The Final Days of Senior Year
“Hey, where are you applying for college?”
“Me? I’m applying for the military. Fuck…”
“Pfft, you’ll get in on the first round then? I’m jealous, man.”
“You fucking bitch, seriously—”
“I’m a 4th-grade in math, okay? You got a 2nd-grade, how dare you talk trash to me?”
“4th-grade? If you’re lucky, you might even be top of your class in the military, huh?”
This is exactly why I didn’t want to come to school… It’s exhausting watching these girls try so hard to act cheerful while being steeped in such deep, palpable sorrow. I’m getting in through regular admissions this year anyway, so I could technically blow off the finals… But then I worry that Chaeah might see me slacking off and pick up the habit, and I feel guilty sitting around doing nothing at home while my sister is off to her first real job.
“Seohyun-ssi, how’d you do on the Suneung?”
Was I sitting there looking too pathetic? Why is she being so cautious? Still, seeing her go around asking like this, she must have done well.
“Just… average. About the same as my usual mock exam scores.”
“Oh, really? That’s great! You’ve always wanted to go to Setbyeol University, right?”
“Yeah. How about you? Did you do well?”
“Of course! I’m applying straight to Sijae University. I think I can study for a retake while getting a scholarship.”
Another landmine. She was a friend who had been aiming for medical school.
“Right… good luck with the retake. If studying gets too hard, hit me up. Let’s grab a drink sometime.”
“Whoa, really? What’s the occasion? I’m actually going to text you, you know?”
“Just make sure you finish it in one retake. Don’t push yourself too hard…”
“Why do you hate retaking so much, Seohyun-ssi? Everyone does it these days. Oh, is it because you can just make a living off your face?”
Thwack—
Wait, why did a guy hit me, and why did it sound like that…
“That’s rude, you lunatic. Everyone has their own way of thinking.”
“Oh, come on. I wasn’t being sarcastic at all! I just think it’s amazing that someone as good-looking as Seohyun studies that hard!”
Now everyone is looking over here. Why do they have to fight in front of me… Both of them are so worked up that logic clearly won’t reach them. I’ll just pretend to be asleep.
“Guys, I’m a bit tired today… mind if I nap for a bit?”
“Oh, sure! Sorry, Seohyun.”
I want to see Chaeah… I have to hold back, right? I heard there are weird rumors going around among the sophomores because of my sister. Even if that weren’t the case, I’d have to deal with the girls making a scene the moment I go up there… Should I just tell Chaeah to come see me? She’d probably love to come, but it’s a bit embarrassing… She’d definitely tease me about this for at least a week.
“Hey, shit! Are you guys crazy? Are you not moving to the front?”
“Oh, why. What did we even do…”
“What did you do? Ugh, it’s so fucking gross… just get out of the way!”
What is this now…
As I lay there pretending to sleep, wondering what Chaeah was doing or what I should make for dinner for my sister, the boys and girls behind me were splitting into factions and fighting like crazy.
“Don’t you guys know this is a crime?”
“What’s with the ‘crime’ talk? We just sat in the back together because the Suneung is over.”
“Bullshit.”
Why are they fighting over me in the middle…?
The boys were standing around me like a perimeter, and most of the girls were standing behind me. In this formation, it’s obviously because of me.
“Uh, Seongmin. Why are you guys fighting, anyway?”
“Seohyun-ssi, you’re awake? Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t actually asleep.”
“Stop staring at him!”
Wait a second. Don’t tell me they’re fighting over just this? Because my underwear showed when I leaned over? I mean, we’re all grown up, why would they get so worked up over something like this…
“No, Minhee, that crazy bitch said she saw Seohyun-ssi’s underwear, so all the girls sat down behind him. It’s honestly disgusting…”
“It’s okay… why get so angry over something like this. It’s not like it’ll wear out, what’s the harm in looking?”
I glanced back, and it was mostly girls who had confessed to me at least once. With only a few days left before we never see each other again, how could they resist looking at their crush’s underwear? If they were trying to cross the line, I would have been careful about even the smallest things, but there’s hardly anyone at our school that shameless. Besides, the girls who try to cross the line usually get dealt with by the others anyway…
“You always let it slide, that’s why they act like perverts so confidently, Seohyun! We really need to crush those kinds of bitches.”
“He says he’s fine with it, so why are you acting like a bitch. Jeong Seongmin, you wouldn’t even care if he took it all off—”
“Ah, don’t cross the line, you crazy bitch. If you do that, we get lumped in with people like you and get cursed at too…!”
Screech—
“Ugh, the smell, seriously. Hey, you girls sitting by the window. Open the window. And why is your seating arrangement like this? Just because the Suneung is over, you’re going wild? Get back to your original seats.”
They’re getting caught because they’re doubling up on one chair like that… If it were me, I’d rotate every period, splitting the group in half. Is it because I’m thinking about stuff like this that I don’t feel anything even when the girls do that kind of stuff…?
“I’m sorry… I wanted to date in college. I have a bit of a romantic ideal about being a CC.”
