The weekend passed quickly.
“Alright, everyone, stop dozing off and pay attention.”
The kids, afflicted with the Monday blues, were sprawled across their desks like lifeless bodies.
The homeroom teacher shook his head and tapped the podium in front of the blackboard.
“You all know there’s a test evaluation this Wednesday, right?”
A wave of murmuring spread through the classroom.
“Ah, I’m doomed.”
“I haven’t studied at all.”
The teacher smirked, as if he had expected such reactions.
“Stop whining. First, I’ll let you know the test range, so take good notes.”
The test topics began to appear on the blackboard one by one.
Grumbling, the students reluctantly started jotting them down in their notebooks.
“And there’s one more important thing.”
The students’ attention focused on the teacher.
“This time, anyone scoring below 70 will have to attend supplementary classes. If you don’t feel like studying, go ahead and slack off.”
“What?! No way!”
The classroom instantly erupted into chaos.
“Teacher, that’s so unfair!”
“Yeah, the test range is way too broad!”
The students each voiced their complaints, but the teacher remained unfazed.
“Quiet down. This is a school regulation, not something I decided.”
He tapped the podium lightly to regain their attention.
“And anyway, as long as you prepare well, you’ll pass. I’ve already given you the range, and there’s enough time to study. So, just focus and do your best.”
***
After class, Jinyoung turned to me.
“Did you study? Seventy points might be tough to hit.”
“I haven’t studied yet.”
Jinyoung shook his head in disapproval.
“Hey. Do you know how annoying supplementary classes are? You won’t even be able to go to the PC café after school; you’ll be stuck here.”
‘This guy is more worried about missing the bus to his gaming sessions.’
“Well, there’s someone who seems even less concerned than me.”
I glanced at Yuna, sitting next to me.
Noticing my gaze, Yuna closed her textbook with an irritated expression.
“Hey, Dohyun! You’re talking about me, aren’t you?!”
‘Yep, I am talking about you.’
“So what if I am?”
“I was planning to study, okay?!”
Laughing, Jinyoung joined in teasing her.
“Yuna, you? Study? Yeah, right.”
“And what about you?! I can study hard enough to score 70!”
Though she looked angry, her voice trailed off at the end.
‘Anyone can see she’s not confident.’
I shrugged and opened my notebook.
“Anyway, aren’t you going to study?”
“…What?”
Jinyoung scoffed at my question, then suddenly returned to his seat.
He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a white sheet of paper, slamming it onto his desk.
‘What’s this? Did he make a cheat sheet or something?’
“How dare you talk to me about studying, Dohyun. You’re underestimating me.”
I tilted my head in confusion and picked up the paper.
“Ah, ah! That’s my entrance exam score report.”
The report listed his scores and rankings by subject.
97, 100, 94…
I blinked and read it again.
‘This guy… What a surprise. He scored over 90 in every subject?’
No wonder he’s so sharp.
‘Wait a second. Maybe I can use this to my advantage.’
“Hey, why didn’t you show off your grades earlier if you’re this good?”
Hearing my compliment, he puffed up with pride and shrugged.
“It’s not that I didn’t show them off. You just weren’t interested in my grades.”
‘Jinyoung had always seemed like a regular extra character—just another classmate.’
‘Who knew he had this hidden talent?’
“See? I’m different from the rest of you.”
He waved the report in his hand, flaunting it proudly.
“Enjoy those supplementary classes. I’ll be having the time of my life while you’re stuck here.”
Sighing, I spun my pen in thought.
To be honest, it’s been so long since I last studied that I wasn’t sure I could pass the test.
‘There’s no other way, I guess…’
I placed a hand on Jinyoung’s shoulder.
“Hey, Jinyoung. You know you’re my favorite friend, right? You even helped me during that courage training session.”
“Yeah, I remember. You’re welcome.”
“And you always give me rides on the bus, too?”
“Of course. Thanks to you, my rank’s been skyrocketing.”
I grinned and lightly patted his shoulder.
“See? You’re the best. No one else compares.”
He gave me a wary look before responding with a touched expression.
“Of course. We’re best friends!”
‘What a simple guy.’
“Then, as your best friend, I have a small favor to ask.”
“A favor? From me? What is it?”
Smiling, I pointed toward Yuna.
“Help us study. Her too.”
“What?! Me too?!”
Yuna, who had been quietly listening, shot up from her seat in protest.
“Why am I suddenly involved?!”
“Well, do you want to spend three days in supplementary classes while your friends upload their fun outings on social media? Alone?”
