“…up, Soyoon, Pornthip, we are almost there.”
I opened my eyes and let out a big yawn when I saw Seunghoon – who was already wearing his uniform – shaking my body. I apparently leaned against Pornthip during sleep. We both squirmed awake and saw Jiwoo straightening her uniform in front of a large mirror near which our trolley was attached. I also needed to tidy up my uniform so I lined up behind Youngmin. Someone knocked on our door and Seunghoon slid the door open.
“Please get ready and change into uniforms… oh, you are all wearing uniforms. That's good. I never saw you guys. First grade?"
A beautiful eonni poked her head through our door – I could see a shield-shaped badge containing a green-furred dog and on it a silvery P which stood for Prefect, and specifically, this eonni was the prefect of Chaeksong.. Prefects usually take the role in their fifth year so this eonni must be Daejung oppa's classmate. Her eyes suddenly widened and pointed at me.
"You're Daejung's sister? I heard him talking about you earlier," she said cheerfully, "by the way, just leave all your trolleys here later because the train staff will take all our things including pets to Yoora. See you later!"
I wasn't ready to greet her back when she went to knock on the door of the room opposite ours.
"You really look a lot like Daejung oppa," said Jiwoo, laughing.
We were expected to sit until the ship actually docked and by then Youngjae had also rejoined us in his uniform. We could feel a gentle jolt when the Yoora Cruise finally docked.
"Come on, let's go down," said Youngmin, who slid the door open.
The hallway felt a bit narrow when all the students were getting off the Yoora Cruise but there were several students shouting "slow down, be careful" above our heads. I set foot on the wide pier and it looked wet with snow. The sky was already dark orange when I breathed in the very fresh air. I smile. Yoora School... what will the days at my school be like?
"Everyone move forward slowly, don't block the way."
Another beautiful prefect preceded us. Jiwoo and Pornthip were already flanking my arms and we walked forward following the prefect. It also seemed like everyone was moving forward at once and it felt like there was an earthquake on the dock.
"First grade go forward, other classes please wait in the back row, group according to your class, okay?" I heard a soft voice speak in front of us, "let the first grade go forward."
It was a little difficult to squeeze forward between the other taller students and someone bumped into me and made me stagger and almost fall if Youngjae hadn't grabbed my arm. It seemed like two figures of boys had just bumped into me.
"Are you okay?" Youngjae asked while helping me stand up straight.
“Just almost fell down.”
“Why don't they apologize?” Jiwoo said while frowning.
“I know who they are: Park Haeseong and Bae Yongchol. Their fathers both worked at the Ministry of Magic, with Park Haeseong's father even being the head of the department. They have been known to be arrogant for a long time. Hopefully I don't share a house with them," Youngjae said at length, "imagine sleeping with super arrogant friends."
I heard a loud “ooohhh” and it seemed like there was something interesting up ahead. The three of us were able to squeeze ourselves into the gap between Pornthip and Seunghoon who immediately shifted when we tried to be at the front of the line too. It turned out that what made the students go "ooohhh"-joyed was the magical animal in front of us: the Alicorn. They are winged horses like Pegasus, but the difference is that they have horns like Unicorns, in other words, they are Unicorns who can fly, or Pegasus who have horns. All Alicorns are white with their hair, tails and horseshoes are gold. There were lots of Alicorns lined up neatly facing the students. They looked really cool when the rays of the crescent moon that were growing tonight made them look silvery, plus the white ground covered in snow was their footing, making them look even more like animals from a fantasy world. It seemed like the upper graders weren't that surprised by this Alicorn, but some of the second graders seemed excited. A beautiful woman stood in front of us: her hair was slightly brownish and long, tied slightly at the top of her head, her hair was very straight, her face was beautiful with long eyelashes, she was wearing a pink dress with open shoulders and was wrapped in a long white cloak. On the chest of the cloak there is the Yoora School symbol.
"Good night all. Oh yes, first graders definitely don't know me. I'm Yoo Suji, you can call me Professor Yoo, I'll be the house head this year. I will accompany you to ride the Alicorn safely tonight."
Someone had just raised his hand high in the air, seemingly a handsome upper class kid, whose hair was neatly arranged on the side of his face.
“An Hyunjoong?” called Professor Yoo, "Is there anything you want to ask?"
“Which house head are you this year? Have our house heads all changed?”
Professor Yoo laughed for a moment, sounding very pleasant, “you will all find out later. Come on, first graders can ride Alicorns, two can ride one Alicorn. Later, after first graders go up, second graders can also go up together, third graders can go up together, but only female students. The rest of the third year boys and all the other students got on the Alicorns one by one."
I turned to Pornthip and Jiwoo.
“Climb with Pornthip, I'll ride this with Seunghoon,” asked Jiwoo, “do you mind, Seunghoon?”
“Not at all,” grinned Seunghoon.