“Oh, right! Don’t worry about it too much. I just wanted to convey my feelings before graduation…”
Why are so many girls confessing to me today? I came in prepared to some extent, but this is a bit much. Should I not have set my rejection line to “I don’t have any thoughts of dating before becoming an adult” from the start? When I said I didn’t have thoughts of dating before becoming an adult, I just meant there weren’t any pretty girls in high school… Did they take that to mean I’d start dating the moment I became an adult?
After rejecting eight confessions by text and three in person just today, I returned to the classroom and asked a girl I’m close with who happened to be at her desk.
“Minji. I’ve had so many confessions today, do you happen to know why? Do I look like an easy target…?”
“Yeah, you look fucking easy.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, sorry. Slipped out.”
“I-is that so? In what way…?”
“You dress in a way that makes sure the girls can see your underwear.”
“Hey, you want to die? That’s a logical fallacy. I don’t dress like that so they can see it; I dress like that because they look.”
“Anyway. Isn’t that the same thing?”
“It’s completely different, you crazy bitch…”
“And no matter how much they confess or do weird stuff, you just let it all slide whenever they give you that apologetic look. You don’t even go around spreading rumors.”
Wait, they all knew that among themselves? Am I some kind of raid boss? Are they sharing the strategy guide?
“They’re just taking a stab at a fruit they can’t eat. There’s no risk, anyway.”
“Oh… yeah. Phew, I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s been especially bad today.”
“There’s only a few days left to see each other, anyway.”
“That’s true. Hey, still, keep in touch occasionally, okay? You’re not going to ignore my texts the moment you graduate, right?”
Minji is one of the few female friends I have. Unlike the other girls, she never makes crude jokes, and she hasn’t confessed to me even once since sophomore year—
“Really? Then do you want to just date me instead?”
“…What did you say?”
“Pfft, look at that. I bet quite a few girls confess just to see that dumbfounded reaction of yours.”
“O-oh, r-right…? Ahahaha…”
…Is that right? Why does it feel like even that was a rehearsed line? Like she was just waiting to say it…
“Why are you taking it so seriously? If you have nothing else to say, I’m going to the snack bar.”
“O-oh, okay… have a good one.”
“Want me to buy you something?”
“No, it’s fine…”
But there are only three minutes left until class… Right, we’re seniors who finished the Suneung. Even if it was a real confession, I would have preferred Minji to come back quickly, but Minji didn’t end up coming back to the classroom until the period ended.
She definitely cried, didn’t she… She was a friend I’d been close with at school for over a year… I feel really bad. Maybe I should have been less obvious. I was just so flustered in the moment…
“Chaeah?”
“Oppa, what’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just—”
“You got confessed to again!”
“W-what. How did you know?”
“The sophomores are going crazy saying they have to confess before Oppa graduates. I came to tell you that.”
“Why, were you afraid Oppa would just accept them right away?”
“What are you talking about! I’m worried about you, and you say that—”
What do I do with this aegyo-filled girl? A grown woman came all the way to my classroom because she was worried about her brother? It’s touching, and cute, so I sat Chaeah on my lap and took out some snacks.
“W-what are you doing…?”
“Put this in your mouth and stay still. Oppa will fix your hair.”
“Why fix my hair. There’s no one at school I want to look good for…”
“Why not? I think Chaeah looks the cutest when she has her hair tied up.”
“Really…?”
“Of course, it’s the truth. Chaeah, you look best with your hair in a medium ponytail.”
“Aren’t all ponytails the same?”
“The prettier the girl, the more the vibe changes. High is cute, medium is neat, and low is sexy?”
“Then can you tie it low for me?”
“You’re such a girl, looking for sexy already… Chaeah, you’re so pretty that you can do mature styles even 20 years from now. You’re at the age where neat is the prettiest.”
“Okay…”
Our sweet Chaeah. She could have been stubborn, but she accepts whatever I say right away. Now that I’m done brushing, I should teach her how to tie it properly.
“Alright, hold this mirror and watch closely. First, you untangle the hair with the brush like this, and then you gather the hair toward the back along the line of your ears. Right at this point, about the middle of the back of your head? You tie it with a hair tie here, and then you pull out the bangs and the side pieces. See, it’s tied at the back of your head like this? Then you just pull on the top part a little bit to give it volume, and you’re done.”
“…Huh?”
“Were you listening?”
“No! I mean, that’s not it. Right! I was listening, but it went by so fast…”
“I’ll teach you again with a big mirror at home later. Go back to your classroom before the bell rings.”
“Okay… but Oppa, did you really bring this snack yourself? It’s not your style at all.”
“Oh, that’s…”
“Don’t tell me you got this while getting confessed to?”
She’s a ghost, seriously. Does she have a camera attached to my body? How did she know that…
“I’ll peel some fruit for you when we get home instead. I’m sorry, Chaeah…”
“Why fruit? I want to eat the dessert Oppa makes.”
“You already had one today. You can’t have two in one day.”
“You forced me to eat it!”
“There are no exceptions to the rules. And even if I forced you, it’s still bad for your health.”
“I’m so annoyed…”