Accidents Happen Without Warning
Accidents happen without warning. Next Monday. True to my duties as a student, I headed to school. Same time as always. Same seat as always. Same day as always—and the students wore their usual expressions.
"The test results come out today, right?"
"Hope it's okay... I thought I did well beforehand..."
"Please! If I pass this time, I get a free PS5!"
Everyone started voicing their feelings—some in whispers too quiet for others to hear, some casually chatting with friends, others loud enough for the whole class. The room buzzed with chatter. But amid it all, one person couldn't join in.
"Hey, Lee Geon-woo, you sick or something today?"
Lee Geon-woo. The class president. Kind and friendly to everyone. But right now, he looked uneasy, glancing around nervously. The reason was simple. I'd seen through one of his true natures.
If he'd just listened to me properly, things could've ended peacefully. But he gave up on talking and refused to trust me, so this was inevitable.
As he scanned the room, his eyes met mine. I tapped my temple with my finger, sending my message clear: Don't act like you know me. Unless you want your secret exposed. Don't let the nightmare in your head become reality. A threat loaded with intent. By mimicking the gesture from the bowling alley, I naturally brought that moment back to his mind.
"...!!"
Geon-woo reacted instantly. His body shuddered briefly, then he quickly looked away.
Seeing that, any funny ideas are off the table for a while. That was my immediate judgment. Once an imagined scenario burrows into the subconscious, it's not easy to shake.
Ding—dong—daeng—dong. The bell signaling first period rang out.
Today was unusual—no regular class, just homeroom time for the teacher and students. The official goal was to build rapport. But really, it was just self-study in disguise.
"Today’s the day report cards come out. You all know that, right?"
Today felt different. Our homeroom teacher walked in clutching a thick stack of papers—exactly one per student. No one could mistake those for anything but the test results.
Someone gulped. Another cleared their throat to ease the tension. A few deliberately buried their eyes in their textbooks.
"We'll start in alphabetical order."
I casually prepared to stand, as expected since my name came first.
"Kang Sung-hoon. Come up first."
I approached without a hint of surprise—I'd prepared for this. But what happened next? I didn't see it coming.
The teacher handed me my report card and bellowed, "Everyone! Give a round of applause for our class topper, Sung-hoon!"
The sudden announcement caught us all off guard, me included. But then—
Clap. Clap-clap. Clap-clap-clap-clap—!
Thunderous applause erupted. Even if we were stunned at first, this was definitely worth celebrating.
"......"
Leaving me dazed, the teacher placed a hand on my shoulder and boasted proudly. "Come on, everyone! Let's all follow Sung-hoon's example and work hard!" He spent a full ten minutes preaching mental fortitude. Naturally, the students let it go in one ear and out the other—no one paid real attention. Their faces said it all: they just wanted this over with.
Of course, I was stuck among them... but my spot was the problem.
Damn, standing here next to the teacher makes it hard to zone out.
I wondered if I'd have to say something, but luckily, no. The teacher sent me back to my seat without extras. Walking back under everyone's stares felt like a runway from hell.
With that, he distributed report cards to everyone. Lucky or not, no one else got applause or speeches like me.
And once all the cards were handed out—
"Students who scored below 60 overall will have makeup exams later."
It was like dropping a nuke. For those staring blankly at their results, it hit like a bolt from the blue.
Of course, among them—
"Huh...?"
Was a friend connected to me. A black-haired beauty with stunning looks.
And then—
Looked like one more was joining us.
The final bell rang, ending classes. Right after, we headed to the library.
Knock, knock.
I lightly rapped on the door. As if she'd been waiting, it swung open.
"Come on in."
Na-ri beamed as she opened it, taking in me and the friends behind me. Park Ha-yoon, Lee Seol-ah. Her eyes paused on Seol-ah.
"...The one from last time is here too."
With that, she ushered us inside.
......
The library interior. True to its bookshelves, it smelled of wood and felt a bit dim... but
"Pretty modern, huh?"
Not really. More like a sleek public library? No dusty old desks or chairs. The enclosed study tables were shoved into a far corner, like at a study cafe.
I glanced around. The books were neatly shelved, more organized than ever.
Ha-yoon gaped in surprise.
"Was the library always this nice...?"
"No... I don't think so? It wasn't like this when I cleaned before...?"
Seol-ah replied uncertainly. The messy library she'd seen before felt worlds apart from this one. Even I'd been impressed seeing Na-ri's plan firsthand—what must Seol-ah think, having only sorted books?
But we didn't dwell on it. We had more pressing matters.
......
We took our seats. Seol-ah next to me, Ha-yoon and Na-ri across.
Simple reason for the split: flunkers and passers. Clear line drawn.
"First... both of you, pull out your test results."
I said to Na-ri and Ha-yoon. The library was empty after hours, so no need to whisper.
They hesitantly slid over their report cards, hands trembling like guilty puppies.
I watched and thought, Guilty, huh? If studying's a student's duty... yeah, they kinda sinned. But I shook off the pointless musing.
"Here... it's yours."
"Don't laugh."
I took the sheets. Thankfully, not the worst-case scenario.
I muttered as I looked them over. "Science and humanities wiped out for one, humanities and science for the other."
They both flinched. Obvious who struggled where.
"Whoa."
Meanwhile, Seol-ah peeked at their scores and let out a surprised squeak, eyeing Ha-yoon.
"You aced math this time?"
"I've always been good at math."
"Pfft, we all saw you sleeping in math class every time."
Seol-ah said it innocently, stabbing right at Ha-yoon's habits. How'd I know? Ha-yoon's face flushed red for a moment.
She coughed awkwardly to hide her embarrassment.
"Lately, I've been getting into studying math, y'know."
And glanced at me. Must've been the karaoke study session stuck in her mind. The slight tremble? Probably just coincidence. No way she'd shake from that— even if I pushed her hard.
Back to business.
"You two know where you went wrong?"
Ha-yoon shook her head; Na-ri nodded. I eyed Na-ri.
"Math problems, right?"
"...Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Just... lit girls don't mix with calculations?"
I scratched my head vaguely. From otaku lore my sister fed me, literary types suck at math.
And—
'That's where the protagonist helps out! And their bond sprouts!'
I ignored the rest. Not just us two here—Seol-ah and Ha-yoon too.
I pulled out a pen and notebook from my bag. Flipped to a fresh page, wrote Yoo Na-ri big, and noted:
Weak on calculation problems.
Na-ri looked a bit embarrassed but stayed quiet—her own mess, after all.
"Hmm... I think I know Ha-yoon's issue roughly."
Seol-ah chimed in, watching me. Claiming she knew something Ha-yoon didn't.
"Yeah? What do you think?"
Sometimes outsiders see clearer. I listened closely.
"From watching Ha-yoon..."
Seol-ah paused, glanced at Ha-yoon with an apologetic look.
"Ha-yoon's got this... unique sensitivity, different from normal people."
That wrapped it up. At the same time, Ha-yoon touched her wristband. Her eyes on Seol-ah turned murky—like a swamp you shouldn't peer into.