THE ZOO [FF NCT AESPA]
Part 6's

After a long meeting with the three members, the band club decided to gather in the band room after school. They're following Wendy's orders. Taeyoung locked the door of the room from the inside so that no one could enter the band club room other than the six of them. Not infrequently they hear the crowd of sounds and knocking doors, but the core team of the band club does not pay attention, they hope the visitors to the room immediately leave.

“Hhh... You are crazy Taeil ah, you are crazy.” Sehun spoke while closing his eyes. He mastered a long sofa in the room with a position lying on it.

“O,” Kai says Sehun while sitting in the seat behind the keyboard. “only Kun and you can. It wasn't easy for us,”

“Hya, no other choice.” said Taeil resigned. He and Kun sat next to each other on the floor of the carpet and leaned against the wall. “if our grades continue to drop, I don't know what the teacher will do to this club,”

The atmosphere of the room is getting dreary. No one has a better idea than Taeil's idea, they have to increase their value. The entire band does not know what the school will do to the club if the band club continues to exert a bad influence on its members. The fact that the band club is not the most accomplished club in school also makes them doubt the school will defend this club.

“Hyung..” sound Hansol break silence. “what should we do to other members?”

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

Doyoung sat sweetly in the chair that was provided. He sat in the middle of the band club room, complete with a table and electricity ready to accommodate his laptop charge. Taeyoung, Kun, Hansol, Sehun, Taeil and Kai stood around Doyoung with their confused faces. That afternoon, the six of them approached Doyoung to prevent him from returning home. Sehun asked Doyoung to help him today. Doyoung who can not refuse because Sehun put on a creepy face, assented and followed him until now he arrived in the room of the band club.

Today is Thursday where the band club activities are held. According to Sehun's explanation, the band club will select the band members again to reduce the number of members that are too much.

“How?” Doyoung remembers asking Sehun.

“For a student whose rank drops by more than 5 levels, he will be ‘gugur’,” said Sehun proud of his idea. He even gave a thumbs up.

“Mwoya.. Even among its members, he himself dropped more than 5 levels.” comments Doyoung in heart.

For this reason, the band members asked Doyoung to help him to see the student ranking data that only teachers and osis have.

Taeyoung stood in front of the room, asking the entire band members for rows one by one. The first student came. The student looked confused by something unusual happening.

“Jungwoo,” Taeil told Doyoung after Hansol asked a student named Jungwoo to sit in front of Doyoung. "what department are you in? I forgot,” Taeil asked Jungwoo.

“I'm Jungwoo from Mechanical Engineering department, grades 1-4,” replied Jungwoo looked up at Taeil who was standing next to him. “sunbaenim, this is ap.”

“Sssstt...” Kai attaches his index finger to the lips. “hush...”.

Jungwoo immediately looked tensely at one of the sunbae in the creepy band club other than Sehun.

Doyoung immediately typed information about Jungwoo on the laptop osis in front of him. After pressing the enter button hard. Doyoung looks for the information he needs.

“Down 2,” replied Doyoung. “from 10th rank to 12,”

“Wooo.”

“Woo... Smart also you,” seduce Sehun and Kai alternately.

“OK, you pass,” Taeil patted Jungwoo on the back.

Jungwoo looked at all the members of the band who were standing it. “tu..wait, what is this really?”

“Ey, just relax, we are selecting members,” Sehun replied while crossing hands. “we do not like to have members with dropped values, <TAG1>, so for members whose grades last semester fell 5 ranks from the initial semester, we will expel. Haha,” jokes Sehun with words that are not entirely true.

“But..” Doyoung keeps staring at his screen. “Jungwoo hya, didn't you join the broadcasting club too?” said Doyoung who is the chairman of the broadcasting club.

“Ne,” nod Jungwoo. “isn't it okay to choose 2 clubs, sunbae?”

Doyoung pulled back his body. “Ya... it's okay, anyway.” muttered Doyoung slowly. He then looked at Taeil who was standing next to him. “how?”

“Mmm... You have two clubs yes.” Taeil stroked his chin. “now, the terms of following this club will be tightened. Listen yes, one, the members should not be down the ranks of more than 5 levels. Two, band practice is only on Thursdays, so you can't enter the room on any other day. And three, band club members should not have any offense points more than 30,”

“Hhhhh?!” Jungwoo was surprised to take a deep breath when he heard the terms of being a member of the band. “Waeyo?!”

