27. Straight to the Conclusion: Perfect Scores
To cut a long story short... I burned Sunday white-hot with studying. Endless studying, repeating it over and over, until Monday morning arrived before I knew it.
As I headed toward the school gate, I started feeling tense.
God...
I'd pulled off the ultimate cramming method that even lightning-studiers dream of. The aftermath of all that studying had left faint dark circles under my eyes, but a bit of light makeup covered them right up.
Honestly, the guy's memories made me reluctant to put on makeup, but basic maintenance was necessary for living in society. Not for some ridiculous reason like seducing guys, but just because you need the minimum upkeep to function as a person. No room for complaints there.
"Haru, you made it?"
"Yeah..."
"Looks like you studied hard? Your energy's way down from usual."
"Heh... you can look forward to it..."
Even Jisu's expression looked a bit tired, but it matched her normal self about 95 percent. Honestly, between her condition and mine after torching Sunday studying, I looked worse off.
Still, if it was exams... classes ending early was a definite plus. Sure, there was the minor downside that our usual 9 a.m. arrival got bumped to 8 a.m., but whatever. Grab a light lunch with Jisu, head home, study some more, and brainstorm new songs. That'd be plenty.
"You put in the work, so good results are coming. First period's history, so snap out of it."
Jisu lightly tossed a chocolate onto my desk. The kind you pick up as a souvenir on overseas trips. With most Korean chocolates being fake anyway, the flavor of these stood out even more.
Classic Jisu. The tsundere childhood friend cliché in the flesh. And with caffeine to boot, perfect for shaking off fatigue. I popped the chocolate in my mouth and stretched lightly.
Exams meant homeroom wrapped up quicker than usual. Since we first-years only did core subjects, every day of the three-day exam period had exactly two subjects. The one upside: no lunch provided since we finished early, so we could eat wherever.
"No cheating, now! Need an OMR sheet swap? Raise your hand quietly."
Once the test papers were handed out, three minutes remained until solving time. I was tense about whether I'd ace it, but overdoing the nerves would just tank my real performance. Then the homeroom teacher called "Begin," and the classroom filled only with the scratch of pens. Chatting during a test counts as cheating anyway, so no one dared.
Easy. So easy~
With the guy's history memories matching up perfectly with Lee Haru's life so far, it was a breeze. Even the question on the Japanese annexation flew by, thanks to a movie from the guy's memories.
"Ten minutes left."
I'd finished solving ages ago. And since I tend to mess up, I reviewed five full times. By the time OMR marking was done and three minutes passed, the end-of-test alarm blared.
"Hands on heads until collection's complete."
First day's subjects: history and science. Both ones I felt confident in. The original Lee Haru might've struggled, but with the guy's memories, they felt straightforward.
OMR collection done, twenty minutes until the next test. Jisu, of course, didn't miss her chance and came right over.
"Wanna check how hard our Haru studied? Quick score it?"
As an elite top student since middle school, Jisu nailed nearly every test or missed just one or two. Her quick-scoring was reliable. Others were doing their own, but Jisu and I didn't have other close friends, so it had to be us.
"Impressive! Matched me on everything! Our Haru... really buckled down, huh!"
"Psh... basics."
Truth was, original Lee Haru never studied hard, so her grades were just a smidge above average. No need or reason to grind, so she'd coasted. Yet here I was, matching Jisu—queen of 95s and 100s—on every pick. Unless it was a trick question or perfect-score bait, her instincts meant this quick-score was probably spot-on.
Honestly... it's basically cheating...
If it existed in the guy's memories, and I acted just like he would've, it became crystal clear—unforgettable.
Exam prep bell rings.
We headed back to our seats as the bell signaling test prep rang out.
"Nail science too!"
"Yeah!"
Second period: science. First-year level? Total walkover. Not specialized like the college entrance exam—just basic science foundations, no calculations or anything. So, pull the relevant bits from the guy's memories and pick accordingly.
Science was half-solved knowing element combos and bio traits. Felt even easier than history. Original Haru might've preferred history, but for me now, science won.
Guess that's what you get from a J-pop maestro (real deal) with a combined IQ pushing 200. Took about fifteen minutes to solve. Review done, marking finished, then I started doodling on the back page. Can't draw great, but everyone's scribbled to kill time at some point.
"Haru! How'd the test g—why are you acting so smug today?"
"Ah... predictable. This school's level."
I crossed my arms and hammed up the smugness; Jisu gave me a pitying look. End-of-day homeroom would let us skip cleaning and head home, but just in case, we waited for the answer key.
"Guys, got the answer sheet!"
Everyone mobbed it, too crowded to check right away. Once the crowd thinned, I compared Jisu's science answers with mine.
"Whoa... you really went for it, huh?"
"Heh. Basics."
Sure enough, aced history and science with 100s. Boring enough to die... but Jisu matched me perfectly, so no gloating. Honestly, her pure skill without any hacks was impressive.
"Anyway, lunch?"
"Hm... whatcha craving?"
Jisu sidled up, arms crossed like it was habit. Exams tomorrow and the next day too, but finishing early with no lunch meant plenty of time.
"Hm... hotpot? That conveyor-belt place looked good."
"Hm... tests tomorrow... hotpot might be too heavy. Tteokbokki instead?"
"Sounds good. Let's hit that new spot."
Hotpot tempted, but tomorrow loomed, so we pivoted to tteokbokki. Felt like it'd taste great like mala tang, but oil-based hotpot risked wrecking next day's condition.
Luckily, Jisu agreed, linking arms as we walked to the new snack bar.
I pulled up NewTube Studio while walking. Paid monetization conditions were closing in.
Oh, met the requirements. Apply when I get home.
Conditions cleared, but bank setup needed parents, so solo me couldn't do it. Gave up for now.
The snack bar wasn't one from the guy's memories—it was a fresh tteokbokki joint. Packed with high schoolers minus us exam-takers. Menu had a couple set with mixed fritters, so we ordered that.
"Enjoy your meal."
"Thanks~."
New place, so clean and friendly overall. Food was good, owner polite... well, tasty enough to come back. While waiting for the tteokbokki to cook, Jisu and I chatted normally.
"You studied hard, huh?"
"Eh... crammed. Math and science might be tricky though..."
"Performance evals go well, and history/science are grade 1s easy."
I smiled lightly at her words, stirring the ripening tteokbokki with the ladle.