9 Friends

Chapter 7 — Friends 

"Here, Ms. Park."

Kim Do-Hyun reluctantly gave his phone to Park Sun-hwa before returning to his seat worriedly.

After the phones were handed over, Park Sun-hwa started to take the attendance. It allowed Kim Do-Hyun to memorize the names of his classmates.

For example, his girl seatmate was called Park Hee-su.

The first period was homeroom.

However, Kim Do-hyun couldn't focus much on the first period as he was worried about his phone.

But he soon felt strange. As if he intuitively knew the exact location of his phone despite not knowing its location right now.

Still, he would only feel comfortable if it was always with him.

"I definitely need to buy a new phone to act as a replacement."

Kim Do-Hyun then started to worry about his financial situation.

Even if he included the money left behind by his parents, it was barely enough to support him for normal college if he lived cheaply.

When he thought about his future plans, Kim Do-Hyun knew his current financial situation wasn't enough.

For example, medical schools were much more expensive than normal colleges.

His money was definitely not enough.

And loan itself wasn't a reliable option.

"I need to work."

Kim Do-Hyun decided it was finally time for him to start taking jobs. He started to sketch his future plan in his notebook while homeroom was ongoing.

Workout. Culinary. Study. Work. Learn. New Achievements.

The rest was already solid, but there was a problem at work.

"Who would accept a 16 years old high school student like me?"

Only part-time jobs would allow him to work as a student.

Kim Do-Hyun thought of doing a delivery job for Cheongsan Chicken.

Or a part-time job at a nearby convenience store.

As he was contemplating deeply, the homeroom period ended.

It was finally time for official classes to start, so he started to focus on it.

First Period was English. 

This foreign subject was still taught by the homeroom teacher, Park Sun-hwa.

"Excuse me."

Kim Do-Hyun spoke to Hee-su.

"I don't have textbooks. Can we share?"

Hee-su nodded before sharing her English Textbook with him.

"Thank you."

The English Class was relatively easy because he had already studied the lesson taught today.

And as someone that had English as his second most fluent language in the past, it was relatively easier.

So he was confident when he was told to read the English sentences written on the board.

As he stood up, Kim Do-Hyun received a lot of stares as he calmly read the words — his fluency of pronunciation not much different from a native.

"In silence, I wait. In pain, I endure. In destiny, I fight. Like the waves that forever longs for the shore, I will long for you until the end of times."

Unbeknownst to Kim Do-Hyun, his voice was now laced with sweet seduction.

The girls were enchanted by his soothing voice and seductive words.

"Do-hyun speaks English so naturally..."

"Why is my heart beating so fast…"

"You're blushing."

"I've fallen twice!"

After the reading, Park Sun-hwa nodded in satisfaction.

"That was nice. You may now sit, Do-hyun."

"Thank you." 

After English Class, it was finally time for the Math Class that many feared.

This class was full of questions by the math teacher. 

And not many dared to raise their hands to answer. 

Except for the smart students.

Those who fit this category are Choi Nam-ra and Oh Joon-young.

But now it has changed.

Kim Do-Hyun would try to answer some questions.

Alongside the other two smarties, the math wizards were able to save the pitiful students from the math monsters.

The pitiful students were extremely grateful for the math wizard.

After Math Class, it was time for Science Class where Kim Do-Hyun was more interested than other subjects.

This class was taught by a science teacher known as Lee Byeong-chan. It was held at the science lab on the fourth floor of the main school building.

According to Cheong-san, Mr. Lee was a genius cell biologist who was formerly a scientist under the UMM Pharmaceutical Corporation, but it was unknown why he resigned to become a high school science teacher.

As someone who has a dream of becoming a cell biologist, Kim Do-hyun wanted to learn from a genius biologist like Mr. Lee.

That's why he was asking a series of questions towards this science teacher to make him interested in him.

It would be the start of their true teacher-student relationship.

After asking many interesting questions, Mr. Lee was now looking at him in new light.

The last subject before lunch was Korean Class.

He was also familiar with this subject as Kim Do-Hyun, so it was fairly easy to earn recognition.

At the end of the morning classes, Kim Do-Hyun was now considered as another academic rival by Oh Joon-young. 

Choi Nam-ra was also starting to pay attention to him.

When the clock hit 12 PM, it was finally time for lunch period that last for a whole hour.

Many girls were hesitant and shy to approach Kim Do-hyun. 

Kim Hyeon-ju, a famous girl bully of the Hyosan High School, was also very interested in Kim Do-Hyun.

However, she was already beaten by others.

"Hey! Wanna grab lunch with us?"

A group of guys welcomingly gathered around Kim Do-hyun.

Cheong-san was amongst them. 

"Sure. I appreciate it."

"No problem. You're our friends now. A friend of our friend is our friend."

"Hahaha, thanks."

Kim Do-hyun smiled joyfully as he accepted their invitation.

Kim Hyeon-ju clicked her tongue after failing to approach Kim Do-Hyun.

"Those annoying bastards."

She then smiled seductively.

"Kim Do-Hyun, I'll definitely make you mine."

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The whole group started to introduce themselves to Kim Do-Hyun.

The tall and attractive guy, Lee Su-Hyeok.

The huge and silly guy, Yang Dae-su.

The nice and caring guy, Jang Wu-jin.

The energetic and humorous guy, Han Gyeong-su.

