I am really not happy with the circumstances but it is the cards that I have been dealt..... except that the dealer was my brother and he dealt a really bad hand and he gave me a thumbs up.... Like he was actually doing me a favor.
...
He is standing in front of a large white board..... in our living room. I have no idea where he pulled that white board out from but he set it up.
He started to write down all the math equations known to man on the board. Then he faced me.
I stared at him puzzled. Then he started to tap on the board with the long pointing stick.
Then he passed me a paper with a math question on it. I saw this type of question before while preparing for my first College Scholastic Aptitude Test but I skipped it since I didn't understand it.
I stared back at my brother and he looked a bit frustrated. He turned around, wrote the question down into steps then turned around and tapped the board with his ridiculous stick.
Then something clicked. I get it. I kinda get it. I take my pencil and with precision I wrote down the answer.
"The answer is one!" I said.
My brother clapped seeing me answer that question.
Then he moved on to another math question....
Then another...
Then English....
Then more English....
And science....
Then back to math....
Every time he tapped the board actually made me understand the concept.
"... Based on the demand shifts caused by the taxation of the government. We can assume that customers in general will consume 1,040 less units of product while being charged 70% of the tax levied by the government due to the relatively inelastic demand." I said. I stopped and thought about what I just said. I didn't understand how I understood that but I just did.
My brother was in tears as he heard my answers. He looked so proud of me.
...
A week has passed and I am now sitting in front of my teacher with an exam book on my desk.
The teacher looked at me and made sure I did not have any way to cheat on the exam.
I am so nervous and the situation is more dire than I expected. I actually did well in my first exam and now I am faced with a high barrier to pass this test.
"Why did I try so hard on the College Scholastic Aptitude Test???" I cursed myself when I got my report. My peers were jealous. I was angry.
...
Any whom I am in this hot seat about to see if I am going to get expelled from school.
"Start your exam." Teacher announced.
I flipped the test cover sheet and found the questions...
"Huh?" I noticed that it was something my brother pointed out before.
I answered all the questions on that page without breaking a sweat.
Then. I flipped the page again... it was easier than the first page.
I answered all of it.
...
...
"I am done." I announced it to the teacher.
"The test is cumulative, Minji. Finish it to the end, not just the section." Teacher pointed out.
"Yes, I am done with the entire test." I clarified.
The teacher got up from the desk and walked towards me.
"I know it was a tall order but giving up like...." Teacher started to chide but stopped when she saw my exam.
She grabbed the exam and started to flip through it.
"This ... this ... " she murmured.
She rushed back to her desk to grab the answer sheet.
She started to compare the answers.
"What ... huh? That's...." Teacher said while grading the test.
Then she looked up and walked and checked every single part of my desk. Then she looked at me.
"You passed." Her expression is of half shock and half flabbergasted exhaustion.
She gave me the graded test and there was a bright red mark: "98%". I got one question wrong.
"Clearly, whatever your escapade has done. It has had profound effects on your academics. I am going to drop the expulsion case." Teacher announced while taking the exam back.
I took a moment to absorb what just happened.
"Maybe... I should take a year off and have my brother tutor me. So I can get a better score in my College Scholastic Aptitude Test..." **
** It is not uncommon for Koreans to take a year off on their education after graduating high school to study for the College Scholastic Aptitude Test. If their score does not get them into their dream university.