We stepped out of the Visual Arts wing and into the bright sunlight, blinking. The contrast between the cool, quiet halls and the vibrant green of the campus was sharp.
"Okay, so that's the main building," Jun-seo said, adjusting his blazer. "Arts on the left, music on the right, administration and misery in the middle." Leo laughed, a real, unguarded sound. "Sounds about right."
"Now, for the Sports Wing," Jun-seo continued, leading us down a wide, paved pathway that curved around the back of the main building. "San, you've already had the... pleasure... of seeing the gym's interior."
"In glorious safety orange," I muttered. Jun-seo grinned, the cut on his lip pulling slightly.
"Coach Hong does have a unique sense of style for the loaners."
We approached a cluster of large, modern buildings that looked distinctly different from the main manor.
They were sleek, functional structures of glass and steel.
"This," Jun-seo said, gesturing to the largest building, "is the main Gymnasium. Basketball courts, volleyball, badminton, the works. The PE offices are in there too." He pointed to the building next to it, its walls almost entirely glass, revealing the bright blue water within. "That's the Natatorium. Olympic-sized pool. Our swim team is nationally ranked." Leo peered at it.
"You still swimming?"
"Not competitively," Jun-seo replied. "Just for exercise sometimes. The building behind the gym," he indicated a solid, windowless structure, "is the martial arts center – mostly the Taekwondo dojang – and the main weight training rooms."
"Ah, so that's where Kang-min and his crew hang out," I said. Jun-seo nodded.
"The Taekwondo team is... intense. Good guys, mostly, but they run that part of campus. Everyone is scared to come near of it, ha-ha-ha."
The path opened up, revealing the massive stadium on our right . The green field looked pristine under the morning sun.
"Impressive," San admitted. "We just had a dirt field and some bleachers."
"This is Kirin," Jun-seo said simply. "Everything is impressive."
He then led us slightly uphill, towards the structure nestled behind the main building.
"And this," he said, stopping at the top tier of the massive, stone amphitheater, "is where the real magic happens." We looked down at the empty wooden stage, the curved rows of stone seating sweeping up the hillside. It felt ancient and modern at the same time.
"Wow," I breathed again. "You guys have concerts out here?"
"The biggest ones," Jun-seo confirmed, a note of pride in his voice. "The indoor Performance Hall is for plays, musicals, classical stuff. This is for the festivals' main stage, and big concerts."
"Still doing the big spring show?" Leo asked, leaning on the stone railing. "Of course," Jun-seo said. "It's our biggest fundraiser. This spring was huge. We had PSY, Miss A, and... BTS."
PSY. I knew him. Gangnam Style.
Miss A... I vaguely remembered a song.
But the last one...
"Wait, who?" I asked. "B-T-S?"
"Yeah, dude. BTS," Jun-seo said, looking at me like I was living under a rock. "Bangtan Sonyeondan. They're rookies, kinda hip-hop." Jun-seo nodded. "They're newer, but their company pushed hard to get them on the bill. They were... energetic."
I just shrugged. BTS. Never heard of them. Must be one of those dozens of rookie groups that disappears in a year.
Jun-seo clapped his hands together, his "president" mode clicking back on.
"Okay, tour officially concluded. And we have successfully skipped the entire first period of Algebra with Mrs. Smith." He winced slightly at me. "We should probably get you to your actual class, Leo, before she sends out a search party."
"What is my first class, anyway?" Leo asked, pulling out his crumpled schedule. Jun-seo glanced at it. "Music Theory 1. Mr. Ahn. It's back in the main building, music wing, Room 1-C."
"And we have... History. With Ms. Choi. Don't worry, Mountain," Jun-seo said, already walking back toward the main building at a brisk pace. He pulled a small notepad and pen from his blazer pocket. "I'll write us both a pass. Student Council business. Official orientation duty. She'll understand."
He scribbled quickly on two slips of paper, tore them out, and handed one to me. It looked impressively official. He smiled, the perfect, in-control president once more, leaving me and Leo to jog slightly to keep up. "Let's get you two delinquents where you're supposed to be."