NOVEL WEB Chapter 9: orientation
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Williams came up to our table, his face composed, yet his eyes alight with an unnerving mixture of mirth and menace. Min Ho's jaw was clenched as if he was about to strike back, but before he could, Williams raised a hand.
"Enough, Min Ho," Williams said, his voice silky yet cutting, weighted with the weight of an authority that even Min Ho did not seem prepared to defy.
"But—" Min Ho began, only to be silenced by Williams' glare.
"These are first-year students," Williams said, his tone deceptively light but with a clear undercurrent of warning. He turned his gaze to Frank and me, his smile laced with mockery. "The orientation has started. You'll need to learn how things work around here. Consider this. your first lesson."
Fists in, Min Ho stepped back, his frustration blazing within his eyes.
"Why are you stopping me?" Min Ho snarled at Williams as we all rose to our feet.
Sneering but keeping his voice low, Williams replied, "They're just freshmen, Min Ho. Don't waste your energy. Let them figure out themselves how this place works. You will have your moment.
As we filed out of the cafeteria, Frank leaned in close. "This is bad, Buchi. Real bad."
"What do you mean?" I whispered back, trying to mask the unease rising in my chest.
"You'll see," he muttered grimly.
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It all started in the main auditorium, where all the freshmen were present. Up front stood the student council-looking very authoritative, confident-while Williams, of course, was the center of it all, like a king reviewing his court.
A tall, forbidding-looking woman stepped forward. "Welcome, first years, to your official orientation. Over the course of the next several hours, you will learn the rules, traditions, and expectations of this institution. Pay close attention. The choices you make today will shape your journey here."
Her words hung in the air as the room fell silent.
Frank nudged me. "This is where it gets good."
I turned to him with a frown. "Why?
But before he could answer, the woman had just continued on. "We will now assign each of you a mentor. Your mentor will be your guide, your protector, and in some cases, your greatest challenge. Choose wisely - or in this case, let fate choose for you."
A box was brought forward filled with slips of paper.
"One by one, you will pick the name of a mentor from this box. Step forward when your name is called.
It was the process of each student drawing a slip of paper and announcing his mentor's name. The room was abuzz with excitement and whispers.
Frank's name was called, and he stepped up, reaching into the box. He pulled out a slip, unfolded it, and frowned. "Lee Seung," he announced hesitantly.
"Swimming team," someone whispered nearby.
Frank returned to his seat, looking a little relieved. "Could've been worse," he muttered to me.
As more and more names were called, the tension built up. Finally, my name boomed through the auditorium.
"Buchi Lyon."
I stood, my legs like lead as I approached the box. Reaching in, I grabbed a slip and unfolded it.
"WB," I read aloud, confusion evident in my voice.
The room fell silent. A few whispers broke out, growing louder as students exchanged knowing glances.
What does it mean?" I asked Frank as I sat.
His face had whitened. "It means your time in Korea may be over before it starts."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, a touch of panic creeping into my voice.
Before Frank could elaborate, Williams stepped forward; his presence seemed to silence the room. He began to walk towards me in very deliberate steps. His strides, long and purposeful, were intimidating.
"Excuse me," I started, my hand raised toward the council members, "I don't know what this means. I can't find my mentor."
But before they could say anything, Williams strode forward, slicing through the murmurs and curious stares of the other students. He came to a stop right in front of me, his presence commanding silence.
"You're looking for me," he said, his voice low and sharp.
I blinked, holding up the paper like it was evidence in a trial. "I think there's been a mistake."
"There's no mistake," he replied, smirking. "I'm your mentor."
My stomach sank. Around us, whispers erupted like wildfire.
"Poor guy…"
"First day and he's already dead meat."
"Williams never mentors anyone. Why now?"
I ignored them, focusing on Williams. "Look, I'm just here to study and keep my head down. Maybe someone else—"
Williams wouldn't let me finish as an ice-blue laugh cut through, clanging against my eardrum. "Oh no, Buchi. You're mine now."
Frank's arm circled into a discrete tug on my sleeve while whispering, "Please just don't argue with him. Just go along, mehn."
I wanted to tell him no, this was not how I started my first day with just any arrogant senior, when he whirled and belched over his shoulder, "Follow me."
Frank groaned beside me, burying his face in his hands. "You're doomed," he whispered.
I glanced at Frank, who shrugged helplessly. "Good luck," he muttered, before disappearing into the crowd.
Another student piped up, their voice tinged with curiosity. "Isn't that unfair? Why does the council president get to be someone's mentor?"
Williams shot them a look that silenced any further objections. "Any more questions?"
The auditorium fell silent once more.
I opened my mouth to protest, but the stern-looking woman from earlier stepped in. "Enough chatter. Mr. Williams is well within his rights to mentor any student. Now, let's move on."
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The rest of the orientation was a blur: campus tours, introductions to various clubs, and endless rules filled the hours. But my mind kept circling back to Williams and that unnerving smirk of his.
By the end of the day, the freshmen were taken to a smaller room for the last activity. We were to meet with our mentors individually.
