As the three walked out of the restaurant, Hea-Jung received her keys and stepped into the car, along with the other two. They made their way through the city, and the car stopped before the university gates. Joon-won and Jung-hwa quickly got off, and Hea-Jung drove off.
Joon-won checked the time and said to Jung-hwa, "Let's go, the results might be out. Let's leave after checking those." She agreed, and they headed towards their classroom. The results would be posted on the class notice board.
As they walked, Joon-won noticed Jung-hwa's unusual silence and thoughtful expression. He waved his hand in front of her, getting no response.
Shaking her a bit, he asked, "What are you thinking so hard about?"
"You know what. Hit me. Listen to me and hit..." She stopped and gripped her head in pain.
"You don't need to tell me twice. Now, why did you want to be hit?" he asked, rubbing his hand after chopping her head before she could complete her sentence.
"Ugh, you have no feelings. How could you hit a girl like that? You didn't even ask me what was wrong. You must be a robot," she groaned, rubbing her head. She regretted asking him, expecting at least some concern before he hit her.
Joon-won looked at her like she was an idiot. She had asked him to hit her, and now she was complaining. He couldn't help but think he would never understand girls, even after a lifetime of experience.
"Alright, I didn't even hit that hard. The pain will go away. Now tell me, what were you thinking about so hard that you wanted to be hit?" he asked, changing the subject.
Jung-hwa fell for the distraction. "I thought this was all a dream. This past week has been magical and so different. My original goal was to get into the Star Batch, but now I have an offer to join an agency. It feels surreal. I never imagined this chance would come to me," she said, rubbing her pocket where she kept the paper Do Hwan had given her.
"Well, you're not hallucinating. It's all real, and you earned this chance with your hard work. Just keep improving, and you'll prove your worth and get into that agency," he encouraged her, making her nod.
They reached the classroom and opened the door to see everyone gathered around the notice board. The room was abuzz with murmurs until one student noticed them.
"Cheo Jung-hwa is here," the student pointed out. Joon-won moved to the side as her friends rushed toward her. He didn't want to get too involved in whatever was happening.
"Jung-hwa, you got first place in the test!"
"Give us a party tonight!"
"How did you do it, Jung-hwa?"
Bombarded with questions, Jung-hwa was confused. She asked what was going on and was shocked to hear that she had placed first in the final exam, even above Hyeong Myung.
Joon-won quietly approached the notice board to check his own ranking. He found his name in the middle—20th place. He didn't care much about the rank; the drama performance had been more important to him. Spotting Hyeong Myung and Roh Ji's displeased expressions, he decided to leave quickly, texting Jung-hwa to do the same.
As he exited the building, he heard footsteps behind him and saw Jung-hwa running to catch up.
"You should have told me in person instead of texting me. Roh Ji was about to start her rant when I saw your message," she said, gasping for air.
He nodded and continued walking. "So, are you going back tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'm leaving tomorrow. You still haven't told me what you need my help with," she replied.
"I'll tell you when the time comes. When are you planning to come back now that you have the chance to work at the drama house?"
"Originally, I was going to stay home for two weeks and then return to try out some auditions like you. But now Mr. Hwan gave me this chance, and he said I might need to report there next Monday. So, I'll come back by Sunday," she explained.
The university had given everyone two months of holiday, with classes resuming on June 1st. Most students had various plans for the summer, unlike them.
"Oh, are you still planning to join the Star Batch? You did get first place, so they'll definitely give you a chance," he asked.
She shook her head. "No, I'll stay in the normal batch and improve through the drama house and the various assignments they'll give next year. The Star Batch doesn't seem that appealing anymore."
He nodded, and they parted ways. Joon-won quickly reached home and sat on the sofa, ready to call out the system again.