Chapter 221
Chapter 221
Even as the bell rang and the exam papers were being distributed, three or four different thoughts simultaneously popped in and out of the student's head.
‘Come to think of it, Moon-dae should have silver hair right now, but this guy has black hair? What is it? A wig? Is it really not Moon-dae?’
‘Even if it’s not him, seeing someone who looks so much like him makes me feel like I’ve hit the jackpot.’
‘Wait! Won’t I see his face during the identity check?!’
‘Oh, oh, oh! That’s right! When he passes the papers back, he’ll turn around… No, wait. The proctor will probably hand them out.’
Some of these assumptions were correct, while others were off the mark.
For instance, Park Moon-dae had used color spray to hide his silver hair, and he did briefly lower his mask to show his face to the proctor during the identity check.
However, he wasn't clearly visible to the student sitting behind him, and the proctor was an older gentleman who didn't recognize Park Moon-dae immediately, remaining perfectly composed.
‘Uuuugh!’
Thus, the student in the back could only scream internally, suffering from a mix of frustration and curiosity.
However, an unexpected opportunity presented itself immediately afterward.
“Alright, please pass the test papers back.”
“...!”
It was the format where the person in front handed the papers to the person behind them!
And the student… finally saw him.
‘Gasp.’
The man in the front seat turned back just a fraction, handed over the papers in an instant, and then straightened his posture.
Even though he was wearing a mask, the student was certain.
Those wide, clean-cut eyes!
‘P-P-Park Moon-dae!’
It really was Park Moon-dae!
The student received the test papers feeling as if they were about to faint.
Their heart pounded so hard they couldn't tell if they were receiving an album at a fan signing event or taking the GED Exam.
Not that they had ever actually won a spot at a fan signing!
“You may begin solving the problems after the bell rings.”
‘H-Help me.’
The student screamed wordlessly inside, but thanks to their extensive experience with mock exams, they managed to open the test paper and begin working.
However, their mind had gone completely blank from the shock, and they couldn't see a thing.
But a moment later.
‘...If I finish quickly, I can spend that much more time looking at Moon-dae’s back!’
To the student, who couldn't dare to lift their head and kept their nose buried in the test paper, a strange idea provided a twisted sort of enlightenment.
With that, the student began to solve the problems with fierce intensity. It was the moment the possibility of failing the GED Exam drifted one step further away.
‘Aaaah!’
And much to Park Moon-dae’s surprise, the student sitting behind him wasn't the only one in the classroom conscious of his presence.
‘This is fine.’
I finished the last elective subject, ‘Ethics,’ and put down my pencil.
The exam had proceeded smoothly without any major issues.
Lunchtime had been a bit risky, but I managed to eat while looking out a window in a secluded stairwell landing where there weren't many people.
‘It was easy since I was eating porridge, which is convenient to carry anyway.’
And most importantly, the exam itself was easier than the previous years' papers I had practiced with.
I was worried that the Social Studies or Science sections might only feature parts I had completely forgotten, but it turned out to be a groundless fear.
‘I don't think I did too badly.’
Feeling almost certain of a comfortable pass, I stretched lightly.
“Hup.”
I heard a sound from behind me that made it seem like someone was feeling unwell, so I figured I might have been a bit distracting. I quickly lowered my arms.
‘Time remaining… ten minutes, huh.’
I waited quietly for the exam to end.
I had already called a taxi to arrive on time for the way back, so I just needed to head down and hop in.
‘Done.’
However, the reality I faced ten minutes later wasn't exactly as I had anticipated.
After retrieving my smartphone and waiting for everyone else to leave, someone in the same classroom spoke to me.
“Excuse me, student!”
“...”
“Are you… by any chance, that Moon-dae? The Moon-dae who makes hotteok?”
I hesitated for a brief moment.
I wondered if I should shout, “You have the wrong person!” and bolt out of there.
But I figured there were probably more than one or two witnesses, so I gave up on that idea.
