To be honest, I had no great intentions of taking the GED.
It just seemed like there would be no harm in living at least in the case of a high school diploma.
'There's no way that those who say I'm a middle school graduate would be quiet just because I passed the GED, even though I showed my knowledge during the variety show.'
So, just like renewing the TOEIC, I solved the previous workbooks once and finished without being too conscious.
(TN: TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication)
I even prepared for the official exam after graduating from college, but I still wondered if I wouldn't be able to pass the GED this time.
After looking at the answers to the practice exam I just did, it was a pass.
"I just need to go quietly."
It was the conclusion I reached by covering the graded problem book.
Our activities ended yesterday, and we weren't at the level of taking a full vacation yet, but we were relaxed enough that our official schedule came out every other day or two.
Even so, after taking a break for about two weeks, I would have to prepare for the next album again, but it meant that there would be no problem in taking the GED the day after tomorrow.
I crossed my arms.
'Let's not talk about it.'
There was nothing good about the news of my GED getting out to the public opinion.
From useless sympathy to the worst case where a stalker could become a nuisance in the exam hall, only unexpected situations would increase.
Wouldn't it be annoying at a time when monitoring is already restricted?
'I don't have to tell the others.'
It was our long-awaited day off, so I just let everyone play on their own.
[It's like these damn KPOP bands!]
"Wah ha ha ha!"
Immediately outside the door, the sound of Cha Eugene laughing was heard loudly.
I think he had been watching 〈K-NOW〉 from the 4th episode, and thanks to that, I was able to effectively train for a mock test in the middle of the noise.
However, I didn't know why Cha Eugene was laughing.
'The atmosphere seems to have changed a bit from episode 4.'
Unlike the early days when it felt like 'creating trouble with the KPOP hell camp with unresponsive participants', from the 4th episode onwards, the stories of the participants were illuminated and a consensus was formed.
[Since my parents died, I haven't had the feeling that other people 'care' about me.]
[I really need the prize money. For my family.]
And naturally, the editing of the participants' attitudes changed a little to match the atmosphere.
Unlike before, when they were in pain at the camp and were edited like extra villains, they showed that the participants were worthwhile completing the stages one by one.
[I don't think I've ever lived my life pushing myself 100% like this.]
[They are real. Factory training? This effort is real, and they train as athletes train!]
In addition, he even formed a consensus with KPOP mentors.
For example, the family history of 'Park Moondae' was intertwined with the participant's story and used a little.
Ah, just as the scene mentioning me passed by, I heard a sound outside the door.
[After my parents died, I lived as trash doing shit and drugs, but my mentor went to the audition and won.]
[This really means a lot to me.]
It was just a scene that gave tips on how to find a camera during a performance, but it matched well with the interview.
Maybe it was because he didn't feel tired of it abroad yet, but he seemed to be able to communicate well, which was subtly touching.
'Now they're talking about the cast... Should I skip it?'
Come to think of it, I already heard the news that the season 2 production was confirmed.
'I hope there will be a lot of influx into the next album.'
I hurriedly opened the door and walked out. Cha Eugene turned his head at once and shouted, flashing his eyes.
"Hyung! You are amazing, you are a wonderful person!"
"Oh, thank you."
He was on the verge of shouting 'love yourself' at any moment. He was really an American.
I went to the kitchen and poured water.
"Has everyone gone out?"
"I don't know! I just woke up!"
It was 2pm now, but he was really proud to say it.
Actually, during our promotional period, we lived sleeping for three or four hours, so it was hard to treat him as a lazy person if he slept for 12 hours.
"Hyung, let's play!"
"Later."
"Do it now!"
"You're watching something right now. You should watch all of it first."
"Aha."
There was a half chance that he'd forget that he said he'd like to play games while watching the entertainment show.
I sat down at the table and drank slowly. After a while, Bae Sejin came out of the next room.
"Have you been sleeping? I did too!"
"Oh no, just… I read a book."