Frank was whisked away by his swimming team mentor in a heartbeat, leaving me to my own devices.
I stayed back towards the rear of the classroom, trying to avoid Williams for as long as humanly possible.
"Running away already?
I turned to find him standing behind me, his arms crossed and that ever-present smirk on his face.
"I'm not running," I said, forcing confidence into my voice.
"Good," he replied. "Because you won't get far."
We stood in silence for a moment, the weight of his words hanging between us.
Finally, I broke the tension. "What do you want from me?"
The smirk was wiped off his face and replaced by a more somber one. "You will find out in due time."
But before I could push him, the stern voice called again, "That settles it with the orientation. Freshmen to your class. Tutors, your service starts henceforth."
Williams leaned closer, his voice barely audible. "Welcome to Seoul, Buchi. I hope you are ready to learn."
His words sent a chill down my spine as he turned and said to me, "Follow me.".
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We walked in silence across the sprawling campus, my footsteps trailing behind his. Williams didn't say a word, but his pace was relentless. Eventually, we stopped on the athletic field. He turned to face me.
"Pick that up," he said, nodding toward a pair of muddy boots sitting near the edge of the field.
"Excuse me?" I asked, incredulous.
"You heard me.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "I thought you were supposed to mentor me, not treat me like your personal servant."
His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he might explode. Instead, he smiled, though it didn't feel friendly.
"This is how I mentor," he said coolly. "You want to survive here? Do what I say."
I glanced at the boots, then back at him. "No.
The word hung in the air between us, heavy and defiant.
Williams moved even closer, hovering over me. "What did you just say?"
"I said no," I echoed, attempting to make my voice firm though the lump was rapidly building up my throat. "If this is some kind of hazing thing, count me out."
For a moment, I could have sworn that something flickered in his eyes-delight? Amusement? But it was gone as suddenly as it'd appeared.
Pick. Them. Up," he said, articulating each word as if I was stupid and couldn't understand.
I weighed my options, hesitating. Other students' stares burned into my back; their whispers grew louder.
Finally, I let out a resigned sigh and hunched down, picking up the boots. The mud sucked under my fingers, and I grimaced.
"Good," Williams said. "Now clean them."
I froze. "Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?
I bit back a retort, hands clenching on the boots. "Fine," I muttered, walking toward the water station nearby.
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As I scrubbed the mud off the boots, muttering under my breath, I felt Williams' gaze on me. When I finally returned, holding the now-clean boots, he looked almost impressed.
"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?
I glared at him, shoving the boots into his chest. "What now? You want me to polish your shoes too?"
Williams smirked, but before he said a word, another voice cut in.
"Williams!
We both turned to see Tae Hyun, William's caring friend, Loyal, empathetic, always supportive, mediator of the group, secretly in love with another classmate but keeps it hidden;, approached; his expression a mix of annoyance and confusion.
"What are you doing?" Tae Hyun demanded. "He's just a freshman."
Williams raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"And you're supposed to be mentoring him, not humiliating him."
I am mentoring him," Williams said, the tone of his voice so mocking. "I'm teaching him how to survive."
Tae Hyun looked at me before looking back at Williams. "This isn't survival. It's bullying."
That smirk on Williams's face disappeared, and for one second, a cold glare replaced it. "Careful, Tae Hyun. You're starting to sound soft."
It was heavy between them, and instinctively, I stepped back, not wanting to get in the crossfire.
Finally, Tae Hyun huffed and shook his head. "Do what you want. But don't come crying to me when it blows up in your face."
He walked away, leaving us to ourselves.
Williams turned back to me, his expression unreadable. "Looks like you've got a fan."
"Maybe he just doesn't like seeing people treated unfairly," I shot back.
Williams chuckled. "Fairness doesn't exist here, Buchi. You'd do well to remember that.
What seemed like an eternity later, Williams dismissed me, telling me to head on back at the gym for more "training."
I was walking on my way back toward dorms when Frank caught up, the expression of his face with concern and relief.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"What exactly would comprise of okay?" I was sputtering.
"I told you never argue with him," Frank chided. "Williams is just one of those kinds of guys you don't mess with.
"Yeah, I'm starting to figure that out," I muttered.
Frank hesitated before adding, "But… you stood up to him. Not many people would've done that."
I looked at him in surprise. "Thanks, I guess."
"Just be careful," he warned. "People like Williams don't forget."
Later that evening, as I went toward my classroom to gather all my belongings, running over and over in my mind everything that happened on this particular day, a knock at my door pulled me out of my thoughts.
The door opened, and the next thing I knew, I had turned to find Williams standing there, as cold as ever.
"We're not done," he said in a low, threatening tone.
I didn't get to say a word before he shoved a piece of paper at me.
"What's this?" I asked, unfolding it.
"Your first real assignment," he said, the slightest hint of a smile dancing on his lips. "Don't mess it up."
And with that, he vanished, leaving me staring at the paper, baffled and afraid of what might happen.
"What the hell?" "What wrong with him"
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To Be Continued