2.4 – Midterms

“You guys stop coming to my seat to chatter now.”

In the morning, at Oh Seung-pyo’s sudden declaration, the kids looked bewildered, like people who had their natural rights stripped away overnight.

Seung-pyo’s seat was a kind of public good. Whether Oh Seung-pyo himself was studying, sleeping, looking at his phone, or playing games, the kids gathered at his seat like a set rule to gossip, exchange information, and plan after-school schedules.

The kids looked seriously anxious, like customers facing the closure of their favorite regular shop, and each voiced their opinion.

“Why again?”

“Are you doing this because you’re studying?”

“Midterms are still a long way off. You always cram.”

Instead of answering, Oh Seung-pyo opened his book.

“Cramming was something I did until middle school. How long are you going to see me as that kind of guy?”

“Then you’re not coming online to game tonight either?”

“Yeah, play without me until the exams are over.”

“Ah, but you have to be there.”

They each grumbled with regret, but there was nothing they could do. If a friend had made up his mind to study, hindering that resolution was something one couldn’t do if they had even a shred of friendship.

Although they didn’t say it for fear of making Oh Seung-pyo angry, the kids all guessed in unison that it was because he was in the same class as Ryu Jae-min. The kids who had been close to him since the first year remembered how Oh Seung-pyo would act like he was having a seizure whenever exam period approached, claiming that from now on it was truly only about studying, cutting off games, basketball, soccer, and other entertainment.

Perhaps because Ryu Jae-min was right in front of him this year, that period had arrived sooner. They still had over a month to wait for midterms, yet he had started his “seizure” before the middle of March.

Being second in the entire school was a grade that most mid-tier students couldn’t even dream of. It was a grade he could brag about as much as he wanted, and in reality, Oh Seung-pyo wasn’t particularly humble. Despite his rather arrogant personality, the reason he wasn’t hated was perhaps because the way he periodically acted out, unable to overcome his inferiority complex, was funny… no, perhaps it was because it was human. One boy nodded and spoke.

“You’re a really good guy.”

“What is?”

Seung-pyo asked back in a bewildered tone. It was an overly warm thing to hear after declaring that they shouldn’t come to his seat and shouldn’t look for him in games. However, instead of explaining the reason, the kids left words of encouragement, telling him to hang in there and work hard, before moving to another student’s seat.

Seeing them gathered at other seats, chatting and playing without him, they actually looked like they were having fun. Seung-pyo watched the scene lonelily, like a large dog separated from the pack, before shifting his gaze to Jae-min’s seat.

Ryu Jae-min had always been the type to quietly do his own thing in the classroom, but today he exuded a sharper, more unapproachable atmosphere. While he didn’t have as many friends as Seung-pyo, there were a few kids who would cling to him whenever they had a chance, but even those kids didn’t dare go near Ryu Jae-min’s seat today, sticking to their own group instead.

This ‘bet’ had undoubtedly served as a stimulus for Ryu Jae-min as well. His momentum, staring into his book without even looking away during break time, was unusual. Whether he was memorizing or solving problems, as Seung-pyo stared at the profile of him moving his pen while muttering to himself, Seung-pyo’s momentarily lax heart tightened firmly.

That firm resolve did not easily loosen even after he returned home from school and the academy. As soon as Seung-pyo washed up and changed clothes, he sat at his desk and began the remaining study.

“Hey, you want to order pizza?”

Even at his brother’s salty suggestion, which he would normally have shouted ‘yes’ to, he answered without giving a single glance.

“Forget it. Eat it yourself.”

“For real? I’m only ordering one. If you ask for a slice later, you’re dead.”

“I’m not eating. I’m studying, so don’t talk to me.”

“This little… Did you do the entrance exams alone? Seeing you get all worked up, you’re definitely going to lose again this time. Definitely.”

“Ah, seriously!”

Even when Seung-pyo raised his voice, his brother didn’t even blink, only clicking his tongue and slamming the door shut. Seung-pyo let out a sigh and dropped his gaze back to the book.

Ryu Jae-min, who lived with parents who were university professors, was probably studying in a perfectly equipped academic environment… It was a bet that was disadvantageous in many ways, but that only made his competitive spirit flare up more.

‘Just wait until I win. I won’t let you off easy.’

The first thing that came to mind when thinking of Ryu Jae-min was that expressionless face that seemed to slightly look down on people. While he often smiled when he was with other kids, Oh Seung-pyo knew it was purely a fabricated facade.

Finding those rare expressions—Ryu Jae-min being surprised, flustered, angry, or embarrassed—expressions rarely seen in a crowded classroom or academy, had recently become the most interesting thing for Oh Seung-pyo.

Was it a pleasure similar to collecting trading cards he liked in elementary school? The thrill of getting a hard-to-obtain SSS-grade rare card was practically addictive, and facing Ryu Jae-min’s rare reactions gave him a feeling similar to those childhood days.

