* * *
[October XX, 20XX. Weather: Freaking clear.]
D-31 until the college entrance exam.
The world is out to get me.
No matter how I think about it, I didn’t even aim high—I applied within my grade range.
So why the hell did I get rejected? This insane world can go to hell.
The weather is way too nice, and here I am, rotting away in a classroom. Life sucks.
Am I even gonna make it into college?
Fk, fk, fk, fk, f**k.
It was a diary.
Jeongseo knew he shouldn’t be reading it, but the writing was so big that it was impossible to ignore.
And on top of that…
He turned his gaze toward the window.
It had been pouring rain since morning.
The weather was anything but nice.
Flustered, he turned back and accidentally locked eyes with Junhyun.
Unlike before, his expression was vacant, his eyes hollow and lifeless.
Jeongseo instinctively tensed up.
Junhyun hurriedly shut his notebook.
“What?”
…Well, everyone has their own definition of ‘nice weather.’
Jeongseo forced an awkward smile and shook his head before quickly leaving the room.
Maybe it was because the second semester had started, but there were more students with that vacant look in their eyes.
Sure, some had been on edge in the first semester, but now, it felt like nearly half of them were like that.
Lost in thought, Jeongseo soon arrived at the teachers’ office.
He knocked and stepped inside.
His homeroom teacher, seated at the far end, gestured for him to come over.
Jeongseo pulled out a chair and sat down.
The teacher glanced at him sideways, lips slightly parted as if hesitating to say something.
A creeping sense of unease crawled up Jeongseo’s spine.
“…Jeongseo, have you checked the early decision results for Jeonghan University?”
Jeongseo’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t.
Since he was focused on regular admissions, he had his phone turned off the whole time.
In a hurry, he shook his head and reached for his phone.
The teacher let out a small sigh.
And Jeongseo immediately understood what that meant.
He hadn’t even made it past the document screening.
He was officially out.
Now, his only options were the regular admissions exam and the practical test.
He had a gut feeling this might happen, so he wasn’t completely shocked.
But hearing it out loud still stung.
Dragging his feet back, he heard the school bell ring for the break.
He figured he’d take a quick walk to clear his head and was about to head toward the student lounge at the end of the hallway when—
“Hey, Seo Jeongseo!”
Turning around, he saw Hayan waving at him from the hallway.
One of his hands was tucked behind his back like he was hiding something.
Jeongseo tilted his head and approached.
“Hm? What’s up?”
For some reason, Hayan’s face seemed slightly flushed.
He hesitated for a moment, fiddling with his glasses, then suddenly grabbed Jeongseo’s wrist.
Jeongseo was startled.
Hayan had never done something like this before.
After leading him to the lockers, Hayan finally let go.
“…You need to grab something from your locker?”
Just as Jeongseo was about to question why they were there, Hayan suddenly thrust something toward him.
Jeongseo instinctively took a step back in shock.
In Hayan’s hand was—
“A Sea-Monkey kit?!”
It was the same ocean shrimp-growing kit they had seen at the stationery store.
A rocket-shaped transparent container, already filled with water, with tiny specks floating inside.
“When did you buy this? You already put in the water? Are those the eggs?”
“Hey, hey, look closer. See that tiny thing swimming around?”
Jeongseo leaned in, eyes widening.
Squinting, he focused on the tiny specs and—there it was.
A minuscule, transparent tadpole-like creature drifting through the water.
“Whoa! It actually hatched! It’s so tiny—kinda like a speck of dust! So cute!”
Jeongseo reached out, wanting a closer look, and Hayan handed it over with a smug tilt of his chin.
As Jeongseo inspected the sea monkeys from different angles, Hayan couldn’t hide his proud smile.
Though, honestly, all he had done was fill the tank with water to the marked line and drop in the eggs, just as instructed.
“How old are they? Are they fully grown?”
“Nope, they were born yesterday. I heard they live for about three months? They do grow bigger, though.”
“Wow, they’re basically newborns. Can I take a picture?”
When Jeongseo looked up at him with pleading eyes, phone in hand, Hayan twitched his nose before giving a small nod.
