Once the exams were over, everything returned to the usual daily routine without a hitch. There had been talks about students who failed two or more subjects having to clean the bathrooms, but fortunately, there wasn't anyone from Class A assigned to clean the five-floor dormitory. That fact relieved Sihyun.
And then, the next day.
At the grand central entrance of Choaegang High School, the midterm rankings for the first semester were posted as if they could cover the entire wall. It was truly massive, enough to catch Sihyun off guard when he glanced at that enormous paper while heading to class. The number one spot was visible twice.
1. A Kang Sihyun (Tied)
1. A Lee Hamin (Tied)
"...."
Strange. I don't recall seeing him study.
Hamin, who often dozed off during class or seemed lax during study sessions, had scored full marks in every subject. For him to be tied for first place meant he also had perfect scores.
Sihyun sighed as he checked the passive results of the irregulars on his device. It wasn't surprising; someone from a wealthy family wouldn't have skipped education. Rolling his eyes, he noticed Daun at third place, Seowoo at fourth, and Haewoon at fifth. Surprisingly, Jihye, with her and Haewoon's seats adjacent, was also high up there.
"Hmm... Looks like she's improved since middle school!"
A positive voice came from Jihye. Sihyun decided to let go of the biases based on appearances.
***
Taking a photo after the exam seemed like a stroke of genius because the following week, it started pouring rain. It felt more like a downpour for May, aggressive and relentless.
Rain poured as if there were holes in the sky. Drip, drop. Cherry blossom petals fell with the raindrops. Sihyun, watching this scene through the window, blinked in surprise. It felt calmer and more peaceful than usual, maybe due to the rain.
Listening to the theory class in the serene atmosphere made his eyes droop repeatedly. Perhaps it was because Haewoon had kept him up late playing board games the night before.
Should've just pretended to faint back then.
Ignoring didn't help; she kept threatening to sing every time he dozed off during class. Even if she offered money, singing like Haewoon was challenging. Shouting for the world to go away but completely out of tune. Maybe I'll just sleep and borrow Seowoo's notes later. Her notes were neat, at least.
Fighting off the approaching drowsiness, Sihyun eventually collapsed on his desk. He'd owe himself a lot after this end-of-month evaluation. It seemed better to rest now and gather myself during training later.
An hour passed before Sihyun woke up, changing into his training uniform, scowling. It was usually personal training time, but once a week, there was mandatory group training. And Sihyun hated group training days the most.
"Soldiers, are you ready!"
The instructor's military-themed approach didn't sit well with him.
The sight of the teacher calling them 'soldiers' embarrassed Sihyun, and it was no secret that Hamin's exceptional grades always earned applause from everyone. Today, he sighed, looking at the enthusiastic instructor and followed the warm-up routine.
Despite feeling like he'd rather lie down due to exhaustion, their instructor only echoed phrases like 'a strong mind controls the body' even when someone complained of being unwell. Utter nonsense.
"Today, we'll conduct basic physical training."
"Ah...."
A short sigh escaped. Among the things he disliked, this ranked at the top. The teacher lined Class A in rows across the expansive gym. Judging by the position of the markers, it was easy to guess what was coming.
"Today, we'll do shuttle runs. Move towards the markers."
As expected.
Amidst the booming voice, Jihye raised her hand.
"Um... How many laps?"
Come to think of it, it was mentioned we'd do shuttle runs but didn't specify how many. It used to be 50 laps, and considering the gym's length, it was well over 50 meters. Sihyun felt like he'd die after running 50 laps that day.
Maybe it's more than that. Better stop worrying needlessly. As he was swallowing his saliva, the instructor placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We're not setting a specific number. I won't determine your limits!"
"Ah... Does that mean we can stop when it gets tough?"
"Run to your limit. Any questions?"
"Yes."
"Then get ready, everyone."
Luckily, it wasn't 50 laps. Relieved that he could stop when it got tough, Sihyun relaxed his posture. The instructor, announcing their readiness, played a fast-paced song.
A beep signaled the start.
"At your mark!"
The feet of eight Class A students thudded against the ground simultaneously.
It didn't take long for Sihyun to consider that maybe doing 50 laps would have been better.
"Pant, pant... Sir, I give up, I surrender!"