"No way."
Bae Sejin had a comfortable face for the first time in a while.
After being in the same room as Keun Sejin, I saw him sneaking out into the living room and sitting in the corner, but he probably wasn't in the room right now.
'Come to think of it, Seon Ahyeon wasn't in the room either.'
Even if Keun Sejin and Ryu Chungwoo were like that, Kim Raebin and Seon Ahyeon, who didn't go out often, had gone out, so it was indeed an inactive period.
"… Hey."
"Yes. Would you like some water?"
"Uh? Uhh..."
I gave water to Bae Sejin, who walked into the kitchen.
Bae Sejin stood there with a bewildered face holding a glass of water in his hand, then asked without even drinking.
"… What, don't you have anything to say to me?"
"… ? Not really."
I bet he was expecting an offer to change rooms.
I was sorry, but the favor ended with water.
"Mhm, yes."
Bae Sejin seemed to be wriggling his eyebrows, but without saying anything, he quietly drank the water and went back to his room.
'What.'
There was a nuance that he had something to say, but given the atmosphere, it didn't seem serious, so I passed it over.
'If he's scared, he'll tell me on his own.'
It was the beginning of the inactive period, so I took a break too.
I shrugged and made a glass of water. There was nothing to do, so I thought about studying one more time.
"Hyung! I watched it all!"
… And after a while, I played a few games with Cha Eugene, who had not forgotten the game even after watching all the variety shows.
To be honest, I was bored because there was nothing to do, so it was worth doing even if it was a bit annoying.
[How about hovering? My friend said it was fun last time!]
"Do whatever you want."
Looking back, I shouldn't have skipped it like this.
Two days later, in the morning, I received something I could never have imagined.
* * *
It was the morning of the GED.
I set the alarm to vibrate only to wake me up.
'I'm sure everyone is sleeping.'
I quietly got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash my face.
But when I came out of the bathroom, the bed on the other side was empty.
'… … ?'
Seon Ahyeon, where did he go?
'Did he use the bathroom here and go down to the living room?'
It was when I put on my street clothes and cautiously opened the door, making the best guess.
The first thing I felt was... A very savory smell of food.
And a booming voice was heard.
"Park Moondae came out!"
"… ?!"
When I looked up, my groupmates filled the bright living room and kitchen.
'What's this?'
Just as I was about to think about what day it would be today, Keun Sejin approached me, clapping his hands.
"Oh, Moondaemoondae~ You have an exam today!"
"… … !!"
Keun Sejin was smiling. And looking around, the other guys were no different.
They knew everything as if it was an established fact.
"How did you know?"
Keun Sejin shook his head with exaggerated pity.
"Moondae, let's not forget that we live as a group… The smartphone screen you see... The person next to you can see clearly."
"… !!"
"No, how can you go through such a major event on your own? Don't you have a word to say to the members~ Aren't you too heartless?"
"It's not a college entrance exam, so I didn't have to say it..."
"Heukheuk, such disappointing words!"
"That's right! You should be sorry!"
"… …"
These guys were deliberately pretending to be sad. Was it fun?
At least, the rational explanation came from Ryu Chungwoo.
"Everyone has time anyway, and we're all at the dorm… We thought it would be nice to give a surprise send-off. Haha."
"… Yes."
This… was a bit unexpected. They didn't have to do this.
"Considering hyung's desire to take the exam quietly, we have decided to refrain from seeing you off to the exam site."
That was an accurate judgment.
But it didn't end there.
"S-so… We made this together."
Seon Ahyeon, who was standing at the back, quickly moved the ladle, and then set the bowl on the table.
What was in it... It was chicken porridge.
"… …"
"I wanted to make chicken soup! But everyone was against it!"
"Since it's before the exam, I thought it would be nice to be familiar with it."
"Chicken soup is delicious..."
The burnt-out chicken soup, which looked like it came from hell, automatically came to mind.