“Have not asked much,” said Sehun spicy, refused to answer Jungwoo's question. “you can not? You ‘kan join two clubs,”

“N...ne, s.couples, sunbae,” Jungwoo replied stammeringly.

“Ya already,” Taeil small smile staring at Jungwoo panic. “call next turn. Today no training just yet huh,”

Such is ‘audisi’ done band club. They call one by one members to then Doyoung make sure that the members do not experience a drastic decline in value. Until now, the band club has released so many club members who have decreased the ranking on school grades.

“Annyeong haseyo..” 1st grade student entered the room. “sorry late, sunbaenim..” he said while looking down.

“Oh hya... What time is this?” Kai pressed his wrist that was not there with the watch.

“Jwisonghamnida,”

“Xiaojun ‘kan?” Call Kun who did not pack his things to go home. “we almost went home. You made the members of the ises wait,” Kun continued in a joking tone.

“Sorry sunbae,” said Xiaojun again while looking down one by one on the whole sunbae. “tadi we have to mop the theater hall, so..”.

“Oh, punished yes?” Temptation Kai laughed.

“N..ne..” Xiaojun replied slowly.

“Did you come with Mark and Hendery?” Taeil asked, staring at the open door of the room. Taeil can't see anyone there because Taeyoung is standing on the doorstep.

“Ne, I am with them both,” replied Xiaojun mentioning both of his classmates who are also members of the band club.

“Mwoya, the three of you punished together yes,” Kai still teases Xiaojun. Followed by Laughter Sehun.

“Already, you guys just go in three,” pinta Taeil.

Xiaojun immediately rushed a small run towards the door of the room. He called his two friends to enter the room. Taeyoung also entered and approached Doyoung with his laptop ready to see the value data of the last three first-graders who came today.

Taeil briefly explains what they will do to Xiaojun, Mark and Hendery. He also explained about the new rules of the band club if they ‘lolos’ audition to be a member of the club.

“Xiaojun, Mark, and Hendery of Music department, grades 1-1,” replied Mark. The three of them were not sitting in front of Doyoung. Funnily enough the three of them stood hand in hand, hoping that the three of them would pass in the band's club auditions.

Quickly, Doyoung typed his fingers on the keyboard. “OK. Xiaojun first yes.” Doyoung stared at the screen. “Hmm…. Join the football club also yes,” muttered Doyoung replied to his membership history. “Oke, it's time you focus on your football club,” he said as he looked up at Xiaojun standing before him.

“Ne?!”

“You dropped 9 ratings. With the lowest score, Korean literature,” continued Doyoung somehow with a smile.

“Andwae!!” Xiaojun acted dramatically while gripping his hair.

“From rank 20 to rank 29,” continued Doyoung, this time Doyoung spoke to Taeyoung, because Xiaojun was already excited himself and did not listen to his words.

“Xiaojun ah!” Mark who was standing in the middle turned his head to his right looking at Xiaojun with a look of pity.

“Hya! Chingu hya!” Hendery reacted.

“Mark hya, Hendery hya, I'm not a band member anymore!” Xiaojun made an exaggerated sad tone. The three of them made a circle position by hugging each other. “aku failed to become a baanndd vocalist.” she whispered. The reaction of the three of them made the sunbae there only laugh at Xiaojun's suffering.

“Next yes,” Doyoung typing name again on his keyboard. “next... Mark..”.

“Hya, shh,” Mark threw Xiaojun to his far right side and only clasped Hendery's hands together. “Ne, sunbae. Mark imnida,”

“Mwoya, what a pity, you dropped 7 ratings,” Doyoung brought his face closer to the laptop screen.

“Mwo?! Andwae sunbaenim!” Like Xiaojun, Mark also overreacted. “Sa..I don't have a club anymore! I just followed the band club,” the protest.

“Ey, look again,” Sehun flicked his palm in front of his face.

“Omo! Hya, you said you like basketball, ‘kan? You can get into the basketball club!” Xiaojun pointed to Mark who was sure to have a hobby of playing basketball in addition to playing the guitar.

“Can I, sunbae?” Mark stared at the member of the ises sitting in front of him. “I entered the basketball club suddenly, can I?”

Doyoung nodded in response to Mark's question. “Just meet the chairman,”

“Ah scared,” Mark stroked her nape while smiling bitterly. “head of basketball club looks creepy. Hehe. Johnny sun...”

His arm was already nudged by Hendery and he whispered to Mark, “Taeyoung sunbae is a close friend of Johnny sunbae. Shh,”

Mark immediately closed his mouth with his hand. He looked at Taeyoung and apologized.