"Then I'll ride with Youngmin," said Youngjae.
“Just stand in front of the Alicorns in front of you, because they are Yoora's pets, they are very tame,” explained Professor Yoo, “oh, don't laugh. Even though Alicorns look fine, wild ones can gore you. If you don't believe it, please read it in a book."
Pornthip very boldly advanced towards the nearest Alicorn. As soon as we took a step, the Alicorn in front of us immediately sat down, as if inviting us to climb on its body.
"Do you mind if I sit up front?" Pornthip asked as she groped the Alicorn, trying not to pull out its hair as she climbed.
“No, please.”
“It's okay to pull their hair a little, kid. They don't get angry easily. But when you're in the air, just hug them by the neck and the child behind hug the waist of the child in front," said Professor Yoo, who had just passed us.
“Why don't we just walk… uh… Professor Yoo?” Seunghoon asked.
Seunghoon and Jiwoo got on the Alicorn with Jiwoo in front, and their Alicorn just stood next to our Alicorn. Professor Yoo laughed, she seemed very friendly.
“Can you see anything from here, kid? Yoora is still very far away. Let's assume we walk, it will probably take three hours to get there. Surely you don't want to miss dinner?”
“No, I'm hungry, Professor.”
It took about ten minutes before all the students got on their Alicorns, and as if they were very well trained, the Alicorns knew how to line up according to which level students were riding them. I caught a glimpse of Jungsook eonni riding the Alicorn with a male student. I want to look for my other oppas but even finding Jungeun oppa is already difficult (meaning he's in the fourth row) let alone looking for Daejung oppa. My attention was attracted by Professor Yoo who was riding the Alicorn at the front with her legs placed on one side of the Alicorn's body, sitting gracefully.
“Crazy, Professor Yoo is so elegant and beautiful,” whispered Pornthip, “what does she teach?”
Before I could answer 'I don't know', Professor Yoo's voice sounded loud and made the students who were still chattering, fall silent.
"And let's go, towards Yoora School!"
All at once, like another earthquake, the Alicorn hit the ground, and an instant later we were in the air. The Alicorn's wings swung gracefully carrying them safely in the air. I hugged Pornthip's waist so I wouldn't fall… but I felt that even if I fell because of its slippery body, my feet would get caught in its wings first. I looked up at the sky and saw the moon and stars seemingly within my grasp.
“Wow, this is so cool!” Pornthip exclaimed loudly.
I agree with her. The alicorn flew at a safe speed so we could enjoy the cool night breeze. I looked down and there were dim lights that seemed to be from the wizard village that Youngjae mentioned, against the surface of the snow, like in a fairy tale. Far away, Yoora Cruise was no longer visible. The alicorns flew steadily as if they were just galloping through the air. It feels absolutely amazing!
"And welcome... also welcome back to Yoora School!"
And I heard loud “waaa” and “oooh” – even from my own mouth, when I saw Yoora School for the first time far ahead. I could see several towers of varying heights, and several shorter buildings, some of which shone with the light of the lanterns. The roofs of the buildings and towers at Yoora School were covered in quite thick snow. Yoora School looks like a large palace complex. But I still couldn't see clearly because the Alicorn turned quite sharply to the right before diving down – a bit unpleasant. Finally the Alicorn landed gracefully and following Professor Yoo, we got off the Alicorn. For the first time I could see Yoora School from the front: there was a large gate made of black iron and at the top it was written: Yoora School of witchcraft and wizardry. It's true that Yoora looks like a very large palace complex, and surrounding it are neatly cut bushes about one and a half meters high. Why can I say that Yoora is like a palace complex? That's because the buildings I saw – although not very clear – including the towers, all had ancient architecture, like traditional palace buildings. Now I'm even more convinced because not far from the gate, there is a very large traditional building, I wonder what its function is.
“Now everyone can enter the main hall in peace. First graders can keep up with me. For the upper class, walk behind us.”
Professor Yoo raised her glowing magic wand high and led us inside. We had already walked through the gate and were now walking on a neat cobbled path, which looked like it had just been cleared of snowdrifts and was unlikely to trip us up. Finally I could see the nameplate at the top of the large building at the front: jongdang – main hall. Actually, I once asked oppa and eonni about what Yoora School was like but they always said there was a reason why any book never clearly described the physical appearance of Yoora School, namely for security reasons. So now I can experience it for myself – and will see it more clearly tomorrow when the sun comes up. As soon as Professor Yoo climbed the snowy stairs, the large wooden door immediately opened as if to welcome us. I could smell the old woody smell that I liked when I entered the main hall. On either side of us at first there were just lots of lanterns glowing with candles in them, it turned out we were walking in a kind of narrow front hall. There was something that caught my attention, namely the four large hourglasses on the left side of the front hall. The hourglass does not contain sand but contains diamond-like stones of each different color: red, green, blue and orange. All the diamonds are located at the top of the hourglass, while the bottom is still empty.
