50k.. thank you so much 😭✨

32 — THE SOUND OF DRUMS

could you hear?
the blood's broiling.

—

left hand,
stop twitching.
junho-yah.

"daniel-ssi, come here— ah, so you must've met some of my students before? this is quite.. interesting."

daniel approaches dongwook with hyeongjun, dongpyo, and minhee following him from behind. the tall boy grins. "ah yes, i've encountered this kid once in a seminar. kang minhee, right?"

minhee nods enthusiastically. "it's great to see you again, daniel-ssi!"

hyeongjun scrunches his forehead, staring at him quizzically. "since when do you join seminars? all you do is stay at home and sleep like a dead person."

"a few times my mom forced me to come, those sorts of 'productive life' seminars whatnot." minhee answers him shortly. "i forgot what exactly happened in most of them, except for daniel-ssi's seminar. he had those i'm like tt girls as his guest stars, it was more like a fanmeeting than a seminar about living a productive life."

"and i immediately recognized him because he gave the most absurd yet interesting question anyone has ever given me even until up to this date." daniel grins widely.

"and what was the question, if you don't mind me asking?" dongwook chimes.

"how to make money without getting away from bed," daniel rephrased minhee's question that was given to him. "i know, the question's quite wholesome without context. but for a tiny kid like him to ask something so earcatching like that, it really surprised me a big deal."

minhee shrugs. "well, that is the reason why i go to those kind of seminars.."

"that's stupid," dongpyo mutters.

minhee raises his eyebrows. "i beg your pardon?"

"you get money by working hard." dongpyo corrects him. "hardwork really does pay off. maybe you're not aware of that because you've never done so yourself."

daniel glances at him surprisingly. "yah, there's no need to give 'em a slap on the face like that."

"and just by that short conversation, you're able to see how diverse our students' personalities are." dongwook laughs. "wait, please excuse me for a moment. i need to make a call."

and so the principal leaves the conversation, leaving daniel with a bunch of eleventh graders with such curious minds. junho dismisses himself away from the narrative, as he refrains from speaking of his thoughts. he just steals a few glances at daniel as he lets his thoughts brainstorm freely, waiting to strike a move.

"dongpyo-ssi," daniel calls him.

"yes?"

"you really remind me of someone," he tells him with a brightened look. "a hardworking pal of mine, my workpartner. someone who values personal growth more than anyone i know."

"who is it?"

"his name's lee daehwi. a dongsaeng i cherish real deeply too, you got the same aura as him, the same.. center vibe."

"uh.. thank you?" dongpyo has no idea who the guy is talking about, but as long as it's meant as a compliment he nods along anyway.

the boy's large eyes flutter. "daniel-ssi, daniel-ssi!" hyeongjun jumps around excitedly. "is it true that you're the same age as seungyoun and wooseok hyung?"

"hyeongjun-ah, he doesn't even know who seungyoun and wooseok hyung are." eunsang reminds him.

daniel nods, his eyes shifting to eunsang. "how old are your hyungs, kid?"

"um.. i'm not sure what year.. but they did just graduate this year."

daniel nods. "yeah, so i must be their age, then."

"no way. you're the same age as him and you're already the leader of your own company?" dongpyo opens his mouth wide. "alongside with other branch companies? how do you even survive?!"

daniel laughs. "i received a lot of help, especially from my beloved close relatives."

"the pressure must've had stressed you out. i never knew anyone with such big responsibilities in such a young age before." eunsang manages to give him a subtle compliment.

"well, seungyoun-hyung actually has quite similar responsibilities as him but he ignores them anyway," minhee coos.

"wait, hold up. i think i know which seungyoun you're talking about here," daniel says, taking a guess. "is this the heir of the cho company, cho seungyoun? cho junseong's son?"

"yes! uri seungyoun-hyung!" hyeongjun answers with a grin. "you know him? are you guys friends?"

"well, i've seen him in a couple press conferences or two." he chimes. "he's not very active, though. i rarely see him anywhere, it's mostly his father who participates at huge events."

dongpyo scoffs. "he really is running away from his responsibilities, what kind of company heir does that?"

