Only one student was running for the study committee member position. As expected, he secured the position without any competition, so the voting process was omitted, which was convenient for everyone. Vote counting was scheduled after all the speeches for each role had been delivered.
Next, it was time to elect the subject representatives. "Now, we will elect the subject committee members," Miss Ho announced. "If you would like to run for any of these positions, please raise your hand." She scanned the entire classroom.
They began with the core subjects: literature, mathematics, and history. Then, they moved on to other subjects, such as chemistry, physics, music, art, physical education, philosophy, social science, and political science.
The core subjects saw some competition. Mathematics had three candidates, while literature and history had two each. The other subjects were not very competitive, however, with each having only one candidate. Fortunately, every subject had at least one person willing to serve.
Miss Ho let out a long, deep breath of relief. She thought that having to appoint students herself would have been difficult.
When Miss Ho called on the chemistry representative, Addy immediately raised his hand, stood up, and walked confidently to the blackboard. His earlier nervousness had vanished. Knowing he was the only candidate, he felt relaxed and calm. His former confidence returned, and he stood up straight with self-assurance.
Ketto was thrilled. Although he had no intention of running for any position himself, he felt a surge of pride watching Addy deliver his speech with such confidence. He silently cheered his friend on.
Once all committee members had finished running for office, it was time to check the voting results. The outcome was already known for positions with only one candidate, but the students were still excited and curious about the contested roles.
Three students walked to the front. One counted the votes and wrote the tally on the blackboard with chalk, while the other two took turns reading the names written on each ballot.
Initially, the vote counts for the candidates were very close. However, once the count passed the halfway point, it became obvious who would win. The students cheered for their supported candidate in each race.
Addy was delighted; his dream of becoming the chemistry representative was now a reality. While the ballots were being counted, he turned around to talk with Ketto.
"Congratulations! You see? Just as I said, you would be the one," Ketto said, smiling confidently and proudly that his prediction had come true.
Addy laughed. "Yeah, you were right. I'm so glad now, haha."
"You should always believe in yourself," Ketto continued. "And believe that fate will always bless you." As he finished speaking, he looked up at the sky as if in gratitude.
"It was easier than I thought," Addy admitted. "To be honest, I didn't know it would be this easy. I still can't believe how smoothly it went. It was totally different from what I had imagined."
"It wasn't as hard as you thought," Ketto said. "Our class isn't that big, so you had a good chance of winning." He paused for a moment, then continued, "To tell you the truth, I wasn't completely sure either. When the election started, I was worried about what would happen if another candidate competed against you."
"But you seemed so assured and confident!" Addy replied, finding it hard to believe.
"Not at all," Ketto admitted. "To be frank, I was worried, too. But I thought that if I seemed unsure, it would affect your confidence. I didn't want to let you down."
Addy looked at Ketto and said, "Thank you for always supporting me."
Ketto smiled. "It's no big deal. That's what friends do. If you were in my position, you would have done the same."
Touched, Addy rubbed the back of his neck and smiled shyly.
Both the seated students and the newly elected officers on the platform were discussing the results loudly and enthusiastically. Each time the teacher made an announcement, the class cheered and exclaimed if their preferred candidate had won.
Addy and Ketto were caught up in the excitement too, but Hanky was fast asleep. They wondered how he could sleep so soundly at any time, in any place.
Half an hour later, all the ballots had been counted and all the committee members had been assigned. Sharon Jang was the class president, Zoe Park was the vice president, and the other roles were filled as follows: Rose Won for literature, Linda Ryu for math, Ally Mo for study skills, Bob Jang for health and life skills, Sunny for art, Lily for physics, and Addy for chemistry. Lucas was the PE representative.
With the election over, everything was settled. As Lisa had proposed earlier, she took the initiative to organize the class activity. During the ten-minute break, she gathered the group at Addy's desk.
"I've arranged the time and location for our meet-up," she announced.
"Wow, you're so fast! That's incredibly efficient," Ketto said, giving her a thumbs-up.
Lisa laughed. "I was working on it during the election speeches, so I just finished."
"So, what's the plan?" Ketto asked.
