THE ZOO [FF NCT AESPA]
Part 3

Hendery walked alone across the classroom aisle that was unfamiliar to him. A few pairs of eyes seemed to look at Hendery, he did not care, he just threw a smile at everyone who looked at him.

“Aigo!”

Hendery almost collided with someone who just left the classroom. Hendery stopped his steps and apologized.

“Hendery? You haven't been here in a long time,” the student who knew Hendery was staring at him.

“Annyeong haseyo sunbaenim,” greet Hendery friendly on his sunbae named Yuta.

“O..,” Yuta patted Hendery's arm. “You okay? How's your band doing?”

Hendery let out a friendly smile. “Hehe, going well,” Hendery gave his thumbs up.

“Oh, who is this?” Johnny emerges from the classroom and approaches Yuta and Hendery. “Hendery apparently,” her greeting while swinging her tone.

“Annyeong haseyo,” Hendery lowered his head greeting Johnny. He also sees Taeyoung emerging from behind Johnny's body. “Annyeong hyungnim!”

Taeyoung did not look as friendly as the reaction of his two friends. He sighed heavily staring at Hendery. “you are the most stubborn person I have ever met,” Taeyoung comments in a limp tone. “what else?”

“Hehe,” Hendery even smiled showing off his teeth like he had heard praise. “ band club activities will start tomorrow! Finally the band room opened!” Hendery sounded carefree and impatient with the club's activities tomorrow.

Johnny and Yuta are seen smiling, sharing the same feelings as Hendery. Johnny even clapped a little.

“Why talk to me? You can ask for a room key on Doyoung, ‘kan,” Taeyoung said mentioning the name of the chairman of the isis.

“Mwoyaa... You turned off the atmosphere.” grumbled Johnny was upset at Taeyoung's cold reaction.

“Hehehe,” Hendery laughs at Johnny's reaction. “tomorrow let's go to the band room, hyung,” Hendery invites to Taeyoung.

Taeyoung fell silent and kept looking at Hendery who kept putting on his smile.

“Back to class, we want to go to the cafeteria,” he said, not answering Hendery's invitation.

Without waiting for an answer from Hendery, Taeyoung walked past the confused-looking Hendery. Johnny patted Hendery on the shoulder with a smile and ran after Taeyoung.

“Back another time,” said Yuta slowly cheering Hendery on.

“Ne, sunbaenim,”

“I heard your band members are only one person?”

“Hehe, yes,” Hendery scratched his non-itchy neck. “it looks like many new students have heard that story,”

“Ey,” Yuta fanned his palm in front of Hendery. “Then why? That ‘kan really happened. Nothing to do with band activities,” continued Yuta. “already, do not listen to them. It's good that someone is joining your club, haha,” Yuta tried to joke.

“Hehe, by sunbaenim!” Hendery was excited to hear Yuta's joke.

...****************...

Hendery's eyes and lips formed a perfect arch sign that he was smiling merrily. He rubbed his palm on the door that was tightly closed in front of him.

“Annyeong, long time ago yes,” Hendery talked to himself on that door. He now entered the key of the room he had just obtained from Doyoung who helped him take the key from the teacher's room.

GREKK…

Hendery opened the band's room slowly. Everything remains the same, but more dusty. It's been a long time since Hendery entered this room. Hendery stepped his feet to go deeper.

All the musical instruments were still standing right in place. Hendery slapped his index finger over the school's black keyboard. Dusty. He then blew the dust that stuck to his index finger.

Not feeling Yangyang was already in the doorway, he looked around the hallway in front of the club room to make sure he did not enter the room wrong.

“Sunbae,” greet Yangyang while taking a look at each corner of the club room.

“Oh,” Hendery reverse facing his underclassman.

“It turns out here yes,” Yangyang is getting into the band club room. “I'm in yes, sunbae”

“Casual only. Call ‘Hyung’,” Say Hendery who asks Yangyang to talk casually to her.

Hendery then ruffled his waist and took a heavy breath before making a decision, “it looks like we have to clean this room first,”

“Ya, here a lot of dust,” comments Yangyang while flicking his palm in front of the nose. “eh? Wait for. Both of you, hyung?”

