Work Text:
The classroom was quiet except for the soft rustling of papers.
The physics teacher walked down the rows, returning graded tests one by one.
“Yu Ijin.”
Ijin looked up calmly as the paper slid onto his desk.
His classmates expected the usual expressionless reaction. Ijin rarely reacted to anything—whether it was a fight, a threat, or a surprise quiz.
He flipped the paper over.
At the top, circled in red:
72
For a moment… he didn’t move.
Ijin blinked.
Once.
Twice.
His eyes widened just a fraction.
“….”
He stared at the number like it was a bomb about to explode.
A passing grade.
For the first time in his life.
Memories of explosives training, urban warfare drills, and knife combat flashed through his mind.
But none of those things had ever prepared him for physics.
“…I passed.”
He whispered it like he didn’t believe it.
Then suddenly—
BANG
His chair scraped violently across the floor.
Before anyone could react—
Ijin was already gone.
Yeongchan blinked.
“…Did he just run?”
Yuna tilted her head.
“He didn’t even pack his bag…”
Seokju stared at the empty seat.
“…Was that because of the test?”
The teacher adjusted his glasses, confused.
“Yu Ijin?”
Silence.
“…Yu Ijin?”
A pause.
“…Where did he go?”
Meanwhile — The Numbers’ Safehouse
The door exploded open.
BAM
All the Numbers instantly reached for weapons.
004’s knife flashed into his hand.
005 turned with deadly calm.
016 looked up from cleaning his sniper rifle.
018 lifted his head slightly.
008 cracked his knuckles.
002 slowly turned his gaze toward the doorway.
Standing there—
Slightly out of breath—
Was Ijin.
“….”
“….”
“….”
The entire room froze.
004 squinted.
“…Why are you here?”
Ijin walked in quickly.
Still holding the paper.
For once, his usually stoic face looked… strangely bright.
“I passed.”
Silence.
004 blinked.
“…What?”
Ijin held up the paper.
“My physics test.”
“….”
“I passed.”
Another pause.
005 leaned forward.
“…Wait.”
“…You mean… you passed passed?”
Ijin nodded.
“72.”
The room went completely silent.
008’s eyes widened.
018 lowered his mask slightly.
016 stopped cleaning his rifle.
Even 002’s normally unreadable face showed a tiny flicker of surprise.
“….”
004 stared at the paper.
Then at Ijin.
Then back at the paper.
“…This is fake.”
Ijin blinked.
“It’s not fake.”
004 pointed aggressively.
“There is no way you passed physics.”
“I did.”
“You can dismantle a tank blindfolded but you can't calculate velocity.”
“…I studied.”
004 slammed his knife on the table.
“Lies.”
005 snorted.
“He looks serious.”
004 pointed at the red 72 like it was evidence of a crime.
“This is academic fraud.”
018 spoke calmly.
“…004.”
“…What?”
“…He looks happy.”
Everyone turned back to Ijin.
And it was true.
For once—
The legendary mercenary 001
The man who could take down entire squads alone,
Was standing there
Holding a test paper
Looking ridiculously proud.
006 suddenly grinned.
“Hey! That means we should celebrate!”
004 groaned.
“Celebrate what? Mediocrity?”
016 finally spoke up.
“…It’s his first passing grade.”
004 froze.
“…Wait.”
“You mean he’s been failing this whole time?”
Ijin quietly nodded.
“….”
004 leaned back in his chair.
“…Unbelievable.”
Then he crossed his arms stubbornly.
“I still don’t believe it.”
005 smirked.
“Want to retest him?”
004 immediately pointed.
“Yes.”
He grabbed a marker and wrote on the whiteboard.
“Calculate the trajectory of a thrown knife with air resistance.”
Ijin stared at the board.
“….”
Then calmly walked over.
Picked up the marker.
And wrote:
“Just throw it harder.”
The room exploded with laughter.
Even 002 let out the faintest breath that might have been a chuckle.
004 stared at the answer.
“…This is why I don’t believe you passed.”