Logically, what kind of crazy guy sets a bet condition because he actually wants to see another guy masturbating from behind? There must have been a reason why Jae-min couldn’t do it even while running a pervert account, so Seung-pyo just wanted to see him flustered in front of him. In short, it was an opportunity to get a super rare card.

‘…I have to work hard.’

He would make him so embarrassed and flustered that he wouldn’t know what to do. Recalling his firm determination, Seung-pyo turned the page. Although he did have to yell “I said I’m not eating!” when his brother, who had received the delivered pizza outside the door, asked once more, “Hey, you really aren’t eating, right?”

It seemed like a simple bet where each just had to study hard, but an unexpected problem remained between the two.

The fact that there was still about a month left until midterms. It was still March. The exact exam period hadn’t even been announced yet.

The next day, during a transition between classes, Seung-pyo slid over to Jae-min. Pretending to stretch, he leaned in and whispered in a low voice.

“When and where should we do it today?”

To Seung-pyo’s suggestive question, Ryu Jae-min answered bluntly.

“Where is the time for that?”

“What? How long does it even take to do that once?”

“During exam periods, I plan my preparation by the minute and second. So I don’t have time to play around with you until the exams are over.”

As he finished speaking, a faint sneer was openly etched on Jae-min’s face.

“Do I look like I’m in a position to relieve your buildup right now?”

“Get your words right. You’re the pervert, not me.”

“Who was the one who suggested doing it first?”

Since they were in a situation where they had to compete, saving every moment to take first place, it was only natural to utilize the opponent’s desires if possible. Oh Seung-pyo regretted deeply that he hadn’t properly addressed this part when first deciding the bet conditions, but it was already too late.

Compared to Ryu Jae-min, who knew how to strip and put on all sorts of shows in front of countless people to satisfy his desires, he was just a clumsy chick in the pervert world, his body burning from the sweetness of the kiss he had just tasted. Grinding his teeth in frustration, Oh Seung-pyo had no choice but to grumble stubbornly.

“You, don’t you dare make another account like that behind my back.”

“When are you going to stop bringing that up?”

Oh Seung-pyo looked resentfully at the back of Ryu Jae-min, who snapped coldly and walked ahead, then let out a long sigh and trudged along with slow steps.

…But as time passed, even this “kiss ban” became the driving force for Oh Seung-pyo’s academic passion.

Encountering each other at school, at the academy, in the hallway, passing by in the faculty office, accidentally touching bodies while being in the same group during PE, or being called by a teacher to run an errand together.

Moments that would normally have been opportunities to seize a gap and steal a kiss instead slipped through Oh Seung-pyo’s fingers like futile grains of sand. He knew the sensation of their lips touching; he knew Ryu Jae-min’s expression and the occasional slips in his voice…

Having been forbidden from that sweet act for nearly a month, he was on the verge of going crazy and snapping. Once, out of sheer frustration, he had asked Ryu Jae-min directly.

“Does it not bother you at all that you can’t do what we used to? Why go this far?”

“I’m fine. Seeing you throw a fit because you can’t do it relieves my stress.”

“…You fucking pervert.”

After that day, Seung-pyo had to endure even the urge to act desperate for a kiss in front of Ryu Jae-min.

In Oh Seung-pyo’s eyes, Ryu Jae-min began to look less like the human Ryu Jae-min and more like a seductive trophy he could claim upon winning the bet—a trophy sculpted from sugar. Every time Seung-pyo opened his books, he grit his teeth, and occasionally spent time pleasuring himself while glaring at photos of Ryu Jae-min he had secretly taken on his phone last year.

Just you wait. He intended to demand an entire Saturday or Sunday—at least one full day of the weekend—once he claimed first place. He felt he would need at least twelve hours of doing everything he wanted to be compensated for a month of brutal abstinence.

And so, the days passed steadily. Spring ripened, and the cherry blossoms bloomed. During cherry blossom season, Seung-pyo and his siblings used to go on outings with cousins who lived nearby, but this year, Seung-pyo passed on the flower viewing to immerse himself in his studies.

As performance assessments proceeded and the midterm exam period was announced, the scope of the tests was set. Not just Oh Seung-pyo and Ryu Jae-min, but all the students in the class began cramming as if their feet were on fire; it became rare to see anyone going out to play or chatting noisily during breaks or lunch.

The day before the exam, the student sitting next to Seung-pyo jumped in surprise and stammered.

“Hey, Oh Seung-pyo. You’re… you’re bleeding.”

“What?”

“You have a nosebleed.”

Seung-pyo poked the area under his nose with the back of his hand. Indeed, a small amount of blood was flowing.

He had countless instances of nosebleeds from exercising or colliding with other kids while running around, but this was the first time in his life he had had a nosebleed while sitting and studying.