"truthfully speaking, i'd do the same thing if i were him." daniel points out. "he still has a father who is still sane and healthy enough to take care of a huge brand, i don't see the reason why he should take over so soon. he could just enjoy his few moments of freedom before the authority really gets lended to him."

"why can't your parents handle the company, daniel-ssi?" hyeongjun asks innocently.

eunsang immediately cuts him off. "hyeongjun, that's rude."

"i'm only curious! he's still young like seungyoun-hyung, why can't he get the chance to live freely too?"

daniel smiles softly. "don't worry, i really don't mind the question. i was given the authority very soon because, well, i lost my mother. the most important component of the company, her life's work, she passed it down to me. and as the clock continues ticking, we can't continue on managing the company without an actual ceo.. i can't continue on postponing my responsibilities as the company's only heir and as her son, so that's how i got the position really quickly."

hyeongjun nods in advance. "how about your dad—"

dongpyo hits him by the waist before he could finish his sentence. "i'm really really sorry, this kid really.. he asks questions that aren't supposed to be answered."

"i hope you forgive him, don't throw him off the cliff or anything, he really doesn't mean any damage." minhee adds as he places his hand over hyeongjun's mouth to stop him from talking.

hyeongjun takes off his grip angrily. "what's wrong with my questions? i said nothing wrong!"

"hyeongjun-ah, you should know when a person's uncomfortable of talking about a certain subject," eunsang tells him off coolly. "he usually leaves out certain vital parts, we should keep it like that."

"no, no i'm fine really." daniel says as he tries to fix the situation. "there's no need for the slander, i'm alright. sure, i'm not used to talking about my father, well.. it's because i rarely talk to him and i choose not to."

"see?" dongpyo mutters.

"so i don't really rely on him a lot, i rely more to my mother's side of the family." daniel explains shortly. "that's how aunt jia comes into the picture. she really helps me a lot during the period when my mom died.. she took over the company for a short while because i was still in highschool. if it wasn't for her, i don't think the company would still be thriving until now."

"so she's the former ceo?" eunsang asks. "dohyon and hangyul-hyung's mom?"

"well, you could say it like that." daniel bites his lips. "though she was never raised officially as the ceo, let's just say that she was one for a certain period of time."

"is that why you murdered her?"

junho who hasn't been speaking for a while has finally made an appearance, and his sentence really did left the others needing a replay. eunsang looks at him in shock. "junho-yah!"

"what did you just say?" daniel asks calmly.

"you're scared that she'll take over your company completely, is that it?"

"okay, timeout." eunsang grabs his arm and gets him up from his seat. "that's enough. you really need to go home, i'm going with you."

"eunsang, let me go."

"no, i won't. you're done. we're leaving."

dongpyo, minhee, and hyeongjun were too shocked to even give a response. daniel on the other hand tries to keep the situation conducive. "the boy has his own opinion, it's alright.."

junho tries to get away from eunsang's tight grip. he winces painfully. "left.. hand.. stop..!"

eunsang feels electricity flowing through his fingertips, but he chooses to ignore it. he pulls junho out without mercy as he searches the whole room for his mother. junho's not staying here. god knows what he's going to do when he does.

what's wrong with him?

his best friend?

is this a side he's just never seen at all?

no. eunsang shoves the thought away from his head. junho's just tired. maybe a sense of home could successfully get rid of his spurning nonsense.

—

pls don't hate my baby junho i have a soft place for him in this book although i was the one who wrote it dbhsjd

so due to popular demand, i'll be making a flashback chapter! yay! just write a ship that you want to focus on (anyone with anyone except eunsang & dohyon bc they just got to the school) (prolly dohyon and hangyul/yohan is acceptable??¿?) i don't care if it's ships that doesn't seem to have any chemistry (yet) in this book like dongpyo x wooseok idc just make sure to write it down!!

200 votes for next chap~

- yuehwa