"The hourglass contains house points," said Professor Yoo briefly, as if reading the children's minds.
We turned to the right and entered a larger room whose door was already open: there were more lanterns in this large square room, with four long tables arranged vertically, and there was a long table in front that was at the top of some steps so it looked high which faces the front hall. There were several people sitting at the long table at the front and I assumed they were all teachers, because they looked mature, wore robes with the Yoora symbol on them, and some wore conical hats typical of wizards. In the right corner of the room, right next to where the teacher's long table ends, still at the top of the stairs, there is an ancient fireplace whose fire is burning. Oh, maybe that's the Eternal Hearth where we'll be selected later. I almost bumped into Professor Yoo when she stopped in front of me – Pornthip grabbed my arm. Professor Yoo turned around and faced the students.
“First graders, please turn around.”
It felt very strange to turn around and see the other students already sitting at four tables, with several of the chairs closest to the teacher's table left empty. It felt like facing a trial, even though the students there tried to smile kindly. I just realized that there were different tablecloths on each of the long tables: the red one on the far right, the one next to it was green, then blue, and the one on the far left was orange. Oh, is this the long table where we will always sit to eat with friends from the same house?
"Okay, before we start dinner, the selection event will take place," said Professor Yoo from behind me.
I turned my head and saw Professor Yoo walking towards the Eternal Hearth holding a long parchment. She stood beside the Eternal Hearth.
“When your name is called, step forward and enter the Eternal Hearth. Remember, there's nothing to be afraid of. Once your house has been determined, immediately sit in an empty chair according to your house. Red for Sinsol, green for Chaeksong, blue for Chingeng and orange for Gongjong. Everyone ready?”
No one answered, I think all the kids are feeling tense now, even the upper class students all looked calm.
“Bae Yongchol.”
I recognized him as the person who bumped into me, who Youngjae said was the son of Appa who worked at the Ministry of Magic. There was a slight murmur at Sinsol's table as Yongchol advanced calmly and unceremoniously entered the Eternal Hearth. Yongchol's figure was no longer visible from where I was standing as if he had been consumed by fire... and we all waited... one second... two seconds... but I heard a sound echoing throughout the hall and the fire changed color to bright red at the tenth second I counted.
“Sinsol.”
I heard a mysterious, deep voice belonging to a man from an unknown place. The Sinsol table looked festive when all the students clapped and from the middle of the table, I saw a very beautiful girl standing and cheering happily when Yongchol joined them. My thoughts were interrupted when Professor Yoo called the next name.
“Boo Chihun.”
The boy standing on the far right stepped forward – almost running in his excitement – and was immediately swallowed by the fire. I saw Professor Yoo smile slightly. Chihun came out faster than Yongchol when the flames turned blue and a mysterious voice shouted “Chingeng”. This time it was Chingeng's table who cheered to welcome Chihun. The next child - a girl - named Byeon Minkyung also joined Chingeng.
“Cha Youngmin.”
I held my breath while Youngmin – who looked very nervous – entered the Eternal Hearth. He was in there for almost ten seconds and finally… the fire turned orange.
“Gongjong!”
I was a little disappointed that I would most likely be parting ways with Youngmin, in contrast to the rapturous welcome from the Gongjong table who had their first first grader. I just hope Youngmin can find good friends later. The next child who was called apparently had a quite unique name, Huang Renxian - who I realized seemed to be Chinese - looked very young as if he was not quite 10 years old. The Eternal Hearth engulfed him and for the first time tonight, the flames turned green. Chaeksong also got their first student. I could see Jungeun oppa and Ilsung oppa jumping happily from Chaeksong's table. The next female student, Hwang Soyoung entered Chingeng; male students Kan Hosung and Keum Minsu became Youngmin's friends at Gongjong (they seemed quite friendly) and that meant there were only two remaining male students will join Gongjong; Kim Doja and Kim Kwangjo, both men, entered Chingeng; Kim Sarang eventually became the first female student to enter Chaeksong.
“Kim Soyoon.”
I felt all eyes looking at me and it felt very uncomfortable climbing these stone stairs, I felt like I was almost falling because of the tension. Having hesitated for a second in front of the Eternal Hearth, I dared myself to step into this fire that didn't feel hot. It turned out that the fireplace wasn't as narrow as I thought because I could turn to face outside, even though I was blinded and couldn't see anything other than the fire burning around me.
“Kim Soyoon. Of course you know where you're going, right?"
There was a voice talking to me, the same voice that shouted the names of the houses.
“Chaeksong, right?”
“Yes, you will be there. Your days at Yoora won't be what you imagined, but I'm sure you'll be fine. So you ready?”
