
"Can't you just do simple biometrics?"
"Some monsters have abilities to imitate other people. That means fingerprints and other physical features can be faked. Blood analysis is one of the surest ways of checking monster DNA," he explained.
You gave a mortified look at the thought of having your blood taken from you every time you go in.
"Don't worry. The needles are automatically changed after each person's turn so it's safe," he winked.
That's not what I was worried about, dummy!
The light on the device turned green then the guard looked inquiringly at you.
"New student," Doctor Jung told him. The guard nodded and gave a thumbs-up signal to his other companion. The gate opened and the van drove in. You lowered the windshield and stuck your head out to get a good look but all you saw were trees.
"The school is still a little up ahead," Doctor Jung told you.
Does he have the ability to read minds? Seriously. He keeps answering the questions I have in my head.
"No, I don't have mind reading powers," he smiled.
LIAR!
The trees soon finally started to thin. After about a five-minute drive, the school was in sight. You had expected something like the Hogwarts castle in Harry Potter, but the doctor was right with what he said a while ago. It wasn't that different from other schools. It looked pretty normal, though it was way classier and cleaner than your old school. It was surrounded with ordinary school-looking fences and the school's logo was placed at the gate's center.
The van didn't enter the school gates and instead made a left turn. After about two minutes, you saw another fenced area. 'MA Dormitories' was embossed on the arch above the gate. The area had three main buildings about ten meters apart. The building in the middle was slightly smaller than the other two. There was a beautiful fountain in front and there were also wooden benches placed all around the area.
The driver stopped the car in front of one of the buildings. He finally turned the engine off. You got that as a sign that this was your final destination and got out of the car. You immediately scanned the area. Just like the school proper, it was pretty classy.
"Welcome to your new home," Doctor Jung said. "Come on, I'll take you to your room."
"Where are the other students?" You asked when you realized the place looks deserted.
"Today's actually free week."
"Free week?"
"The one I told you before, when students can go out of school for the weekend once every month. There are some though who prefer to stay at school. You should meet some of them later. I'm sure you're excited to make new friends."
"Err...Not really."
"Well, the others will be back by tomorrow night."
"Oh. Okay," you sighed, feeling somewhat relieved. You were not sure you're ready to meet other monsters yet. You carried Totoro while Doctor Jung and the driver offered to carry the rest of your luggage.
"The dormitory is divided into two, the East and West Buildings," Doctor Jung explained as the three of you walked towards the elevator. "This is the East Building or the girls' dormitory. Boys stay at the West. The building at the center is the cafeteria. You have free food for the three important meals – breakfast, dinner, and lunch. Just have your ID scanned at the counter. Other than the meals mentioned, you have to buy things with your own money. You can also buy necessities other than food such as school supplies and body essentials. The school campus also has a cafeteria. The cafeteria here has a second floor where the students' lounge is located. Check it out if you have time."
"Okay."
"There's also a pool and a small café at the back."
"Wait, what? There's a pool in the dorms?!"
"Yes. Some monsters need to submerge into water at a regular basis. Unless you're one of those, you have to pay if you want to use it."
"Oh. Okay."
"Aside from the school clinic inside the campus, we also have an infirmary here over there at the back. I'm there during off-school hours, in case you ever need me," he winked.
"Infirmary? You mean like a real hospital?" "Close enough, since there aren't many monster hospitals in Korea, and there isn't one nearby. It's pretty small though compared to real hospitals. Though the school campus has a small clinic, we keep patients with serious cases in the infirmary."
Ding!
The door to the elevator opened. You were surprised at how spacious it was inside. The three of you got in and you nearly tripped on one of the luggage. The driver graciously helped you and bowed in apology.
"Your room is at the fourth floor, Room No. 50. You're sharing a room with another student," Doctor Jung informed you as the elevator moved.
Ding!
The room was at the corner, four doors away from the elevator. The three of you stopped in front of the door and they set your heavy bags down.
"Kamsa hamnida ajusshi," you bowed to the driver. He bowed back and left.
"Well, welcome to your new room. Here." Doctor Jung handed you the key. "By the way, the school chairman wants to meet with you today. Please drop by his office after you've settled in with your stuff. It's at the second floor of the administration building."
"Okay."
"I'd like to give you a tour but I have things I need to do as of the moment. Will you be fine on your own?"
"Yes. The way to the campus is quite easy. I won't get lost."
"Alright then. Good luck."
"Thanks," you bowed and he immediately left. You turned to your new room. A plate was placed on the door just below the room number.
"Han Ji Min," you read. "That must be my roommate...well, of course it is. Who else could it be?" You corrected yourself.
Below the nameplate are two blank nameplates. They still haven't placed your name there. You put the key in the knob and unlocked it.
"Well, new room, here I come."