8. When compromise is impossible (1)
In the classroom.
There was a strange tension in the air.
A place of evaluation for teenagers who are not yet socially recognized to prove the meaning of their existence.
With the second semester midterm exam about to begin, Park In-hwan, who was in charge of the supervisor of the first class of first-year students, spoke in a serious voice.
“Listen while flipping the back of the test paper. Since I am the supervisor, the moment cheating is discovered, a grade of 0 is given for all subjects. You’ve been studying hard for a while, but you don’t want to lose all your scores in an instant. So, compete fairly and based on your skills. If you really worked hard, the evaluation that will take place from now on will make you happy. Oh, and check your OMR card carefully.”
It was a comment that was repeated every time.
Is it cheating or OMR card?
The students just listened intently to Park In-hwan’s words and stared intently at the back of the test paper that they had not yet checked.
Verification of test papers is carried out simultaneously for fairness reasons.
It was a definite advantage for the students in the front to quickly check even for just one second, so it was a culture that was created at some point in case something was said later. Cheonil is a prestigious high school representing Daesan. Because everyone was anxious about their test scores, they could not hide their nervousness right before checking the test papers.
The same was true for Kim Hyun-seong.
In a familiar situation that reminded him of his past life, Kim Hyun-seong felt a completely different kind of tension than his other friends.
‘If I don’t get good grades in this exam, my plan will end in failure before it even starts.’
Golden Circle.
The reason they targeted Kim Hyun-seong was because of his grades.
When Kim Hyun-seong achieved excellent grades in the first semester, someone who was jealous submitted a request to Golden Circle, and all hell began. In fact, there was no need to get revenge on them by getting good grades. There are ways to expose the existence of the Golden Circle, but Kim Hyun-sung wanted to completely destroy the opponent.
The meaning of their existence.
All of that.
He hoped to gradually destroy the Golden Circle by sexually interfering with their requests.
‘The reason the Golden Circle was able to build its current reputation is because all requests were completely successful. A simple revelation would end up revealing their existence, but if I achieve my goal by interfering with their request, the Golden Circle will lose its meaning and be completely destroyed.’
sexual.
It was a necessary puzzle.
A puzzle as important as the strength and background against violence.
Okay.
I picked up a pen.
At that moment, I heard Park In-hwan’s voice.
“Did you get all the test papers? “You can check the test paper from now on.”
The signal has dropped.
The moment I turned over the test paper, the densely written words caught my eye.
Violence in the past.
It was just a preliminary battle.
This moment of quickly checking the exam paper was the beginning of my true revenge.
* * *
A friend once said this.
“hey. Think carefully. Do you really think it makes sense to criticize high school grades just for regression in a fantasy novel? You just did some prior learning in your previous life? I mean. “I think it’s absolutely impossible.”
He was a friend with decent grades, but his unusual hobby was reading fantasy novels.
At the time, there was a work based on a fantasy novel that was made into a drama, and it was about a failed life returning to high school and achieving success. In a situation where everyone was talking about the probability of the incident, the friend showed a stern expression, saying that it made no sense that he was the only one who achieved excellent grades.
“We think of regression as a silver bullet, but if you look at it closely, you end up returning to your high school days a dozen years after graduating from high school. High school courses will no longer remain in their minds, and even if they do remember a little, it cannot be considered living knowledge. It must be a blurry memory. But just by cramming for a moment, you can become number one in the country? Okay, it’s easy to say.”
“But since it’s a problem I already solved before regression, I might remember it.”
“Of course it could be so. In fact, with that premise, probability is meaningless. No, it’s human to have no idea what happened just a few days ago, but if you’re capable of remembering all the test questions from decades ago, there’s no need for this kind of argument. The problem is the general category of people. If you are simply smart enough, you will obviously have no choice but to forget like other humans, and in the end, you will have no choice but to repeat your studies based on the prior learning of your past life. That alone is a great strength, but…”
My friend laughed.
“It is impossible for a person who was a bully in a previous life to be number one in the country even if he or she dies and wakes up. The kids competing for first place in the country at the high school level have talent that would make most regressors chew them up. Therefore, what a protagonist from a fantasy novel must have is not simply regression.”
Eyes were focused.
I was at an age where I was talking nonsense.
These words really had no help in life, but at the time, for some reason, everyone listened to them.
my friend said
“The hard work I had done in my past life was really tenacious. Wouldn’t one have to be smart to be the main character of a novel written by a writer? “To be honest, it’s absurd to talk about being number one in the country when you don’t even have those conditions.”
* * *
When you have recorded all your answers on the OMR card.
Drop, drop.
Tears spread over the test paper.
The exam was still in full swing.
While the other friends were busy solving problems, Hyunseong Kim held his face as if he was in pain.
“…Fuck.”
This test.
I prepared really hard.
Even though I trained so hard that I vomited up everything I ate at the gym every day, I stayed up all night studying when I got home. It was difficult to adapt at first. Recalling memories from dozens of years ago was difficult, and sitting through boring exam questions was easier said than done.