And just like that, Jeongseo’s mind was suddenly filled with images of the tiny, dust-like sea monkeys, completely pushing aside the disappointment of failing his application.
Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, the college entrance exam had arrived.
For the entire second semester, Jeongseo stayed late after school to study with Pyo Yoontae and Hayan, then went straight home to eat, took a walk with Seobok, and studied again until he fell asleep.
Since he had decided to start preparing for his physical performance test after the exam, this was the hardest he had ever studied in his life.
Feeling the chill of the morning air, he buried his face in the scarf he had wrapped around just in case.
He had packed his lunch the night before, and since the exam was being held at his own school, Dankang High, there was no risk of getting lost.
As he sat on the bus early in the morning, his heart was already pounding.
He just needed to do well in Korean, English, and Math.
Sitting stiffly out of nervousness, his phone suddenly vibrated, startling him more than usual.
When he quickly pulled it out, the caller was none other than his mom.
“Mom!”
— Today’s the big day, huh? I wish I could be there to help you, but I can’t, and it makes me so sad.
Hearing the word “exam” from his mom’s lips somehow made it feel even more real.
His hands trembled slightly.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he forced a bright tone.
He felt like he had to.
“It’s okay! I’ll do my best!”
— My baby worked so hard, so you’ll definitely do well. But you know, I don’t think this exam decides the rest of your life. So even if you make a mistake, it’s okay, son.
Jeongseo parted his lips slightly, then closed them again, placing a hand over his chest.
His heart, which had been racing nonstop, gradually slowed.
— Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, sweetheart! Okay?
Her words—telling him that even mistakes were okay, that he shouldn’t weigh this too heavily—reached him fully, and a soft smile finally formed on his lips.
The anxiety and fear that had made it hard to even eat breakfast melted away.
“Okay! Thanks, Mom! I’m almost at school, so I’ll hang up now!”
— Okay, okay. Just remember, I’m always on your side!
Unlike when he got on the bus, Jeongseo got off with a bright smile, walking lightly toward the school gates.
As he got closer, second-year students who had come to cheer on the test-takers were handing out chocolates and hand warmers.
“Wishing you a perfect score on the exam!”
Accepting the treats from juniors he wasn’t particularly close with, Jeongseo awkwardly mumbled his thanks.
He was just about to pass through the gate when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind him, followed by an arm wrapping around his shoulders.
“Ah!”
“Hey, Jeongseo.”
As Jeongseo staggered from the sudden pull, Pyo Yoontae firmly steadied him, drawing him closer.
Despite it being exam day, Yoontae looked completely unfazed, just like always.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Honestly… not really. I barely ate breakfast, too. Left two spoonfuls…”
“You should’ve eaten properly. Want to drop your bag off and make a quick run to the convenience store? Or I can go get something for you. Anything you want?”
Reaching the shoe lockers, Yoontae looked down at him with genuine concern.
He seemed unusually intense today, but Jeongseo decided not to think too much about it and simply smiled, shaking his head.
“Nah! If I eat too much, I might get sleepy, so I’m good! What about you? Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, same as always.”
As they changed into their indoor shoes and continued chatting, they started climbing the stairs.
But suddenly, midway up, Yoontae stopped and rummaged through his bag.
Curious, Jeongseo paused as well and looked up, noticing that the tips of Yoontae’s ears were oddly red.
Was it because of the chilly morning air? As Jeongseo wondered, Yoontae finally pulled something out of his bag and spoke.
“Hold out your hand and close your eyes, Jeongseo.”
What’s with the mystery?
Still, Jeongseo obediently did as he was told, holding out his hand and shutting his eyes.
A moment later, something small and slightly rough landed on his palm.
“You can open them now.”
Having had no clue what to expect, Jeongseo eagerly opened his eyes.
Sitting on his palm was a long, rectangular wooden case, slightly bigger than a lead refill container.
Confused, he looked up at Yoontae.
“Open it. The lid slides off.”
Still skeptical, Jeongseo lifted the lid. Inside was something thin, white, and thread-like…
“… Whiskers?”
There were whiskers inside.
Several of them.
* * *