Besides, seeing as this… lady was whispering as quietly as she could, I thought I could wrap this up quickly.
“Yes. I came to take the exam.”
“Oh my! I knew it. How admirable… Um, if it’s alright, could I get just one autograph? My daughter is such a huge fan!”
“Of course.”
I quickly signed her exam slip and tried to leave the room.
But I was already a step too late.
“H-Hup, if it’s okay, could I get one too…?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Excuse me! I’m really sorry, but could I get one as well?”
The few people still left in the classroom immediately began to line up. They were surprisingly orderly.
And not a single person seemed shocked by the current situation.
A strong hypothesis flashed through my mind.
‘Wait, had all these people been suspicious of me this whole time?’
No wonder six or seven people were lingering in the classroom instead of leaving; it might have been because of me.
It seemed I had been far too naive in underestimating TeSTAR’s public recognition.
‘I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.’
More than anything, it was shocking that so many people hadn't made a single gesture during the exam.
If even one person had made a fuss and started talking, it likely would have spiraled into a controversy about being a nuisance.
If that had happened, I would have looked for an opening to escape around lunchtime.
‘...Thanks to them, I finished the exam well.’
Well, there was no way out now. They had essentially covered for my failure to predict this.
I continued signing without a word of complaint.
“Thank you!”
“Wow, thank you so much…”
I finished signing for the few people who had gathered and was about to leave quickly.
‘Let’s get out of here while it’s still hectic before someone asks for a photo.’
But as I picked up my bag, I saw the person from the seat behind me still sitting there like a stone statue.
“...?”
Moreover, they were staring at me with sparkling eyes without moving an inch, and when our eyes met, their mouth fell open.
That was an expression I had seen many times at fan signings.
“Do you need an autograph as well?”
“...?! Yes! Ye-ye-yes!”
I wasn't being self-absorbed after all. That was a relief.
“I-I love you.”
“Thank you.”
I hurriedly left an autograph on the person’s exam slip as well and made my exit.
“Have a safe trip home!”
“Good luck with your promotions!”
It was a stroke of luck that this testing room was at the end of the hall, so people from other rooms didn't see this.
I ran quickly across the hallway, which was now mostly empty.
‘I wonder if reviews will be posted.’
There shouldn't be any major problems.
Since no one was disturbed, it would probably just end with people either pitying me or trying to bait me.
I shrugged my shoulders, headed out to the playground, and immediately got into the taxi.
The trip back to the dorm was as quick as the trip there.
“Welcome~!”
“Did, did you do well?”
“Yeah.”
“How was the chicken porridge for lunch?”
“It was good. Thanks.”
Then, under Cha Yu-jin’s strong insistence using my exam as an excuse, we ordered jokbal.
Thanks to that, I ended up doing that mysterious thing again—listening to toast speeches with non-alcoholic drinks.
“Moon-dae, good job on the exam today… Let’s recover well until our next promotion and show everyone a cool side of us again.”
“Of course~!”
“Yep!”
“I hope we have a fulfilling preparation period.”
“W-Wait. Park Moon-dae, put down your smartphone!”
“...It’s just a video of a dog eating meat.”
Well, it was a day typical of an off-season.
Dinner was… delicious too.
The news of Park Moon-dae taking the GED Exam spread slower than he had expected.
Since none of the people who got autographs took photos with him, many fans were half-doubting.
It was only after three or four people posted photos of their signed exam slips as proof that it was accepted as fact.
The deciding blow was this review.
=======================
[I saw my bias while taking the exam yesterday]
I bet a lot of people are coming in here thinking of a certain someone lol
Yep, my bias is Park Moon-dae!
(Photo of the autograph)
I was actually sitting right behind Moon-dae and I thought my heart was going to explode. Seriously, he looked handsome even just from the back. Even his bones are handsome, I couldn't even lift my head ㅠㅠ
His posture was so straight and his shoulders were perfectly wide ㅠㅠ
(......)
