The Hideout I Need

Chapter 19: Won't you play something for me?

"Can you explain to me why I offered my precious final days of vacation helping clean up the school?" Won-jin groaned, sitting on a table inside the classroom he had been dreading all summer to see again.

The six of them were back at school with a little less than a week until their second semester began. Once again in Class 7, they were all together for the first time since their holiday at Won-jin's summerhouse. It was weird only being the six of them in such a huge school with no other students around. Well, the six of them plus the other kids who volunteered to clean up.

"Because you get extra credits as well," Jung-mo announced, holding a sheet of paper, "Lord knows you need it."

"Harsh," Won-jin pouted, crossing his arms and looking away for a second.

"What exactly are our tasks?" Se-rim asked, walking up next to Jung-mo to take a look at the paper he was holding. He wasn't used to seeing Jung-mo take control of a situation, so just seeing him standing there with a paper in hand made him a little nervous. Se-rim was resisting the urge to grab onto the paper.

"OK, so, over the next few days tons of students will come to clean their respective classes. So... I volunteered our group to take our own classes, Class 3 and Class 7, and to take the music room," Jung-mo explained.

"Why take an extra room?" Se-kwon asked, probably just as tired as Won-jin.

"Because we get extra credits," Jung-mo said through gritted teeth, frustrated with having to continue explaining himself.

Se-rim smirked at Jung-mo's frustration. He ended up taking over the paper to let Jung-mo blow off some inner steam. Or, you know, passive-aggressive loud exhales. Se-rim cleared his throat and began reading aloud from the paper, "OK, so in Class 7 we have to sweep and mop the floors, wipe the blackboard, plus we have to exchange the tables with single-person tables."

What? Hyeong-jun's eyes widened. Exchange the tables? That meant not being able to sit next to Tae-young anymore. That was the last thing he wanted.

"Class 3, sweep and mop the floors, clean the blackboard..."

"You guys don't have to switch tables?" Hyeong-jun asked frantically, possibly a little too suddenly.

"Dude, we already have single tables. I think every class had single tables except yours," Se-kwon laughed. Oh yeah, crap, that's true.

"Yeah, Mr. Lee always used to say double tables helped with teamwork, but I think he realized that it just helped us... talk... and not do schoolwork. I don't know, the teachers probably nagged at him," Jung-mo sighed, softly stroking the table next to him.

Won-jin looked at him weirdly as he did that. But Jung-mo dreaded having to let go of being able to sleep in classes in the comforting presence of his friends. Now he'd just have to sleep in the presence of random classmates instead.

"Music room: dust and wipe down all the instruments, wash the blackboard, sweep and mop the floor," Se-rim concluded their tasks on the list.

Jung-mo cleared his throat, taking back the paper from Se-rim, ready to announce as if it were a royal business, "OK, so Won-jin and I take—"

"Nope, no way you and Won-jin are in the same group, you'll get nothing done," Se-kwon interrupted.

"What? First of all how dare— yeah, you're right..." Won-jin tried to defend themselves but retracted.

"Well then, uh... wait for a second, my brain is trying to do the math of regrouping..." Jung-mo stood and entered his mind palace trying to regroup them all. He closed his eyes and started waving his hands around as if he was using the force or mastering chi.