It was almost unbelievable that it evolved into such a perfect chicken porridge through two processes.
"Ahyeon worked hard… And Sejin, that is to say, Bae Sejin, did a lot. Among us, the only ones who can cook are Kim Raebin and Bae Sejin."
"It seemed that Bae Sejin was more knowledgeable than me!"
"That, not to that extent."
Bae Sejin coughed. Okay. Both Kim Raebin and he were stubborn.
'They managed to make it.'
I was at a loss for words while looking at the chicken porridge, which looked like it was made with great care.
A little… I was embarrassed, but I was also sorry.
"How is it, Moondae? Are you so thankful that… you're speechless? I know everything already, so eat deliciously~"
Excellent. I wasn't sorry anymore.
"Where did you get all this?"
"Ah, we all went shopping together. Why would the ingredients fall out of thin air?"
So yesterday, all of a sudden, everyone was absent. I didn't think they managed to find it and put it in the refrigerator.
"How is it, do you understand?"
I sighed, but finally smiled bitterly.
"Yes, thank you."
"… … !"
"Thank you, everyone."
"I'm grateful."
"Eat quickly!"
Anyway, I ended up eating chicken porridge while sitting among those smirking.
"… How does it taste?"
"Yes. It's delicious."
They thought I was pretending.
However, I didn't know what else I would hear if I didn't finish it, so I emptied it clean.
… It was also something to be thankful for.
"Would you like another bowl?"
"It's okay. Seriously, don't take pictures of me."
"Huh? You don't want to share this important moment with the fans, Moondae? The members worked so hard to cook~"
"… …"
Yes, do as you please.
It wasn't like he was telling everyone I was taking the GED, so it was okay to post that Park Moondae ate breakfast later.
"D-do you want to pack the rest into a lunch box?"
"Yes. Thank you."
Actually, yesterday, I packed something to eat for lunch, but... I could come back and eat it.
I left the dorm at the right time, carrying a thermal container of chicken porridge and being seen off by the others.
"Get full marks~"
"Let's eat something delicious for dinner!"
I felt odd.
'I brought a cheap lunchbox with me during the college entrance exam.'
I didn't expect to eat something like this while taking the GED with someone else's body.
'… Let's have a good test.'
If I didn't pass like this, I thought it would be really funny. I didn't want that to happen, so I'd have to pay more attention.
After I put on my mask, I pressed down on my ball cap and went out on the road.
The test site was not far, and it was easy and quiet to arrive by taxi.
And, of course, nobody cared about me. If I had asked the company for security personnel, I would have been criticized for interfering with the exam.
'Everyone's dressed differently.'
There were so many different age groups, so the usual outfit like mine was not buried.
Thinking that I had done well not to leak the news unnecessarily, I sat down at my desk and took out my pen.
It was a long test.
* * *
At a GED test site in Seoul…
As Park Moondae said, different people of various ages were sitting at their desks.
However, there was something that Park Moondae did not expect.
All in all, there were people who had a huge fan heart that could identify any idol just by looking at their skeletons.
'P-Park Moondae??'
Yes.
A student who was putting her bag on the seat behind the desk of Park Moondae froze when she saw a familiar back in front of her.
That bone, that hairline at the back of that neck.
All kinds of back cameras of Park Moondae's fancams that she looked for countless times reflexively overlapped.
And an instinct-level realization hit her head!
'Wait, they're inactive now... And because Moondae dropped out of high school! So he's here to take the test??'
Thoughts came rushing in like bombs. Of course, the ego of the examinee was also screaming that it was an absurd delusion.
"… …"
However, after a while, the examinee who got out of the whirlpool of all kinds of thoughts thought hard.
'I have to be careful!'
The possibility of that was extremely slim, but it'd be rude to interfere if it was Park Moondae, and even if it wasn't him. In any case, it was absolutely not allowed to interfere with the exam!
Firmly resolved, the examinee cautiously sat down at her desk.
That was how the thrilling GED test began.