off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ forty eight

After all those late nights studying, all that stomach-burning stress, today was the worst days of all. As Narae walked through the hallways of her high school, she stretched her neck to spot the notice board exam results would be plastered on. Without surprise, a crowd of dozens of students had gathered near it, bumping into each other to get a glance at their name on the list.

Narae sighed. She wasn’t quite ready to learn whether she'd passed or not. It could go either way, and that was the worst part. It wasn't her last year, so it didn't matter as much, but failing meant one thing: summer school. And if there was something she didn't want, it was that. Somehow, postponing the inevitable felt more comfortable. But she did need to check the results, at some point. She couldn’t live in blissful ignorance forever. Whatever the outcome was, she needed to face it.

Easier said than done. Even standing on the tip of her toes, Narae couldn’t catch even a corner of the paper on the notice board. The crowd that had huddled together in front of it was barely moving, as lamentations and cheers mixed together through the corridor. She attempted, again, to stretch herself as much as she could, but quickly lost balance.

Thankfully, her fall was softened by the broad chest of someone standing beside her. She lifted her chin, only to see Gunwook looking down at her in confusion. These days, Gunwook was half a friend, half a safety net.

"Oh, hey," he said, a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine... There's just too many people here, I can't see a single thing."

"Ah, you're trying to see if you passed."

She let out a sigh, her shoulders drooping. "Yeah, but I'm too nervous to find out. I didn't really do well, I know that, but I don't want to go to summer school..."

It wouldn’t be the end of the world, she knew that perfectly well. But summer break was the most fun of them all! She was already thinking non stop about the trip to Sokcho, and all the things she could do in those few weeks away from school. She doubted she could focus on algebra a minute longer. Gunwook, though, seemed completely relaxed, in a sea of nervous students.

"I imagine you passed," she spoke up, a pout on her lips."

A little proud smile appeared on Gunwook's face. "Yes!"

Of course he did. Gunwook was by far the smartest guy she knew. Not only that, he was a lot more disciplined than she was. Whatever job Gunwook wanted to have when he would be an adult, Narae was sure he would have no trouble reaching it. At least that part wasn’t too much of a problem for her. Unlike a lot of the kids in her circle, she was eager to work at the family business. Being surrounded by plants all day sounded like a dream come true.

That future didn't hinge on her exam results, but still, she would be disappointed if she'd failed...

"Gah, I'm too scared," she admitted, pinching her lips together.

Gunwook shook his head slowly. "I think you should rip the band-aid off as quick as possible." With a sheepish smile, he patted her on the back. "And I'm sure you did well. Whatever the result is, I know you gave it your all."

"That's... Yes, I guess there's no changing the past anyway."

She had worked hard, harder than she usually would. Who knew, maybe an amazing result was waiting for her, somewhere on that list. With a new sense of determination in her, she went right back on her tiptoes. Unfortunately, the crowd still hadn’t thinned. In fact, it felt like the tallest students in the school had picked that exact time to come see their results. She heaved a sigh as her heels touched the floor again.

"Welp, I guess this is kind of a lost cause. I'll just wait until they put the results online."

In the corner of her eye, she saw Gunwook straighten up. "Do you, um... Do you want me to lift you up?" he asked, a veil of red on his cheeks. "So you can hopefully see better."