After a week of uneventful days, Seong received a message from an anonymous number. The message read, ‘This is Jin Ae. I moved in today, and my roommate gave me your number.’
Curious about her roommate, Seong wondered, ‘Is it Yun-Hee, Dae, or Ara?’ Just then, Eun-Jeoung suggested, “Let's go meet Jin Ae.”
Surprised by Eun-Jeoung's quick awareness, Seong inquired, “How did you find out so soon that she arrived?”
Eun-Jeoung replied confidently, “If someone as prominent as Jin Ae joins our group, why wouldn’t everyone know? I even know her dorm number.”
Teasingly, Seong remarked, “Now you sound like a stalker,” his eyes reflecting a hint of unease.
Eun-Jeoung defended herself, saying, “I'm not a stalker. Ara told me; she's Jin Ae's roommate.”
"Oh, okay, let's give her some time to settle in," Seong suggested.
Eun-Jeoung chimed in, "Sure, I'll cook something welcoming for them."
Seong, noting Eun-Jeoung's eagerness, teased, "Looks like you're really keen on making a good impression."
Eun-Jeoung, adopting a slightly cold tone, retorted, "Do I seem desperate to you?"
Quick to clarify, Seong responded, "No, that's not what I meant."
Eun-Jeoung warned, "You better not have."
"Yep," Seong agreed, choosing not to say anything further to avoid causing offense.
After an hour, Seong asked, "Finished?"
Eun-Jeoung nodded. "Yeah."
"Let's go then," Seong said.
"Okay," Eun-Jeoung replied, packing the food she had prepared, and they headed to Ara's dorm. Seong knocked on the door and announced, "It's Seong."
Ara opened the door and urged, “Come in quickly.”
Seong and Eun-Jeoung entered swiftly. “Why are you so tense?” Seong inquired.
Ara explained, “Since Jin Ae arrived at this dorm, people have been coming and asking about her. It's quite annoying.”
“Sorry about that,” Jin Ae apologized.
Ara reassured, “It isn't your fault. Those guys are just disturbing us.”
“So, would this be the same for me if I had joined your group?” Seong asked.
Jin Ae answered, “No, the teacher wouldn’t have told the group your grade, so you would be fine. But since people know who I am from outside the academy, they are curious why I transferred.”
“I brought some food to eat,” Eun-Jeoung said.
Ara said, “You didn’t have to.”
“It's a dorm-warming gift,” Eun-Jeoung insisted.
All of them sat down and enjoyed the tteokbokki that Eun-Jeoung had made.
“It's good,” Ara said.
Eun-Jeoung asked, “What about you two?”
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“It's nice, but I would make it spicier,” Seong commented.
Jin Ae added, “Me too, but it is good even without.”
“I'll keep that in mind if I ever cook for you again,” Eun-Jeoung said.
Seong couldn't help but think, 'Someone's got favorites. She completely ignored my opinion on the dish and only focused on hers.'
“We are get going,” Seong said.
Ara questioned, “So quickly?”
“Yeah, we just dropped by, and it seems that Jin Ae doesn't have too many things to unpack,” Seong explained.
Eun-Jeoung added, “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye,” Jin Ae responded.
Ara also bid them "bye."
They both headed back to the dorm.
Over the next two weeks, Seong continued his routine of going to the gym, tutoring Minjun, being tutored by Minjun and Alejandro, and attending his usual lectures.
"Wake up! We've got a meeting today!" Eun-Jeoung yelled.
Seong quickly got up and asked, "We have a meeting today?"
"Yeah, the assignment starts today, so quickly get ready," Eun-Jeoung replied
Seong went straight into the bathroom, freshened up, and both of them headed to the lecture theatre, taking a seat.
After a brief wait, Hwa Young entered and initiated her address, "Thank you, students, for being punctual. Today, my sole agenda is the assignment. This task unfolds within a maze collaboratively crafted by the top ten academies. Details of the assignment will be revealed upon arrival, and you'll be required to stay in the maze for a two-week duration. Upon your return, be prepared for twice the number of lectures. You have two hours to pack essential clothing and personal items; any excess will be discarded. Food will be provided on-site, so there's no need to fret about that. Wishing you all the best of luck; you may now disperse."
Seong and Eun-Jeoung headed back to their dorm. "What are you going to pack?" Eun-Jeoung asked.
"Four pairs of clothes and some food," Seong replied.
"Why food? They said they would provide food," Eun-Jeoung questioned.
"Yeah, but I have a feeling it might be the bare minimum. I'd rather be safe," Seong explained.
"Okay," Eun-Jeoung said, though she couldn't help thinking, 'The academy has a reputation to uphold. Providing insufficient food seems unlikely and could harm their name.'
After two hours, Seong and Eun-Jeoung headed to the bus stop where they met Min-Soo. "Hello Seong and Eun-Jeoung, I'll take your luggage. You can go and sit in the bus over there," he offered.
"Okay," Seong said, handing over the luggage. Both of them then boarded the bus as instructed, and once it was fully occupied, the journey to the maze began.
During the three-hour bus ride, Seong took the opportunity to get some sleep, while Eun-Jeoung enjoyed the scenery passing by.
"Wake up, we made it," Eun-Jeoung said.
"Oh, we made it," Seong replied.
Eun-Jeoung added, "That's twice today I had to wake you up. How can you sleep that much?"
"I don't know, and thank you for waking me up," Seong said.
All the students disembarked from the bus into a colossal ancient temple constructed from stone. A path with lanterns arranged on either side guided their way, and moss-covered most parts of the structure. A top a podium stood the same person who had explained the last assignment.
"Isn't that the same guy from last time?" Eun-Jeoung asked.
"Yeah, I think so too," Seong replied.
They all surrounded the podium, and after a few minutes, he started speaking, "Welcome, students, to the ancient maze. This was made with the help of the top ten academies, as you probably know. Your assignment for this month will be held here."
The man took a pause and proceeded to speak, "Your assignment is to escape the maze within two weeks. No grades will be given for this task. Points will be awarded based on how far your group progresses into the maze. Each group will consist of eight people, and all your belongings will be provided to you before entering the maze. You now have 20 minutes to form groups; failure to find a group within that time will result in an assignment to a designated one. The reward for this assignment is that the top thirty students will move into a special class."
"Who do you want in the group, Seong?" Eun-Jeoung asked.
Seong replied, "Whoever we find first will be in our group, so we don't have to pick people."
"Yeah, that's smart and won't hurt people's feelings," Eun-Jeoung said.
Seong and Eun-Jeoung started walking through the crowd when they met Ara and Jin Ae. "Want to be in our group?" Eun-Jeoung asked.
"Sure," Jin Ae said. The four of them continued to search for other people when someone came up to them and asked, "Can I join your group?"
"Sorry, but no. We already have a few people in mind," Seong said politely.
"Okay," the person left. Then they met Alejandro.
"You want to join our group?" Eun-Jeoung asked.
Alejandro replied, "Yeah."
Right then, Hwan came and asked, “Hey, can I join your group?”
“Sure,” Seong replied.
Two more places were left for the group to be filled. They kept walking through the crowd and found their last two group mates.
“Amelie and Minjun, want to be in our group?” Seong asked.
“We were looking for you to ask that,” Minjun said.
Amelie said, “No, we weren't, and sure, we joined your group.”
The group was now complete, with members Seong, Amelie, Minjun, Alejandro, Ara, Eun-Joeung, and Hwan.