Chapter 68
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: End-of-Semester Ceremony
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“Wow!”
A squeal of delight like a scream burst from Lee Cheong-ha in the stands.
Even from a distance, her voice was so unmistakably her that I recognized it right away.
“Whoa, Lee Do-hyun!”
After I scored, my teammate Woo-sik cheered on the court and patted my back.
Where would that chance have gone?
Back when I was a private, because of my height, the seniors always dragged me into basketball every time they played.
I didn’t even play well, but I got beaten down left and right, learning it the hard way.
No, not learned—more like forcibly trained.
The days when they’d force basketball skills into me because they lacked players.
Thinking back made me dizzy with dread.
...Wait a second. Speaking of which, do I have to go back to the military?
“Don’t get cocky.”
Moon Woo-hyuk couldn’t hold back and came over, picking a petty fight under his breath.
I shot him a sharp glare without thinking.
I’d just realized I might have to do military service again, and I was in a foul mood.
And this guy’s picking on me too.
‘What’s that? Why’s he looking at me like that?’
Moon Woo-hyuk stood there, dumbfounded, letting out a hollow laugh.
He was the one who just got scored on, so why was he glaring like that?
What the hell’s wrong with that guy.
No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t like him.
“Military twice... military twice...”
I watched, wondering what was up, as he muttered to himself like he was possessed, brushing past me in a barely audible voice.
“What’s that idiot saying?”
Moon Woo-hyuk was puzzled, but that wasn’t important right now.
Anyway, he had to get revenge for that last goal.
But,
“Game over! 32 to 18, Lee Do-hyun’s team wins!”
Thanks to Lee Do-hyun’s overwhelming performance, his team took the victory.
Woo-sik, who was on the same team, ran over for a high-five.
“Man, Lee Do-hyun is seriously the best. What can’t you do?”
Woo-sik chattered away, sticking by my side.
What can’t I do? Get exempted from military service.
We won the game, but the gloom didn’t lift, so I trudged toward the stands.
“Hey, but Do-hyun.”
“Yeah?”
“I saw that look in your eyes earlier, and it reminded me of someone.”
Woo-sik leaned in close and said.
“Who?”
“My uncle. It was just like the look on his face when he’d talk about the military and head out for early morning soccer.”
The moment I heard that, I stopped dead and looked at Woo-sik seriously.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring up the military, Woo-sik.”
***
After the comprehensive evaluations, the leisurely time flew by like an arrow, and July was nearly over.
“Summer break at last. This semester dragged on forever.”
The long-awaited vacation ceremony day had finally arrived.
Woo-sik’s face was blooming with smiles, buzzing with excitement for the upcoming summer break.
The other kids were pretty much the same.
I was the only one who didn’t feel much difference.
With some free time, I planned to catch the musicals I hadn’t seen during the semester.
The school practice rooms were available even during break, so I’d be coming to school often anyway.
Kids like Song Ha-na had practice rooms at home, so they wouldn’t need to come, but for a commoner like me, that was unthinkable.
The dorms closed for break.
The distance was too far for the bus, which actually made it feel more inconvenient.
Tap, tap.
The same stick sound from the start of the semester rang out from the front door without fail.
“Everyone, quiet down and take your seats.”
Ji-woong entered, announcing the start of the vacation ceremony morning.
For once, the kids quickly sat down properly, their eyes sparkling as they looked at him.
Ji-woong found their behavior ridiculous, but since it was the usual unchanging routine, it just made him chuckle.
“How are all kids the same? Is vacation that great?”
“Yes—!”
Even more lively voices than before.
Ji-woong smirked.
Then he pulled a stack of papers from the attendance book.
“I hope you can still smile after seeing this.”
Ji-woong grinned as he held up the stack for them to see.
The kids’ faces fell instantly.
“Report cards. When I call your name, come up one by one and get yours.”
It was the bundle of final rankings for the semester.
From subject tests to the comprehensive evaluation stage and general subject exams, everything factored in.
The kids went up in attendance order to receive their papers.
They all looked grim as they went up, but for the first time ever, I felt a flicker of anticipation before getting mine.
Number one in all first-semester practical tests.
I’d studied for the exams too, so I thought I did pretty well.
I had an expected rank, but knowing it made me want to see it even sooner.
I’d never felt this way about a report card before.
Life has its surprises.
“Lee Do-hyun.”
My name was finally called.
“Good work.”
Ji-woong handed it over with a flat expression and those short words. I bowed my head slightly and took it.
The meaning behind those brief words came through loud and clear.
I checked it right away as I headed back to my seat.
[Lee Do-hyun Rank: 1st / 30 students]
There it was in black and white: 1st place.
It felt even better than I’d imagined.
Sure, it was against high school kids when I was thirty-three, but it was a rank I’d never gotten in three years at Cheongyeom Arts High, so maybe that’s why.
I couldn’t hold back the swell of pride in my chest.
“What rank?”
As I sat down, Woo-sik immediately scanned my report card.
His eyes went wide.
“As expected, 1st! Uncle Do-hyun, chicken on you again today!”
Woo-sik’s usual shout rang out.
Hey, everyone’s staring.
A mix of envy, jealousy, and congratulations flew my way in their gazes.
Anyway, thanks to Woo-sik, nothing ever passed quietly.
I gave an awkward smile from the embarrassment and fixed my eyes on the report card.
“Seriously, what a show-off.”
