211 The Password Is 0108 1 (2/2)
At which point, Mr. Moon smiled without a care in the world and added, ”You don't think we had that concern last year, or the year before that?”
Adding that the same concern had always existed from the time he had first formed the Literature Club, he said, ”People will still join even if you guys do a c.r.a.ppy job at advertising, so stop worrying preemptively and relax.”
”That's easier said than done!” everyone grumbled, but their expressions looked much brighter.
”So, when do we start?”
”In four days.”
”Egh!?”
There wasn't a lot of time. Then, telling them to return to their respective cla.s.srooms before the end of the morning study session, Mr. Moon left the room, leaving everyone clueless.
”What do we do?”
”I don't know.”
Not a single person in the room had experience with advertising for a club, and everyone was worried,
”Should we make picket signs or something?” Juho suggested, remembering what he had done in the previous school festival. However, his idea was met with strong opposition from his clubmates.
”That's way too ordinary! Boring!”
”Aren't you the one that said, 'Ordinary is extraordinary?'” Juho murmured, but with the exception of Bo Suk, who listened to him intently, everyone else paid no attention to his suggestion.
Then, Bom said, ”Why don't we think about how we came to join the Literature Club? We might be able to think of something.”
At her suggestion, everyone thought back to what made them join the club, and everyone reached a mutual conclusion, ”Because I wanted to slack off.”
”Wouldn't that mean that it would be better not to advertise, then?” Seo Kw.a.n.g said, and the room sank into silence.
”Maybe it's best if we stick to how it's always been done, just like everyone else,” Bo Suk suggested light-heartedly, and Bom agreed.
”On top of that, we should offer to show our compilations and our stories that are exhibited in the library.”
”Tell them about Yun Woo a little bit, too.”
”What's Yun Woo have to do with this?” Juho reb.u.t.ted Seo Kw.a.n.g.
Then, raising his finger, Seo Kw.a.n.g said, ”If we don't talk about Yun Woo at this point, when would we ever talk about him, then? If we don't bring up the literary divine miracle, and focus on it while advertising for the Literary Art Club, I mean the Literature Club, when would we ever bring that name up?”
As Juho opened his mouth to answer, Seo Kw.a.n.g interjected, ”You know what kind of power the name Yun Woo has. A book that bears that name is bound to sell. Although, we're not selling a book here, so we can just use it as a bait to bring people in and approach them in a friendly manner.”
”Bait? It's not like Yun Woo's in the club or anything.”
Feeling everyone's gazes fixed on him like arrows, Juho added in a hurry, ”From the freshmen's perspective, of course.”
At that moment, the bell rang, putting an end to their first meeting. From then on, after discussing a few more times during recess, the club members were able to come up with a more definitive plan, and Juho headed to the library in order to take the compilations and the stories that were being exhibited in the library back to the club. When he arrived, there were two people reading the exhibited books, and after trying to peek at them through the cracks in the bookshelf, he turned around.
”I see that you're still in the Book Club.”
”Same to you,” the girl in the library said in a calm tone of voice, and Juho took the compilations from her hands. The club members had decided on using only the two volumes they had made themselves during their time in the club. As he checked to make sure he had everything, Juho realized that there was a book missing.
”Where's 'Grains of Sand?'”
At his question, the girl pointed somewhere, and when Juho turned toward it, he saw a pair of feet through the bookshelf. Then, he asked in a whisper, ”You mean, somebody's reading it?”
”Yeah. If you're in a hurry, I can go talk to them.”
”No, it's fine. This should be enough.”
Juho didn't want to be the author who took books away from his readers. Then, thanking the girl, he walked out of the library feeling like he had locked eyes with the person reading his short story for a split second on his way out.
---
”Man, I'm so nervous. What if I get made fun of?”
”Made fun of? You're probably no more than a junior who came to advertise for her club. The freshmen should be getting tired of all the advertis.e.m.e.nts by now.”
While Seo Kw.a.n.g made fun of Sun Hwa when she was at her most vulnerable, Juho knew how nervous his friend really was on the inside. He was merely trying to cover it up by talking more than usual. When the club members arrived at the freshmen's floor, they realized that there were a lot more people in the hallway than usual because of the uppercla.s.smen who had come to advertise for their respective clubs, much like the Literature Club. Each was carrying a picket sign or wearing a belt made for advertising purposes, and they were exactly the same as the ones the uppercla.s.smen had worn while advertising for their clubs during Juho's freshman year. There seemed to be quite a few props that were handed down from the students who had previously graduated.
”We don't have anything like that.”
”We have our compilations,” Bom said as a reminder for Sun Hwa, who was looking at the props in other people's hands with envious eyes. Just like Bom had said, the Literature Club had the compilations. Although work on the compilations had stopped midway at some point in the past, they had managed to bring them back.
”OK, those guys are from the Cultural Exploration Club. Let's go.”
Because they intended to start with Cla.s.sroom 1, the Literature Club went in after the Cultural Exploration Club, as if taking turns, and as soon as they went in, they locked eyes with the freshmen sitting in their seats. They were looking at the club members with lively, yet curious eyes, carefully considering which club to join.
”h.e.l.lo, we're from the Literature Club.”