"We'll meet at Exit 3 of Hangang River Station. It's the closest exit to the park," Lisa explained. She paused before continuing, "How does 9:30 a.m. sound for the time?"
Addy thought for a moment. "That works for me. My house isn't far from the river, so I'll probably ride my bike. It only takes about ten minutes."
Lily, however, looked thoughtful. "My house is a bit far, and there's no direct train. I have to transfer three times, including a shuttle bus." She did the math in her head. "Okay, it'll take me about 50 minutes to get there."
Sunny gasped quietly. "So you'll have to get up around 8:30!"
"Actually, to be safe, I think she should get up at 8:00," Ketto interjected. I always like to leave extra time."
"I agree," Lisa said.
"Okay, then I'll set my alarm for 8:00," Lily decided. "I hope I don't keep you all waiting."
"Don't worry," Addy reassured her. "Even if you're late, we'll wait for you."
Ketto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we'll wait for you."
"I won't be late, haha! Thank you," Lily said, laughing heartily.
Sunny chimed in, "I won't be late either. My house is a medium distance from the Hangang River, and more importantly, there's a direct subway line from my neighborhood."
"Great!" Lisa clapped her hands. "How about the rest of you?" She looked at the others.
Ketto went next. "My house isn't too far from the Hangang River, but there's no direct shuttle. I have to transfer between two train lines, so it takes me about 25 minutes."
Joe thought for a moment. "I live near Hangang River Station, just like Addy. I can probably get there in about five minutes by metro."
"That's great! You live so close. I bet you two can meet up there often," Lisa said.
"Not exactly," Joe explained. "I live north of the river, but Addy lives southeast. There's a long bridge between us."
"Yes," Addy confirmed. "We're not as close as you might think."
Once everyone had confirmed the time, they returned to their seats to prepare for the next class.
The class waited for the biology teacher, but after a while, he still hadn't arrived. Some students began to chatter. "Maybe he forgot about the class," whispered one of them.
The biology representative, Cany Lim, stood up. "I'll go to the teacher's office to find him. Please be quiet while I'm gone." She left for the office but soon returned with the news that the teacher was away on business, attending a teaching competition.
Since the teacher was away, the class was changed to a self-study period. Like most high schoolers with a free class, the students were delighted. They grew so loud that their noise echoed through the hallway and prompted a complaint to their homeroom teacher, Miss Ho, from another class.
Miss Ho stormed into the classroom with a flushed face. This time, she didn't hide her emotions. "How dare you!" she scolded. "Why are you so loud? What class is this?"
"Biology," a student mumbled.
"Who is the biology representative?" Miss Ho demanded.
Cany Lim stood up. "I am."
"Did you notify the teacher?" Miss Ho asked.
"Yes, but he's away on business," Cany responded.
Miss Ho nodded curtly. "Okay, I see. Even so, you must be quiet and disciplined. A teacher's absence is not an excuse for chaos. If you feel the need to talk, you may come out and stand facing the wall. You can talk to the wall until the end of the school day!"
She took a sharp breath and continued, "I have never met a class as noisy as you. This is only the beginning of your high school career. If you continue like this, you might as well not study at all. Just put on your backpacks and go home! This is a school, not a shopping mall. If you love to talk, go to the mall. Choosing this place to chat is a terrible mistake. Do you understand me? I don't want to hear a sound. If I hear any noise, I will punish you, no matter who you are. I always keep my promises.
She was about to continue her lecture when she received a phone call. She stepped out of the classroom to answer it. She was notified that there would be a homeroom teacher meeting at 3:00 p.m. in the conference room of the Vision Tower.
After hanging up, she returned to the classroom and addressed the students. "I had planned to stay here and oversee you, but I just received a call. I need to attend a meeting and am leaving now. However, you must remain silent. Please behave and follow all class rules and regulations."
She then asked Sharon to sit at the teacher's desk and oversee the class. Normally, this would be the discipline representative's duty, but since no one had been elected for that role, the class president would fill in temporarily. Before leaving, Miss Ho scanned the room to ensure that everyone was seated and reminded them once more to be quiet.