Inside the classroom, the air was thick with tension, a silence broken only by the persistent scratch of pens against paper.
Click.
The sound of a pen being set down was crisp and final. Song Eun-woo gave a small, satisfied nod before flicking the completed test paper and handing it to his visibly stunned homeroom teacher.
"All finished, Seonsaeng-nim."
Teacher Park Mi-jung accepted the paper automatically, her mind reeling. He had finished an entire exam in just five minutes? Even if she were to race through it herself, that would be impossible.
Speed alone meant little, of course. The old Eun-woo could also finish in five minutes—by leaving everything blank. But this time, he had done it right under her watchful eye. As her gaze darted down the page, checking answer after answer, her disbelief grew. Every single one was correct. The English essay at the end wasn't merely adequate; it was flawlessly structured, with sophisticated vocabulary—worthy of being used as a model answer.
"Here, thanks for the pen."
While Teacher Park stared, utterly bewildered, between the paper and the boy, Eun-woo casually took the pen cap from between his lips, snapped it on, and handed it back to a blushing Han Seo-jin.
"A-anytime."
Hearing Seo-jin's gentle, soft voice, Eun-woo felt a pang of sympathy. He remembered his friend Kim Do-hyun complaining once that it was a shame such a beautiful voice belonged to… well, someone the class had unkindly labeled. How little they all knew.
"Seonsaeng-nim, may I return to my reading now?"
Shaking his head with a faint, private smile, Eun-woo turned back to the teacher, not wanting to waste another second.
"Y-yes, go ahead," Teacher Park managed, collecting herself with a sigh. "Alright, Kim Do-hyun, come and distribute these. We're starting the review. And… Student Song's essay is exemplary. Seo-jin, please copy it onto the board for the class."
---
The minor disturbance settled, and 'Sparta' Park Mi-jung—a nickname earned for her strict discipline—began reviewing the test. But now, a new fixture occupied the back corner of the classroom: the 'Page-Turning Oppa.'
The persistent swish-swish of rapidly turning pages cut sharply through the quiet, a stark contrast to the lecture. Yet Teacher Park seemed not to hear it. At times, when her eyes drifted to that corner, a flicker of something like pride would touch her stern features.
Ding-dong-dong-ding…
With the chime of the bell, class ended. But instead of leaving, Teacher Park marched straight to the back row.
"Song Eun-woo, come with me to the staff room."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and led the way. Eun-woo, mid-page-turn, could only sigh softly and follow.
---
In the staff room, Teacher Park sat at her desk, studying this problematic student who had seemingly transformed overnight. Her feelings were a tangled mix of suspicion, hope, and confusion.
"Seonsaeng-nim, what did you need? The Suneung is breathing down our necks," Eun-woo said with a light, easy smile. "I really should get back to reviewing. If I don't get into SKY, wouldn't I be disgracing your teaching?"
"Enough of your smooth talk, you rascal," she chided, though without her usual sharpness. "Explain this. What happened to your English?"
She was bursting with questions. How could this boy's English suddenly surpass her own?
Eun-woo couldn't give the real answer, of course. He simply shrugged, maintaining his casual demeanor. "It's all thanks to your foundation, Seonsaeng-nim. Plus, a good brain and a decent memory go a long way."
"Aish, this kid… Aren't you worried your tongue will get twisted? A good memory? You, the king of last place?" A sneering voice cut in from a nearby desk.
Eun-woo didn't need to look. It was Mr. Gong, the chemistry teacher. A man in his forties, slight of build with thick glasses, known for his caustic tongue and love for reporting students to their parents.
Hearing the mockery, Teacher Park's brow furrowed, but she held her tongue. Office politics were a delicate thing.
"Memorizing that isn't a problem," Eun-woo said, turning to face Mr. Gong. "But the terms need adjusting. The Suneung is in four days. Starting tomorrow, it's all self-study. I won't even have your class to skip."
"Omo! Listen to him!" Mr. Gong leaned back, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips. "So confident. Fine, state your terms. If you can recite the entire periodic table in five minutes, I'll agree to anything. If you fail, you'll copy the entire chemistry textbook for me!"
He didn't believe it for a second. But just to be safe, he had shamelessly shortened the time from the ten minutes he'd initially mentioned.
Eun-woo's lip curled in a hint of disdain. "You said anything, and Teacher Park is our witness. I'll keep it simple. If I succeed, you'll sing 'I Will Show You' by Ailee in front of the whole class. Fair enough?"
Five minutes? He could imprint the entire table in five seconds.
"Come, come, Teacher Park, you be the judge." Mr. Gong was already thrusting a laminated periodic table at Eun-woo, simultaneously pulling out his phone to set a timer. "Starting now! Four minutes and fifty-one seconds left!"
Watching the teacher's eagerness, Eun-woo's smile turned wry. He took the chart, his eyes scanning it for a brief moment—barely a few seconds—before tossing it back onto Mr. Gong's desk.
Tsk. Putting on an act. Mr. Gong thought, sneering inwardly. He probably couldn't even read half the element symbols.
"Teacher Gong," Eun-woo said calmly, "the clock's still running. Shall I begin?"
"Stop wasting time. Get on with it," Mr. Gong scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "This period is my free one. I'm looking forward to your little copying marathon."
As his voice faded, Eun-woo's clear, steady recitation filled the staff room, drawing glances from other teachers:
"Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron… Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine, Neon…"
[To be continued…]