Acing the First Midterms
After starting elementary school, the first midterms I'd ever faced arrived. It was an exam that had already vanished from my original era. I still remember being pretty shocked when I first heard about it—the fact that there were no midterms or finals in elementary school. No exams at all? How could that even make sense...? Taking tests twice a semester seemed like an obvious duty for any student...!
There were four exams a year in total. Of course, factoring in the mock tests and various other exams along the way, it added up to even more. I sat in the middle of the classroom, staring down at my test paper.
Study time the night before? I'd flipped through the book once, that was it. Korean, math, and English were all basic enough that I could handle them with my fundamental skills. It'd be weirder if someone who'd gone through high school couldn't solve first-grade elementary problems.
I flipped through the test paper and let out a soft chuckle. Korean section. Choose the correct statement from the following. It took mere seconds to scan the options.
This one's... Anyone who speaks Korean could get it right. Math was the same. The answers popped into my head the moment I saw the problems. 3+4=? 5+6=? I twirled my pencil for a second, thinking.
No need to even think about this...
The soft scratch of pencil on paper echoed faintly through the classroom. Scratch. Scratch. I filled in the answers almost automatically.
English was a non-issue. Just word reading and simple sentences.
It'd be more surprising if I got this wrong.
I flipped the page and tilted my head. That's exactly why I'd studied a bit yesterday. Science varied slightly by textbook. The one in my memories differed subtly from the current one. So I'd spent a little time on it—maybe three or four hours. I'd opened the book and checked page by page.
And that's why it felt ridiculously easy. I finished in just five minutes and set down my pencil. I double-checked for any mistakes. It was standard procedure to review after finishing, just in case.
The real ordeal came next. The classroom was still deep in the exam. Of course it was. They'd given plenty of time. And considering the kids' brainpower right now, the teachers probably never expected anyone to finish this fast. They tailored the problems to the class's level, after all.
All the kids had their heads bowed over their papers. Killing the remaining time was torture.
A shadow fell over me. I looked up to see our homeroom teacher standing there. She bent down a bit and whispered in my ear.
"Sora, don't give up—try your best!"
I blanked out for a second. She must've thought I was one of those kids who couldn't do the problems because I was bad at studying. The reality was different... I wasn't stuck unsolved—I'd already finished everything. But I didn't say that. Not in the middle of an exam.
So I just nodded slightly. The teacher nodded back, satisfied, and returned to the front of the room.
Luckily, elementary midterms wrapped up in a single day. Unlike middle or high school, where exams dragged on for days. That was the one upside.
And just like that, Byeolbit Elementary's midterms were over.
A few days later, report cards came out. I took the paper and glanced at it without much feeling.
Perfect scores across the board. All 100s. No smugness or pride welled up. It was just... expected. Failing to get 100 would be the real problem. It'd mean an adult couldn't handle first-grade level.
By middle school, some problems stumped adults. Even upper elementary ones could. But first grade? Way below that.
I tucked the report card into my bag and headed home.
The moment I opened the front door, Mom's voice rang out. Just hearing it made my heart warm, all tension melting away. Was this Mom's superpower?
"Sora~ You're home?"
"Yes."
I set down my bag and pulled out the report card.
"Mom, here."
She took the paper, blinked for a second.
And then—
"Sora!!!"
Mom jumped up suddenly.
"You did so well, my girl!!"
She grabbed my shoulders and shook me. I stood there a bit dazed.
"Yes."
Praise felt nice, but since it was like using a cheat code, I was still a little stunned. Like clearing a tutorial stage in a game.
Dad got home from work and saw it too. He smiled and said,
"Our daughter's amazing, huh?"
Then he glanced at Mom. They exchanged looks and said in unison,
"Let's eat out!"
That evening, we headed to a nearby pork belly joint. The door opened to a wave of grilling meat scent hitting our noses. We sat at a good table, and Dad ordered samgyeopsal.
Soon, a plate piled with thick pork belly slices arrived. Dad picked one up with the tongs and laid it on the hot grill.
Sizzle~!
The meat browned beautifully on the plate. Dad flipped it with the tongs. Fully cooked. Pork belly grills fast, after all.
"Eat up, our genius girl!"
Mom wrapped some in lettuce and handed it over.
"This outing's all thanks to Sora~"
I popped the whole wrap in my mouth. Some people bite ssam in pieces—that's eunuch-level stuff. A proper ssam gets devoured in one bite, size be damned. National rule.
The fatty meat and salty ssamjang exploded in my mouth. Delicious.
I looked at my parents. Mom kept beaming, Dad looked content. I smiled quietly at the sight. That's what made it nice.
Going out to eat with Mom and Dad didn't feel unfamiliar anymore. Back in the single-room days, it was unthinkable. We were too busy worrying about meals.
So I stuffed myself full of pork belly.
"Sora~ Time to get up!"
"Mom... just 10 more minutes..."
"Our girl~ Why are you so weak to sleep? You're good at everything else~"
"Ugh..."
Waking up was an enormous battle for me. Even going to bed at 10 p.m. This kid body must need more sleep. I wasn't like this as a guy.
Day labor started at dawn. Commuting under the morning stars, clocking out under the evening ones. Waking wasn't easy then either. But with a phone alarm, I at least avoided being late.
Now? Different story. Sleeping between Mom and Dad, I didn't stir even after they got up and left the bed.
Hearing Mom, I finally dragged myself out. Rubbing my eyes, I shuffled to the living room.
"Dad~"
Dad was shaving. One perk of being born a girl: no daily shave. Skip a day as a guy, and the beard grew like wildfire. No idea why it grew so fast. And Korean beards? Pathetic—nothing like the lush Western ones. More like eunuch scruff. No upsides to growing it, just downsides.
Dad saw me and said,
"Cute girl of mine~ We're going to Grandma's today, so dress pretty, okay?"
"Yees~"
Today was Grandma's house day. Mom and Dad were both 28, so Grandma and Grandpa were definitely still around. Back then, mid-teens marriages were common, so great-grandparents were often alive. Our family married young too, but mine had passed before I was born.
Grandma and Grandpa, though? Healthy as ever. Grandpa even worked full-time, proudly active. I heard he wasn't 60 yet. I figured late 50s. Dad said the age gap with Grandpa was nearly 30 years.
People usually know parents' ages but not grandparents'. Grandpa and Grandma hadn't had Dad super young either.
"Alright, let's go, Sora!"
"Yees~"
I took Mom and Dad's hands and stepped outside.