“Haha. Relax,” Taeyoung laughs crisply at hoobae who turns out to be afraid of Taeyoung's close friend. “I'll help talk to her,”

“OK? Is it over, Mark? You enter the basketball club only,” proposed Doyoung in accordance with Mark's interest in playing basketball. “now…. Hendery,”

“Ne,” nods Hendery while holding both hands.

“Murid Taeyoung,” said Kun slowly while exchanging glances with Taeil who was smiling.

“Hmm... You are also a pity, down 6 ratings,”

“Mwo?!”

“Mwoya? None of us escaped?!” Sela Xiaojun was shocked. “Ahahaha!”

“Is it true?” Taeyoung moved to Doyoung's screen. Doyoung pointed at his screen and Taeyoung could see that Hendery dropped from 6th to 12th. Taeyoung's face was slightly disappointed.

“But he's an accomplished student, loh,” Hansol pointed to another line of information from Hendery listed on Doyoung's laptop. “Hendery entered with a high academic score during Junior High, then he got the highest score in the musical arts practice exam at the beginning of the semester, this is see,” Hansol pointed to a series of Hendery achievements. “Aa... she is good in sports field also yes, definitely her stamina is good,”

Hendery put on an awkward smile hearing the data he called. The band's club was also the only club he joined, Hendery did not know what club he would choose if he did not pass this audition.

“How many members have graduated so far?” Sehun asked Kun, the club secretary.

“6 out of 20,” said Kun read the note.

“Ha?!” The students in the room were shocked at the same time. What a big difference.

“Their values are really ugly yes,” comments Hansol realized had lost so many members.

Kun nodded in agreement.

“So, How's Hendery, sunbae?” Xiaojun reconfirmed the fate of his friend.

“She can play two musical instruments, loh,” Taeil talks about Hendery's skills to Taeyoung who certainly already knows. “he is a drummer, and is now learning to play guitar from you, ‘kan?”

“Well, I think he can improve his academic grades easily,” Doyoung commented.

Taeyoung fell silent while staring at Doyoung's laptop screen. He knew Hendery as a member of the club and as a younger brother of the class he taught to play guitar. During this time, Hendery was enthusiastic about learning the guitar because he thought that the guitar game was cool. It reminds Taeyoung of him when he asked Taeil to be his guitar mentor.

“Hyung...” Hendery issues a pity eye on Taeyoung.

“Sunbaenim.. Please accept Hendery,” Xiaojun beg the club chairman.

“..Yes?” Mark also participated, he even put together all his fingers.

Taeyoung was unable to control himself to hold back the laughter. “Ah, alright alright! Hendery, you escaped!”

“Eh?!”

“Hya!! Henderyyy!” Xiaojun and Mark. The three of them hugged again in front of the sunbae.

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

The treatment of the school in the band club is completely different, especially since the semester exam scores are announced and all club members experience a decline in grades. Kim Ssaem is no longer a frequent visitor to sometimes play guitar, his favorite musical instrument.

Today Taeyoung, Hansol and Kun chose to gather together in the band room to study together. Kun gave them math and English materials they did not master. The subjects of each major are different, but Taeyoung and Hansol are grateful because in the core subjects, namely mathematics, Korean literature, English and gegography, all majors get the same material.

Hansol was working on an English practice, which he had to master because he was a student in Mechanical Engineering. While Taeyoung was quietly listening to Kun who was explaining about solving mathematical problems.

“Oh! So it's like this huh?” Taeyoung exclaimed when he managed to solve a mathematical problem that Kun had previously described repeatedly.

“Wae wae?” The curious Hansol set his eyes on Taeyoung's book sitting next to him.

“Hya... finish this first..” Kun tries to refocus Hansol's attention by tapping quietly on Hansol's book.

Hansol smiled nosily as he looked back at the remaining 10 English questions. He still hears Taeyoung with his excitement because he can do math problems. Taeyoung sounded unceasingly amazed at him and thanked Kun.

Kun who sat opposite Taeyoung and Hansol laughed at Taeyoung's reaction. “Aigoo... is very noisy,” he said while acting to cover his ears.

“Hya, you ‘kan already used to do this. As for me, I just understood! Wuaahh, jinnnjja gomawo!” Taeyoung rounded his eyes and mouth.

“Iya.iya..” Kun smiled as he nodded his head. “continue the next matter,”

“Kun, ah,” Hansol propping up his chin. “can't you not go?” He said softly with a pensive face looking at Kun.

