The classmates chatted casually with Yeon Jung-hoon, as if they didn't have a care in the world.
"I don't want to scold you, so please study hard, alright?" their homeroom teacher said, half-joking, but with a firm undertone.
"Awwww~," a few students groaned, but they knew he was right.
"So, listen to your teachers, don't fall asleep in class, and make sure to follow the lessons closely. Let's have a great day today as well!" he added enthusiastically.
Ryu Ji-ho watched the back of his homeroom teacher as he slowly exited the classroom. His gaze was vacant, his mind in turmoil.
'…I'm doomed!' he screamed internally. A creeping sense of panic started to swell within him, making his head feel heavy all of a sudden.
'Why do we even have to take exams…' he thought, feeling utterly frustrated.
Despite only being a third-year student, Ryu Ji-ho was not someone lacking in knowledge. As a director, he needed to plan and write scripts, which required extensive research and understanding of the subjects related to the stories he was crafting. He made it a point to read newspapers daily, hunting for inspiration that he could transform into film ideas.
Through this process, Ryu Ji-ho had become fairly adept in general knowledge and current affairs. In other words, he was strong in areas unrelated to mathematics, Korean language, and English.
'I wonder what the standard is for first-year high school students…' he pondered, a hint of worry creeping into his thoughts.
In a hurry, Ryu Ji-ho pulled out his textbooks and reference books from his bag, spreading them out on the desk in front of him. He opened his math textbook. Just looking at the pages filled with equations, graphs, and functions made his chest feel tight.
'Since it's still the beginning of the semester, maybe the material hasn't piled up yet,' he thought, clinging to a shred of hope.
To gauge how far behind he was, he attempted a few problems from his reference book. In English, his grammar still needed work, but his Korean was decent enough if he put in a little more effort.
'Math and physics are the real problems,' he acknowledged, pinpointing his true challenges.
He recalled that his grades in English and Korean had been pretty good in the past. As a humanities student, subjects like math and science, which seemed irrelevant to social life, were his biggest hurdles.
'Maybe I should just give up on math for this midterm…' Ryu Ji-ho thought, arriving at a conclusion that felt both painful and pragmatic.
If he concentrated too much on what he couldn't grasp at the moment, he felt all his efforts would go to waste. Reluctantly, Ryu Ji-ho decided to prioritize his studies, hoping to prevent everything from falling apart.
*****
That morning marked the beginning of another high school year for Ryu Jiho, heralded by the typical opening ceremony that was always filled with grand formalities. Some people often say that if they could return to their school days, they would study diligently. Of course, those who claim that studying is the easiest thing might not be entirely wrong. Yet, for Ryu Jiho, each school period felt like nothing less than a session of pure torture. Sitting still for hours on end in a classroom was nothing short of genuine suffering for him.
"Damn it! How am I ever going to survive the exams at this rate?" he thought anxiously.
In the classroom, Jiho observed his classmates, each engrossed in their worlds, with few paying actual attention to the lessons being taught. Some were doodling absentmindedly in their notebooks, while others fought valiantly against the pull of sleep, their heads nodding off now and then. This scene was a perfect reflection of Jiho himself. Subjects that required only rote memorization might still be manageable with a bit of effort, but the real challenge lay in the core subjects like Korean, English, and, most daunting of all, Mathematics.
Even though these were just first-year high school lessons, Jiho felt as if he'd been away from this material for years. Over the past week, he had yet to find an easy way to grasp the concepts being taught.
"Math, especially... It just doesn't seem to suit me," he thought again, a wave of hopelessness washing over him.
Despite his aspirations to enter a humanities major, his math grades were still crucial if he hoped to gain admission to a prestigious university in Seoul.
"Now, let's try to solve this problem: find the values of x and y that satisfy the equation 2x + 3y + 4i - 3x + 2yi = 0. First, we need to separate the real and imaginary parts on the left side of the equation..." the math teacher announced enthusiastically, writing on the board and explaining with great zeal.
"Haaah..." Jiho let out a long yawn.
For Jiho, math lessons were as effective as the best lullaby. If he listened too long, he was sure he'd drift into a deep sleep. His eyelids grew heavier by the second, and he knew he shouldn't fall asleep. But the drowsiness was overwhelming, a force too strong to resist. Finally, Jiho couldn't fight it anymore. His head started to nod as he dozed off at his desk, succumbing to the irresistible pull of sleep.
"Broadcasting section!"
The stern voice of the math teacher echoed throughout the classroom.
Kang Yong-seok nudged Ryu Ji-ho gently in the ribs, pulling him back to reality.
"What's up?" Ji-ho whispered, still dazed.
Yong-seok gestured with his eyes, directing Ji-ho's attention toward the teacher's desk.
Ji-ho's gaze followed his friend's and immediately locked onto the figure of the math teacher, who was standing in front of the blackboard, his face contorted with unmistakable anger.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. I was just… thinking about something," Ji-ho stammered, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse.
A few of their classmates stifled their laughter, snickering at Ji-ho's attempt to sound more polite.
"You! Do you think you can joke around with your teacher now?" the teacher's voice grew louder, his temper rising as he began rolling up his sleeves, stepping closer with heavy, furious strides.
In truth, Ji-ho hadn't meant any disrespect at all.
"Ah, really, it wasn't on purpose...," Ji-ho muttered with a forced, apologetic smile, quickly standing up from his seat, hoping to calm the situation down.