The Narrow Gate (14)
Unlike the tumultuous first day, the rest of the study schedule passed without incident.
Yoon Seo-a still reached for me whenever she found the chance, and Su-ryeon stayed close at my side as much as possible to keep those opportunities from arising.
As a result, the two of them snarling at each other seemed to grow a little fiercer—but that was all.
We diligently prepared for the first regular exams. Even the two who had been growling at each other fell silent and focused on the final day, and I wrapped my head in my hands trying to fully absorb the study methods and weak points they had taught me.
And then Monday morning arrived.
"I do hope everyone will produce good results."
At Yoon Seo-a's words, everyone nodded with tense faces, no one excepted.
The exams that filled the entire day finally ended.
I watched Senior Officer Maria's back as she collected the test papers, then collapsed face-down onto my desk.
"Ha, Ha-eun. Senior Officer Maria is still here…"
So-hye fretted from the seat beside me, but I could not lift my head right away.
Showing a face twisted in misery would clearly earn a worse evaluation than being seen sprawled undignifiedly over my desk.
No tears came. There was nothing to feel wronged about, nothing to be angry about. I had never imagined that studying a little harder for just three more days would bring some enormous change.
But it was bitter. Everyone had helped me so much, and yet this was all I could manage. I did not have the courage to raise my head and look at anyone else's face.
Yes. As you can tell from this reaction, I bombed the exam. Not merely a gut feeling—I knew I had bombed it even without looking.
At least three problems left blank in every subject, and Politics and Society, which I had dreaded most, was even worse.
If there had been fewer questions it would have been catastrophic, but thankfully there were fifty per subject, so if I somehow got the ones I answered right I might still be salvaged. Even so, the mere fact that blanks existed was a problem in itself.
If I had at least managed to fill everything in somehow, I could have consoled myself that I had tried hard. I could not even do that.
I stayed face-down on the desk until Senior Officer Maria gave me a warning and left with the collected papers.
I was not the only one reacting this way. Soft sighs and silent lamentations rose here and there. They must have been shocked by a difficulty incomparable to the entrance exam.
Of course, exceptions existed everywhere. People like So-hye fretting in the next seat, or Yoon Seo-a, who walked over steadily and stroked my back like this.
"Ha-eun. Was the exam very difficult?"
"…A little."
"Then it will be fine. If it was hard for you, Ha-eun, it would have been the same for everyone else."
"Was it hard for you too, Seo-a?"
"No. It was extremely easy for me, you know?"
Huhu—she laughed and said it so proudly that I looked up at her without thinking.
"Weren't you here to comfort me?"
"Comfort is comfort, and my achievements are my achievements. Even if it is to comfort you, Ha-eun, I do not wish to lie about something like that."
Heh. A moment of absurdity washed over me, but it was so thoroughly like Yoon Seo-a that only a sigh escaped.
Yeah, well. She was the one who had boasted from the very first day of enrollment that she would enter Class A. Nothing strange about it.
As that was happening, So-hye, who had been watching our faces, suddenly jumped in.
"D-don't worry, Ha-eun! Just as Yoon Seo-a said, if it was hard for you, it must have been hard for the others too…!"
"…By the way, how did you do, So-hye?"
"Eh? I-I think I did okay-ish…"
These frauds. I glared at the two with resentful eyes. So-hye went "Hik!" and averted her gaze, but Yoon Seo-a instead lifted her chin and looked down as if to say, so what?
Ugh. I weakly pushed myself up, gathered my handbag, and spoke to them.
"Yeah, well. It's the fault of the one who didn't study…"
"That's right. If you had only studied a little harder, Ha-eun, you could have received good grades. Or how about staying in my room from now on—room and board—to prepare for the next regular exam?"
"I'm sorry, but I'll pass, Yoon Seo-a."
If she had at least phrased it prettily. I shot Yoon Seo-a a glare, then turned away.
"Su-ryeon and Chae-rin should be finished with their exams too, so let's go meet them. And while we're at it, we can have an after-party for the study group now that the exams are over."
"Do we have to go? They'll probably come first anyway."
"Then you stay here, Yoon Seo-a. So-hye and I will go alone. So-hye?"
"Ah, a-ah. Yes…"
I linked arms with So-hye, who scurried over at my call, then turned back to Yoon Seo-a with a smile.
"See you later, then."
"Haa, fine. We can just go together, can't we?"
See? She was going to follow anyway. Yoon Seo-a approached, shaking her head as if she had no choice, and I let out a small "hmph" of a snort as I unlinked my arm from So-hye.
I had only done it to tease Yoon Seo-a, who hated seeing me close to anyone else.
"U-eh? H-Ha-eun linked arms with me…!"
Plus, So-hye short-circuited from the arm-linking, which was also a problem.
