Chapter 51

A few hours later, lunch break arrived.

Hayoon had quietly listened to the high school life orientation led by Park Geon-su and then headed to the cafeteria alone to eat lunch. She didn’t have time to hang out and make friends, and the lunch schedule for second-years was slightly different anyway.

She wrapped her rice together with a sweet and delicious high rice dish, rinsed her mouth with mouthwash bought alongside some stockings at the convenience store on her way to the bus stop, then made her way to the appointed meeting spot—a stand at the edge of the school playground.

“Here.”

“Huh… is this really our school..?”

There, Choi Arin and Do Jin-ho were waiting.

“So, let’s continue what we were talking about earlier. Let’s make a club.”

Do Jin-ho looked baffled, unsure what was going on, while Choi Arin suggested they should explain things properly again.

And Hayoon…

“Let’s eat while we do it. Eat while we talk.”

“What, that….”

“Your stomach will just feel emptier if you eat something on an empty stomach, so I just didn’t eat yet. Should we eat now?”

“Oh, are you giving me some too?”

“It’d be awkward if you didn’t get any, right?”

“Y-yes, that’s true… thanks, I’ll eat well.”

Choi Arin handed out some snacks she had brought, and the three of them shared them. It might not feel like much just splitting one snack, but the act of sharing itself is what matters. When would they ever get another chance to share snacks like this as a group of three?

Anyway…

“First, I’m serious about making a club. I don’t want to waste club time on useless things, and free clubs also get funding for activities.”

“Activity funds?”

“There’s such a thing?”

“Isn’t it usually the case? If you get about 100,000 won, you can use it for after-parties or similar things.”

The important thing now was to secure a free club first. School clubs usually take up two hours once a month, and that time could be better spent sketching rough drafts or something similar easily. Moreover, external activities could take up to four hours, so for time-saving purposes, an independent free club was essential.

“But don’t we need a club advisor?”

“Shouldn’t there be a club advisor? Every year, there are people in our department who try to make games, but they fail because they can’t find an appropriate advisor to oversee them.”

“That much is true…”

The problem was finding a teacher to serve as the club advisor. Many teachers who are interested in starting clubs already have their own, so finding someone willing to oversee a new club but not managing another one is not as easy as it seems. And with it being the post-COVID season, it was even questionable whether new club creations would be authorized at all.

“It seems we need to do a good job picking teachers, kind of like the custom of choosing the right baby-grabbing hand.”

“Yes, what I mean is that most teachers might just redirect us to regular clubs since forming a new one won’t be approved.”

“Still, let’s try. Since we’re making games, shouldn’t we start by approaching teachers from the Computer Science Department?”

“Our department?”

“Yes, that would probably be the most suitable option.”

“Alright, understood. Let’s go.”

The chances were slim, but what choice did they have? If they ended up in a regular club and were unlucky to get something like ‘mountaineering’ or ‘exploring Seoul libraries,’ they’d lose a few hours each month, essentially throwing their time away. These three had decided to start moving in order to preserve those precious hours.

#

It was great that they started moving with good momentum, but naturally, immediate results didn’t come.

They had visited all the teachers from the Computer Science Department, but…

“Oi, brat. You’re graduating in just a few months. What the heck are you trying to do by roping in first and second-years? What happens to those students when you graduate next year?”

They were refused for a surprisingly legitimate reason. Clearly, it would be awkward for the remaining students if a third-year student graduating in February joined a club started in mid-May.

“So we have another condition to meet…?”

“Ah, crap… sorry. I messed this up with my inflexibility…”

Do Jin-ho felt bad, believing he had caused the situation to fall apart, and Hayoon closed her eyes in frustration, feeling her plans unravel.

“First, the minimum number of members for a free club is three, right?”

“Yeah, you mentioned that.”

“Recruiting more members would likely make the club creation possible, even with Do-senpai. But the problem is…”

“The problem is?”

“That I don’t have that intention.”

Even if they recruited more members, it would likely be possible to establish the club.

However, Hayoon opposed this. Aside from Choi Arin and Do Jin-ho, who had already been proven reliable, she didn’t want to bring in additional members.

