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kang seokhwa is living a good life as a student. aside from almost damaged with glass flakes from his class' window caused by lee hyeop's serenade. or from surviving choi suhwan's gags involving boring ghost prank. or from being able to live after lee midam accidentally mixed up the wrong substance and blew the whole lab up during chemistry. kang seokhwa is living a good life.
kim sungyeon, seokhwa's optimistic seatmate always tells seokhwa to cheer up. knowing that the majority of students dwells in their class are bunch of eccentric men, sungyeon told seokhwa to not feel weirded out and just enjoy the flow. so he tried to get along with the kids who nearly killed him.
and therefore, seokhwa is able to get through the last year of high school without anymore burden. being an expressionless stone he is, seokhwa set his own slogan; "my face isn't newspaper because you can't read it".
the next morning, lee eugene, a considerate and thoughtful secretary of the class announced something expected. a yearbook planning. all of a sudden, the peaceful classroom formed into discordant noises. some of them are surprised, the other already prepared for the news that they had the dedication to prepare some theme ideas.
seokhwa is intrigued. so is his close friends.
"oh, and can all of you write your quote in this paper? give it to me again as soon as you finish it, alright?" eugene lift up a piece of empty paper and passed it to the front row. "i'll leave it to you, then."
"waaah, yearbook quote!" suhwan shook seokhwa's body from behind. the latter just accepted the way suhwan sways his whole soul with no mercy.
"i already had one in mind." hyeop confidently walks to seokhwa's seat, raising his eyebrows. "my voice is higher than your grades."
"that's...," seokhwa pursed his lips and sweats. "... too honest."
suhwan's eyes sparked as if getting inspiration out of nowhere. "how about smaller chilies are spicier? yuvin told me that analogy!"
"well, yuvin isn't wrong," sungyeon commented with a smile. "but you're the demonic level of spiciness."
"i'm a cute one, you know?" suhwan's pout is most likely the least thing seokhwa wanted to see. he pulled an adorable look with both palm hands touching his own cheeks. before he managed to do another aegyo, hyeop already left the conversation.
midam joins in. "actually... i wanted to make my senior quotes funnier. can you guys help me?"
"of course," seokhwa volunteered. "what's your initial quote?"
"i wish i could burn this school if i had the chance."
"midam. just leave this school already, then."
"wait!" midam clutched his hands. "can you make it funnier, seokhwa? you're the funniest person i've ever know... please help me look for a good quote."
seokhwa might want to know how to differ midam's compliment and sarcasm. he'd sign up for his mystery for always trying to burn the school building down in purpose. it's possible that midam secretly hates this school.
"yah! have you guys filled the paper yet?" minhee suddenly pops out behind midam's back with yunseong next to him.
"i only left the paper blank for my senior quote and i'm proud with it." yunseong deadpanned. or... maybe he's just being serious.
sungyeon became uncomfortable of the ruckus. "aah, we don't have any ideas yet! shoo shoo, it's my nicest time to take a nap!"
as the others left, seokhwa averted his eyes to sungyeon who already fell asleep using his own bag as a pillow. seokhwa snickered. he's 80 percent certain that this friend of him uses dream for inspiration.
*
"good morning, eugene!"
"good morning su- agh! what the heck!" eugene exclaimed and jumped backward feet away after suhwan surprised him with a spooky mask. it almost caught him off guard. suhwan took off the mask and laughed over eugene's terrified face. tears started to pour.
"that's the best one yet! seokhwa would never make that kind of face!"
"choi suhwan, you want me to write a false attendance for you?"
"yes sir no sir. i'm sorry."
seokhwa walked pass thru the scene while frowning. but as he thought, sungyeon was right. he shouldn't be dumbfounded by strange things he saw everyday in this class. yesterday, sejin made a scavenger hunt using marimong and nobody even judged. completely normal.
"guys, don't forget to fill in the yearbook quotes. there are still around 15 people who haven't write anything yet... i'll wait until tomorrow, okay?" eugene talked in front of the class, followed by suhwan behind as he hums a tone. the students said 'yeah' in unison, but eugene took that response with a grain of salt.