A student hurriedly brought over some tissues. Rather than being surprised, Seung-pyo felt a sense of pride as he wiped away the blood. A nosebleed from studying… I really did work like a dog this time. The student who brought the tissues asked worriedly.

“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”

“It’s just because heat has built up in my body.”

As the sudden bleeding caused a commotion around Seung-pyo’s seat, Ryu Jae-min seemed to be looking this way as well. For the first time in a while, their eyes met. Though Jae-min quickly turned away with a look of boredom.

Seung-pyo became confident. Since he had studied to the point of a nosebleed, he felt he could easily overcome a narrow margin. He recalled interviews where athletes competing in major events like the Olympics said they didn’t get nervous on the main stage because they had prepared with everything they had during training. Was this the kind of confidence felt by someone who had poured in every possible effort?

Oh Seung-pyo faced the first midterms of his second year with a peaceful mind, like someone who had attained enlightenment.

* * *

The midterms at Ilyang Boys’ High School lasted for a total of five days, from April 20th to the 25th.

The academy that Seung-pyo and Jae-min attended also held supplementary classes to coincide with the midterm period. Since the special classes for GPA preparation consisted only of students from the same school, the students would bring their test papers to the academy after each exam to check the answers with the instructor for each subject.

It was a period of hardship incomparable to any previous exam. Oh Seung-pyo had never felt particularly exhausted during exam periods, but this time was different. Immediately after finishing the answer check for the final subject, his head was filled with nothing but the desire to go home and sleep instantly.

On the last day of midterms, Seung-pyo, who had forced himself to attend the academy despite his drowsiness, finished the problem-solving session with the instructor and completed the preliminary grading for the remaining subjects with the other students.

“How many did you get wrong?”

The curiosity-filled questions of the other students were directed at Seung-pyo. Since everyone in the class knew that Seung-pyo had prepared for this exam with unprecedented intensity, it was only natural they were curious about the result.

Seung-pyo didn’t answer immediately. Looking at the test paper with a blunt expression, he replied in a tone as curt as his face.

“About the same as usual.”

“Really?”

I don’t think so. The students gauged Oh Seung-pyo’s reaction, but it didn’t seem like he would easily open up.

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Yeah.”

As Seung-pyo suddenly stood up, the students quickly moved out of his way. Only after he strode out of the classroom did the students begin to whisper cautiously.

“Did he mess up the exam? His expression was rotten.”

“If he says it’s ‘about the same as usual,’ then by Oh Seung-pyo’s standards, he messed up. He worked his ass off this time.”

“Ryu Jae-min probably did well, right?”

Leaving the chatter about himself behind, Seung-pyo walked down the long hallway. His face, which had been stiff like an angry man, gradually relaxed, and the corners of his mouth began to creep upward on both sides.

Seung-pyo pressed his hand firmly over his mouth. It took a level of patience beyond that of a high school student to keep from singing the joy echoing in his heart out loud.

‘This time, it’s actually possible…!’

Sincere effort brings a corresponding reward.

Even in the best GPA exam he had taken in his first year, he had missed three questions across all subjects. Although it was only preliminary grading, the results he had checked up until today showed that Seung-pyo had missed exactly one question out of all the items.

If this were the case, unless Ryu Jae-min got a perfect score in every subject, the possibility of victory—or at least a tie—increased. He had never heard that Ryu Jae-min had achieved a perfect score throughout the previous year. If someone got all hundreds, rumors would spread even if they tried to hide it, but such a title had never been attached to the illustrious top student of the school.

Just then, he saw Ryu Jae-min talking with an instructor in a corner of the hallway. His back was defenseless, completely unaware that Seung-pyo was approaching.

“Did you check your score? How was it?”

“I think I missed one.”

“One? You did well this time too.”

One.

At those words, Seung-pyo unconsciously let his mouth hang open.

“Oh Seung-pyo, did you do well on the exam?”

The instructor, who belatedly spotted Seung-pyo from across, acknowledged him. Only then did Ryu Jae-min realize Seung-pyo’s presence and whip around. The gazes of Seung-pyo and Jae-min, who stood frozen in place, clashed sharply.

Following the unexpected kiss ban, Seung-pyo realized once again how loosely he and Jae-min had set the conditions of this bet.

‘What happens if it’s actually a tie?’

Seung-pyo stepped closer to the two of them and answered.

“I think I missed one question.”

The corners of the usually composed Jae-min’s eyes twitched.

“Oh, really? Since you two did so well, the average score for Ilyang is going to shoot up this time.”

The academy instructor was equally surprised. The instructor seemed to be thinking the same thing as Seung-pyo—that perhaps the two were tied, or perhaps the school rankings would be overturned this time.

However, the experienced instructor chose to quickly wrap up the conversation, which could easily become sensitive, rather than prying further into the scores.

“It’s not easy to get these kinds of grades in the first midterm of the second year. You both worked really hard. Good job.”

