Midterm Exams – 2

“Alright, hands off your test papers, and pass them back starting from the last row.”

The hellish midterm exams were finally over.

Some students couldn’t let go, staring intently at their test papers.

Others leaned back in their chairs with relieved expressions, as if they had given it their all.

And yet others were just waking up with disheveled faces after being slumped over, as if to say exams couldn’t possibly interrupt their sleep.

“Ah, I slept well. Exam period really is the best.”

The crazy guy approached me, spouting nonsense.

“I envy your mindset.”

“Want it?”

“Get lost, I don’t want it.”

I walked past Yoon Do-hyun who was saying scary things and approached Seo Jin-hyuk’s desk where a crowd of students had gathered.

“Jin-hyuk, what’s the answer for number 8?”

“Yes! I guessed 3 and got it right, nice!”

“Hey, quiet down! I can’t hear!”

“Oh shit, I saw three 3’s in a row and got nervous so I changed to 2, damn it! Shouldn’t they avoid putting the same answer consecutively?”

“Well, that’s just your skill level~”

From the ones jumping with joy to those causing a commotion everywhere, all sorts of students were making a ruckus around Jin-hyuk’s desk.

…Understandable.

I squeezed in among them and glanced at Jin-hyuk’s test paper to compare answers.

Oh…! Nice…!

For the last question where I wasn’t sure and had to guess, thankfully I had the same answer as Seo Jin-hyuk, so I clenched my fist in triumph.

“What, got something wrong? Going to beat up Seo Jin-hyuk?”

“…What nonsense. I’m just happy.”

“Oh, I thought… You had an evil expression while making a fist, so I thought you were going to hit someone.”

“…What do you mean ‘evil expression’?”

I wondered how Yoon Do-hyun saw me to come up with such an idea, but I decided to let it slide since I was in a good mood.

[Seo Ye-rin]

-Ye-rin, did you do well on the exam?

-Yes, I think I did well. How about you, oppa?

-Phew, I might even aim for “grade 2”!

-!! Wow, you worked hard, oppa. (Cat happy emoticon)

Hehe. Hehehehehe.

Some might say what’s so great about grade 2 when Ye-rin obviously gets grade 1, but.

It’s more impressive for me, who usually fluctuates between grades 3-5, to get grade 2 than for Ye-rin, who always gets grade 1, to get grade 1 again. It’s something that would surprise the world.

I saw it clearly with my own two eyes, even written in the Goguryeo Watermelon Way.

-You worked hard too. I’ll come to your classroom.

The exams were over and my grades would be good. Today, not even mom could stop me.

“Hey, Seo Jin-hyuk. Let’s go. Looks like Ye-rin and Han Se-ah are done too.”

“What, are we all hanging out together today?”

“…I don’t know either. Guess we’ll find out when we get there?”

I didn’t have an answer to Jin-hyuk’s surprised question.

The decision of whether we all hang out together or separately wasn’t up to us, so we really would have to see.

“You traitors. You’re abandoning me?”

“You can go hang out with your girlfriend.”

“She has exams until tomorrow.”

So that’s why. I thought it was strange that he didn’t say anything when we usually went off without him.

“Then do you want to come with us?”

“…That’s a bit…”

“Why?”

“…Seo Jin-hyuk’s sister is kind of scary.”

“Ye-rin?”

I looked at Yoon Do-hyun, thinking what nonsense is this you bastard Ye-rin is so cute and pretty that I could look at her all day and you say she’s scary when your face is hundreds of times scarier.

“Look at this guy’s murderous expression. Wipe that look off your face, like you’ve heard something you shouldn’t have. You don’t know, man.”

“You’re talking nonsense, that’s why. Haven’t you never even talked to Ye-rin?”

“I talked to her a few times when she came looking for you… well, can that even be called talking? Anyway, I’ll just go to the PC bang with the other guys.”

I wondered what conversation they had that made even this shameless guy act like that, but honestly, I felt relieved.

I had only asked because it seemed rude not to invite him, but if he had actually said yes…

I could imagine the cold stares from Ye-rin and Han Se-ah without even seeing them.

Phew. That was a close call.

So Jin-hyuk and I headed to Ye-rin’s classroom, and everyone else seemed to have left already. The two of them were chatting in the empty classroom.

…They look good together.

Seeing them chatting intimately together, I thought they looked like a picture. Of course, Ye-rin was carrying the visual appeal 9:1.

“Ah, oppa!”

“Oppa, you’re here…?”

“Yeah, did you wait? Let’s go.”

“The great oppas have arrived~”

When Ye-rin and Han Se-ah saw us, they grabbed their bags and stood up. Naturally, Han Se-ah and Seo Jin-hyuk walked in front, with Ye-rin and I following behind.

This had become familiar to us.

Those two preferred to walk ahead at a brisk pace, while we preferred to walk slowly, chatting along the way.

“Ye-rin, are the four of us hanging out today?”

“Yes, that’s what we decided. We’re going to hang out just the two of us on the weekend anyway…”

“…Have you asked the person involved about the weekend? He seems like he’s hearing this for the first time.”

“The person involved likes it too…”

“…Oh, really?”

“Yes, I heard him say so…”

I never said such a thing.

But as she looked up at me with a bright smile, as if asking if what she said was wrong,

I reconsidered and thought that maybe I had said something like that.

“The person involved heard it very clearly.”

“Hee, right…?”