Still, I endured it.
I had to do it.
No matter how painful it is now, it could never be compared to the time when I was in a vegetative state.
Some people may feel complacent.
A complacent thought that because you achieved excellent grades in your previous life, your grades in this life will naturally follow with just a little effort. Of course, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense. Although these words are persuasive enough, Kim Hyun-seong did not allow the slightest variable in his future revenge. I thought that if I faced bad consequences due to my complacency, I would really not be able to handle the reality at that time.
every night.
I fell asleep on my desk.
I worked so hard and had confidence in myself the moment I received the test paper.
however.
But…
‘I remember everything. ‘I remember all the answers to the questions, without missing a single one.’
It was an unfamiliar feeling.
All the questions densely written on the test paper still vividly existed in Kim Hyun-seong’s mind.
It is not the result of studying.
I just remembered it.
Even though more than a dozen years had passed, the test questions came to mind clearly.
“…It really sucks.”
Then I realized.
Himself.
A person named Kim Hyun-seong was still in high school.
Rather than living as an adult and returning to high school like other protagonists of regression, Kim Hyun-seong’s life actually ended in his third year of high school. But how could I forget? Because I studied stubbornly despite being bullied, I lived as a vegetable and regretted my high school days countless times. Memories of my past life remained like a stigma in my mind. I did not simply have enough knowledge to solve the problem, but the problem and the answer remained clearly in my mind.
It was devastating.
I wasn’t happy at all.
Feeling as if bloody tears were flowing from his eyes, Kim Hyun-seong once again realized the meaning of his existence.
‘You must never forget. The reason I was able to return to this moment. ‘The evil intention of seeking revenge on the people and forces that turned me into a vegetable person was able to make me who I am today.’
closely.
I clenched my fists.
I had that thought recently while meeting people from the past like Kim Si-woo.
If you have a good mind, wouldn’t you be able to create an ideal picture where no one gets hurt? Humans were truly unusual creatures. Kim Hyun-seong was filled with self-loathing due to that complacent feeling of forgetting something even after despairing for a dozen years.
Someone’s request.
Someone’s malice.
That’s it.
It was only because of that that he fell into the abyss.
therefore.
‘I can do that.’
A plan in your head.
Seething malice.
I swallowed my disgust.
No matter how people view you or how they evaluate you in the future.
Your malice will definitely become reality.
* * *
The exams are all over.
Students gathered in groups of twos and threes conducted tentative scoring as if it were an annual event.
“Three times out of one.”
“Yes.”
“oh!”
“2 to 4 times.”
“ah-.”
“Oooooh!”
It was very chaotic.
Students who got the correct answer clenched their fists and cheered, while if the answer was different from the expected answer, they clutched their faces and appeared in pain. The joys and sorrows of students were a familiar sight. They were more desperate than ever to have the meaning of their existence evaluated through this one test.
Just like that, the tentative scoring was all over.
However, seeing Kim Hyeon-seong sitting quietly and alone, a female student approached him and asked.
“Hyunseong. “You don’t grade?”
“I will not.”
“why?”
“just.”
“okay? Then I’ll do it for you!”
Was her name Oh Hye-ji?
She was a petite person in her late 150’s and had a very pretty and cute appearance.
Even at the beginning of the semester, he was quite popular, with more than a dozen people confessing to him, and he also had a bright personality, so he got along well with Kim Hyun-seong from his previous life. Of course, if it were just that, I wouldn’t have remembered Oh Hye-ji. The reason Kim Hyun-seong remembers Oh Hye-ji is because she, a popular girl in first grade, confessed to him.
The result is rejection.
The reason was a practical problem.
Due to his poor family circumstances, he was not confident in studying well even while dating Oh Hye-ji.
Oh Hye-ji took the test paper with her signature smiling expression, sat down right next to her, and quickly began grading.
“Once in a while, three times too.”
“Good 4 times out of 2.”
“One time out of three…”
I didn’t bother to stop him.
It wasn’t because I had a crush on her.
As Oh Hye-ji approached, it was decided that it was necessary to use her popularity to attract the attention of male students.
Grading continues.
At first, I let out an exclamation.
Even Oh Hye-ji, who was smiling at Kim Hyun-sung’s excellent performance, began to tremble at some point.
“Uh huh…?”
grade 1 class 1.
Without a doubt, the top student in the class is Kim Hyun-seong.
No one can deny that, but if we extend it to the entire school, there were enough friends who were better at studying than Kim Hyun-seong. That was Cheonil’s level. Because all the friends who were good at studying at Daesan gathered together, Kim Hyun-seong could not get first place, let alone a nationwide scope. Although I later achieved better grades, I still had shortcomings in my first year of high school.
however.
Finally, Oh Hye-ji, who had finished grading, blurted out something in a shocking voice as if for everyone to hear.
“Hyeonseong’s tongue got 100 points in all subjects?”
That moment.
Class 1 friends couldn’t help but believe their ears.