Before I could answer, I heard “Chaeksong” echoing outside. I couldn't think what the Eternal Hearth meant and strode like a confused person to the Chaeksong table and sat down next to Huang Renxian who patted my shoulder happily.
“We're roommates!” exclaimed Kim Sarang who was sitting across from Renxian, smiling broadly.
I tried to concentrate again on the first graders because many of my friends were still there. Kim Jaeyong. a male student entered Chingeng – which meant its quota was almost full; female student Kim Kyungjin enters Gongjong; another female student Kim Miyung entered Chingeng; then female student Lee Eunju entered Chingeng; male student Lee Hyunwoo entered Gongjong – there was only one male student left to enter Gongjong; then Lee Kyubong joined our table and sat next to Kim Sarang. I only had time to smile at Kyubong because the selection event was still going on. Lee Minju, a female student, gets into Chingeng (and their female student quota means there's only one left); and finally Lee Youngjae's name was mentioned. I held my breath, hoping Youngjae would go to Chaeksong but also hoping he could go to Gongjong to accompany Youngmin.
“Chaeksong!”
Youngjae ran over to sit next to me at Chaeksong's table. He quickly became acquainted with Renxian.
“Roommate, I'm Lee Youngjae!”
Before I had time to chat with Youngjae, Lee Youngsoo, a male student, finally entered Sinsol (they've only gotten two students so far). There are still 20 other students who have not been selected. Ma Haeun indicated that the Chingeng girls' house was full, while Min Jinsang indicated that the Gongjong boys' dormitory was full, which was a sign that Youngmin would not have Seunghoon in his dorm. Park Daejung had just filled the Chingeng boys' house and a moment later Park Haeseong joined us to sit next to Kyubong. He was actually very handsome and sweet, but he seemed unfriendly. Youngjae sneered as he sat down.
“Park Jiwoo!”
Jiwoo entered the fireplace excitedly and came out almost ten seconds later to join “Chaeksong” – said the mysterious voice. Jiwoo ran over and sat next to Youngjae.
“So glad I'm here!”
The girl named Park Sarang entered Gongjong and the boy Park Yonggi entered Sinsol. Now it's Phayao Jurangkool's turn. Her name alone was enough to make everyone's eyes turn to her. There are still Gongjong, Sinsol and Chaeksong... I hope Pornthip will be in Chaeksong...
“Chaeksong!”
Pornthip shouted happily as she ran to sit next to Haeseong. Pyo Jongsu, a male student, entered Sinsol.
"We only have one guy and one girl left to join our house," Jiwoo said while looking at the two remaining chairs at our table, "hopefully one of them is Seunghoon!"
“Seo Seung Hoon!”
Seunghoon stepped firmly into the fireplace for quite a while shouting “Chaeksong” and he ran to sit next to Jiwoo. Haeseong seemed a little disturbed because we were screaming and jumping with Seunghoon. The selection is almost over as there are only nine children left: Seon Minjung enters Gongjong; Shim Jungeun enters Sinsol; Chaeksong's last seat was filled by Shin Yunsoo; So Soyun entered Gongjong and the remaining five girls Ta Hawoon, Wang Hasun, Won Heejin, Ye Yunso and Yu Taeyun all entered Sinsol. On the one hand, I feel sad about being separated from Youngmin. But nevertheless, I still hope that Youngmin can continue to enjoy his school years. The students chattered loudly for a while before a woman sitting in the middle of the long table stood up. Instantly the atmosphere was silent and I felt an aura of high respect towards her. There is indeed a very strong aura of authority emitted by her. I once heard Daejung oppa call her Song Sunja, the principal who is only in her third year in teaching but is already the youngest principal of Yoora's school, because so far all the principals are over 50 years old and only she is still 42 years old. Her hair is long and wavy and in the middle of her head her hair is slightly tied and leaves a few long bangs on the side of her face. She wears a black long-sleeved dress and is wrapped in a dark purple robe. Incredibly beautiful.
"Welcome the first grade students of Yoora School and welcome back to the upper level students."
Her voice was deep and calming, truly full of authority. All the students applauded enthusiastically and I also applauded.
"I don't want to give a long speech, just introduce your househeads. You will meet your respective teachers when you start studying on Monday. Please stand up, head of Chaeksong dormitory, Lee Seungwoo.”
I lifted my body slightly so I could see Professor Lee: he looked very young, his eyes were narrow and his nose was sharp, his eyes were sharp and his face was thin, I thought he was scary but his smile was very bright, his hair was a little wavy, he was wearing a plain white shirt and trousers. matching color, his robe is the same green as Chaeksong's green. He raised his hand and waved friendly.
“And next, the head of Chingeng house, Lee Seunghyeon. He is the deputy principal as well as teaching several other subjects.”
I was surprised because Professor Lee Seunghyeon looks quite young too, his double eyelid eyes look deep and his lips are charming, whether there is something about him that shows he is not completely Korean, his straight hair is let down a bit, he is wearing a white shirt and colored light blue jeans. His robe is the typical Chingeng blue.