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It was the proof from the student who sat behind Park Moon-dae.
And at the end of the post, there was a kind attempt to prevent any trolling.
=======================
Moon-dae really just took the exam quietly, and when people recognized him as he was leaving, he gave everyone autographs.
I was so frozen I couldn't even speak and was just sitting there staring, but he was the one who asked if I needed an autograph and gave me one ㅠㅠ
I wasn't going to post this because I didn't want to cause him any trouble, but since everyone already knows... I'm posting this because I want people to know how kind he was...
I've decided to hold onto this exam slip until the day I die lol ㅠㅠ
=======================
It was a cute and heartwarming review. Even the fans who had felt somewhat sentimental about the news of Park Moon-dae taking the GED Exam checked this review with joy.
It wasn't seen as an invasion of privacy, and it naturally allowed them to visualize the situation.
The story circulated through internet communities and social media as a cute anecdote, staying just shy of being used for blatant personality marketing.
However, as Park Moon-dae had expected, 'baiting' reactions naturally followed.
Except, they were slightly more intense than he had anticipated.
It was intentional.
Because Park Moon-dae had been consistently cutting off or preventing controversies at exquisite timings, hardcore antis were feeling incredibly spiteful and had been waiting for an opening.
Of course, since Moon-dae’s responses were often subtle, there wasn't much credibility to the idea that 'Park Moon-dae is excessively conscious of public opinion.'
It was just that thinking that way made it more satisfying to insult him.
It was a psychological tactic, hoping that Park Moon-dae would see the excessive underground reactions and, in turn, act timidly and walk on eggshells.
Unfortunately for them, however, Park Moon-dae was currently distancing himself from the internet.
At most, he only checked fan communities or WeTube. Whenever he tried to look at anything more, the members would intervene like clockwork, so there wasn't much he could do.
In other words, the trolls were just fighting a lonely battle by themselves.
As a result, a member who didn't care about antis or anything of the sort responded instead.
“Hyung! Show the Loviewers the chicken porridge!”
“Go ahead.”
Thinking that the word was already out anyway, Park Moon-dae coolly gave his permission, and Cha Yu-jin boldly uploaded the photos from that time immediately.
[Moon-dae hyung has an exam, so we’re eating chicken porridge. Everyone worked hard making it. Best Teamwork! (Tiger emoji) (Photo set)]
From photos of various members grocery shopping and cooking, to photos of Park Moon-dae looking flustered or smiling while eating the chicken porridge.
They were lifestyle shots that told a story.
And while the trolls were momentarily flustered.
“Oh? Yu-jin, did you post photos?”
“Yes!”
“Oh~ I see.”
Seeing the situation, Keun Se-jin went ahead and uploaded a video he had taken.
[It’s been a while since we’ve seen this kind of smile from Moon-dae-Moon-dae… As expected, eating well is the best, right? lol Loviewers, have a delicious lunch ♡ (Video)]
There were few fans who would dislike seeing their favorite group getting along so well and being close.
Naturally, the fans were fired up by this unexpected additional warmth that touched their hearts.
The onslaught of photos and videos was immense, and it wasn't even Park Moon-dae himself who had taken or posted them.
Thanks to that, the trolls were knocked out after punching the air.
They continued to make comments trying to rationalize it somehow, but in the end, it was just a delusional moral victory.
Eventually, in that awkward embarrassment, the talk about 'Park Moon-dae being an ego-searcher' fizzled out.
For the record, the person in question, Park Moon-dae, was currently in his room watching red panda videos.
“...Hmm.”
He was suffering from intermittent boredom, but there wasn't anything in particular to do.
However, there was one thing he was looking forward to.
‘Vacation starts the day after tomorrow.’
The fact that a three-day vacation was right around the corner.
For Park Moon-dae, who had never had a proper vacation until now, it was a very significant time.
‘This time, I’m going to have a killer vacation.’
The plan was perfect. Well, the plan was.