"suhwan-ah, you haven't write anything too, right? we should write it together later." hyeop occupied sungyeon's seat since he haven't arrived at school yet. seokhwa was there, though. he was busy in his own imaginary world before hyeop embarked.
"i'm torn between using the chili one or a new one. i wanted to write a heartening quote. seeing gunho wrote let's do our best! sincerely makes me want to make something like that too."
seokhwa is amazed. suhwan finally tried to be normal for once.
"actually i wanted to look sane compared to yuvin's stupid quote."
"humiliating other people for your own sake, i see."
sungyeon tackled hyeop the moment he burst out of the door. hyeop wasn't ready for the attack and dexterously got pushed away by the actual owner of the seat. seokhwa watches hyeop screamed at the top of his lungs while falling. anyone who doesn't know hyeop might think he's doing a high-note performance, well, he's not.
"sungyeon! good morning!" suhwan attached his spooky mask again. sadly, sungyeon is not amused.
"have any ideas for the yearbook quote?" seokhwa spoke to sungyeon but his concern still wanders around hyeop's minor mishap.
sungyeon slightly shook his head. "i'm still unsure."
"just write anything." suhwan advised.
just write anything. seokhwa repeated in the heart.
*
"any more suggestions?" eugene tap the whiteboard with the marker, hoping it would draw everyone's attention. there are few messy writings on the board. large font of 'yearbook class 3-A theme plan' on top of it summarized the whole thing.
"vintage!"
"summer!"
"medieval!"
"world destruction?"
except for midam's suggestion, eugene wrote the rest.
"by the way, yuvin's class pulls off a pastel colored theme," suhwan mentioned class 3-B to seokhwa in a low voice. "that's so childish. i wish we could get at least a formal suit theme."
"based on the votes," eugene makes another tap sound twice on the whiteboard's surface. "we're going to execute a playful theme."
*
the last period finally ended. seokhwa didn't remember anything for the past two hours except lee dongwook's words of wisdom. at least he's glad that class ended so fast. he must study for the national exam as soon as he reaches home. but, a slight misfortune happened.
"kang seokhwa, kim sungyeon, choi suhwan, lee midam, lee hyeop and hwang yunseong. stay inside the class." eugene declared.
"we did our history homework!" hyeop justified, didn't accept the blame.
"wait, did you?" midam frowned at hyeop in disbelief.
"it's not about homework," eugene sighed. "all of your yearbook quotes. i need it now."
ah... quotes. seokhwa is anxious. he hasn't written anything because he couldn't make up his mind. all the miscellaneous antics from his friends made him forget his own essential duty.
"but, eugene." yunseong coldly raises his hand. "i already wrote it."
"it's empty."
"it's supposed to be empty."
"no... it's not," eugene is stressed out, hands massaging his temple. "please, class leader. be responsible."
suhwan jumped from his chair. "that's me!" choi suhwan is 3-A's class leader and people wouldn't believe it. including eugene. he's amazingly dependable, if only he could throw his foolery away.
"suhwan-ah, my quote is already good, right?" yunseong sulked.
"all good!"
"you heard that? goodbye." with lightning speed, yunseong fled. gone.
"whatever," eugene doesn't care about the petite boy anymore. he will talk a lot to minhee after this. "it's all up to five of you, then. just.... just write anything. maybe even a single letter doesn't matter."
"what's your quote, eugene-ah?" hyeop had the guts to ask the most crucial question.
"my biggest regret is being a secretary of 3-A."
"sorry for asking."
seokhwa effortlessly duck-faced with pen placed between his lips. most students won't take eugene seriously because he was rumored to be stiff outside but really soft inside, technically nothing to be afraid of. seokhwa agreed to that. he witnessed eugene cried once after watching a cooking video of a rabbit shaped cream buns. the show presenter ate it in the end and it broke eugene's heart.
"no more questions. go brainstorming or anything. i will wait for 10 minutes and then we can leave together. there's consequences if you keep delaying." eugene's last warning woke seokhwa up to reality.
no time for spacing out. seokhwa quickly shifted to a pleasant position. the five of them made a circle. discussion time.