I poked So-hye's arm as she babbled, restored her to normal, then led the two of them toward Class 1-B.
"Ah, Ha-eun!"
While walking down the hallway we ran into Su-ryeon and Chae-rin, who had likewise been coming this way. At the sight of Su-ryeon waving her arms in greeting, I smiled.
"You two—did you do well on the exams?"
"Hmm, it's a bit iffy, but I think it'll be enough to maintain the class."
"I did well."
Unlike Su-ryeon making a troubled face, Chae-rin drew a V-sign and spoke in a nonchalant voice.
When it came purely to studying, Chae-rin seemed a bit sharper and more put-together, so the result was only natural.
"How about you, Ha-eun? You studied hard with the study group and all, so it was okay, right?"
"Ah, I…"
"Ha-eun says she bombed the exam."
As I was about to answer in a lukewarm voice, Yoon Seo-a suddenly leaned in and said that.
I glared at Yoon Seo-a for cutting in, but she continued as if it were nothing.
"I don't know how badly, but right after the exam she face-planted on the desk. Even though the Senior Officer hadn't left yet."
"What? Then wouldn't she get a warning?"
"Of course she did. Even though Shin So-hye worried about her, she didn't listen—looking very dejected."
"Yoon Seo-a… why are you telling them everything like that…?"
"It's Seo-a, not Yoon Seo-a, right?"
"Hmph. If you keep teasing me, I'll keep calling you Yoon Seo-a."
I was already in a foul mood from bombing the exam, and she kept needling me. I whipped my head away all riled up, and Yoon Seo-a massaged my shoulder as she spoke.
"I have to keep stimulating you like this so you'll grit your teeth and do better on the next exam, Ha-eun."
"Even without that, I'm already all fired up, you know?"
From the moment the exam ended, I had made one resolution: to double my existing studying.
I was not particularly smart, and I had no clever tricks. So I had to grit my teeth and study harder simply to keep pace with everyone else.
In the first place, the reason I had been able to enter Private Acacia Academy was because I had worked for years solely toward that end, was it not?
"Wouldn't it have been better to comfort me and earn my favor?"
If she had, the negative favorability might have risen a little. When I grumbled sulkily, Yoon Seo-a snorted a laugh, then put her mouth to my ear and whispered.
"Comfort is what Hong Su-ryeon does, right? Or is it Su-ryeon now?"
"…What?"
I stared blankly at Yoon Seo-a, but she spoke to the others as if she had never said such a thing.
"More than that, since the exams are over, how about a light meal as an after-party? I'll reserve a nice place."
"Really? I was starving because there was no time to eat during the exams."
"R-right. I never thought there wouldn't even be meal time during the exams…"
Chae-rin and So-hye sparkled their eyes and responded to her words.
But I could not move an inch from the story I had just heard from Yoon Seo-a.
How does Yoon Seo-a know that? There was clearly no one else but us then… As I stood blankly, I felt someone take my hand.
"Ha-eun. Let's go for now."
"Ah, Su-ryeon…"
"I don't know what Yoon Seo-a said, but if you keep standing there, everyone will think it's weird."
Looking around, the other three were already walking ahead. Only Su-ryeon had waited for me where I stood still.
"Let's catch up while Chae-rin is keeping Yoon Seo-a company."
"S-Su-ryeon. Seo-a knows."
"Knows? What do you mean?"
"That I call you Su-ryeon…"
At that, Su-ryeon, who had been leading me by the hand, paused, then turned her head to me and asked.
"You didn't tell her, right?"
"O-of course not. We said it was our secret…"
"Then maybe there was a recorder or camera somewhere."
"Recorder… camera…?"
Why would something like that be in the room? When I looked at her with a "no way" expression, Su-ryeon shrugged.
"If I didn't say it and you didn't say it, Ha-eun, then that's the only possibility, right? But yeah. Maybe we need to be careful even in places without Yoon Seo-a."
"That…"
"It's okay, Ha-eun. Recorders and cameras always end up showing somehow. I'll examine Yoon Seo-a more carefully, so don't worry."
"Okay…"
"Good. Shall we go now?"
At Su-ryeon's question I nodded and followed the leading hand.
But the anxiety still did not fade. I looked around, checking locations where surveillance cameras might be.
There were the usual cameras all over the building, yet it felt as if every one of them was watching only me and Su-ryeon.
"You two are late."
When we caught up belatedly, Yoon Seo-a said. Before I could speak, Su-ryeon replied in a sullen voice.
"Someone's feet were too fast. And thanks to not considering our circumstances, we were a bit late."
"Hmm, I didn't think I walked that fast."
I looked at Yoon Seo-a as she spoke. She was addressing Su-ryeon with her usual cool expression, yet somehow it felt as if her gaze was directed at me as well.
As if she had eyes elsewhere, too.