The smart and calm guy, Oh Joon-young.

Along with Lee Cheong-San, they happily welcomed him into their Class 2-5 Boys Group.

"Want us to show you around the school before we go to the cafeteria?"

"Sure."

"Then let's go."

"We're the best guide here."

The whole group began to show Kim Do-Hyun around the school. They introduced him to unfamiliar areas while giving a very informative idea about those places.

The school had at least five buildings with the Iast building still being under construction; the main school building, the dining area, another building located near the archery center, the archery center itself, and the gymnasium. 

In front of the main entrance was a big green field for various physical activities like sports. 

For easier travel, there were sky bridges connecting every building.

In the main school building, which was a huge four story building, Kim Do-Hyun and the others visited various rooms.

The first floor had many lockers, the large school library, the principal office, and other more rooms.

Kim Do-Hyun saw that the school library held many books, making it a perfect place to study.

The second and third floors were full of classrooms for high school students. 

There were also special rooms like the nurse office and the broadcasting room on the second floor.

The fourth floor was the location of the science lab, the art room, the music room, and other rooms.

"Have you thought of what club you'll join, Do-hyun?"

"No, I still have no idea."

"Then join our One Heart Club!" 

Gyeong-Su excitedly promoted his own club.

"Idiot. Don't force him to join!". 

Cheong-san karate chopped his best friend's head.

"Ouch!"

"What kind of club is the One Heart Club?" 

Kim Do-Hyun grew curious about the club'a strange name.

"It's basically a community service club."

Then Joon-young had an idea.

"How about this? Let's visit every club and join the club that interests you the most?'

"Sounds great!" 

Jin-wu also agreed with that plan.

"Then let's go. To the Taekwondo Club first!"

Su-hyeok took the lead.

"I'm hungry…" 

Dae-Su rubbed his growling belly.

"Just follow us" 

Jin-wu slapped his back and urged him to follow.

"That's no way to treat your brother-in-law…"

Dae-su quietly followed.

The group soon arrived at the Taekwondo Club.

"Welcome to Taekwondo Club! A place where we promote and hone the national combat sport of Korea — Tae. Kwon. Do!" 

Lee Su-Hyeok proudly walked inside the club room.

"Are you a member of this club?" 

"No, but I used to be."

Kim Do-Hyun was surprised, but then it wasn't strange considering Su-hyeok's tall height and athletic build.

A club member of the Taekwondo Club then became their guide to learn about taekwondo.

"Taekwondo is an ancient combat sport that comes from three Korean words: tae(kick), kwon(punch), and do(art). Just like its name, we learn how to perform acrobatic kicks and powerful punches. But it isn't just combat — it's the art and discipline of the body and mind."

While explaining so, the club member performed acrobatic feats that earned him applause.

Kim Do-Hyun was interested, but still decided to check out other clubs.

The group checked out other clubs like the basketball club and the tennis club.

The last club they checked was the archery club.

Archery was a popular sport like Taekwondo in South Korea since the national team has been dominating the gold medals for archery.

In fact, it was seen as even more important within Hyosan High School.

"Noona!" 

Jang Wu-Jin excitedly greeted a beautiful senior from the archery club.

"Oh?"

The senior lowered her bow and raised her brow at them.

"What are you guys doing here?'

"What else! It's to see your coolness when holding your bow, noona!"

Dae-su immediately turned suspiciously energetic.

Wu-jin shook his head at him before introducing Do-hyun.

"Noona, this is our new classmate, Kim Do-Hyun. We are showing him to clubs that might interest him."

"A transfer student, huh? A handsome guy at that."

She smirked.

"Hello, I'm Wu-jin's older sister, Jang Ha-ri."

"'It's nice to meet you." 

Kim Do-Hyun politely greeted his senior from the school.

"I like your attitude. Try our archery club. If you join, I could personally teach you when I have time."

The jaw of Dae-su hanged down after hearing those words.

A private lesson. Just the two of them…

"Me! I'll join your club, noona!"

Dae-su quickly volunteered for himself, but just ended up receiving a cold glare from Ha-ri.

"Get lost."

"Noona…"

Dae-su went to the corner to sulk.

Kim Do-Hyun contemplated Ha-ri's words for a moment.

"I understand, but I'll still think about it."

He didn't immediately accept.

"Seems like you're not interested. Then I'll try to hook your interest, so pay close attention."

Ha-ri went to the shooting area before skillfully aiming her bow and arrow towards the distant target in front.

The room fell to silence as her focus and concentration visibly affected the people around her.

And with a release of her fingers—

Swooosh!

An arrow flew towards the air—

Tuk!

And pierced right at the center red circle of the distant target practice.

"Amazing…!"

"She hit exactly in the middle!"

All of them widened their eyes and vividly showed their surprises. They couldn't help but praise her excellent archery skills.

"That's my noona!"

Wu-jin couldn't help but feel proud of his sister's performance.

"Have I changed your opinion now?" 

Ha-ri confidently gazed at Kim Do-Hyun.

"Yes."

He nodded with interest showing within his eyes.

"But my decision will not change."

Archery may have his interest, but there was still another club that piqued his interest.

"What a shame. But I can't force you."

Jung Ha-ri expressed her disappointment, but now knew it was difficult to move Kim Do-hyun.

All of the clubs were finally visited.

And Kim Do-Hyun was now contemplating on what club he would join…

...

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