"i don't even care anymore! just write anything!" suhwan panicked.
"okay, then..."
"no! don't literally write it as anything!!"
"seokhwa! you're an entertainer. suggest one for me." midam begged seokhwa.
"i'm still going to use my voice is higher than your grades." hyeop evil laughed.
"at least don't look at me!" sungyeon is offended.
"guys, class 3-B's yohan, junho and seungwoo made a continuous quotes. maybe we should do that too?" suhwan's social skills activated.
"for the five of us? i can't think of anything!" hyeop disagreed.
"maybe i should write an apology for breaking the lab that time..."
"don't expose yourself, midam!!"
"i should just... copy other people's quote."
"hello, police?!"
seokhwa's head turned dizzy. he had enough listening to bizarre ideas of his friends.
"stop! ahh, this is making me crazy..." as soon as seokhwa whines, the other four stopped bickering.
"seokhwa? you want to suggest anything?"
"i'll handle this." he snatched the paper in the middle and starts to fill it with words. hyeop was about to interrupt, but suhwan endured him. seokhwa has finished writing and calmly hands it to eugene who patiently waits.
"thanks," eugene is beyond relieved upon receiving it. "also, don't forget for the photoshoot. it's two more weeks. please dress suitable for the theme," eugene reminded, eyes scanning seokhwa's writing. "...oh god, these dumb quotes.... i don't understand them..." he mumbled in weariness under his breath as he opened the door.
"what did you write?" everyone asked in curiosity at seokhwa.
seokhwa only smiled at them.
*
"congratulations."
"yeah, you've said it four times now and i'm kinda tired of it." hyeop yawned at suhwan.
they've offically graduated now. after a long journey in agony with countless days trapped in a pile of science books, rushing all of their final semester assignments, tight tutor schedule, and sleepless night dedicated for studying. they're finally free now.
(except those who planned to go to college.)
"waaa, yearbook!" suhwan awed by the yearbook finished result's thickness.
"it's possible to hit this to a person's head and make them passed out, right?" midam wasn't in his right mind.
seokhwa shared his friends one book each. they can't wait any longer to check inside.
"wait, guys. mahiro called." seokhwa cuts off. "i'll be back."
"ah right, seokhwa! what did you write for our quotes?"
"just check it!" seokhwa's voice already went distant.
here goes nothing.
-
101 ACADEMY
CLASS 3-A
suhwan is wearing an oversized bright blue hoodie, a white cap given by yuvin and hair styled wavy black. he chooses to smile brightly and extend his arms out to emphasize the playful theme.
choi suhwan's quote : smaller chilies are spicy but midam's will to destroy this school is spicier.
sungyeon is wearing a padded yellow jacket with striped pattern, with a backpack pinned with colorful badges. he let his hair natural, bangs down. his mouth wide open with hand pointing to a certain spot, as if inviting people to go travel with him.
kim sungyeon's quote : keep on dreaming. keep on sleeping. lee hyeop can you shut up so i could sleep.
midam is wearing a t-shirt with an emoji printed on it. he also wears a wristwatch borrowed from jungmo. he held a strawberry milk box, biting it straw. a peace sign and a wink as the killing part.
lee midam's quote : don't worry if you hit rock bottom. worry if you hit sungyeon when he's asleep.
hyeop is wearing a warm purple colored plain sweater. a heart shaped glasses dangled loosely from his nose edge. his hands are hugging a huge teddy bear with red ribbon. he shows a big grin.
lee hyeop's quote : my voice is higher than suhwan.
and lastly,
seokhwa is wearing a checkered shirt with white undershirt. a polka-dot tote bag attached to his shoulder. he's wearing round glasses with no lens. as usual, lips slightly goes forward, formed into a pout. hand peace sign.
kang seokhwa's quote : my face isn't newspaper because you can't read it.
-
"well..."
the four of them are speechless. don't know how to react.
"see?" midam's eye points at seokhwa, standing far away from them. "told you he's an entertainer."