At this rate, I'll die. Haewoon was the first to declare surrender, lying sprawled on the ground, moaning. Seeing him like that, the instructor urged him on, applying pressure.
"Don't stop until the music stops! Keep running!"
"Yes?"
Wide-eyed, Haewoon looked foolish. Despite his silly expression, the instructor mechanically repeated the same words. Eventually, Haewoon started running again. It was absurd to watch someone who looked like they were about to die run, but observing clarified what the instructor meant by 'limit.' It meant running until you felt like you were about to collapse, right before passing out.
"Sir, I..."
"Keep running!"
"Sir..."
"Don't stop!"
"The song hasn't ended yet!"
After Haewoon's incident, all the students who had tried to stop didn't fare any differently. Sihyun looked around. Everyone was panting heavily as they ran; the initial speed they had was long gone, resembling nothing more than running zombies. Watching Hamin and Haru, who seemed as tough as steel, huffing and bending over, it seemed like they had reached their limit.
As everyone ran as if their lives depended on it, the instructor cheered them on, "Keep going! You can still run more!"
"Why does your house decide that?"
Discontent brewed deep within, but with difficulty catching his breath, Sihyun had no energy to spare for words. Pressing on his side, feeling the pain beneath his ribs, he continued panting. If he ever got a wish card, he'd want to change the instructor.
The hellish panting only ceased after the music stopped.
"Panting... panting!"
Eight students collapsed as soon as the instructor turned off the music. But even then, the instructor didn't allow them to lie down immediately. With the command to get up and walk slowly, Sihyun reluctantly moved his feet.
His steps felt heavy as if laden with weights. Glancing around, he saw Seowoo wiping her sweat-drenched hair. Even she, struggling to catch her breath, appeared to be enduring immense hardship. After four laps around the auditorium at a sluggish pace, the training ended. It was a hellish ordeal.
***
"First, shower... people..."
Haewoon, usually full of energy, lay weakly on the bed, barely able to speak. There was no one to respond to his words as, except for Haewoon, the other three seemed to mimic corpses.
With barely enough strength to move a finger, Sihyun lay on the bed, thinking of the instructor. What the instructor possessed wasn't just passion; it was madness.
"Are they really insane?"
Hamin muttered, but Sihyun couldn't muster the strength to reply, just nodding his head. After a long silence, Haru was the first to go for a shower.
Sihyun, the second to shower after Haru, dried his hair and lay down. Because of the proximity of the balcony and the bed, he could still hear the sound of rain.
Considering Haewoon's usual habit of staying up until midnight, extinguishing the lights by 10 o'clock seemed exceptionally early.
It seemed he wasn't the only one drained. Sihyun, catching his breath, pulled the blanket up. His body felt sluggish, and sleep poured over him. That's when he heard a strange sound.
"Papafut!"
"......?"
"Pafut, papafut!"
Thinking it might be a hallucination, the sound echoed again. Not just Sihyun, but even Haewoon, who was about to sleep, sat up.
"Did you just hear something strange?"
"It seemed to come from the terrace."
Haewoon asked, and Hamin replied. Despite listening intently together, the sound seemed to mock them, never appearing again. It felt odd, waiting, but the result remained the same.
"It's not audible now."
"Should we just sleep?"
"Papafut!"
"......"
Seriously, is this a joke?
As they tried to sleep, everyone in room 207 sat up at the sound again. At last, Haru volunteered to check. As the door opened, a refreshing breeze swept in.
It was a cool, damp breeze, enough to make them forget the sweat from the training. Damp... damp...?
"Ah...."
Sihyun, remembering that the rain had been forecast a beat too late, quickly grabbed an umbrella. Contrary to their expectations, Haru didn't return from the terrace. Opening the umbrella and following, they found Haru crouched in a hidden corner, already drenched in rain.
"Haru, what are you doing?"
"Why are you acting like that?"
Despite the pouring rain, Haru remained crouched, prompting Sihyun to tilt the umbrella towards him. Sitting there, he turned to gaze at Sihyun.
"Pafut!"
At the same sound they heard earlier, Sihyun looked towards where the noise came from.
"What's that?"
Surprised and puzzled by Sihyun's voice as he looked at Haru's embrace.
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