The fan above their heads squeaked like it was also tired of school.
Three girls sat in the last row, staring blankly at the teacher scribbling formulas as if she was trying to punish the board.
"Uhhh… what a boring lecture," Siya whispered, her face half-dead.
"I'm not coming tomorrow," Nami muttered, resting her cheek on the desk.
Yurim sighed dramatically. "I just want to get to university already. This 12th-grade grind is literally draining my soul. Is it graduation yet?"
None of them had the energy to argue.
The bell finally rang. A wave of relief swept through the entire class, and the three shot up like prisoners released from jail.
At the water cooler, they leaned against the wall, filling their bottles.
"We'll meet tomorrow at the station, okay?" Siya said. "We have to go to the hill station. At least we'll be free from this torture."
"Yes, yes, finally," Yurim said.
"Life of a tadpole is not easy… life of a tadpole."
They turned to Nami, who had drifted into her own world—humming some random song and doing her strange little dance near the staircase.
Yurim and Siya ignored her, pretending as if they didn't know her.
"Message if anything will be needed on the trip," Yurim continued.
"Yes," Siya replied, drinking water—but suddenly their eyes stopped somewhere, and they saw it—
The Maths sir was standing behind the glass door, staring at Nami with the straightest face in the universe.
Siya choked on her water.
Yurim grabbed her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
Nami froze, eyes widening.
She grabbed both their wrists and practically jumped down the stairs before he could step out.
By the time they stopped, Yurim and Siya were laughing so hard they were crying.
Teasing her all the way, they boarded the train and went their separate ways, each heading home through the busy evening crowd.
---
Beep.
Siya: "Guys, my friend Haon is also coming to the hill station tomorrow with us."
Yurim stretched on her bed, reading the message.
Nami: "Uhh okay."
Nami: "Your boyfriend is also coming… so boring."
Siya: "He's NOT my boyfriend. Stop your nonsense."
Yurim laughed quietly at their dramatic conversation.
She put her phone aside and opened her bag. From a small zipper pocket, she pulled out some folded notes and started counting them.
"Finally… I saved enough," she whispered to herself. "This time the trip won't be cancelled because of me."
For a moment, she felt proud. A small victory.
Suddenly—
THUD.
"Ahh—HOW DARE YOU THROW THAT AT ME?" her father growled from the living room.
"You're useless!" her mother shouted back. "Always drinking, always fighting with everyone! I can't live like this anymore!"
Her father charged toward her mother, rage shaking the walls.
Yurim dropped her money and ran out of her room.
"Great!" she screamed. "Now the neighbours will kick us out because of your daily fights!"
She glared at her father.
"You ruined our lives! How much more will you ruin?"
The words only pushed him deeper into anger. He turned toward her, ready to slap her.
Her mother shoved him back, and the fight turned violent again—hands grabbing, shouting, pushing.
Yurim's heart thudded painfully. She ran between them to stop them, but her father shoved her aside too. She stumbled and hit the wall.
Her heart pounded as she peeked out the window—people outside were staring toward their house, disturbed by the noise.
Her eyes filled instantly.
"Please stop… they'll kick us out… please," she cried, her voice breaking.
But her parents were too lost in anger to hear her.
---
Knock. Knock.
Suddenly—
Knock.
Both parents froze.
Yurim's tears fell silently.
Nobody moved.
The knock came again.
Yurim wiped her face with her sleeve and opened the door.
It was their neighbour.
"You people fight every day. Everyone is disturbed by it. If this happens again, I will inform your landlord," he said in an irritated tone.
He continued to say something, but stopped when he saw Yurim's eyes, all red.
He just gave them a disgusted look and left.
The house fell into complete, heavy silence.
---
Beep.
Nami: "What are you wearing tomorrow, guys?"
Siya: "Black crop top. You two?"
Nami: "Same. Black crop top."
Siya: "Copycat."
Yurim lay on her bed, tears still sliding down her cheeks.
She stared at the messages.
Her eyes slowly closed.
Outside, the night passed quietly.