As the instructor subtly hurried away, the two gave a light bow and then locked eyes. Seung-pyo’s face, which until a moment ago had been struggling to contain a leaking smile, completely hardened. Needless to say, Jae-min, who was always expressionless in front of Seung-pyo, was the same.

After standing still like strangers, it was Seung-pyo who first broke the silence.

“Which one did you miss?”

“One in English. You?”

“One in Korean. How many points?”

“You tell me first.”

Seung-pyo swallowed hard and put his hands in his pockets. Why the hell am I so nervous? After clenching and unclenching his fist in his pocket, he answered solemnly, as if revealing a hidden trump card.

“3 points.”

Jae-min’s already stiff complexion turned even paler. For a moment, the tension in his long neck above the shirt collar was visible.

In that brief moment, the circuits in Seung-pyo’s head raced. No way… did I actually beat Ryu Jae-min? Not a tie, but a victory?

The silent Jae-min spoke heavily.

“Me too.”

Seung-pyo also shut his mouth tight. He had finally reached a point where he could produce a different result in a competition where he had always lost, but now that the result was right in front of him, he couldn’t just laugh. He had worked incredibly hard compared to last year, but catching up so easily in a race he had failed for a whole year felt somewhat unrealistic.

Then again, exams always involve a large element of luck, in addition to innate intelligence and constant effort. Although it was still the preliminary grading stage, it was rare for the scores of written exams to change or be overturned. Seung-pyo cautiously raised the question that had been bothering him.

“…What if it’s a tie? Do we both have to do what we promised? Should we do rock-paper-scissors?”

“We can just both not do it,” Jae-min answered quickly.

But Seung-pyo shook his head.

“What’s the point of making a bet if we do something boring like that?”

“Did you do this for fun?”

“Then what else do you do a bet for besides fun?”

What else would he have done a bet with such perverted conditions for if not for fun? Seung-pyo shrugged.

“Still, thanks to the bet, my grades went up a lot. And you, well, since you didn’t lose, you’ll probably be first in the school again this time. Though it’ll be a joint first.”

“……”

“For now, let’s postpone deciding what to do until the official scores are certain. There are a lot of kids here, so let’s talk again tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

Seung-pyo hurried away. Jae-min lingered for a moment longer before likewise walking away quickly.

* * *

Since it was the last day of exams, the academy classes ended early, and he returned home sooner than usual.

The sound of the door opening sounded eerily loud today. As he entered quietly, the helper Auntie came to the entrance to greet Jae-min.

“I heard today was the last day of exams. You must be tired, right?”

“No. It’s not like I’ve never taken an exam before.”

“The professors will probably arrive around dinner time. Get some good rest. Want some snacks?”

“I’m okay. I’m not hungry.”

“Tell me if there’s something you want to eat. I’ll prepare it right away.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The helper Auntie, who had inevitably helped with the inspection of his belongings at his father’s request, was the person most likely to understand—after his own family—how peculiar Jae-min’s parents were. How desperate must her expression be to tell him to rest well before his parents arrived? Jae-min felt embarrassed on their behalf, wondering why people who valued their reputation so much didn’t care at all about the feelings of the helper Auntie working in their home.

He entered his room, changed his clothes, and leaned back against his bed. He took out the test paper and checked the wrong answer once more. To be precise, not the content of the question, but the point value written next to it.

[3.2]

He couldn’t believe it.

In the academy hallway where people were scattered, he had lied and said he missed a 3-point question because he didn’t want to be honest, but the question Jae-min missed had a point value 0.2 higher than Seung-pyo’s. If the rankings were based on the preliminary grading, Seung-pyo would be ahead of Jae-min.

‘I just got confused.’

It wasn’t an essay assignment; it was a multiple-choice question, and a school GPA exam at that. He shouldn’t have overthought it, but he made a mistake. By agonizing over it, he had forgotten the intent of the question.

Even when they were solving the wrong answers together at the academy, there had been no particular mention of it. There was a clear correct answer, so there was nothing to agonize over—why did he do that? Studying and testing are strictly different domains; it was a mistake unlike him.

‘My average score is higher than the last finals.’

Since it wasn’t easy for Jae-min to miss only one question across all subjects, even if his rank dropped to second, it wasn’t something he would be scolded for by his parents.

…He knew that Oh Seung-pyo hated him because he had been first in the school throughout middle school only to be pushed to second in high school. But Ryu Jae-min was also an honor student who had always been first wherever he went. Just the thought that Oh Seung-pyo’s name might appear above his on the poster made his heart beat with an unpleasant speed.

He hated everything. He hated the idea of carrying out the low-class bet conditions in front of Oh Seung-pyo, and even if he wouldn’t be scolded since his rank had dropped, he hated the situation where he might hear a few stinging words.

But what he hated most was the fact that he came in second.

It was too early to be certain, but he had lost to Oh Seung-pyo. He could have lost.

