N.O

Chapter 2

The ringing subsided as the three of us walked to the Testing Hall and waited in the main room for a good two hours. Mother and I sat next to each other as Yeonhwa fiddled with her fingers out of boredom.

"Excuse me?" someone asked me pointing to the seat next to me. "Is someone sitting here?"

I let Yeon-hwa sit on my lap as I said, "No, go ahead."

He smiled a rectangle smile and said, "Thank you," as he bowed politely and sat down.

After a couple minutes I looked at him in silence as he stared off into space, obviously just as bored as Yeonhwa. He was kind of tall with messy brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a dirty peach colored, button-down dress shirt and worn out jeans that looked like they hadn't seen soap and water in a decade. He had big ears that were blushing and from what I could see, his nose was big too. The buttons on his sleeves were gone and slightly torn with mud smudges. After everything I could see from his appearance, he was going to be in the same Section as me.

He then turned to me and was about to say something before something made his mouth drop.

I waved my hand in front of him as I said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just that you look like you'd be part of Section Three."

Thanks for the clothes, Mother.

"Do you happen to be part of that Sec...." His voice trailed off as he eyed my little sister and mother and realized that we were just as poor as he was. "Oh, I'm sorry."

I gave him a small smile and said, "Don't worry about it."

He then smiled again and lightly bowed his head. "I'm Cha Saejun. I figured that since we're going into the same Section I might as well tell you my name incase we run into each other again."

I returned the smile and lightly bowed to him as I said, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Cha Saejun. I'm Hyuk Boyeon."

"It's nice to meet you too."

"Big Brother?" chimed in Yeonhwa with her little voice.

"Yes, Little Girl?"

"Can I play for a little bit?"

I sighed and said, "I'm sorry, you can't do that here." She then made a pouty face and I said, "Here, when we get home I'll do whatever you want. We'll have lots of fun, then."

"Really?" she asked with a big smile.

"Really."

She then raised her arms to the sky and said, "Yay!"

I laughed along with her before I heard, "Hyuk Boyeon. Cha Saejun," over the intercom.

We both looked at each other in fear as a devastating result waited for us in those rooms. Something that I never wanted to do was something that we're all forced to do.

We got up and I told Yeonhwa I'd be right back as we walked up to the petit, middle aged woman who called our names.

We bowed respectfully as she smiled and motioned her hand to the lady next to her saying, "Cha Saejun, please follow Ms. Chang to your testing room." Saejun did as he was told and walked down the corridor with a face of discomfort, his head slightly tilted to the left as a result.