Hendery tilted his head while shrugging his shoulders. “Yes. No one else anymore, ‘kan?”

“Tu..wait,” Yangyang brandished his palm and pointed it at Hendery. “aa.ada. I'll find help,”

“Ha?”

“Hyuuung, we can't possibly clean this room by ourselvesiii,” whine Yangyang while swinging his words.

Hendery walked closer to Yangyang who was soon busy typing the help message he spread to his friends. It was also a good idea Yangyang, Hendery thought to himself. Had both of Hendery's close friends no club activities today, Hendery would have contacted them for help.

Before long, the help that Yangyang asked came. Giselle, Karina and Jeno were silent at the end of the door. They saw a space they had never entered before. During the new student orientation, the school did not show the band room at all. At that time the members of the osis took all students around the school including seeing the room used by each school club. But for the band club room, the members of the osis ignore it until no one is aware that their school has a band club.

“Yangyang.” Hendery calls Yangyang who is deep in the room. “you friends who are ya?” Sapa Hendery was friendly to the 3 1st grade students in front of him.

“Annyeong haseyo,” The three of them say hello to Hendery.

They also entered and swept the view to the entire room. “wuah, so this, the band room..” Karina chirps amazed by the neatly arranged music cancellation and various trophies lined up in the closet.

“O. You brought a friend?” Who came to Giselle who answered her with a nod. “mwoya, do you know Jeno?” Yangyang pointed at Jeno who was talking to Karina.

“Jeno?” Giselle turned her head to the man standing in front of the mading full of photos of the band members. “oh, he's Karina's classmate. I was with Karina, and Jeno came over. All I've come here,” Giselle explained.

Yang who nodded slowly listened to Giselle's story. He remembers Giselle telling him about Karina, his new friend at the cheers club who was from the department of Computer Engineering.

Giselle also knows Jeno from Yangyang's story about the incident of Yangyang who fought basketball against Jaehyun that occurred in the sports hall yesterday.

“Hyung, this is my classmate, Giselle,” Yangyang introduced Giselle who was standing face to face with him.

“Oh hi, I'm Hendery from Music department too,” greet Hendery while walking closer.

“Ne, I'm Giselle. Then... This is my friend,” Giselle pulled Karina who was standing not far from her. He made Karina and Jeno now stand in the middle of the room facing the mic stand belonging to the band club.

“Oh, annyeong haseyo,” Karina bowed respectfully. “my Karina, from the department of Computer Engineering, this is my friend, Jeno,”

“Annyeong haseyo,” Jeno say hello again.

“Ah hello, hello,” Hendery nodded quickly after hearing a brief introduction by his underclassman.

Giselle was seen lifting her chin at the corner of the room, “this room..dirty yes,” comments that apparently from earlier saw a spider nest that swung long in the corner of the roof of the room.

“Nah...” Yangyang clapped his hands. “for that I ask you to come,” Yangyang makes innocent nosy smiles. “lucky there are you too,” he continued staring at Karina and Jeno who were confused by Yangyang's sentence.

“Wae?” Tanya Jeno flat.

“Hehe...” Yangyang rubbed his palms.. “I ask you to help us clean this room,” he continued while stretching out both hands.

“Ha?!”

“Mwoya, didn't you tell them?” Hendery chimed in the cry of Yangyang's friends.

“Hya! You said you just wanted to show the band room,” exclaimed Giselle who remembered the contents of Yangyang's message that made her come to the band club room.

“You are curious anyway,” whispered Karina nudged Giselle's arm. “try if not curious, we will not come here,”

“I go first yes,” Jeno get ready to turn around.

“Ah Jeno hyaaa..” Yangyang dragging his voice. “jebal... help us,”.

“Already...” Hendery ruffled Yangyang's hair. He was ready to clean this room with Yangyang alone.

Karina looked at the two club members with pity. “Cleaning this club room alone? Just be right!” Her thought. Karina then restrains Jeno by grasping her wrist. Jeno looked at Karina and Karina glared at her eyes asking her to stop moving and return to her original position.

Giselle glanced quickly at her clubmate. Giselle also could not resist because she wanted to act courteously to her senior. In addition, he was also a little sorry to see a club that somehow only had one member.

