N.O

Chapter 5

Once all of us walked into the auditorium, people started guiding us to where we should sit by Section. I was one of the last few people to walk in due to my farewell with my mother and sister, and was told to sit in the second row to the front.

I obeyed their command (like I even had a choice) and waited patiently for the ceremony to start as the ringing subsided. While deep in thought, someone tapped my shoulder. I looked up and saw the familiar boxy smile of Cha Saejun.

"Hello," he said with such joy and a small head bow. "It's nice to see you again."

I returned a small smile and bow and said, "It's nice to see you too." I then wondered what made him so joyful. If it was because of the brainwashing the government does somehow, then I can't blame him for it wouldn't be his fault.

He let out a sigh while still keeping a smile on his face and asked, "What are you going to miss the most when we leave?"

I took in a deep breath and laced my hands together. "Well, I already miss my family."

Saejun leaned forward and said, "Yeah, I miss them too." Somehow I could hear the slight change from happiness to sadness, and for some reason, it shocked me a little bit.

Out of understanding the feeling, I patted his back in comfort. "They'll be proud of you," was all I could say. If they had any sense left in them, they wouldn't be proud at all. They wouldn't be proud not because of him, but because of the cruel world we learned to survive in.

After what I said, he turned his head and stared at me with a blank expression as if I had said something wrong. "My father will never be proud of me," he said soon after coated with remorse. His face then twitched to the right in slight discomfort.

Before I could ask what was wrong, feedback was heard over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen," started the woman on the microphone as we all stood, interrupting my thoughts. "As you know, this country is considered one of the highest ranked governments in the world with many of the best doctors, teachers, and military. All of you will have the chance to be up here someday with many of these fine people." She gestured to the small group behind her. Four people stood in front of each Section number. "May all of you make the best choices for our country and live like it's your last." She ended it there, and we bowed in traditional respect.

Like it's my last? All you'll do is manipulate us anyway, so of course we have to live like it's our last. We don't know when you're going to kill us.

A tall man then took her place and made an announcement after we all bowed again to him. I didn't even pay attention to him after he motioned us to take our seats. All I could think of was how they might threaten to kill us if we disobeyed or didn't listen.

Once the tall man finished his announcement, he started calling up teenagers one by one, handing them a paper that states they are allowed to be in the branch they fit in.

Section One was first to be called on. From them, the first one to go up was a boy named Lee Junho and the last was another named Chang Youngjin. Both of them and everyone in between had an applause as they walked back to their seats.

I got bored hearing the names that didn't belong to me and just sat there wondering how everything might turn out. If they found out about me, would Yeonhwa be okay? Maybe they would think that she's like me too and kill her off.