212 The Password Is 0108 2 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
Unlike how she was up to a moment ago, trembling with insecurity, Sun Hwa spoke clearly and calmly. From mechanical pencils to notebooks, textbooks, and cardigans, the desks were less than tidy. Under the desks divided into rows, were chunks of dust that didn't quite make it into the dustpan during cleaning because of the old, worn out broomstick. Sitting in front of their messy desks, the freshmen were looking at the club members with intrigue.
”Our club activities are mostly related to literary arts. Which brings the question: What is literary art? Literary art is a term that encompa.s.ses both literature and art. In other words, the Literature Club can be identified as being a form of an art club.”
A few chuckled at the word, 'art,' while others lost interest and looked away. Then, observing the reactions of the freshmen, Sun Hwa continued, ”I'm sure some of you are intimidated by the word 'art,' and to be honest, I know I was when I first started. Art feels like some sort of esoteric activity for the chosen people. Some of the finest brains and artists of this age, like Vincent Gogh and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, would be examples of those who created time-defying pieces of art.”
Then, as a handful of freshmen responded to her, Sun Hwa took the opportunity to lock eyes with them.
”But I must tell you. That is a preconceived notion. Why? Because these five, run-of-the-mill students are in the Literature Club, making art,” she said, pointing toward the club members standing in line in front of the chalkboard and looking at them.
”Now, we will briefly introduce ourselves. n.o.body's introduced themselves yet, right?”
The freshmen nodded. All the previous clubs had been busy talking about their clubs. However, what the freshmen were really curious about was what the experience of being part of a club was like. In other words, the situations they would find themselves in. If the club members looked anything like how the freshmen wanted to look in the future, the freshmen were bound to lean toward joining that club. At Sun Hwa's signal, Bom started off.
”My grades were just above average, and I didn't have a particular hobby either, so I joined the club with my friend here when I was your guys' age. Also, I've won an award at an essay contest outside of school,” Bom said, hiding her embarra.s.sment. The mention of her award had already been agreed upon beforehand, and just as the club members had expected, the freshmen began to respond to it.
”Grades: average. Hobby: reading. I thought about joining the Book Club, but the teacher there was intimidating as heck, so I gave up and joined a similar club instead: the Literature Club. I enjoy reading to this day, and that was possible because of how flexible the club is. One of our recent graduates used to draw most of the time during club activities. Also, the members get to choose whether or not to take part in the aforementioned essay contests.”
Upon hearing Seo Kw.a.n.g's description of the club's flexibility, the freshmen responded even more.
”Grades: average. Hobby: table tennis. I applied to the club thinking that it would be a lazy club. By the way, I'd read a total of five books through my entire middle school career. Since joining the Literature Club, I've been realizing just how fun literature can be. Even if you don't know a thing about writing, don't let that stop you from considering our club. It won't be an issue at all, trust me.”
At that, Seo Kw.a.n.g let out a quiet sigh, but Bo Suk ignored it just as quickly. Lastly, the turn went to Juho.
”I'd always been writing, even prior to joining the club, but being part of the club was not something I was planning on. I picked up a pamphlet on the floor once, and I just joined without much thought, carefree. If I hadn't joined the Literature Club, I would be in the Doc.u.mentary Appreciation Club. I don't know. It just didn't sound all that bad to me when I first saw it.”
With the exception of the Literature Club members, everyone in the cla.s.s chuckled.
Then, with a fierce glare in her eyes, Sun Hwa took the turn to speak, ”Grades: top ten in the school. Hobby: reading comic books. Because the Comic Book Club was one of the lazy clubs, I decided to join the Literature Club instead. I've been maintaining my grades since the first grade, and with that said, if you're worried about your grades suffering from the club activities, the Literature Club will NOT hurt your grades.”
A quiet exclamation came from the audience.
”As you've all heard, most of our club members had little to no a.s.sociation with either literature or art. Everyone joined light-heartedly, and needless to say, with no experience in writing. But now...”
As Sun Hwa looked at Juho and Bo Suk and gave a signal, they each took the compilations and stories out. The covers designed by Baron were more than enough to captivate the curious freshmen.
”... We've all grown to the point of being able to write books. There were no strict guidelines or restrictions. Everyone, art is freedom, and there is no limit to freedom. It's for everyone, including a bookworm, a writer, a comic book buff, an athlete, and… well, somebody who didn't like anything in particular!”
It felt like a perfect presentation, and the club members looked around the audience cautiously. Then, Juho began to clapped quietly, and one or two students began to clap along. As the brief applause came to an end, Sun Hwa began to explain the club activities in more detail.
”First off, we members also write, and Mr. Moon, our homeroom teacher, teaches us how to write better. You all know him, right? I believe he teaches freshmen, as well.”
At the mention of the teacher's name, a bright expression appeared on a number of the students' faces. Mr. Moon was surprisingly popular among students.
”Our goal is to write as much as possible, and that means the process has to be fun. It can't be boring. We're always thinking of different ways to have fun while we improve our writing skills, and there have been times when we made a character out of a plaster figure or compared it to a dish, or observed pedestrians walking past the school.”
Sun Hwa was trying to bring up the positive aspects of the club as much as possible. It was the foundation of advertising, and Sun Hwa stayed true to it.
Then, Seo Kw.a.n.g stepped out and asked, ”Any book lovers here?”
There was no answer. However, Seo Kw.a.n.g didn't let up, either.
”I'm sure some of you hate writing and love reading, but you don't feel like joining either the Literature Debate Club or the Book Club. If that applies to you, listen very carefully as I explain why the Literature Club would be just the club for you.”
Then, Seo Kw.a.n.g proved his obsession with reading to the freshmen. Talking about books at great length was one of his specialties, and upon witnessing that, the freshmen were bound to realize the severity of the junior's obsession, whether they wanted to or not. Then, with appropriate timing, Bom signaled Seo Kw.a.n.g to stop.
”The desire to know more about your pa.s.sion is only natural, and it makes you want to know everything there is to know about that subject. The moment you step into the Literature Club, that yearning will be resolved. You may have been merely interacting with books from a reader's standpoint, but as soon as you create your first sentence, you get to see everything that happens in the background. The things you couldn't see, no matter how many times or for how long you read the same part of a book, unfold right before your eyes the second you finish writing your very own sentence. It's truly an incredible experience,” Seo Kw.a.n.g said, his eyes burning with pa.s.sion while expressing just how amazing the experience had been for him. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like there were any book lovers in Cla.s.sroom 1, at least no one who liked books as much as Seo Kw.a.n.g, anyway. Seeing the lack of response, Bom stepped in to deal with the situation.
”Uh, so, if we were to talk about our grades, our club has something to offer when it comes to boosting your student records: The Literary Awards. Our members take part in all kinds of essay contests on a regular basis, hosted by various organizations, and there's an array of awards out there. Some contests offer cash prizes of a whopping thousand dollars, while there are also awards that offer special recognition that would get you accepted into a university. I've won an award, which was unthinkable when I first joined the club. But, I believe the only reason I was able to win was that I joined the Literature Club.”
The freshmen fixed their eyes on Bom. At which point, she emphasized, ”So, on that note, I'd like to urge everyone here to consider joining us, even those with the most remote interest.”