Same with Jeno. He had no intention of leaving again after Karina asked him to be polite and help Yangyang even though they were not familiar enough.

Clean room activities were also carried out. Hendery cleans all musical instruments and sound systems while checking if they still work properly. Yangyang and Jeno worked together up the chair while cleaning the top of the closet and sweeping the side of the roof of the room to be free from piles of dust and cobwebs. While Giselle and Karina sweep the room and clean each cup in a large cupboard beside the wall full of old photos of band club members.

“Wuah..” Karina flips the trophy in her hands. “sunbae even follows the band race all the way to Paju City,”

“Jinjja?” Giselle came to remember Karina. He read 1st Winner High School Band there.

Hendery who was stringing the guitar on him looked at his hooba who looked amazed at the big cup. “oh it?”

“Away, until the City of Paju,” comments Yangyang who apparently heard the voices of Karina and Giselle.

“That's how it was about a year ago. The sunbae participate in the race until the final round in Paju,” explained Hendery told his senior band. “ at that time I was in class 1, not yet the core team of the school band,” he continued.

“Ooo..” Karina rounded her mouth and placed the goblet carefully. Not only the cup is there, many trophies lined up neatly with various awards obtained by this club.

“Sunbaenim,” Jeno opens his voice after getting off the chair. “what's right this band club was closed?” He asked, as if he had been curious about what happened to the band club.

Hendery was a little surprised to hear Jeno's question. He then turned off the keyboard in front of him and sat staring at Jeno.

“Ya,” replied Hendery while nodding. All were silent and focused on Hendery. “did you hear anything about the band club?”

“A..aniyo,” Jeno shakes fast. “sa...I only heard that this club was closed since last summer,” Jeno replied.

“Mwoya.” Giselle whispered softly while counting the number of months that had passed since the club's closure. “ all that time?!”

“Yes, right,” Hendery who heard the sound of Giselle smilingly looked at her. “long also yes,” Hendery let out a blank look as if imagining the past. “when it happened inside the band club, the, I am still first class and just joined the band club for about 5 months,” the story tries to remember the events that have lasted long enough. “after the band club activities were stopped, I followed the broadcasting club,”

“Then...this club is opened again? Is it because it's a new school year?” Ask Yangyang.

“Ey.. Where possible,” Hendery flicked his arm in front of his face. “if I did not apply for the opening of the band club, I'm sure the school will forget this club and give all the items in this room to the studio owned by the department of Music,” he said confident.

“Oh, so sunbae himself filed for band club opening back?” Giselle asked a conclusion.

“Yes. I submitted the opening of this club,” Hendery. “a little tiring anyway, but finally the school approved,” he said while imagining the difficult times he passed.

All were amazed in their hearts to imagine the process of submitting the club opening which was passed by Hendery alone. It was only a cheerful smile that he always put on his face. The existence of a school band club this year is certainly thanks to the persistence of Hendery. What a pity, of the many new students in this school, only Yangyang was interested in entering a band club that had been abandoned and surrounded by strange rumors that had spread throughout the school.

TOK..

The sound of knocking on the door broke the atmosphere of the room.

“Annyeong,” Yuta raises his head from behind the door.

“Mwoya? I thought only one man, Hendery hya,” Johnny chimed in from behind Yuta.

The two sunbae casually entered into the band room like their own home. “Waah... long ago, yes,” comments Yuta who walked towards the photo collection on the side of the room.

“Annyeong haseyo,” Hendery stands staring at the two guests.

“Then we don't worry about you,” the tease Johnny walks closer to the middle of the room.

“Oh, they are not a member of the band, sunbae, he is my member. His name is Yangyang, from the department of Music,” Hendery introduced Yangyang and told him to bow. “they are Yangyang's friends,”

“Annyeong haseyo,”

“Oh, Jeno?!” Johnny reacts when he sees Jeno in one of Yangyang's friends who is greeting him.

“They came to help us clean up,” continued Hendery explained. “all of them, they are sunbae from class 3, this is Johnny sunbae and Yuta sunbae,” Hendery introduced the two sunbae to all first-class students in the room.