He bit his finger hard. Even biting the soft skin until it hurt didn’t calm his mind. The anger toward himself for ruining things with a trivial mistake made his whole body hot, overriding the pain.

He hadn’t lived his life winning in every single aspect, but at least in studying, he had never tasted defeat until now. And of all people, to that perverted, delinquent, scheming, slutty bastard… Just imagining Oh Seung-pyo’s triumphant face made him feel like he would go crazy with indignation.

“Ah…”

Jae-min lay completely flat on the bed and covered his face with both arms. The unfamiliar taste of defeat was more spicy than bitter, and for some reason, he felt so sorrowful that he felt like crying.

A heat that had been boiling up from around his solar plexus passed through his throat and now climbed up to his eyes. Blinking in the dim darkness beneath his forearms, Jae-min suppressed the heat that felt like it was about to overflow and bolted upright.

He shook his head several times until his mind calmed down. The power of moving the body is strange; by shaking his head like this, the useless thoughts really did fall away bit by bit.

“Auntie, I want some snacks.”

“Oh, are you hungry now?”

When he opened the door, the helper Auntie, who was tidying the living room, smiled as if she had been waiting. Perhaps because she had been airing out the place, rain was falling outside the wide-open living room window.

“It was clear, but suddenly it’s raining. If you’re okay with it, Jae-min, let’s listen to the sound of the rain.”

“Yes.”

“Shall I fry some potato pancakes? On rainy days, you’re supposed to fry pancakes in oil. The professors don’t eat flour-based foods much, so let’s eat quickly and clean up, just the two of us.”

“Yes. I’d like that.”

As he sat at the table and waited, the sound of sizzling oil soon tickled his ears. The outside noise and the noise from the kitchen blended together to the point where it was hard to tell which was the sound of rain and which was the sound of frying pancakes. Surrendering himself to the cozy noise, it felt as if the boiling heat in his chest was melting into it. Gradually, his mind became at ease.

“Eat more. I’ll fry more for you.”

“This is enough. If I eat too much, my condition will worsen.”

“Oh my, at your age, everything you eat goes straight to your height.”

The helper Auntie was a very good cook. The potato pancakes made from shredded potatoes were very thin and crispy. She tore off a long edge and placed it on Jae-min’s plate. As he chewed and swallowed a few pieces that were hot enough to burn his tongue, the feeling of wanting to cry in sorrow from just a moment ago felt slightly awkward and funny.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“You’re really not eating more? Everything about you is great, Jae-min, but you eat too little.”

“Auntie, this is a lot for me. I eat everything I get for school lunch, too.”

“That tiny bit of school lunch—at an age where you could chew through rebar, of course you should eat it all.”

“The school lunch portions aren’t small.”

The victory or defeat wasn’t decided yet. While it was rare for preliminary results to change, preliminary grading was still just preliminary grading.

Even as he swallowed the heartfelt snacks to wash it all down, the anxiety that clung bitterly and stickily to a corner of his heart would not easily disappear. Jae-min tried his best to calm his mind.

* * *

The rumor that Oh Seung-pyo missed only one 3-point question on the midterms became known to everyone in the class within a single day.

They say walls have ears. Since they had talked in the academy hallway, which was full of students sensitive to exam scores, someone must have heard and passed it on, no matter how quietly they whispered.

“Oh Seung-pyo is really ascending to the heavens.”

“I feel a distance between us.”

“Are you really going to be first this time? Is it true that Ryu Jae-min missed the same question?”

To the students’ admiration, sighs, and curiosity, Seung-pyo answered with a relaxed expression.

“No, I don’t know which question Ryu Jae-min missed.”

Even if he tried not to listen, since he sat in the same classroom, the chatter between Seung-pyo and his friends kept tormenting his ears. Jae-min let out a sigh that no one else could hear and stepped out into the hallway. He felt it would be better to take a walk indoors until class started.

The chatter and arguments were already in full swing, and if Oh Seung-pyo and the others found out that he might lose by a mere 0.2 points…

Jae-min felt as unsettled as a prisoner awaiting the date of his sentencing. As he walked gloomily down the hallway from early morning, someone suddenly entered his field of vision. A teacher was walking toward him from the opposite direction.

“Hello.”

“Oh, hello. Good job on the exam.”

Jae-min, who had intended to give a light greeting and pass by, turned back after taking only a few steps.

Usually, Jae-min was the type to admit his shortcomings and accept the given results rather than create trouble. But this time was different. It wasn’t just about his GPA; a bet was on the line, so he had to try whatever he could.

“Teacher.”

“Hmm?”

“About question number 10 on the midterm. I think the question is a bit strange.”

“The question? How so?”

The English teacher gestured for him to follow. Jae-min hurried after him toward the faculty office.

Today’s English class was during the third period. The teacher stood before the podium, tapping his shoulder with a book.