“Oh, by the way, have you ever talked to Yoon Do-hyun?”

“That friend of yours…?”

“Yeah. He was saying something absurd earlier about you being scary.”

“……He said that?”

“Why is he ‘that person’ instead of ‘that oppa’…?”

“……Did that person really say that, oppa?”

I’m sorry, Do-hyun…

“…Yeah. I was wondering if something happened~”

“It’s nothing like that… Just…”

“Just…?”

“You told me before, oppa… That person dated seven girlfriends.”

“Did I…?”

“What if that person tries to… to you…”

Ye-rin stopped mid-sentence and glanced at me, as if unsure whether she should say it.

She probably felt like she was gossiping about my friend.

But I could understand what she was worried about and why she didn’t want to get close to Yoon Do-hyun.

“Are you afraid I might be influenced by him?”

“……”

When I saw Ye-rin quietly nodding, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why, why are you laughing…”

“Just because you’re worrying about something unnecessary.”

And because you’re so cute for worrying about that. And so lovable.

I couldn’t stop laughing.

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

“…Yes, I know.”

“Do-hyun just hasn’t met his destined person yet.”

Even so, seven people does seem like a lot, but well.

Even if he’s that kind of guy, he’s still my friend…!

“What about you, oppa…?”

“Hmm?”

“Have you met yours…?”

Even though she already knows.

But as if she wanted to hear it from my own mouth, she looked at me with pink eyes full of expectation.

Faced with those expectations, I had no choice but to live up to them.

“…Yes. Currently ongoing.”

“Hee, that’s enough then…”

Ye-rin smiled, satisfied with my answer.

And I smiled too, looking at her.

“By the way, wasn’t my answer just now totally grade 2 level?”

“I think you’ll soon be grade 1…”

“No, I just reached grade 2 yesterday, that’s a bit…”

Chatting like that, the four of us went around to various places.

Having missed out on fun during the exam period, we played harder and more enthusiastically than usual.

After a satisfying day, I returned home with a tired body and fell asleep as if passing out.

**

…………………….

Beep.

…….?

In the room where only a faint moonlight filtered through the curtains.

In the darkness where I couldn’t even tell what time it was, my phone lit up as if begging me to look at it.

“Ugh, I almost went blind…”

In a daze, I reached out and grabbed my phone, squinting at the bright screen.

As I barely managed to open my eyes, I saw the name [Seo Ye-rin] on the screen.

What is this…? It’s 4 AM? Is this a dream?

Wondering if something was wrong, I answered the call.

“…Hello?”

When I answered with a husky voice, instead of a reply, only small, trembling breaths could be heard from the other end.

“…Ye-rin?”

When I called out again, this time there was an answer.

“Oppa. I’m, sorry, for, the late, hour……”

My sleepiness vanished completely.

Ye-rin’s voice had always chased away my drowsiness, but this time was different.

She seemed to be trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

But the voice of Ye-rin in my ear right now was. Like a child who had fallen into water, soaking wet.

…Were you crying? Why? What happened? Who made you cry? Why? Can’t you tell me?

Questions kept popping up one after another in my confused mind, but I couldn’t ask them all because Ye-rin’s breathing on the other end of the line was trembling too much.

After taking a deep breath, I spoke slowly. So that Ye-rin could calm down a little.

“…What’s wrong?”

There was no answer, but it was enough.

The sound of muffled sobbing echoed through my quiet room.

My heart ached.

What could have possibly happened to you, who was smiling so brightly all day today?

Thinking of you, unable to sleep alone in this pitch-black darkness and calling me, my heart hurt.

“Oppa…”

“Yes.”

“Hic, oppa…”

“…Yes, Ye-rin.”

“Huu, oppa…”

Hoping that the moisture in your voice would dry up even a little.

I answered again and again to your tearful voice desperately calling my name.

“I’m sorry… I just, just… wanted to hear your voice…”

Just. The reason for you to call me was enough with just that one reason – “just.”

“That works out well. I was just wanting to hear yours too.”

“Hic, I’m sorry…”

“I don’t know what you’re sorry for, but it’s okay. Really.”

Was she sorry for waking me up with a call at this late hour, or was there another reason?

I sincerely hoped it was the former.

Silence fell after those words.

Ye-rin seemed to have calmed down a bit, as her sobbing gradually subsided.

Now only small sniffles indicated that the connection between Ye-rin and me hadn’t been cut off.

“Oppa, are you sleeping…?”

“No, not yet. I’m waiting for you to sleep so I can sleep too.”

“What if I don’t sleep…?”

“Then I won’t sleep either.”

“Tch, you fool…”

Ye-rin’s voice, speaking quietly with a light laugh, wasn’t her usual clear voice but had a faint trace of crying, making it nasal.

Even in this situation, I found myself ridiculous for thinking she was cute enough to want to hug her right away.

“Oppa, are you there…?”

“…Yes, I’m here.”

Ye-rin kept anxiously checking for my presence, as if groping in the dark.

Why was she so anxious?

“Thank you, oppa…”

After those words, only small breathing sounds reached my ear.

I waited for a while in that state, afraid to wake her up, and fortunately, her breathing became more and more relaxed, suggesting she had fallen completely asleep, so I ended the call.

Even though there was a mountain of things I wanted to ask right away.

But at this moment, I just wanted Ye-rin to sleep peacefully.

And, hoping for the day when you would tell me everything, I fell asleep.Retry