“Hai,” Yuta turned around and greeted them all. “Hendery hya, I have not seen this photo for a long time,” he said pointing to the photo on his right side.

“Ne sunbae's. It's dusty yes,” said Hendery agreed.

Yuta turned back to face his body in a collection of photos there. “Hahaha! Hye, can I take this photo? I'll give it to Taeyoung!” Yuta Pinta.

Johnny who was curious approached Yuta. “What photo?” Ask.

Yuta pointed to one of the photos where Taeyoung and his band members were gathered inside the band room. Taeyoung is seen sleeping on the couch with the rest of the band around her and poses cutely teasing Taeyoung.

“Oh? Haha! Look at him!” Johnny pointed at Taeyong's sleeping face.

Hendery began to move, he walked past his underclassman and approached the side of the room. All 1st grade students there let the sunbae speak for themselves, they continued to clean the club room.

“Hehe, Taeyoung hyung looks cute,” Hendery comes to comment.

Yuta pulled the photo from the layer of cork that was stuck on the wall. He and Johnny kept laughing at his close friend's face. “Hya, let's show him this photo,” Johnny nudged Yuta's arm.

“But sunbae...” sidelines Hendery slowly. “mianhaeyo,”

Johnny and Yuta stopped his voice. “Wae?” Tanya Yuta looked at the face of Hendery.

“Sunbae can't take the photo away,” forbid Hendery. “that keepsake photo belongs to this club, so..”.

“Ah.. yes.. true,” nod Johnny agreed. “hya, hya, give back,” Johnny nudged Yuta's arm again.

“Oh, sorry, sorry,” Yuta quickly re-attached the photo. “already,” Yuta pressed the photo to paste perfectly. “mianhae,” said Yuta with a big smile.

“Taeyoung should be here.” Johnny murmured. “it seems like all day he was thinking about you and this club, but yahh. So we came here after he came home,” Johnny obviously seemed to know what Taeyoung was thinking all day.

“Ah, haha, it's okay, sunbae, thank you for coming here,”

“Pe..excuse me..” someone else suddenly appears in the doorway. He was one of Yangyang's classmates. His round eyes became more and more rounded as he saw some people he did not know were in the club room. He was not alone, he came with his girlfriend.

“Haechan ah,” greet Yangyang. Making everyone there look at Yangyang's friend Haechan. "oh, Minjeong?” Who mentioned again the name of a classmate who came with Haechan. “hya, you said there was a choir club?”

“Yes. It's done,” replied Haechan who is a member of the choir club, as well as Minjeong.

Haechan and Minjeong lowered their heads to greet one by one their friends and sunbae. Haechan had the same reaction when she found out that Yangyang was calling her to help her clean the room.

Minjeong simply laughed awkwardly and grumbled inwardly. He regretted agreeing to Haechan's invitation to see the band room after choir club activities ended. Giselle, who is also in class with Haechan and Minjeong, laughs loudly at them as if she is happy to make a friend of suffering.

Unexpectedly, Johnny and Yuta also took the initiative of helping the band club to clean the room.There was no garbage scattered in there, only dust that was piled up and the floor dirty.

“Oh yes,” Haechan suddenly spoke after he introduced himself to his sunbae. “if that one is in front of the room, sunbae too? Class 2 or class 3?” Ask.

All were speechlessly confused by Haechan's question.

“Ha? What the hell are you talking about?” The one who scrunched his forehead was confused.

“It... before entering the room, we had a chance to meet with a sunbae too,”

Haechan pointed at the door of the room. “you also saw ‘kan?” Haechan requests Minjeong's confession.

“Yes. He was standing behind this wall, he was near the door,” Minjeong came pointing in the direction where he and Haechan had met someone there. “Seeing from his face, it feels like he's a sunbae,” guess.

Johnny and Yuta looked like they were communicating with each other in their hearts. They then smiled slightly and ran towards the door.

DRAP DRAP DRAP!

Johnny and Yuta both look at the small backs who are walking quickly away from the band's club room. The back is so fast that it turns and disappears from Johnny and Yuta's sight.

“Pfftt.” Yuta and Johnny held back his laughter. They know that back.

“Taeyoung,” says Johnny and Yuta together.

...****************...