Chapter 3

I wanted to sink into a black hole in the sky and let it swallow me. I wanted to disappear from that moment and just escape. Escape, escape.

The inevitable has come. I can feel sweat building up but I have to keep it cool. I have to keep it all inside.

“Like I would tell you?” Then I sneered playfully, standing up and wrapping my mattress in a circle.

“That’s unfair.” You pouted.

“No, it’s not.” I went to the stock room and hid my mattress. “I’ll start attending the tutorials again.”

“That’s good.” You smiled at me. The same smile you gave me when I first met you.

Then, my heart was at ease. I walked away with a small smile on my face.

The next day, I went to the cafeteria after class and found you sitting on the same spot. I stared at you again. You looked impatient, excited.

The bullies were approaching you. They were mocking you again and you just had your eyes closed, again.

I walked slowly towards our table and heard pieces of what the bullies told you.

“You answer that and give it back tomorrow.”

“Answer what?” I asked out loud, putting both of my hands on my pockets again.

They look startled but managed to answer, “The, uhhhh..”

I looked at our table and saw a new book laying on it. I picked it up and scanned the pages. The handwritings are all yours. You do the assignments and exercises for them.

“What’s your name?” I asked their leader.

“S-Sungjin.”

“I am going to propose a deal to you, Sungjin. This deal is win-win, for the both of us. You get Jaehyun’s book and answer all the exercises he answered for you. If you got all the answers correct, I am going to give you a four-year opportunity to use Jaehyun to answer all of your book exercises from then on.” I smirked while you look scared about the proposition I just made. Trust me on this.

“G-give it to me. I’ll have it all answered by tomorrow.” Sungjin muttered, stuttering.

I clicked my tongue. “No, no. You’re going to answer it right here, right now. We don’t want to waste such precious time, right, Sungjin?” I grabbed his collar and forced him to sit down at one of the stools.

I nodded at you and you got it right away. You tossed him my book, the unanswered one.

Sungjin grabbed a pen and started answering.

“W-what if I got the wrong answer?”