The expression on his face as he looked over the students with half-open eyes was unsettling. The students grew nervous for no reason, glancing at the teacher’s face.

Was our class’s English score bad on this exam? Some wondered at first, but after concluding that couldn’t be the case since Oh Seung-pyo and Ryu Jae-min were in the same class, some kind-hearted mid-tier students began to blame themselves, thinking they had dragged down the average. The teacher opened his mouth.

“Was there anything strange about yesterday’s English exam?”

Instead of answering, the students just shifted their eyes. Their faces clearly betrayed their inner thoughts: Was there?

“There was a slight error in question number 10. As you all know from checking your answers, number 3 is the correct answer, but I realized today that number 4 is also within a range that cannot be called incorrect. This was my mistake in drafting the question, so I apologize to you all.”

“Uh, then…”

“Anyone who checked number 4 is also recognized as correct!”

At the teacher’s firm declaration, the murmuring voices gradually turned into loud cheers. The atmosphere suggested that even those who had guessed number 4 during the test hadn’t clearly thought of it as an error.

Then I got one more right? Wow, my score went up. The students, excited by the sudden increase in points, were preoccupied with chatting, forgetting that it was class time, until the teacher slammed the podium a few times. The students quickly fell silent.

“Ryu Jae-min was the only person in the entire school who pointed out the error. Everyone, give Ryu Jae-min a round of applause.”

Ooh, wow, as expected of the top student! Some of the students clapped enthusiastically, even openly praising him. In any case, since more than a few students’ average scores had risen thanks to Ryu Jae-min taking the lead, the immediate enthusiasm was sincere.

‘He didn’t have to reveal that I was the one who mentioned it.’

Jae-min’s face flushed slightly. It wasn’t that he had a particular desire to correct the error; he had simply squeezed out some courage for his own sake.

Even if he had noticed something strange, he wouldn’t have stepped forward if it hadn’t been to his disadvantage. Trying to overturn results by nitpicking after the fact wasn’t a method Jae-min normally liked.

Despite that, the excitement on Jae-min’s face didn’t easily subside. Unlike yesterday, when he had been immersed in a sense of defeat thinking he had lost to Oh Seung-pyo, his heart was now pounding pleasantly.

If the wrong English answer was recognized as correct, and there were no other variables in the preliminary grading, Ryu Jae-min could potentially get a perfect score on this midterm written exam. A perfect score in all subjects. It was a score that even Jae-min hadn’t achieved since exactly once during middle school.

Unconsciously, he glanced sideways at Oh Seung-pyo’s seat. It seemed Seung-pyo had been watching Jae-min as well. Their eyes met exactly.

He had a very subtle expression. With narrowed eyes, he looked as if he were doubting or mocking Jae-min; in any case, it wasn’t a pleasant expression for the observer. Despite having done nothing wrong, Jae-min felt a prickle of guilt and turned his head forward, pretending not to see.

The teacher, who was about to start the lesson after settling the chaotic atmosphere, stopped while opening his book and gestured with his chin toward one student.

“Oh Seung-pyo, what is it?”

Before anyone knew it, Oh Seung-pyo had raised his hand. This time, all the students’ gazes shifted to Seung-pyo.

“But teacher. Regardless, number 3 is the definite correct answer, right?”

“That is true.”

“Since it’s a multiple-choice exam, if there’s an ambiguous answer and a definite correct answer, shouldn’t only the definite answer be treated as correct? I was also a bit confused because question 10 seemed to have two answers, but I chose number 3 because it was definite. It’s not just Ryu Jae-min who noticed; there are probably more kids who chose the correct answer because they knew there was a clearer one.”

As Seung-pyo protested point by point, the teacher fell silent, looking somewhat flustered. The students who hadn’t dared to voice their dissatisfaction when the ‘number 4’ faction was cheering now backed Seung-pyo’s opinion, grumbling, “Right, right,” and “If that question is treated as all correct, my rank might drop.”

Hmm, the teacher nodded and seemed to ponder for a moment, but soon looked around at the students.

“Of course, there will be people who are disadvantaged if this question is treated as correct. However, this was a decision made after discussing it with other teachers before class, and in the CSAT, such cases are sometimes treated as multiple correct answers. I pondered for a long time whether number 4 could be seen as within the correct range, but I had no choice but to conclude that it was a drafting error.”

The teacher’s tone became much more serious than when he had asked if anything was strange.

“I will make sure this never happens again. I am sorry, everyone.”

“No, well. I didn’t say it to get an apology from you.”

Seung-pyo grumbled, but he didn’t press further, as if it had just been a random protest. Once the teacher finished his formal explanation and apology, even using polite language, the complaining students calmed down, and the classroom atmosphere returned to a state of stability.

“Then let’s start the lesson.”

At the teacher’s words, the students opened their textbooks without further delay. The classroom became peaceful after the brief commotion, but Jae-min’s face had not yet fully regained its usual composure.