“Honestly, there aren’t many people our age who can genuinely carry out a project like this, right? We’ve already started something, so at the very least, we’ll see this one through to the end…”

Hayoon was suggesting that someone who joined midway might have difficulty adapting to their existing dynamic and contributing meaningfully to the project that was already halfway done.

Moreover, bringing in additional members could potentially disrupt the group’s established atmosphere. Therefore, it was better to continue searching for a teacher who would approve a three-person club setup.

Even if additional recruitment became necessary as a last resort, that person would need something exceptional beyond Hayoon’s illustrations, Choi Arin’s animations, and Do Jin-ho’s programming skills.

“Let’s say we set aside the thought of additional recruitment for now, but where are we going to find a teacher who will approve a three-person system?”

“Let’s try the Design Department this time. Don’t you know some of the teachers there, Arin?”

“I’ve taken pretty much all the classes, so I know them fairly well. Let me lead the way. Let’s go.”

Both Hayoon and Choi Arin agreed on this approach, so under Choi Arin’s guidance, they began seeking out teachers from the Design Department.

However…

-Ding, Dingding, Dingdididingding, Ding, Dingding, Dingdididingding.

Not long after, the pre-class bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.

“Let’s stop here. We all have classes to attend, and there are still teachers we haven’t met yet.”

“Alright, focus on your classes, and if you want more snacks, come see me.”

“Surely you don’t stockpile them in your locker..?”

“It’s not the locker. I bought a whole box because they were so good, and I even have three more in my bag. Do you want more?”

“I’ll visit when I get the urge.”

Choi Arin, after teasingly leaving a message about snacks, headed back to the second-year classroom…

“I’ll check with our homeroom teacher during the next break. Sorry, it feels like I messed up the club situation because of me.”

Do Jin-ho apologized again.

Teachers likely refused gently due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and the fact that it wasn’t yet the proper season for forming clubs, and perhaps also due to concerns about including a third-year student in a club.

But Do Jin-ho’s discomfort was inevitable.

“Don’t worry. Honestly, if we had cut out the third-year students, there would’ve been people who’d argue that first-years don’t deserve their own free club yet.”

“Does it really come down to that?”

“At any rate, it’s not your fault.”

“Thanks, even if it’s just words…”

Do Jin-ho returned to the third-year classroom, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, while Hayoon returned to her first-year classroom to prepare for the lessons.

It might have been due to the lack of class days because of the pandemic or just because it was a Meister High School that pushed students hard, but class sessions began immediately after lunch.

“Ugh, Korean, English, Math…”

Suffering through subject-heavy classes of this nature, the dismissal time eventually arrived.

“Kwak Seok-min!”

“Me?”

“You, who dozes off during class? The English teacher already mentioned it. Got it?”

“Sorry!”

Poor Kwak Seok-min was once again being scolded and singled out…

Park Geon-su announced that all classes would resume normally from tomorrow, and that textbook distribution would take place during morning check-ins. He then continued giving long-winded general advice before finally concluding the dismissal.

“Everyone stand. Attention. Salute.”

Hayoon had planned to meet Choi Arin and Do Jin-ho to discuss some countermeasures. If they couldn’t find an advisor, perhaps they could just cancel the idea of forming a club altogether.

But…

“Min Hae-yun.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Why are you stirring things up in the office as soon as you’re a new student?”

It seemed rumors about Hayoon’s search for a club advisor had spread.

She followed Park Geon-su into the staff room.

“Explain.”

“What?”

“Clearly explain what you’ve been doing. I don’t intend to judge based solely on what I’ve heard.”

“We’re developing a game. I’m working with two seniors from my school on a project we started before I enrolled here, and I want to see it through…”

“You’re trying to form a club for that?”

“Yes, I’ve been looking for a teacher with some free time since an advisor is required.”

Hayoon gave a detailed briefing as Park Geon-su requested. She felt no guilt about her actions and, if necessary, was prepared to persuade Park Geon-su himself to become their advisor, so she openly explained their current situation in detail.

“Ah…”

“What..?”

For some reason, Park Geon-su’s reaction was admiration.

“Good ambition. Can you explain some more? Eh?”

This tight-lipped man seemed interested.

“Interesting… Tell me more.”

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