Just College

⁶²

This had to be the fourth day that Seungmin hadn't seen Daya in school.

Is she allowed to miss classes like that?.

"Kim Seungmin?"

The boy looked up from his open binders. "Yes, sir?". Mr Eunkwang, the comparative culture professor, was a man he kind of liked but disliked at the same time. He was always keeping tabs on his grades and calling him out publicly if he got below his expectation. Now, that was a good thing but Seungmin hated it. He stared at the man, wondering what comment he would drop here right now, in a lecture room full of students.

His friends knew how he felt about being called out on a grade considered low and the other 00' liners were waiting for what the man wanted to say to him.

"You got a C negative or should I say C minus, in the project", Mr Eunkwang said, meeting their expectations. "Why?"

Jisung bit his lip, maybe a bit painfully. Damn. Being a top student was hard. You had to meet everyone's high expectations and not disappoint the lecturers holding you in high esteem or even dropping below your normal grades.

Seungmin scoffed under his breath. How would he know the reason for getting C as a grade. "I don't know sir", he still replied.

Mr Eunkwang stared at him, where he sat with his friends not far off from him on the fourth row and as usual, Jisung was next to him. "You are falling behind on your grades, Seungmin"

His hand tightened on the pen. "It was just one project, sir", he spoke up and most students had their eyes widening. "And it's a C. A C."

Mr Eunkwang stepped out from behind the podium, but still stayed on the elevated platform for teachers. "Just a C, you say, Seungmin. That C which is a negative by the way, can spoil your records of A's you know that, right?"

"Isn't this something to be said in private to the student in the staffroom?", Hyunjin whispered to Felix and the boy smiled tight-lipped.

"Hwang Hyunjin"

Oh shoot.

"Up"

The tall boy wet his lips, getting on his feet. "Sir?"

"I was talking", the lecturer reminded him and he nodded, "And you decided to make conversations with Mr Felix. How does that sound?"

Is this some QnA?.

"Disrespectful?", he asked back, "I don't know"

"Shit", Jisung whispered, lowering his head and muffling in his chortles.

"What was your grade in my project, young man?", Mr Eunkwang asked. These boys, he saw potential in them but they were too mischievous to care about that light and focus it on their studies.

"B+?", Hyunjin said with a head tilt and Seungmin subtly glanced at him. He was definitely getting an earful.

"Oh really?. That's good", the lecturer praised, "Sit down", he was really impressed and surprised. Hyunjin sat back down, smiling to himself. Mr Eunkwang looked towards Seungmin's direction. "Your unserious friends are beating you"

Hyunjin's jaws dropped and the whole room erupted in laughter. Even his other unserious friends. That man did not just praise him and diss him at the same time. In the span of 2 seconds. What the fuck, sir.

"I am not wrong though", Mr Eunkwang continued when the laughters died down. The student he was scolding, was literally the only person not liking his joke. "Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung and Lee Felix, don't really take their study life serious. I am surprised they got here even"