PAID

No. No, I can't fall into the trap. I can't give them a reason.

An alarm blared in my head. I turned around hastily and called out to the P.E. teacher.

“No! Sir, please don’t write my answers. I’m really fine.”

“Ah, so much talk. What, are you worried about what the other kids think? Hey, everyone, look. You all see Jun’s arm, right? Just think of it as a handicap and be understanding, alright?”

Sometimes, there are adults who just don’t listen. Before I could do anything, the P.E. teacher shoved my answer sheet into the envelope filled with other students’ papers. And to top it off, he left me with this remark:

“To be honest, if it were any other kid, you wouldn’t even get scraps.”

With an arrogant gait, he walked out of the classroom. I stood there blankly, staring after him in frustration. It was over. Everything was over.

As I trudged back to my seat, despair settling deep in my gut, I glanced toward the teacher’s podium. Thirty pairs of eyes were locked onto me.

“……”

I didn’t know what to do and just wrinkled the hem of my uniform pants.

The class seemed to return to their conversations, but a few still stole glances in my direction. They were definitely talking about me. Sure enough, someone with a slightly louder voice spoke up.

“Damn. Kang Jun got five extra minutes.”

“Hey. We can all hear you.”

“If he gets first place again this time, I’m filing a complaint.”

The teasing banter spread through the room. They were laughing, using me as their punchline. This time, I couldn’t even say anything back. I just forced an awkward smile and answered.

“No way, I couldn’t have gotten them all right.”

“No way… wait, 27, -1, 394, and 0? What did you put for the last question?”

“…I put 2.”

“Me too.”

“Then it’s wrong, isn’t it?”

Someone mockingly clicked their tongue. And then—my eyes met Go Yohan’s.

Damn it. A part of me had been worried, but Yohan simply turned away, as if he had lost interest. It was blatant disregard. And somehow, that made it even worse. A twisted mix of relief and disappointment churned inside me.

Even so, at the time, I thought this would just blow over.

Yohan didn’t seem too interested, and the rumors hadn’t spread across the entire grade. A few kids from Class 2 seemed to know, but after a few days, it looked like everyone had already forgotten.

At least, until I found out that I had placed first in the entire school. Again.@@novelbin@@

Of all things, this exam’s hardest subject had been math. And, as it turned out, the difference between first and second place had come down to just two points. Ha Minwoo, who had placed third last time, had studied like hell but ended up writing "2" for the last subjective question, losing his chance to beat me. Meanwhile, Ahn Jisoo, last term’s second-place student, got complacent and wrote "21" for the second subjective question, which was worth four points, knocking them down to third place. The math teacher smugly announced:

“The only student who understood my intent in setting the problems was Kang Jun from Class 1. Everyone, let’s try harder.”

That statement was poison. Poison that would take root, fester, and bear the terrible fruit of May.

If, in that moment, Go Yohan had just muttered his usual, “Eh, things happen,” then nothing would have followed. I truly believe that.

But Yohan wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was fixed on his phone screen, his lips curving into a smirk.