This is it.
The final period.
Come on, life!
GIVE ME YOUR WORST!
Round 7 had officially begun. (Round Start!)
(DING DING DING! The boxing ring bell had rung in his head.)
"Alright, class, get in your seats. We've got some important stuff to cover, so make sure you're paying attention," the teacher muttered in a lifeless tone—the kind of monotone that could put a caffeinated adult to sleep in under five minutes.
But Kyun-rin?
No.
Not today.
He could not afford to. After all, he is destined to be the #1 student, recognized by none other than the gods!
He will have a period...
...where NOTHING,
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING...
GOES WRONG!
Kyun-rin imagined himself in a heroic pose, holding a history textbook up to the stars. He then turned back to reality and was officially in action.
"Today, we'll begin by making nametags for easy identification," the teacher said in a lifeless monotone voice that brought him out of his fantasy and back into reality.
Perfect! We won't have to stand up and state our names, and also reveal any other information about ourselves in the meantime!
"Please take a blank piece of paper and fold it three times vertically to create a triangle. Then, please write your name on it, starting with your last name first. You have five minutes to complete this task. Be as creative as you like, but ensure that it is legible," the teacher instructed.
That should be easy enough; all I have to do is write my name and make sure it's legible.
Kyun-rin had already folded the paper long before the teacher finished her sentence. The moment his words faded into the air, he retrieved his calligraphy brush, ready to display the most beautiful writing anyone had ever seen in the history of South Korea.
With almost flawless strokes and with a tunnel vision focus that caused him to drown out every other noise in the room, he carefully wrote '천균린' onto the folded, white paper before him. Each stroke flowed from his brush with an elegance that made it appear as though it had been meticulously printed in a traditional font.
The teacher gave them five minutes to complete this activity. Kyun-rin was done in four.
"His handwriting is beautiful, too!" One of the girls whispered to another behind him. He heard their comment, but didn't care enough to react.
He sat there in silence for a minute, totally oblivious to the classmates in his immediate area staring at him in disbelief and jealousy.
Was that a bit... too much?
No, you can never put too much effort into something.
"Alright, you should be finished by now," the teacher stated.
A student from the back raised his hand hesitantly.
"You there. State your name and your request," the teacher said, sounding as if he were following a script.
"Kah... Kang I-ryun. May I have extra time to finish?" the student stuttered.
The teacher gave him the most threatening death stare that he has ever received.
"One minute." The teacher said, with a tone of slight annoyance in her voice, that she was obviously not trying to hide.
It's the first day of school, and one of my teachers is already tired of teaching...
The teacher never said anything about his writing.
The evening sunlight filtered through the window and onto the desks nearby. The teacher had just finished writing "Korean History" hastily on the board.
"Listen, if you have any questions, please wait until the end of class to ask. We don't have time to waste, as we have a lot to cover in this short time." The teacher's tone suddenly shifted to a more stern and authoritative voice.
The teacher went on to explain the class syllabus and rules. Kyun-rin was fighting his unstoppable urge to space out and ignore everything she was saying. It was his final year of high school; he could not afford to miss any important information.
He had always been great about monitoring and keeping up his internal grades ever since he started high school. Since he transferred from a school with a less reputable academic reputation, there's no doubt that he has to put in a lot of effort to catch up with the pace of his current school.
"I'd also like to let you know that we do have a new transfer student here, and if any one of you would like to help him get caught up, that would be of great assistance." The teacher said, her eyes scanning for the transfer student's nameplate. "His name is Cheon Kyun-rin."
Kyun-rin's heart sank as he braced for what was about to happen to him next.
"Cheon, would you please stand up and introduce yourself?" The teacher requested.
Kyun-rin entered a state of panic. He didn't know what to do or say. His mind went blank as he stood up, his chair sliding along the wooden floor with a sound that echoed throughout the silent classroom. For the hundredth time that day, everyone's eyes were on him.
In a panic, he said the only thing that went through his mind at that exact moment.
"Cheon Kyun-rin! Third-year transfer student, reporting for duties, sir!!" Kyun-rin barked, as if he had just transferred straight from boot camp.
The class went silent for about five seconds after that.
They were all staring at him, and he had no idea what they were thinking.
...
What was that?
What on earth was that!?
What even is 'reporting for duties!?'
WHAT DUTIES AM I EVEN REPORTING FOR?
They probably all think that I'm some sort of weird kid now.
In a way, being avoided by everyone is a worse situation than trying to avoid everyone.
Kyun-rin's face turned red in embarrassment as he slowly sat back down in his chair.
"Thank you, Cheon. I see you're excited to get to know new people." The teacher said hesitantly.
No, I am absolutely NOT excited to get to know people.
"If anyone wants to volunteer to help your classmate get caught up, please raise your hand. If nobody volunteers, then I—" The teacher stopped mid-sentence.
Every single student raised their hand and shouted "Me!!"
In that moment, arguments began to flare up about who would get to be with him.
"I've helped countless students study, all passed with PERFECT SCORES!"
"'Perfect scores, ' yeah, like I'd EVER BELIEVE THAT!"
"No, I'M OBVIOUSLY THE MOST CAPABLE STUDENT HERE TO TUTOR HIM!!"
"CLASS! CONTROL YOURSELVES!!" The teacher yelled. Everyone immediately settled down, but the arguing never stopped.
"However..." The teacher raised her voice to compete with the ongoing commotion, "You will have to sacrifice some of your studying time to help him. After all, you're only reviewing course material that you should know by now."
Everyone's hand went down as quickly as they shot it up, and the commotion faded into silence yet again.