Since the teacher who wrote the exam had made the decision after discussion and deliberation in the faculty office, there was nothing wrong with his point, but he felt ashamed. Even though he knew that changing the result would disadvantage some people, as the teacher said, he had raised an objection to a finished exam because he didn’t want to lose the top rank in the school.

Some might say he raised the issue for a legitimate reason and that it’s natural to prioritize one’s own benefit, but Jae-min had never struggled so desperately to achieve victory until now. For some reason, he felt he had done something unsightly and unlike himself, and a corner of his heart felt uncomfortable even though no one was criticizing him.

‘I shouldn’t have made that kind of bet… I’m completely caught up in it.’

If they hadn’t made the bet, Oh Seung-pyo wouldn’t have studied to the point of having nosebleeds to chase him this closely.

Oh Seung-pyo had left an impression on Jae-min since their first year. From the day they stood together in front of the poster after the first exam of the first semester.

It couldn’t be otherwise, because a huge guy he had never even exchanged names with in the hallway had been staring intently at him. At first, he ignored it, thinking the guy would turn away after staring for a bit, but when the gaze didn’t leave him even after a long time, Jae-min looked back, and only then did the guy turn away—that guy was Oh Seung-pyo.

When Seung-pyo left, the students standing around whispered, “That’s Oh Seung-pyo,” so Jae-min picked up his name. But even if no one had told him, Jae-min would have easily guessed who that boy was. On the day the exam results were announced, who else but the second-place finisher who had been pushed back would express such blatant hostility to a stranger?

Even though they hadn’t exchanged a single greeting for a whole year, Jae-min knew from the first day they met that Seung-pyo hated him. And whenever their seats overlapped in common areas like combined class rooms, the playground, or the cafeteria, the uncomfortable aura he felt from Oh Seung-pyo on the first day never subsided.

He had never cared. There had always been kids who disliked him, not just in middle school but since elementary school. Oh Seung-pyo was just one of the countless children he had seen who couldn’t overcome their inferiority complex. Until his second phone ended up in Oh Seung-pyo’s hands.

‘…He should have just been one of those mediocre kids, but he chased me this far because of one trashy bet?’

Jae-min grit his teeth. He couldn’t tell if the real reason he felt uncomfortable now was because he felt pathetic for clinging to the top rank, or because of the situation where Oh Seung-pyo was threatening him by climbing up faster than expected. Perhaps it was both.

When class ended, as expected, Seung-pyo came to Jae-min’s seat. He tapped the desk as if knocking and lowered his voice so only Jae-min could hear.

“Come out.”

Jae-min complied and left the classroom. He skipped the resource room since they had already been caught by a teacher once, and the place Seung-pyo led him to was in front of the common club room. Since it was during class, it would be empty, but it should have been locked.

However, Seung-pyo took a key out of his pocket and opened the door. Jae-min blinked.

“Where did you get a key?”

“Sang-yeon said he used it yesterday and forgot to return it. I told him I’d do it for him and asked for it.”

The two entered the empty club room. Unlike the classroom bustling with students, it was quiet, and the noise from beyond the door sounded distant, making it feel like a space other than the school.

Seung-pyo locked the door, leaned against it, and curled the corners of his mouth up. Compared to the expression, he didn’t look particularly pleased. His lips were smiling, but his eyes were more similar to how they were when they first met in front of the poster in the first semester of the first year.

“Why did you lie?”

“About what.”

While holding his ground verbally, Jae-min also knew he couldn’t deceive him any further. There was no way Oh Seung-pyo wouldn’t notice a lie that even a moderately dull person would catch.

“You said you got a 3-point question wrong, just like me. Why did you lie after getting the 3.2-point question 10 wrong in English?”

“I thought it was 3 points at the time.”

“You mistaken that?”

“What if it was a mistake, and what if it was a lie? Is there a law that says I have to honestly tell you how many points I missed in that academy hallway? It only caused rumors because of all the talking there.”

“Ah, you lied because you were afraid of rumors.”

Seung-pyo nodded. Then he changed the question.

“Then, don’t tell me you got a perfect score?”

Jae-min just looked at him without speaking. As if the silence was answer enough, Seung-pyo let out a low, admiring “Ha.” It seemed a perfect score in all subjects was special to him as well.

“I really thought I had you this time…”

He muttered to himself and shrugged.

“Well… if I could get a perfect score by pestering a teacher, I would have done it too.”

“I didn’t pester. I just told him the question was strange, and the teacher decided after thinking about it.”

“That’s all a privilege. Do you think the English teacher would have listened to you seriously if you weren’t the top student in the school? If the 100th ranked student grabbed a teacher and said the question was strange, he would’ve been hit on the back of the head and told to stop talking nonsense.”

It wasn’t wrong, but Jae-min snorted.