“Ha? Suddenly?” Kun scrunched his forehead while slightly laughing.

“A..ni...” Hansol drags his voice. “don't go back to China, what can I do without you?”

Kun's laughter broke again, “Hahaha! Mwoya is?! Stop the. You're overreacting,”

“Mmm.” Taeyoung spoke up. “Hya... I need you for this tooaa...” Taeyoung knocks his pencil over the book. “who will teach me after you leave?” lick Taeyoung.

“Learn by yourself there. Or go to Hagwon,” Kun replied casually while mentioning the usual tutoring place students visit.

“Aaaa…. Gajimaaa” Taeyoung wiggled her body right and left while still whining asking Kun not to go to China.

Kun scrunched his forehead seeing his two friends acting so cute. “Actually I don't want to go either, but well, how else, I can't stay alone here,”

Taeyoung and Hansol were still staring at him.

“I also still want to play the band..” Kun continued staring at the band instruments in the club room. “lomba in Paju later is our last race, yes?”

Taeyoung lifted his shoulders. He hopes it will not be the last race that Seo Seoul's school band will participate in. Since the school conducted close supervision of the activities of the band club, the school has not allowed the band club anymore to participate in activities at the school for a while. It had a big impact on the band club. Usually, every time there is a race or invitation from an outside party to the band club, Kim Ssaem comes to assist, such as, dropping them off with a school mini bus, or a school bus, financed the needs of the band club with school funds, and he also acted as an encouragement to his students who sometimes had stage fright before going up to the big stage where they performed.

A month ago, Kim Ssaem and the six band members came to Incheon for an inter-school band race. Incheon is a fairly remote area from their school in Seoul. As usual, the band club along with Kim Ssaem came with a school mini bus and brought their beloved guitar. At that time they waited for their turn to sing until the afternoon arrived because the participants who participated in the race were quite a lot. They did not expect that they would go into the final round and beat 20 other bands. Their victory was published in school magazines and Winwin, from the broadcasting club, invited the six of them as guests on a radio broadcast that he usually did at lunchtime.

But unfortunately, it has been a few weeks this band club like abandoned by the school. Kim Ssaem who usually visits the band club was almost never seen. Taeyoung has told Wendy that there will be a final race in Paju City to fight for the champion of the best band in the entire Gyeonggi Province. However, Wendy advises Taeyoung not to enter the race, because the school does not support the activities of the band club.

Taeyoung still remembers what Kai said back then to protest the school policy on Wendy, “Mwoya?! You said the school wouldn't disband the band club, but why would we get treated like this?! This is tantamount to disbanding the club!” kai exclaimed as the six of them and Wendy were chatting inside the sausage room. “You no longer consider us?!” Kai continued his words.

“Kai ah.” Sehun and Taeil at that time also tried to calm Kai. The two of them held onto Kai's arm and stroked his back slowly.

“Already, we can go alone,” said Sehun patting Kai on the back again.

“Hya, andwae,” ban Wendy. “The pace is far away, you need surveillance,” he said worriedly.

“That's you know!”

“Hya hya.. Kai ah...” this time Sehun raised his voice so that Kai was calmer and did not speak rudely to women. “sudahlaaah,”

“Sunbaenim,” Taeyoung opens voice.

“race in August will be a follow-up race from last June, and we have appointed it,” he explained again. “we will still follow this race,” Taeyoung as head of the band club made a decision.

“Mmm, true!” Sehun flicked his finger. “I agree, Taeyoung ah. We'll leave alone,”

“Ha?” Taeil opens his mouth twitching his forehead staring at Sehun and Taeyoung alternately. “hya, Paju is far away.” Taeil whispered a little.

“Oh come on Taeil, this is our main race before graduation!” Sehun said furious. “lomba last Kun also before he moved school!” Sehun pointed to Kun who did not forget he mentioned because this race they can not follow again in the next year.

“Ne, hyung.” Kun agreed with Sehun's statement. “I want to do it,” Kun's eyes are steady on everyone in the room. “I want to do the thing I love the most in this school before I move school, I want to do it,” continued.

“Geurae. Me too!” Sehun nudged Kun's shoulder with his arm.

“Ne, me too, hyung!” Hansol also sounded excited. “Lose win doesn't matter, let's follow this race to the end!”

Taeyoung smiled with relief to hear all the band members agree with the decision he made. He also looked at Wendy again who still had a doubtful face. “Sunbaenim, then..we will go alone, please convey this to the school, and to Kim ssaem,” pinta Taeyoung.

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