“And next, the head of the Gongjong house, Seo Seohee.”
A woman sitting to the left of Professor Lee stood up. Professor Seo looked elegant with her long, straight hair left loose, she smiled faintly at everyone, wearing a white dress wrapped in Gongjong's signature orange robe. She looked like royalty.
“And… you already met her earlier. The new head of Sinsol house, Professor Yoo Suji.”
Professor Yoo waves her hands cheerfully as everyone claps and the Sinsol table claps most enthusiastically. I looked along the long table and wondered which teacher would be teaching me later.
“I also have to introduce our two Head Students who are serving this year. Please stand where you are. Head Boy, Jung Hyunjun from Chaeksong.”
My attention was drawn to the furthest end of our table where there stood a seventh grade boy whose short hair was down on his face, his smile made him look friendly and I had a feeling this oppa must be a nerd, or at least, he must be smart.
"Wow, he's really handsome," said Kim Sarang.
“And Head Girl, Park Doona from Gongjong.”
I turned quickly to Gongjong's desk where a seventh grade female student was standing, her hair was long and wavy and her body was very cute. I saw the gold HG – head girl badge on her robe, while HB – head boy on Jung Hyunjun oppa's robe. What a beautiful pair of student leaders to look at.
“There will be some messages I convey… but that can wait after our stomachs are full. Enjoy your meal!"
"Wow!" I shouted in surprise when the plates and bowls in front of me were all suddenly filled.
Our table was suddenly full of food of all kinds: there was kimchi, kimbap, japchae, burgers, lasagna, mac and cheese, beef and goat steaks, and bottles of butterbeer. I saw that the long table next to the one occupied by the upper level children also had the same menu.
"Right below our room there is a kitchen, so the food just needs to be sent upstairs," explained Sarang while taking a burger.
I've never felt this hungry, but no one can beat Lee Kyubong when it comes to eating. He seemed to have tasted all kinds of food when suddenly pie, several boxes of pepero and several packets of choco pie appeared to replace dinner.
"Luckily I had time to get the lasagna again," said Kyubong, relieved.
My attention was diverted from the chocolate-flavored pepero I had just taken when Jung Hyunjun oppa stood at the end of the table near the first grade group.
“Annyeong, I'm Jung Hyunjun. As you already know, I am a Head Student. I mainly handle the Chaeksong and Chingeng dorms," Hyunjun oppa's voice was soft and friendly, "I will introduce the Prefect of our house. Daejung, Minji, can you come here for a moment?”
I smiled broadly when Daejung oppa joined and stood by Hyunjun oppa's side. He reached out his hand to stroke the top of my head with a smile.
“Oh, right, he's your sister? I expected it! She looks so much like you!”
And apparently she was the female prefect who called us on the Yoora Cruise earlier.
“Oh, she's your sister? Annyeong," Hyunjun oppa said to me which made me feel embarrassed, "Okay. This is Kim Daejung, and this one is Jo Minji, they are both our prefects. If you have any difficulties, look for them straight away. Although finding them may be a bit difficult. Daejung likes going to the library, Minji likes…”
“To be around the Blessed Fountain,” laughed Minji.
“Yeah, or just look for me, or anyone in the upper class if you need help. Tonight, to go to our house, follow their instructions and don't scatter. Yoora is very big and we are all tired today, so don't give us extra activities, okay?”
We politely said yes to Hyunjun oppa.
“We will leave after Professor Song finishes with her short speech. Come on, finish your snacks before the snacks disappear," said Daejung oppa, reminding us.
"We will wait for you outside the Main Hall, okay? Don't walk separately," Minji Eonni also reminded us.
"After being full like this," said Youngjae, whose mouth was full of chocolate pie, when Hyunjun oppa, Daejung oppa and Minji eonni left, "I think I just want to sleep. But it also takes time to get to our house and I can't go there alone, at least, tonight.”
"Hopefully our hous is not far from the Main Hall," said Seunghoon, who yawned very widely.
"But from top secret I heard, our house is the closest to the Main Hall."
"Oh really?"
Suddenly Professor Song stood up again and there was silence again.
“I hope everyone has eaten until they are full. I just want to remind you a little. Students are not allowed to leave the school complex without permission, let alone enter the forest to the east of our school. Students in grades three and above may visit Hwatam Village to the west and Nupu Village to the south of our school on Saturday and Sunday weekends, and return home before the curfew applies. If you need reminding, please ask the Prefect and Head Boy or Head Girl,” explained Professor Song in her calming voice, “classes will start on Monday, so you have two days to relax, especially first grade students, you can get to know the school over this weekend. Tomorrow the prefects from each house will take you on a tour, please set your own tour times. The lesson schedule will be sent to you tomorrow morning at breakfast. Now, I think, we all need a rest. Everyone go back to your respective houses and have a good rest."
