i. ABSOLUTELY NOT
❛ ... i'm not doing this. ❜
"YOU have got to be fucking kidding me," is the first thing that Eunyeon says, staring at the teacher at the front of the classroom, a look of pure disbelief flashed across her face. Seonhwa sends a jab to her best friend's ribs, but Eunyeon clearly doesn't seem to care, and in all honesty, it's not the first time that she's swore in the presence of a teacher, and it certainly won't be the last. In response, the teacher only sends her a disapproving look, as she's long since given up trying to scold the girl on her use of language.
"What she means to say," interrupts Seonhwa, sending he best friend a look that directly translates to shut up and let me do the talking, "is that we're confused about this – this trial thing."
"I mean, it sounds pretty self explanatory," says Yeji before she can stop herself.
"Why do we need to do this trial with them?" Minkyung demands, spitting the word them like it's the most disgusting thing she's ever heard in her life. Not that the boys at the Gangnam Institute are anything less than disgusting creatures. Minkyung would know that better than anyone.
"The school board has decided that it's time to put this silly rivalry behind us and is proposing the trial in an attempt to strengthen bonds between the schools. The nine of you have been selected to participate in the trial for a semester, along with nine students from the boys' Institute," says Mrs Lim, the poor teacher who was selected to break the news to them. She looks exhausted, and as the head girl, Seonhwa almost feels bad. Almost.
"And you think a semester long trial is going to magically end a decades old rivalry?" Sol quips, a singular, perfectly shaped eyebrow raised, turning her attention away from her manicured nails to glance at the teacher.
"We're rivals for a reason," Sohee adds.
"What's this rivalry even about?" asks Ahreum, glancing around the classroom, hoping someone will fill her in on the question she's been wondering since she first transferred. Ahreum is used to carefree public school students, not rich kid rivalries. She turns to look at Blodwyn, eyes wide, hoping that she'll finally get an answer. Blodwyn can only shrug at the girl. She might have attended the school just as long as the others, but even she has no idea where this rivalry actually stems from, just that it's a very prominent part of the school culture. She has yet to meet anyone who can (and will) actually tell her the full story behind it.
And seeing as her half brother is an asshole that attends the school, it's a rivalry that Ahreum has absolutely no problems getting behind.
"Doesn't matter what it's about," Eunyeon snaps from the front of the classroom. "They're all a bunch of dicks."
"Language, Eunyeon," scolds Mrs Lim, even though she knows it's useless and won't have any effect on the girl's rather extensive vocabulary of swearwords.
"But Miss, it's true!"
"Maybe it won't be so bad?" Juyeon suggests, ever the optimist, but even she sounds unsure.
"It will be," Sol mutters quietly beside her, so Mrs Lim won't hear her.
"That's the spirit," says Mrs Lim, brightening up just the slightest. She knows the type of influence Juyeon tends to have over people, but unfortunately, no one seems to be buying her positivity about the situation.
"I doubt that," Yeji says, now that she's finished colouring in the margin of her notebook. "The only decent person from that school is Minhyung. I can't stand any of the others."
"I have yet to meet anyone decent from the Institute," Ahreum grumbles folding her arms.
"Why do we have to do this?" says Blodwyn finally, biting her lip when she finishes speaking. When she transferred to start attending Gangnam Academy, moving from her old school in Wales, she didn't think she'd end up wrapped up in some sort of trial like this one. She's starting to wonder if maybe she should have looked into schools in Japan instead when her mother gave her the choice. Her Japanese has always been better than her Korean.
"You were selected at random," Mrs Lim explains tiredly.
"Wait until my parents hear about this," says Sol, scowling and leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. It's an empty threat, really, because her parents don't care about her schooling unless she's failing, but she continues to glare at the teacher anyway. Sohee scowls from beside her, stabbing her pen into the page that she's been doodling across for the past ten minutes – it's supposed to be her maths homework, but she has no intentions of actually completing it. Juyeon only stares ahead serenely, barely even paying attention, her mind somewhere else as she stares out the window that looks out towards the pretty rose bushes at the front of the school.
"Your mother already agreed," Mrs Lim deadpans, sounding more exhausted by the minute. "In fact, all of your parents have."
That statement brings another round of outcries from each of the girls sitting in the classroom, each more furious than the next. Someone lets out a loud curse word, but it's drowned out by everyone talking over the top of each other, as Mrs Lim looks around helplessly for the culprit.
"Of course my mother agreed to this," Sohee mutters bitterly, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.
"Typical," mutters Ahreum darkly. Her father would be all for this trial if he thought there was even the slightest chance it would bring both his children closer together.
"But Miss, surely we should get some sort of say in this whole thing," Yeji tries, as Minkyung nods her head eagerly beside her.
"Yeah," adds Blodwyn. "We already have loads of school work to focus on –"
"And this is our last year at the Academy, surely you don't want us spending it at another school!"
"That's enough," Mrs Lim snaps, silencing the entire room with a mere look. They're all so used to Mrs Lim's kind nature that the cold expression on her face looks intimidating and out of place. "You will be completing this trial, and I expect you all to be on your best behaviour and act maturely like the young ladies you are. You are representing the Gangnam Academy of Young Ladies, and I expect you to do this academy proud. Do I make myself clear?"
Blodwyn shrinks in her seat, nodding her head solemnly. She's never been on the bad side of Mrs Lim (or any teacher, really) and she'd rather not start now. Even all the other girls seem mildly surprised at the woman's outburst, no one daring to talk back, not even Eunyeon.
"Good," says Mrs Lim, picking up the pile of papers that sits on her desk and depositing them in her briefcase before she stands up at her desk. "I expect all of you to be ready on the front steps of The Gangnam Institute on Monday morning by 8:30. Have a good weekend."
Nobody says anything as she picks up all of her stuff and readies herself to leave, her attention now fully turned from the nine girls sitting in front of her, all with mixed expressions of disgust, annoyance and confusion plastered across their faces.
Mrs Lim leaves the classroom, grabbing her keys and bidding the group of nine goodbye. As soon as she's gone, Minkyung throws a scrunched up piece of paper at the wall aggressively, hard enough that it hits one of the posters hanging up, and the entire class watches as it falls to the floor, no one bothering to fix it.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Eunyeon repeats.
"I'm not doing this," Sol says, shoving her notebook in her bag rather aggressively as Sohee and Juyeon begin to follow suit. "Absolutely not."
Half way across town, cooped up in a classroom not unlike their own, a poor professor receives the same reaction from their unfortunate male counterparts.
.
artificixl cherrychans linosaurs sadults velvetseulgi vettyhyo -CUPIDJINNIE -Mimiso
this chapter was somewhat short, but the next one will probably be longer, since i've already started writing it. also, i know not much really happened in this chapter, it was more so just an introduction to the trial and everyone's reactions to it. the boys will be in the next chapter, when their trial finally starts. also don't forget to vote and comment.