“Well… that’s true,” Yuna muttered hesitantly.
I nodded at her and said, “It’s easier if we study together.”
Jinyoung sighed, rubbing his temples with both hands.
“And no one’s asking what I think, huh?”
“I just can’t believe you’d be so ungrateful.”
“Ugh… fine. I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
And so, an unlikely study group was formed.
***
“Dohyun,” Jinyoung called.
“Yeah, what?”
“I don’t think I have it in me to turn this monkey into a human.”
Sitting at the café table, Jinyoung groaned, holding his head in his hands.
Teaching Yuna wasn’t going as smoothly as he’d hoped.
‘I was planning to just relax and let him handle it, but it seems like his patience has already run out.’
“Every time I teach her one thing, she forgets what I explained earlier. Is she even human? She’s like a monkey!”
“Hey! Watch your mouth!”
Yuna slammed the table in anger.
‘How bad can it be?’
Jinyoung sighed so deeply it was as if the ground might swallow him, then opened the workbook again.
“Alright, Yuna. Solve the problem I just explained.”
“Uh… molecular formula for water, um… what was it again?”
“Ha…”
Jinyoung’s exasperation was palpable.
His stare felt like it carried years of regret.
I decided to step in and mediate.
“Hey, take a break. Let me try teaching her.”
“Good luck. You might start smoking after this. I’ve never wanted a cigarette so badly in my life.”
Jinyoung left the café to get some fresh air, leaving me alone with Yuna, who sat with her arms crossed and a pout on her face.
“What’s his problem? People can forget stuff. Does he have to make such a big deal out of it?”
I glanced at the workbook in front of her and chuckled.
“It’s not a big deal; you’re just not used to studying. But let me ask you—what’s the molecular formula for water?”
Yuna hesitated, avoiding my gaze.
Then, cautiously, she answered, “H… H3O?”
‘She really is hopeless.’
“It’s H2O! Jinyoung literally said it ten times just now. How did you already forget?”
Yuna’s face turned red as she clutched the workbook tightly and yelled, “Hey, I’m trying, okay? Why is this so hard?!”
I sighed deeply and leaned back in my chair.
“Alright. Let’s try another one. What’s the molecular formula for carbon dioxide?”
Yuna bit her lip, her face scrunched up in concentration.
“CO2…? No, wait, CO3? Is that right?”
“…I need a cigarette.”
“You too?! You’re the reason I’m even doing this stupid studying!”
‘Well, at least she admitted it’s because of me. That’s kind of sweet.’
Yuna looked at me with a mix of frustration and determination.
It was oddly endearing, but this problem couldn’t be solved with cuteness alone.
“Yuna, to be honest, this is about your brain.”
“So you’re saying I’m dumb?”
“Not dumb, per se… more like, uh, slow-witted?”
“Hey!”
Slamming the table again, Yuna glared at me before reopening the workbook.
“Fine. I’ll solve it properly this time. Ask me anything!”
I picked a simple question from the workbook and asked, “What’s the elemental symbol for oxygen?”
“O.”
“Correct. And hydrogen?”
“H.”
“Good. Now, combine them. What do you get?”
Yuna paused, thought for a moment, and confidently declared, “OH!”
“…Sigh.”
I buried my face in my hands.
Her confidence crumbled just as quickly as it had risen.
“Why would you combine them into OH? Didn’t you just say H2O was water?”
Yuna rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, “How am I supposed to remember all that? It’s so confusing.”
At that moment, Jinyoung returned from his break, instantly noticing my defeated expression.
“Well? I wasn’t exaggerating, was I? Now you see the greatness of this monkey’s logic.”
“Yeah, you were right.”
I raised my hand in a gesture of surrender, acknowledging his point.
“This is beyond us. We can’t fix this.”
Yuna clenched her fists and shouted, “Hey! I’m trying my best here!”
But to us, her effort no longer inspired hope.
Jinyoung sat back down, stifling a laugh.
“Yuna, we appreciate your effort, but please stop destroying our mental health.”
I nodded, agreeing with him as I concluded, “Just attend the supplementary classes. This isn’t your fault; it’s fate. Destiny, even.”
“What?!”
“It’s a natural and logical outcome. There’s nothing we can do.”
Yuna glared at us both before finally closing her workbook.
“Fine. Whatever. I’ll just go to the stupid supplementary classes. Who cares, anyway?”
And with that, our study group ended in utter failure, leaving my grand plan in shambles.