“Just as you said, because I’ve consistently been the top student, the teachers listen to me seriously. Why do you think people tell you to do well normally? Who calls that a privilege?”

“Anyway.”

Seung-pyo, who had been leaning against the door until then, strode over and stood in front of Jae-min. His expression was cold.

“It’s true that I was beating you by 0.2 points, but you used a trick to flip it.”

“I’m telling you, it wasn’t a trick.”

He knew this would happen. Why did the teacher openly say that he was the one who pointed it out… Jae-min glared back at Seung-pyo, resenting the English teacher for making a simple matter tedious.

Seung-pyo stared at Jae-min in silence for a while. It was for so long that Jae-min felt an illusion of touch from the gaze sweeping over every part of his face. Around the time the gaze reached his lips, Seung-pyo cleared his throat and spoke again.

“I’m not saying you lost. But whether it was a trick or not, it’s a fact that you made the result like this after the exam was over, so I feel it’s unfair to stick strictly to the bet conditions.”

“What. In the end, you’re just clinging to this because you don’t want to film the video?”

“Who said I wouldn’t film it? That’s not what I mean.”

Seung-pyo paused for a moment before continuing.

“You should keep at least one of them too.”

“What?”

“I told you how far I wanted the progress to go. That I wanted to try other places besides the lips, and that I’d give you a handjob, and the back…”

“Ah, enough. Why are you organizing all that?”

Jae-min hurriedly cut him off.

The exam was over anyway. The midterm answers would be posted on the school website this afternoon, so after final confirmation, the possibility of the result being overturned was close to zero.

If the win or loss was decided, he should just accept it cleanly. Oh Seung-pyo, who was like a water ghost trying to drag him down with nonsensical excuses, seemed incomparably more sly than Jae-min, who had legitimately pointed out an error in the exam question. He felt he had been far too conscientious for feeling ashamed about being ‘clingy’ over pointing out a problem.

‘I’m not ashamed at all.’

Be confident. While Jae-min was recovering his confidence seeing Oh Seung-pyo’s mean side, Seung-pyo brought up the main point.

“I won’t ask you to keep all of them. Just do the kissing on places other than the lips. That much is easy.”

“……”

“Hey, honestly, besides the back, huh? There are no conditions where you lose. Did I ask you to kiss me, or give me a handjob? I’m the one saying I’ll do it for you, so it’s a good thing for you.”

“Did I say I wanted to? You’re the one who said you wanted to.”

“That’s why I’m asking you to grant me just this one. It’s true that you messed with the results of a finished exam.”

It was a problem that could have ended if he had shouted for him to just keep the conditions he set and stop talking nonsense, but for some reason, Jae-min didn’t answer immediately. This was because Jae-min’s thoughts were taking a new turn.

‘It’s true that I have nothing to lose.’

He would have to clarify exactly where the other than the lips part was, but if it was around the neck, like when Oh Seung-pyo suddenly kissed him last time…

A kiss on the lips or a kiss on the neck was pretty much the same. If it was a kiss with a set limit on where it went, there seemed to be no reason not to. Honestly, he was curious. Would a kiss on the body feel better than a kiss on the lips?

“Why are you so quiet?”

“Wait a second.”

Once he became conscious of it, Jae-min also kept glancing at Seung-pyo’s lips. Because of that damn bet, the kissing had been on strike throughout the exam preparation.

While studying for the exam, the desire to decisively crush Oh Seung-pyo had taken precedence, so he hadn’t even thought about wanting to cling to him and rub lips as usual. But now that it was over, a forgotten feeling crept out from somewhere and tickled the small of his back.

Oh Seung-pyo was probably the same. That’s why he had suddenly moved from arguing about the exam results to talking about kissing. As his thoughts reached Seung-pyo’s desire, Jae-min opened his mouth as if pushed by an invisible force.

“Fine.”

“…Really?”

As soon as the consent was given, Jae-min slapped away the hand that grabbed his shoulder as if to execute the bet condition immediately.

“Ah, why.”

“Do it in order. The loser should keep the conditions first. Send the video.”

“I have to do that at home, but we can do this right now.”

“It’s not something that absolutely has to be done right now, so what does it matter.”

At Jae-min’s firm answer, Seung-pyo let out a short groan and brought his face closer.

“Fine. We’ll do that later, and for now, just the usual kissing.”

As a hint of longing began to seep into his voice, Jae-min couldn’t shake his head. Rather, as Jae-min almost opened his mouth first and tilted his face up slightly, Seung-pyo lunged in as if afraid to miss the chance, digging his tongue into the inside of the parted lips.

The ‘how to kiss well’ guides on the internet said to stroke the back of the neck or the cheek while kissing, but today the two of them just clung to each other haphazardly. Even though firm arms hugged their backs and waists to the point of pain, no one grumbled to let go or loosen the grip.

Only the wet sound of overlapping lips and entwined tongues leaked out like whispers in the club room where only the two of them remained.