“Come on,” Pornthip said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
The students had started to stand up from their chairs and there were creaking sounds everywhere. I walked flanked by Pornthip and Jiwoo, following Kyubong in front of us. It felt crowded and a bit cramped when we all came out of the Main Hall together. I saw Daejung oppa and Minji eonni standing and waving not far from the front gate of the Main Hall.
“First grade Chaeksong, come here!” call Daejung oppa.
The three of us rushed to our Prefect's side. Minji eonni counted us little ones easily.
“Okay, there are ten here,” Minji eonni said, satisfied.
“Okay, tomorrow we're going on a tour around the school… I think at ten in the morning. You don't mind, Minji?"
"Of course. Let's meet here at ten tomorrow, okay? For now, we will show you the way to the Chaeksong house which is underground.”
“Our house is underground?” I asked, never hearing anyone in my family mention this.
“Of course, my little sister. Because Cerberus lives underground, right?” laughed Daejung oppa, "what you need to know, first, there are two ways to enter the Chaeksong house, namely from the surface or from underground."
“Below here,” Minji eonni explained, stamping her foot on the cobblestone path below us, “are five floors of underground space connected to several other buildings – we'll explain which buildings they are tomorrow, because we won't be able to see them clearly at nights like this."
“Minji is right. On the bottom floor of the Main Hall there is a kitchen, then the four floors below are actually not very used so you don't need to go there for recreation because the hallway is dark and there is no light at all. Well the corridor on the first floor outside the kitchen leads to the Chaeksong house if you continue east."
"I think tomorrow we'll just take them downstairs, Daejung. For tonight, we will follow this rocky path. In short, this cobblestone path leads us to the six main buildings of Yoora School.”
“Yes, those buildings are the Main Hall, the Quidditch Stadium – Sarang gasped and sounded excited – then the four houses. So the term is no matter how lost you are, follow the main road and you will come to one of these places.”
"Let's go around the Main Hall."
Following Daejung oppa and Minji eonni, we circled the Main Hall and arrived at the back of the room. In front of us, by the dim light of the lanterns hanging from the buildings, I could see a glass house across the cobbled street and next to it a three-story building.
"Just at a glance, the ones in front of us are Greenhouse 104 and Room 105. Let's go to the right, because our right is east," explained Daejung oppa.
I still feel amazed when I see the ancient architecture of Room 105 which looks in sharp contrast to the modern glass house next to it. And on the other side of Room 105, there is a building that is very similar to Room 105 but only has two floors, while Room 105 has three floors. The two-story building seemed a bit wider than the three-story one, but I wasn't quite sure either.
"This one is Room 106. This is the sign that we will follow the road to the South, because if we continue and go north, we will go to Gongjong Hall, if we continue and go South, we will go to Chingeng Tower. In short, Chingeng is our neighbor, only limited to Room 211 on the cobbled street in front. Do you see the tower?”
We all looked up and saw a tower that Minji eonni was pointing at. Indeed, earlier when I entered the Yoora gate, I saw two towers to the east, one close, the other quite far; while to the west and north I saw more towers, I think there were at least four. Apparently the closest tower to the east is Chingeng Tower which looks like a pagoda. Every floor was hung with dim lanterns and the roofs were covered with snow.
“Chingeng Tower has 8 floors. The higher the floor, the more it is for higher level students. We'll pass by there on tour tomorrow, and we'll get a glimpse of it later too. Come on," said Daejung oppa who was walking in the front.
We turned right and on our left, I could see an ancient one-story building that wasn't that big.
“This is our house,” Minji eonni said cheerfully while standing in front of the building that had the words ‘Chaeksong Dungeon’ snaking in bright green ink, “why? Looks small? Of course not, you will be satisfied seeing the vastness… down there.”
“Well, if you continue east on this rocky road, you will come to Chingeng Tower. See, right? We can see the entrance from here?”
Daejung oppa was right, maybe only about 20 meters away, we could see the entrance to Chingeng Tower. They are really Chaeksong's neighbors. The tower also looks very beautiful.
"Let's go in!"
Minji pushed open the wooden gate of Chaeksong Dungeon and we entered the building quite quietly. Sure enough, the building was not large and inside there was only one empty room. There was only something striking in this room, namely a large stone statue of Cerberus, almost as high as the ceiling of the room.
“See the three heads of Cerberus? See their feet? The way to enter our house is to tap the Cerberus leg in the middle. It doesn't matter whether his right foot or left foot, but you can only tap his front feet and don't tap his hind feet or tail if you don't want him to sulk all day," laughed Daejung oppa, "and say the keywords. The keywords usually change every day, but sometimes it can be quicker and sometimes it can happen every few days, make sure you look at the keywords on the notice board next to the exit before you go."
