I don't belong here

Wong Ha Jung

Wong Ha Jung smiled as Xenia smiled, somehow becoming slightly happier than he had been before. "I'm glad you think so," he said, closing his eyes briefly for a moment. "Truth be told, when I was growing up, I wasn't especially fond of it. There's kind of a stereotype about people who dye their hair, you know, and I always found myself thinking more about that than the main effect of my powers." He laughed. "I guess I was kind of shallow back then."

He hummed quietly in thought. "Running sounds like a useful power," he said cheerfully. "I can think of quite a few times in my life when I would have rather had that one instead." The years he spent in Hong Kong were littered with those sorts of memories. Not that they were bad; Wong Ha Jung simply did not have a very high opinion of his younger self. There were many things that he wasn't as good at handling back then. I was such a clueless child, he mused wonderingly, with some degree of nostalgia.

"I haven't been around long enough to become very well acquainted with any of the others on the staff, but I'm sure that the athletics teachers would love to have you. Most people around here have elemental based powers, which doesn't often translate to physical strengths. So there's quite a bit of interest in finding people with powers like yours. If you'd like I could drop some inquiries-" He stopped, realizing suddenly that he had no idea what level Xenia was in. Or maybe he just missed it earlier in the conversation? "Sorry, did you mention which grade that you're in? I think that it might have slipped my mind."

Wong Ha Jung

Xenia was a nice girl. That fact had already firmly established itself in Wong Ha Jung's mind by that point. It wasn't in the counselor's usual Oh, I don't know anything about this person but my faith in humanity and sympathetic interpretation of their actions tells me that deep down this is a good person line of reason. No, this was much more personal than what he was beginning to think of as the Leticia reasoning.

For one, he knew Xenia's name. This might not have meant a lot to others but it was important to keep in mind that Wong Ha Jung regularly interacted with lots of people whom, to his regret, he couldn't name. For another, he was having a meaningful conversation with her. See previous justification of importance. Most importantly, however, he was starting to like her. It wasn't particularly hard to accomplish this -most people got his like automatically- but that in no way diminished any of the emotional value that he invested in his personal relationships.

So because of that, Wong Ha Jung worried over Xenia's comments about what had happened after her power was discovered. To him, it seemed like her parents had too extreme of an reaction to what was admittedly not the most spectacular power out there. The isolation made no sense to him and being a person who was happiest constantly with other people, the very idea of it made him feel a little claustrophobic. Sure, some people functioned better with their powers when they were alone. But when the power in question was running?

He was suddenly even more glad that she had decided to stay at the Academy. At the very least, Xenia didn't seem too troubled about that time herself. She laughed, even. Maybe she had gotten passed that. Wong Ha Jung hoped so.

"There seems to be a stigma with visiting counselors these days," he said. "The truth is, we're not here just to help people with serious mental issues. Just because somebody has a more serious issue than another person doesn't mean that both issues aren't equally important in their own ways."

Smiling at her despite his worry, Wong Ha Jung continued, "Even if you're just feeling lonely or having a bad day, feel free to stop by. That's what I'm here for. It's not a bother at all. In fact, right there is the main reason for why I'm in this field."

He quickly glanced around for something to write on. There was a bulletin board a little off to the side with flyers tacked onto in. For queen and campus! a brightly colored sheet read. There were several others like it so he didn't feel too bad about tearing it down. Folding it over a few times, he took out a pen and wrote his number on it.

"Here!" He handed the paper over to Xenia after he had finished. "My office is around the corner from the infirmary but a lot of times, I go and walk around the school if I don't have any set appointments. So if you need anything, you can call this number instead." Which meant that he should really remember to carry his cellphone around more. Wong Ha Jung made a mental note of it.

Wong Ha Jung

Wong Ha Jung laughed a little self consciously, hand going to the side of his neck for a moment. Since it felt odd -not to mention impolite- to be sitting while Xenia stood, he got up as well. "Ah, no, actually I didn't," he admitted. "The Academy's system for detecting people with powers can be imperfect at times. Some people get found when they're young, some in high school, some in college. Others like myself don't get found until after our schooling has been completed."

He shrugged slightly. "I went to college in America. Ah, in Pennsylvania, to be precise." With a sheepish smile, Wong Ha Jung said, "It was an awkward time for me, those first four years. I had always been a rather clumsy, somewhat irresponsible child so I was busy stumbling over myself. My powers had always been present since birth but this was, uh, college came right after the incident that put my powers on record. I think that one was how the Academy managed to eventually track me down." He refrained from saying anything else on the matter because, Je Ang... That just wasn't something he spoke of to people. For one, he wasn't quite sure how to talk about it.

"You'll do better," the man told Xenia, somewhat absently but also in absolute warmth. "I have faith in that." He grinned, boyishly, as he met her eyes. "And if you don't, well, come and see me sometime, all right? The door's always open, even if I'm not there." For a moment, his mind went back to Leticia, a girl younger than Xenia, dead in the forest and faltered. There were just so many things that he hadn’t thought of or known then. And even in the present, he was still very much in the dark. Is it wrong, Wong Ha Jung wondered, that I’m trying to pile up every kind of protection on those people I meet now? He thought he had already been doing that after Je Ang but evidently, he had been wrong.

“Oh, good! You’re still here!” A harried looking man rushed into the Admissions Office then, papers in hand. Wong Ha Jung moved a few steps to the side to let the man through. “Sorry! I got a little side tracked!” the newcomer said to Xenia breathlessly, eyes wide. “There’s this new kid -a ten year-old Asian girl- who’s been bouncing rainbows all over the place! She just won’t stop! Some of the other staffers are distracting her right now.”

Now that got Wong Ha Jung’s attention. It wasn’t often that people with powers were found so early in their lives, he had heard. “Excuse me, is there anything I could do to help?” the counselor asked the other man. When he received a puzzled stare, Wong Ha Jung explained, “I’m the new counselor who was hired last month. Ah, I think things like this might be part of my job?”

Relief flooded the other man’s face. “You are?” he said anxiouslyy. “Oh, thank God! Yes, please, go over there and stop her! You’re Asian, too, so maybe you can talk to her or something. I don’t think English is her native language so that could be part of the problem.”

Ah, resorting to stereotypes, huh? the counselor mused with a soft laugh. It didn't really bother him that people did so, for issues such as this one. “I’ll try,” he promised and the admission office worker breathed out a sigh of relief. Turning back to Xenia, Wong Ha Jung said, “I suppose this is when I’ll have to leave you. I’m sorry that it’s so sudden like this but it was very nice meeting you, Xenia.” He bowed slightly to the girl and then hesitated, with worry still hovering in the back of his mind. “Please,” it took a while for him to think out his words. “Do see me sometime soon. I’d like to know how the Academy is suiting you.”

“She’s over by the ballroom side,” the staffer told him before he left. “Doesn’t seem to be doing much real harm. Just an overly excitable child, that’s all.”

Wong Ha Jung smiled his thanks and with a wave to Xenia, left the Admissions Office.