"Nobody?" the teacher asked, "Alright then, I guess I will be staying extra to tutor him. Cheon, if you don't have any other plans after school, would you mind staying a bit?"
For the next twenty minutes, she lectured the class about upcoming tests, attendance, and studying methods. The senior year is the most stressful, intense, and the most important year of their life. If you mess up and get a low score on the final test, your life is basically over before it even starts.
Since Kyun-rin failed at giving a proper introduction, that guarantees him a loss for this round, and a smashing victory for life.
Kyun-rin, 0 points.
Life... 106 points.
It wasn't long before the teacher was giving her final words for the first day of school.
"Remember, class, if you think you can get away with a passing grade without studying," the teacher warned, "think again. I've seen too many arrogant kids break down and start crying when they receive their failing grades."
The bell rings at that moment, and everyone starts getting up from their seats.
The teacher speaks at a more rushed pace now. "Tomorrow, you'll be receiving your history textbooks! Have a great day and don't forget to study! Midterms are 7 weeks away! It goes by faster than you think!!"
Every student has left the classroom except for Kyun-rin. He was taking his time getting everything neatly organized into his bag.
The teacher made her way over to him, but he didn't notice.
"Hey." The teacher said in a soft tone.
Kyun-rin lurched. He looked up at her and slowly got up.
"Have you still found nobody to help you study?" The teacher asked.
Kyun-rin didn't say anything and shook his head to say 'no' instead.
I really don't want to stay afterschool with one of my teachers...
...but if I don't, I'll be left with no other choice.
"I'm surprised," she said. "With a guy like you, I was sure at least one lady would try to help you."
"Though," the teacher sighed, "I'm always an option if you still can't find anyone. Come by my office anytime if you need help—I'm open until six, but sometimes I stay later."
Kyun-rin nodded in acknowledgment.
He started to make his way toward the door, but was stopped by the teacher's voice.
"You're not much of a talker, are you?" the teacher asked.
Kyun-rin turned his head to listen.
"I'll make a note of that," the teacher added, adopting a more sympathetic tone this time.
Kyun-rin nodded again and left the classroom.
The school halls were emptier than usual, as most students were either studying or had gone home. His footsteps echoed in the hallway.
'I'll make note of that.'
...
Despite her apathetic attitude, that teacher seemed really nice.
I wonder if she also was like me when she was younger...
As Kyun-rin approached the main entrance, a bright pink flyer stapled to a student announcement board caught his eye.
There weren't many other papers stuck on the board, but the pink paper still managed to partially cover all of them.
'ATTENTION ALL KYUN-RIN LOVERS!!'
'This Friday starts the FIRST MEETING of the OFFICIAL KYUN-RIN FANCLUB! Meetings last from 4:45 - 6:00!!'
He stared at the flyer in disbelief.
They're never going to get over me, are they?
Hopefully they're not going to carry out something like the Lunchtime Incident again...
This has to be some sort of prank...
...it has to be.
It's either that, or I'm just having a really bad dream.
As Kyun-rin stepped outside, the cool afternoon breeze gave him goosebumps. It was colder than usual for March, even though the sun was still out.
The buildings cast a long shadow across the courtyard. He had just barely made it through his first day of school.
He was by himself on his way back home—he preferred it that way.
He could hear the laughter of children from nearby buildings and distant chatter from local restaurants. Little did he know that someone was following him from a distance.
It wasn't until halfway down the same block that the person following him spoke.
"Hello?"
It was a girl's voice. His heart rate began to steadily increase.
It's most likely not for me, so there should be no need to worry...
"Kyun-rin!" She shouted, louder this time.
Kyun-rin froze instantly. He hesitantly turned around, and there she was—standing at a distance. Once he noticed that she was wearing his school's uniform, he decided to abort the interaction immediately and ran.
"Wait!" She called out, but Kyun-rin had already turned the corner.
If she follows me home, then my address will definitely be common knowledge by tomorrow!
If that happens, then...
...THEY'RE ALL GOING TO TRY AND COME OVER!!
Kyun-rin envisioned himself having to bar the doors shut with metal rods while a horde of students bang on the door, calling out his name. His doorbell would ring every second, no matter the hour. His home would be broadcast on live TV, with every single second of his life being filmed without fail.
Worst of all... he would be forced into social torture.
If that happens...
...I might just have to move to another country!
I would even be willing to pay for a flight to North Korea. (Or the United States.)
That's how bad this is.
Kyun-rin constantly checked behind him to make sure that she wasn't following him.
Sweat rolled off his forehead as he aired out his uniform to keep him from overheating.
He kept his head around for a while, and then...
BAM!!
He ran straight into a pole with a loud clang and fell down.
He was too worried about the stalker to feel pain, and never noticed the blood that had started to trickle down his forehead in the exact spot he hit his head. The pole remained intact.
He was right outside his apartment when he got up. Once he was inside, he made his way up three flights of stairs before stopping at a door halfway down the hallway.
The door made a soft click when he entered.
"Hi, Mom." He said softly, clearly exhausted from the living nightmare he had just escaped.
"You're home early..." Kyun-rin's mom said skeptically, "You're BLEEDING! WHAT HAPPENED!?"
Telling her that I ran into a pole is embarrassing...
...and also if I tell her the truth, then Ji-ho, my little brother, is going to make fun of me forever.
I can't say I got into a fight either...
Telling her not worry about me is DEFINITELY not an option.
All of a sudden, Ji-ho comes running into the room.
"BIG BROTHER IS BACK!!" He screams enthusiastically.
My savior is here! Get me out of this situation, please!!