HYYH The Notes Chronologically

Seokjin, 25 June, Year 19

A lone flowerpot rested on the storage room's window. I didn't know where it came from. Which of my dongsaeng brought it? I took out my phone. The classroom was always dark with shadows since there wasn't any electricity, but I could still distinguish green leaves from the pale light coming from the windows. The photo I took on my phone didn't come out good, and it wasn't because I simply took it with a phone. I pondered this often - how a photo never captures what eyes can.

I noticed an 'H' written below the flowerpot when I approached. When I lifted it up, I read 'Hoseok's flowerpot.' I laughed. Hoseok was the only dongsaeng who'd bring a flowerpot here. I placed it back on the windowsill so only the 'H' is visible again. I then looked around. I didn't notice this before, but the windowsill was covered with scattered writing. The walls and ceiling were covered in it too. "Pass or die," the names of unrequited love, dates, and countless names that had become worn and illegible.

This classroom hadn't always been a storage room. Students used to filter it every day. It'd be filled when school began and emptied during vacations. Were there students like us? Would they receive punishments for being late and missing class? Were there mercilessly violent teachers and never-ending exams and coursework? Were there teachers who'd tell principals about their students and their friends?

I wondered whether my father's name lied among the words. The school was my father's alma mater. He was someone who believed attending the same schools maintained a family's dignity. I read over the names and found my father's. It was in the middle of the left wall surrounded by other names. A quote was written underneath it, "Everything started here."