"Correct. For today, the keyword is: sogogi – beef. Of course,” laughed Minji eonni as she took out her wand and tapped the Middle Cerberus's right leg, and said clearly, “sogogi.”
Seunghoon moved closer to my side because it seemed like the sound of rocks was quite loud when the Cerberus' two front legs were raised, making him and several other students startled. Under both feet there was apparently a dark hole.
“Just jump in, you will enter a tunnel, only about four meters long. But give your friends some distance to get away from the bed first before you get in too. Maybe five seconds per person. Remember when you get to the bed, stand up quickly or there will be an accident," Daejung oppa reminded us, "Minji, maybe you want to go in first?"
“Oh yes, of course, Daejung. Look at me okay? This is fun."
I don't understand what Minji eonni means by fun when we have to jump into a dark hole. But Minji had already jumped and disappeared, her cheers were also muffled.
“Is it dark down there, hyung?” asked Youngjae who apparently didn't know about this either.
“No, down there is our common room. But there is a magic placed in this hole to prevent anyone from peeking down there, especially unwanted people, if they accidentally penetrate our password defense. So don't worry, no one has ever died when they entered our common room," Daejung oppa explained long and gently, "Professor Lee has also come in from here several times and he said it was always fun. Come on, who wants to come in? It's getting late now."
We looked at each other's faces before Pornthip suddenly stepped forward.
“I will, oppa,” Pornthip turned to me, “see you downstairs!”
Pornthip jumped and just disappeared. There was no sound, like being swallowed by a dark hole. Youngjae stepped forward after her.
“Okay, we should go in anyway.”
Youngjae sat on the edge of the hole before working up the courage to let go of his grip, and he too disappeared. Seunghoon stepped forward hesitantly, but because Youngjae had already gone down, he had the courage to go down, but he had to be pushed by Daejung oppa because he had been standing in front of the hole for too long. Haeseong stepped forward and jumped calmly as if he had done it many times. Renxian came down next, sitting like Youngjae. Yunsoo went back and forth several times before finally deciding to jump. There are fewer people up here now. Daejung oppa exchanged glances with me and he smiled reassuringly.
“Come on, Soyoon, you'll like it.”
I took a deep breath before walking forward slowly, my heart pounding and my adrenaline rising, then right in front of the huge black hole, I closed my eyes and jumped. And I slid down a kind of tunnel, but not as fast as an extreme muggle ride, and I think it only took a few seconds for me to land on a soft mattress, still in a sitting position.
“Wow, welcome, Soyoon!” Yunsoo exclaimed while clapping along with the others.
It turned out that there were not only first graders but there were also upper level children in this large common room. Even Jungsook eonni and Jungeun oppa welcomed me. I quickly stood up because Kyubong landed on the bed after me, luckily I got up at the right time.
“Cool huh?”
Pornthip was standing next to me, and we were both admiring our house common room: this large room has three levels, the levels of which can be seen from the ground floor, indeed the top level is not as wide as the ground level because we can see the walls are filled with books, soft sofas and small tables (it seems like Level three is the same as Level two, judging from its shape); while on the ground level where we landed there was a large green mattress. It's true that there are no windows in this room, the ceiling looks like the ceiling of a church with medieval architecture, but there are so many bright torches hanging on it that it is brightly lit. Across the room there is a fireplace which makes the common room feel warm. Jiwoo and Sarang finally joined us. All the upper level children clapped to welcome us, some looked up from Level two (Jungeun oppa was already here, sitting on the edge of the floor while hugging a soft sofa cushion, his legs dangling down) and Level three (some knelt down so we could see them). It took Minji eonni and Daejung oppa's hard work, and also Hyunjun oppa who finally joined us, to calm the chaos.
"Our common room," Hyunjun oppa said loudly to stop the hustle and bustle, "can be used for various activities such as playing, reading books, doing homework, eating snacks or whatever. But please both keep it clean."
“You see the door on Level two? The one on the left? Jungeun, can you show us?” Daejung oppa asked.
We all looked up and our eyes followed Jungeun oppa who ran to the front of a simple wooden door that could fit one person and pointed at it with both palms proudly.
"That's the entrance that requires a password too if you enter from the kitchen under the Main Hall," explained Hyunjun oppa, "some of our children really like playing in the kitchen and even though I've forbidden them from playing and disturbing the house elves there, they still do it. They said they were hungry. But surprisingly they feel hungry almost every night.”
I glanced at Jungeun oppa who had walked nonchalantly to join Ilsung oppa on the sofa on the second floor. I think I know who Hyunjun oppa means.
"Here," this time all our attention was focused on Minji eonni who was already across the room, pointing at the hole in the wall that had previously escaped my attention, even though the hole was on both sides of the fireplace, "the hole on the right leads to the men's room and the hole on left leads to the women's room. Our room is also on a lower floor. The first floor is for first graders and beyond. You'll launch too if you enter the room, and there's a mattress to land on too, so you don't need to worry.”
