Amelioration || Choi Jiung

14

Two days before su-neung

In the classroom, there was no one other than me. The teachers already left but I have to study on my own.

I paused the timer after I finished another mock exam. I checked the clock in the room and it's 11:30pm. Thirty more minutes to go and I can finally go home.

Despite today being the last day I'll revise until this late in the cram school, I didn't feel happy at all. To be exact, after all this torture, I couldn't feel anything at all. I have completely gone numb, and... I don't feel anything about it, haha.

It's all going to be over soon, but so what? I will get a long holiday and I will get to rest as much as I want, and?

All this doesn't matter to me anymore. There's nothing to look forward to anyways, not a single reason for me to stay alive.

After su-neung, I should probably kill mys—

Suddenly, two people entered the classroom, making me look up. Normally no one would enter at this time. When it's late, even the people at the reception were gone already, it's always me or the other students here to turn off the lights.

I was surprised to see who the people were.

"Long time no see," Theo sighed as soon as he saw me, not knowing whether he's relieved to see that I'm alive or anything, "you don't look like you're in a good condition."

Keeho hurried to take a seat next to me, "oh no... you must've been really tired."

Theo wasn't wearing his normal clothes. He was in his shirtsleeves and wearing dress pants. It was obvious that he just got off work.

I remembered that Keeho works at a grilled meat restaurant at night. He probably just got off work too, I could tell from the smell of perfume, he was trying to cover up the smell of meat.

"How did you guys find me and get in here?" I asked, trying not to sound dead. Sorry but 7 hours of cram school is seriously deadly.

"We... had our own ways," Keeho smiled a bit.

"Oh..."

"No actually, Theo and I looked for you in almost every cram school we can find. If it didn't take so long we would've visited you every day."

I didn't know how to feel about their visit. I was happy to see them after such a long time, but I was also too tired to act happy, plus... I especially wanted to see someone who's not here...

Theo walked over and patted my head. "Since we're here and your mom isn't watching, you should rest."

I didn't respond, and only leaned back on my chair, closing my eyes.

"If you have anything to say, you can say it," Theo said, while Keeho started massaging my shoulders, making me relax.

"Where's Jiung?" I asked after a while, "how's he doing?"

"He's doing fine."

"That's good to hear," I sighed.

"And you? How are you doing?"

I opened my eyes, but didn't respond immediately.