“Seriously, what a show-off.”
Song Ha-na and Moon Woo-hyuk said it in unison, like they’d rehearsed.
They glared at each other, both looking annoyed.
Their report cards showed their ranks.
[Song Ha-na 3rd / 30 students]
[Moon Woo-hyuk 4th / 30 students]
High ranks, but of course they weren’t satisfied.
‘Haven’t beaten Kim Sun-woo yet... and now Lee Do-hyun too...’
Song Ha-na had secretly hoped to beat Kim Sun-woo and take 1st since enrollment.
But out of nowhere, an unexpected variable pushed her not even to 2nd, but 3rd.
‘4th... damn embarrassing. Next semester, I’ll crush everyone.’
Moon Woo-hyuk felt the same.
He’d been called part of the TOP 3 with Kim Sun-woo and Song Ha-na since enrollment, but now he was the only one bumped out.
Still, he’d gotten 1st in the final comprehensive evaluation, so he vowed again to aim higher next semester.
Back then, he would’ve thrown a childish tantrum, but not this time.
“I...”
Meanwhile, Lee Cheong-ha covered her mouth with the report card, unable to continue.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
It was her first semester after transferring from a regular high school.
Would she adapt properly?
She’d barely transferred to an arts high school—could she, with her stage fright, really pull it off?
Was chasing her dream on her knees for a year of vocal training really worth it?
The result put a period on six months of nonstop worries, making it all the more overwhelming.
Maybe because it was a rank she hadn’t even hoped for—it felt too good.
Kim Sun-woo, sitting right behind her, asked Lee Cheong-ha.
“How’d you do, Cheong-ha?”
Kim Sun-woo asked casually, as if he’d expected her to do well.
If he hadn’t anticipated her rank, he wouldn’t have asked a teary-eyed girl.
“I got 5th!”
Lee Cheong-ha shouted in joy, drawing the attention of the whole class.
Her face flushed under the focused gazes.
It felt like something popped with a bang somewhere.
“Congrats. Knew you’d do great.”
Kim Sun-woo’s praise followed.
Hearing their conversation, I turned right to Lee Cheong-ha’s seat.
She was looking my way too.
5th place.
I was a bit surprised she’d done even better than expected, but I flashed her a big smile and gave her a thumbs-up.
She smiled back and thumbs-upped me too.
‘Seriously, what a pair of show-offs.’
Song Ha-na was seriously annoyed.
“Lee Cheong-ha got 5th? No way she’s that good.”
“What? Pumpkin got 5th? She’s only one rank below me?”
Moon Woo-hyuk reacted indifferently, like he wasn’t pleased.
More accurately, she was below him, so he didn’t care much.
Moon Woo-hyuk asked Do Kyung-in, who was sitting nearby, about his score for no reason.
“What’s yours?”
He’d already glimpsed Do Kyung-in’s report card when he asked, so no answer was needed.
Do Kyung-in was 12th.
“Hmm? Not bad at all? You could aim for single digits next semester. Step it up.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
Do Kyung-in was a little puzzled.
He’d expected something like ‘That’s your rank?’, but the reaction was surprisingly positive.
Even encouragement—shocking.
He seemed just a tiny bit softer somehow.
Amid the buzzing classroom, Ji-woong banged the attendance book on the podium.
Thud. Thud.
“Alright, quiet down.”
The kids, eager to go home, shut up instantly.
“Now we’re heading to the auditorium. Line up in two rows. Line up quick, and you go home early.”
Next up was moving to the auditorium for the vacation ceremony.
“Yes!”
“Enough with the responses. Grab your stuff and head to the auditorium.”
The moment Ji-woong finished, the kids filed out of the classroom toward the auditorium.
***
The entire student body was gathered in the auditorium for the vacation ceremony.
The massive auditorium, rivaling an indoor arena on TV, was even more spectacular with rows of metal chairs set out.
We sat, and the rote ceremony proceeded.
Even after a long time, attending a vacation ceremony brought no fresh emotions.
Still just boring.
“After the principal’s address, we’ll have the awards ceremony.”
A kindly middle-aged man around 170 cm tall, with a gentle face, smiled as he climbed onto the stage.
The principal fiddled with the mic, turning it this way and that, struggling with the height.
“Isn’t this height just mocking us old folks?”
The principal joked good-naturedly, laughing.
The teachers all scrambled to help, but the emcee dashed over instead.
They hurriedly adjusted the mic stand.
Once set, the principal tapped the mic.
“Testing, testing. Mic check.”
He looked serious checking if it worked, but since it had been fine moments ago, the students burst into laughter.
Then the principal greeted them.
“Hello. I’m Principal Lee Won-chul.”
The students applauded.
After regression, the principal was unfamiliar—I’d never spoken to him.
Even before, I’d have had no reason for a one-on-one with him.
A few video glimpses during morning assemblies after enrollment was it.
He was jovial and boisterous, popular with many 2nd and 3rd years.
Unimaginable popularity at other schools.
Of course, back then, I was barely an extra at Cheongyeom Arts High.
But oddly, the teachers seemed to revere the principal beyond that.
His unique aura and soft charisma made him a tough boss, maybe.
“I’ll keep it short, since the longer I talk, the fewer ears there are to hear. Heh heh.”
The students cheered.
My lips curved up slightly too.
But not for the same reason as the others.
I knew why the principal was on stage right now.