“But you have to remember one thing. When you are about to enter the hole, tap with your stick into the hole, at the bottom of the hole, as much as your level will drop. Otherwise, you will get stuck in the hole and won't be able to slide down even if you force yourself to get down," explained Daejung oppa, "and boys are not allowed to play in the girls' room, for any reason."
"I think that's it for today, it's almost nine o'clock now, it's better for you, especially the first graders, to rest," said Hyunjun oppa, "any questions?"
Jiwoo raised her hand, “how do we go up?”
“Very good question,” Hyunjun oppa smiled broadly, “there are two ways to go up. You can go through the door on the second floor, but of course there you can appear in the Main Hall, Greenhouse 104, Room 105, Room 106 or Room 107 by walking down the hall and using the stair access; but if you want to go to the surface of our house building up here, you can use the stairs behind the other door. Jungeun, please.”
Jungeun oppa stood up again and headed for a door that was slightly larger than the door that was said to lead to the kitchen, also on the second floor. The position of the door is not far from the entrance tunnel that we climbed earlier.
"Behind it there is a winding staircase that will take you straight up, just tap the tip of your wand when you almost reach the end of the staircase to the ceiling so it opens. You will come out from under Cerberus' tail," explained Minji eonni.
"And to get up from your room, it will be quite unique, tap the top of the hole with your stick how many levels you want to go up and just sit in the hole, position your butt in the hole, that means your legs are dangling in your room, then you will be sucked in," Hyunjun oppa explained lightly, "if you want to go down to a room with a lower level, tap the bottom of the hole how many levels you want to go down, then sit with your feet in the hole, which means the opposite of your position if you want to go up, and you will slide. Try it a few times so it goes smoothly."
"Any more questions?" asked Daejung oppa, waiting a moment, before continuing, "okay, then, once again welcome, first grade. Have a great year.”
“Don't forget you can have breakfast from six o'clock and all breakfast will be gone by half past nine in the morning, so you better not be late,” Hyunjun oppa reminded, “and good night.”
"Let's go to the room," said Yunsoo, who was already yawning.
"Yes, go to sleep, Soyoon," said Jungsook eonni while rubbing my head, "if you need me, just come down to my room."
"Okay, eonni," I said with a smile.
Sarang stood hesitantly in front of the hole on the left before pulling out her wand and tapping the bottom of the hole with it once, then she climbed up the hole and disappeared as if sucked in.
“See you tomorrow morning,” Youngjae said goodbye before he slid into the hole in the boys' room.
Yunsoo was next to jump in.
"Okay, I'll go in first, okay?"
I drew my wand and tapped the bottom of the hole once before climbing into the hole with my feet in front, and once my butt was safely seated, I slid again, but quickly landed back on the soft mattress. I read the small board to the left of the hole as I stood:
First Grade Girls' Room
Kim Sarang
Kim So Yoon
Park Jiwoo
Phayao Jurangkool
Shin Yunsoo
And our room is round with five large beds with mosquito nets. I was surprised by the small windows between each bed, so I approached the windows. As if it were a normal window, I could see the night sky and the empty expanse of snowy land, as if I was on the first floor of a room. How could there be a window like this underground? Has the window been enchanted? Even moonlight filtered through the window.
"It's strange, isn't it?" said Yunsoo who was suddenly beside me, "oh by the way, Sarang, your bed is in the middle. On the left is Soyoon's bed, then on the left end is Pornthip's bed. My bed is on the far right, next to Jiwoo's bed."
"How do you know?" I asked in surprise.
“There, our suitcases are at the foot of the bed. There are five cupboards on the side near the hole too, I think we could use one each.”
I walked to my bed and sat down tiredly, but the bed was very soft. I smiled happily as Pornthip sat on her bed, we were neighbors. It's a shame that Jiwoo's bed and mine are blocked by Sarang's bed, but it's okay, we're roommates anyway.
"Ah, I'll just put these things together tomorrow," said Pornthip, who had just pulled her pajamas out of her suitcase.
We all muttered the same thing. Pornthip pointed to a small door after a row of cupboards.
“It must be the bathroom, right? I'll change clothes first."
The bathroom is quite spacious too, there is a bathtub made of marble and a shower with a snake pattern that releases water from its mouth by turning its tail, to the right for hot water and to the left for cold water, and the toilet bowl is very similar to a muggle toilet only this is rounder. and also made of marble, the sink is also made of marble with a small snake-shaped faucet too. And when I finally lay down on my warm, soft yellow-sheeted bed, I thought I couldn't wait for tomorrow, and I fell asleep before I could even pull down my mosquito net. But briefly before I fell asleep, I thought about Youngmin. Is he okay?
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